BIOGRAPHY
Raised in Bristol Bay, out in what Alaskans call the ''bush'' - some 400 miles from Anchorage and accessible only by air or boat—Callan Chythlook-Sifsof landed on the snowboardcross scene in 2007 by winning the Visa U.S. Snowboardcross Championships and taking third in the first World Cup of her career. After improving year by year, an injury took Chythlook-Sifsof out for the 2009 season, but she was determined to make it to Vancouver. She trained in Park City, UT for months before returning to the World Cup circuit in 2010 to land a spot on the 2010 Olympic team, becoming the first native Alaskan to do so. Chythlook-Sisof, who's a Yupik/Inupiaq Eskimo, then backed up her Olympic season with some solid results in 2011, including a silver at the Winter X Games and the second World Cup podium of her career in Switzerland.

The 2012 season saw Chythlook-Sifsof two top ten World Cup finishes before she suffered a knee injury that left her on the sidelined for the rest of the winter.

CALLAN SAYS
I was really excited to start this season where I left off. I had some really good snowboarding and unfortunately a tore my ACL halfway through the season. I was really happy where my competitions went. Rehab is going well, it was good timing to tear an ACL and I’ll be back on snow in September. I’ve already been through one of these before, so it’s a bit easier now and I know what to do.

FIRST TRACKS
''When I lived out in rural Alaska, my brother and I would just mess around on snowboards on a small hill near the house,'' says Callan. A few years and competitions later, she's an Olympian and X Games medalist.

OFF THE SNOW
Chythlook-Sifsof loves to hike and that’s what she sticks to in the summer months. She's also quite the environmental advocate, just check out her blog on callanx.com.