Physical Therapists on the Slopes with U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams

Mammoth Hospital’s Physical Therapists train some of the most elite athletes in the world with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team. Members of our PT staff monitor athletes during warm up and competition, run onto the “field” if an athlete takes a bad fall and is unable to ski away, and provide evaluation for acute injuries as they happen. They also provide hands-on treatment and exercises before and after events. Mammoth Hospital’s PTs even travel across the globe for some of the athletes’ biggest races and events.

“Working with U.S. Ski and Snowboard is a truly unique experience,” says PT Lance Georgeson, who has worked mainly with the Snowboard Cross team as well as several Olympians. He has travelled to Korea, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, as well as several U.S. resorts like Telluride and Copper Mountain with U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams. Lance says that when he was thinking about becoming a Physical Therapist, he always thought it would be great to work in a ski town and maybe even someday work with the U.S. Ski Team. “Pretty cool that this came to fruition,” he says. “It was fun for me to learn the technical aspects of a new sport (boardercross) such as waxing, drafting, and different course lines.”

PT Lauren Oxford traveled with the Women’s Alpine Team in the Fall of 2021 leading up to the first GS World Cup in Solden, Austria. “U.S. Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin won, so it was very exciting!” says Lauren. She was there as the team Physical Therapist, helping with all the daily tasks, carrying gear, coordinating the race gate for daily training, and attending the athletes’ daily strength and cardio workouts. During that time, team Physical Therapists also did all the weekly Covid testing and organized official Covid tests ahead of the World Cup. “We traveled all over the glaciers in the alps,” says Lauren. “Typically, we were up early to make the hour or so trek up the mountain via gondolas and trams to be on the snow before 7 a.m. It gets really cold just standing in the race gate, but it was so fun to watch the team run their gates.

The other national teams were also there training, so it was fun to interact with their PTs, ski techs, and coaches. Skiing on icy
glaciers without poles and trying to keep up with Olympic athletes will certainly level up your skiing!”

Last season, PT Andrew Stewart travelled with the U.S. Slopestyle Ski Team. During that time, the team competed in the Winter
X-Games, World Championships, and the FIS (Federation of International Skiing) World Cup Circuit.

“You really wear a bunch of different hats in this type of role,” says Andrew. “Not only are you doing physical therapy after practices or competitions, but you’re also standing on a hill most of the day being a first responder. You’re the main point of contact for anything medical and you’re also helping coaches with anything they might need.”

Brie Introcaso is the newest PT at Mammoth Hospital slated to work with U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams. She traveled to China
in December with the Freeski Halfpipe Team. Brie says the most rewarding part of her team assignment is helping athletes who are in pain feel better and good enough to get back out to doing what they love.

Mammoth Hospital’s orthopedic surgeons have also played key roles in U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team competitions. As team
physicians, they provide recommendations regarding further evaluation, diagnostic procedures and treatment plans, and
maintain up-to-date information on the medical and participation status of all the athletes.