Picabo Street may be best known for her funny name, but she was a serious skier that not only brought home the gold on many occasions, but also had a famous ski run named after her. Not many skiers have been afforded that honor, and although she’s now retired, Picabo’s name will most likely never be forgotten.

Picabo was born in 1971 in Idaho, and her unique name was the result of her parents allowing her to name herself. Playing peek-a-boo was her favorite game as a child and that was the name she chose. Other stories attribute the name to a Native American word, Picabo, which means “shining waters.” She began skiing at an early age, and joined the US Ski Team when she was seventeen years old.

Her first Olympic medal was a silver in 1994, and Sun Valley named a run after her. She was heralded as an inspiration to young women and when she brought home the gold in 1996, she made history as the first American to win that season title. She brought home the gold again in 1998, but this would be a bad year for her. Street broke her leg and had to go through two years of rehabilitation before she could ski again.

Street was also well known for her stint as a spokeswoman for Mountain Dew, and frequently appeared on television programs, becoming very well known. She released her autobiography after her accident, and discussed the pressures that professional skiers face as well as the events leading up to her career changing accident.

In 2002 Picabo appeared in her last Olympics, and then retired from the sport as one of the top women skiers in history. In 2005, she was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame. She currently lives in Park City, Utah and is still active in the skiing community. She inspired countless people to take up skiing, and is partly responsible for its popularity today, thanks in a large part to her bigger than life personality and her sheer talent.

Career Highlights

Olympic medal record
Women’s Alpine Skiing
Gold 1998 Nagano Super-G
Silver 1994 Lillehammer Downhill
World Championships
Gold 1996 Sierra Nevada Downhill
Silver 1993 Morioka Combined
Bronze 1996 Sierra Nevada Super-G

World Cup Wins:

December 9, 1994
January 21, 1995
February 17, 1995
March 4, 1995
March 11, 1995
March 15, 1995
December 1, 1995
January 19, 1996
March 8, 1996

Interesting and Inspirational Quotes:

“When someone tells me, "this is only one way to do things", it always lights a fire under my butt. My instant reaction is, "I'm gonna prove you wrong."”

“In these Games, they still do have a chance. It's not shaping up as great right out of the gate as we expected it to, but you never know, that could spin the other direction. The [U.S.] team is going to be the best in the world.”

“I only hope I get to watch the women's downhill. I think I'll still be able to grasp the sensation even if I'm only living it vicariously.”

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Categories:

Athlete Profiles, Female Profiles, Skiing

Tags:

alpine skiing, favorite game, first olympic, funny name, hall of fame, mountain dew, nagano, national ski hall, native american word, olympic medal, park city utah, picabo street, professional skiers, seventeen years, sheer talent, shining waters, talent career, television programs, top women, women skiers