International skimo win for JMCHS sophomore

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No mountain is too big to climb for Corrinne Higgins, pictured, when it comes to the sport she loves.

Corrinne Higgins’ love of powder has driven her to great heights in her short lifetime. A skier since she was a small child, the Judge Memorial Catholic High School sophomore took up the sport of ski mountaineering five years ago.

Known as skimo, the sport requires athletes hike up a mountainside before skiing down it.

“In skimo, you work for the downhill,” Corrinne said. “When we train in skimo, it’s really similar to back-country skiing, so you get a lot more powder than everybody else because we’re in remote places in the back country that you can’t access from a lift.”

On March 25 Corrinne finished first in the Under-16 category in the sport at the Ski Mountaineering ISMF Youth World Cup in Val Louron, France. To reach that level of success has been an arduous journey, but Corrinne has taken the sacrifices in stride.

“I’m sore a lot, but I’ve been doing this sport long enough that I’ve just gotten used to it,” she said. “I don’t get a lot of sleep and I don’t spend a lot of time relaxing. It’s either homework or training, for the most part.”

A member of the US Ski Mountaineering Association’s national team, Corrinne took first place in vertical and sprint in U16 at the youth nationals at Solitude and Brighton ski resorts, held in March.

As a Bulldog, Corrinne competes in track and cross country. She also competes in mountain biking with a team composed of Judge, Innovations and Rowland Hall students. In the winter she runs, lifts weights and participates in skimo training at Brighton and Solitude ski resorts for 15 to 18 hours each week. In summer, she spends those hours training for cross country and mountain bike competitions.

“My parents involved me in a lot of sports as a kid, and I like all of them, and I like my teammates,” she said. “I love the social aspect mostly, so I just stick with all my teams and try and make it work.”

Participating in the World Cup in France was “really awesome,” she said. “There’s a higher interest level over there in the sport, so the teams are much more uniform. It’s really cool seeing how much time they put in. It’s awesome to be able to experience that type of competitive environment. It’s like a step up from the U.S. races.”

Corrinne hopes to compete again in Europe in the next two years. After high school she may go overseas and train, but is uncertain about her future in the sport beyond that. While she could technically qualify for the 2026 Olympics, it’s unlikely she would make the team, she said. “Endurance athletes peak a little later in life so there’s definitely going to be some girls stronger than me that I won’t be able to beat out for the spot.”

Whatever the future holds, Corrinne is enjoying skimo.

“I like the sport; I like skiing,” she said. “I like skiing powder especially, and I like the community around it. The kids are incredible. It has given me quite a few opportunities I wouldn’t get otherwise.”