Northwesterner Jackie Wiles blasted onto the race scene early in the 2013 season in a big way. She won the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championship downhill title at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center hosted at Copper Mountain. She then won it again in 2014 and went to her first Olympics. Now firmly on the U.S. Ski Team, she's a full-fledged member of the women’s World Cup speed team and she’s constantly pushing everyone else with her natural talent and fearless ability to ski fast.

How fast is this Pacific Northwest ripper? Fast enough to land World Cup points in her rookie season, including a top 15 during a three-day stand in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, which ultimately punched her ticket to the Olympics (where she finished 26th in downhill).

Now it’s up to “Janky Lil J” to keep the momentum rolling. After a challenging 2015 season, Wiles was able to find the fire in 2016, finding her way back into the points consistently. Ultra-fast on training days, she'll look to translate that speed into her race day routine. At only 24-years-old, most would be overwhelmed, but Wiles' cool personality allows her to take it all in stride and juice every ounce of knowledge from each new experience. Watch out for her in 2017.

FIRST TRACKS
A product entirely of the Pacific Northwest Ski Association, Wiles was on skis about the same time she figured out walking. From there it was weekend trips to the mountain to learn all about what makes skiing fun with the White Pass Ski Club. In the 2016 season, teammate Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) named Wiles the Lindsey Vonn Foundation's first-ever athlete ambassador. "I’m really lucky that I have such a great teammate as Jackie Wiles,” Vonn noted. “She needed help to be able to support herself this season, so I personally gave her money to be able to ski this year and in return she is the first ambassador for the Lindsey Vonn Foundation.”

OFF THE SNOW
Life in the Northwest means riding all types of bikes. She’s been known to cruise around on road, mountain, and stationary bikes as well as motorcycles.