Liz Stephen packs a lot of strength, energy and integrity into her small frame. Wiry and strong, the last five years have been a sharp ascent up the ranks of distance skiing—a fitting trajectory for Stephen, who is known throughout the racing community as one of the best climbers in the world.

Stephen began her career at Burke Mountain Academy, along with current women’s team coach Matt Whitcomb, and has grown from an alpine racing convert a decade ago to the historic best finisher for the United States at the 2015 Tour de Ski with a fifth place overall effort. Stephen brought more fight back to the 2016 Tour de Ski, where she posted the second-fastest hill climb during the grueling 9k Alpe Cermis on the final stage of the Tour. Stephen was also a part of the historic 4x5k relay team in Nove Mesto, where Stephen broke away from Finland in the third leg to set up a convincing second-place finish for relay anchor Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN). The two-time Olympian and four-time World Championship team member will again be based out of the USSA Center of Excellence in Park City, UT.

FIRST TRACKS
Stephen started skiing early and was a promising alpine racer, but she crossed over to cross country as a high school sophomore (Winter '02) just as now U.S. women’s coach Matt Whitcomb was rebooting the Burke Mountain Academy nordic program. High energy and a quick study, she was the J1 10k classic champion at Junior Olympics. Skiing used to complement her running, but now it’s the other way around.

OFF THE SNOW
Stephen likes to read, adventure with friends—especially in the desert or the mountains—and jump in cold lakes or rivers whenever she can find one. Being based in Park City with over 400 miles of trails, she mountain bikes both for fun and training.