Nevada Kramer's 'quiet confidence'

It’s a mid-January afternoon and the conditions at Whitefish Mountain Resort couldn’t be sweeter — blue sky, no wind, fast snow.

Local ski phenom Nevada Kramer, 16, spent the first part of his day taking end-of-semester tests at Whitefish High School, so he’s excited to clear his mind and carve some turns on the giant slalom course set up below Chair 2.

After a quick lift ride he skates to a knoll overlooking the valley and Whitefish Lake. The warm sun is beating down from above. Kramer takes in the scene for a few seconds — it’s obvious he appreciates the moment — then like a bottle rocket unleashed into the evening sky, he’s gone.

He makes sweeping arcs across Ed’s Run, launches off the cat track at full speed and comes to a quick stop just above the race course.

It’s time to get to work.

Kramer is moving up the ranks of the International Ski Federation points list and is making a name for himself as an alpine racer on the Whitefish Mountain Race Team. At 12 years old, he was considered the best racer in Montana. Now at 16, against much tougher competition, he’s still on the short list of up-and-coming racers.

Coaches say his success on the slopes is due to an unmatched work ethic. As a young racer, he was the one who stayed late, trained harder and pushed himself to go faster.

It seems that he still holds those same values. Kramer will graduate from high school a year early where he’ll then continue earning college credits at FVCC while also pursuing his dreams of racing at the collegiate level, or higher.

He trains in the summer on Mount Hood in Oregon, spends the early winters training in Canada, then in January hits the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Other skiers of his caliber would consider joining an out-of-state ski academy, but Kramer doesn’t think that’s necessary.

“I can be just as committed to my training here,” he said, noting he’ll likely join the NorAm level next winter.

There was a tipping point for Kramer at an early age when he had to decide how committed he was to the sport. Balancing travel, training and school work in middle school proved to be a challenge. But he stuck with it, and by high school had found a routine that worked.

“I knew this is what I wanted to devote my time and energy toward,” he said about making the decision to stick with ski racing.

His coach Roy Loman points out a “quiet confidence” that shines through on the race course. At the start gate, “he doesn’t get rattled.” Loman said. Even at top speed, with split-second decisions made at each turn, Kramer stays even-keeled and cool.

Kramer says he “warms up his mind” before a race by visualizing the course over and over again. Then once he’s going, “it’s all automatic.”

He speaks modestly about his aptitude for racing, but acknowledges that there’s just something fun about going fast on skis.

“Laying down sweet arcs feels great,” he said. “It’s always a rush.”