Skip to content

Two of Squamish’s ‘rising stars’

Maja Woolley and Nathan Romanin are competing in U16 slalom and giant slalom
Nathan Romanin heads down a slalom course.

Two Squamish teens who have been dubbed “rising stars” by the B.C. Alpine Ski Association are taking on the second round of the Teck Open competitions in early February.

Both Maja Woolley and Nathan Romanin have been making a name for themselves in U16 slalom and giant slalom competitions.

The pair can often be found carving the slopes with their team at the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, and their rigorous practice schedules have paid off.

Most recently, the pair clinched respectable positions at the first round of the Teck Open competitions early January, grabbing either first or second place in several slalom and giant slalom events.

But racking up wins isn’t something that comes easy.
While both of these athletes are only 15 years old, they’ve already been buckling on their ski boots for many years.

Woolley first started racing down the slopes when she was about two years old, thanks to the influence of her family, including her father Scott Woolley, who was on Canada’s national ski team.

Since then, Maja has been putting in many hours on the training circuit — about four days a week — focusing on conditioning and technique. 

And even when the snow disappears during the summer, Woolley still puts in time weightlifting and running her way into peak condition.

For her, much of the satisfaction comes from the fact that when she’s out on the race course, she’s on her own.

“When you win, it’s you that won,” said Woolley. 

“It’s not other people maybe did it more than you did — you did everything.”

But at the same time, Woolley does love being part of a supportive team.

“That’s what makes it fun,” she said. “You’re with your teammates all the time.” 

Woolley hopes to get a shot at making it into the big leagues, eyeing a spot at Team Canada for the Whistler Cup, and, eventually, the national team and the Olympics.

Romanin also has similar ambitions. 

“I’d love to represent my country at the Olympics and the World Cup to my best capability,” he said. 

Skiing since the age of three, Romanin got his start in the sport thanks to the encouragement of his family, who are avid outdoor enthusiasts.

“I’d always look forward to getting up there,” he said. “I’d alway just be nagging my parents to get up the hill. I was in love with the sport, I guess you could say, right off the bat.”

And it’s clear that it’s a passion that runs deep.

“The feeling of putting pressure into a ski, and making the ski bend and releasing the energy out of it — it’s an amazing feeling I can’t even put into words,” he said.

But Romanin’s decision to take the sport seriously didn’t happen right away.

At 10 years old, he joined the Whistler Ski Mountain club without any grand dreams. 

But at age 13, he started improving in leaps and bounds, prompting him to consider a career in the sport.

With any luck and a lot of hard work, Woolley and Romanin may be able to do just that.

Maja Woolley zips down the slope. - Hans Forssander
push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks