#FindYourGreatest

BY Alex Fuller

Sage Kotsenburg

2014 Olympic Gold Medalist in Slopestyle Snowboarding

Twenty-year-old Sage has called Park City home since he was a toddler, and Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) has been his training ground ever since. With the first-ever gold medal awarded in slopestyle snowboarding under his belt, Sage could go anywhere but chooses to stay in Utah. "It is so addicting being around these beautiful mountains every day," he says. Utah athletes won 11 medals in Sochi last February. In fact, if Utah were its own country, it would have tied with Switzerland for 10th place overall. Sage won the very first medal of the games—stomping a near-perfect run with his signature move: the Holy Crail. Back home, afterwards, his head was still spinning. "We had all of Utah and Park City behind us. We had a giant parade waiting for us and everyone came out. It was so awesome."

When he's not training, Sage's idea of The Greatest is freeriding at PCMR. "Once I strap in my board, all the everyday thoughts exit my brain, and all I focus on is the task at hand—shredding." His favorite run there? Claimjumper, all the way. And for afterwards? Grabbing a hot slice at local favorite, Davanza's Pizzeria.

Sierra Quitiquit

Pro skier and fashion model

"How did I get here?" It's a question Sierra Quitiquit often asks herself these days and is the title of her forthcoming documentary. Sierra, a lanky, scrappy kid, grew up ski racing as a member of the Park City and Snowbird teams and made the transition to big mountain pro skier as a young adult. "I had no idea what I was doing," she says about the early years. "I was just stoked to be on skis and brought all my energy to it." That energy got her noticed as a fashion model, too.

Now, Sierra splits her time traveling for fashion shoots for well-known lines like Levi's and American Eagle, and traveling for ski shoots. (On tap this season: Chile, Japan, Alaska and, of course, Utah.) Her idea of The Greatest is returning "to my grounding home base in Utah" where she holes up in her cabin in Big Cottonwood Canyon and rips up the powder with friends (High Rustler at Alta and North Baldy at Snowbird are favorites). "Ultimately, I just want to be home in my mountains."

Brolin Mawejje

Westminster College student and Ugandan Olympic team hopeful

Competitive athletes are used to overcoming challenges, but Brolin Mawejje's path has been blocked by more obstacles than most. He left his native Uganda as a political refugee during a tumultuous journey that ultimately led him to the mountains of Utah. While the landscape is radically different from the Africa of his childhood, Brolin is at home here now—especially when he's riding his snowboard.

Now a senior at Salt Lake's Westminster College, Brolin is working toward dual pre-med and public health degrees with the dream of being an orthopedic surgeon. His other dream is more immediate: representing his native Uganda as a slopestyle snowboarder in the 2018 Olympics. When he's not studying, Brolin trains at Brighton and Park City Mountain Resort. His Greatest? "To be able to go to the mountains in the morning and then come back to the city in time for class."

Jill Layfield

Backcountry.com CEO and mom

When Jill Layfield's boss called her into his office to tell her that she was being named CEO of Park City-based backcountry.com, her response was: "I'm pregnant!" He replied, "Well, it's going to be a big year for you." Ten years ago, Jill moved from the Bay Area to join a "little outdoor retail e-commerce company." A decade later, backcountry.com is 18 times bigger, but Jill still gets out as much as possible to climb, bike, run and, of course, ski.

Jill's idea of The Greatest is spending a Saturday at Canyons Resort with her family. "It is so good for kids to be outside in the winter," she explains. "I don't want them inside on the iPad." And when she's ready for some grown-up ski time, "the ski schools here are amazing. It's so much better to put my kids in a really fun ski school than to hire a babysitter at home."

Chris Waddell

Thirteen-time Paralympic medalist and One Revolution founder

Chris Waddell is no slouch. The Park City-based athlete holds the record as the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history and is one of a select few who has medaled in both Summer and Winter Games. In 2009, Chris became the first paraplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro unassisted.

Now he runs the foundation One Revolution, which aims to turn the perception of disability upside down. "Utah is an ideal place for adaptive skiers—especially with the expertise of organizations like the National Ability Center and Wasatch Adaptive Sports," he says.

His work takes Chris on the road and in the air a lot, so having easy access to both an international airport and the slopes is critical. His idea of The Greatest? "As an old ski racer, I'm always still looking for that perfect turn. Now I mostly look for it on (Deer Valley Resort's) Bald Mountain."