Travis GANONG

Historical Results

Mountain biking, exploring the Sierra Nevada, ski touring, lots of time in the gym, remodeling our house and doing fun home projects like building a sauna or landscaping and gardening/trying to grow stuff. (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

Athlete

Attended Sierra Nevada University. (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

Partner, Marie-Michele Gagnon. Father, Rick Ganong. Mother, Jan Ganong. Twin brother, Derek. Sisters, Alison, Megan and Shirley.

English

Palisades Tahoe Ski Team

Sister Megan Ganong (Alpine skiing): Competed at the 1999 Junior World Championships, and skied on the World Cup and for Dartmouth College, retiring from racing in 2003.

Sister Alison Ganong (Alpine skiing): Former racer, now a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Physician in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Partner Marie-Michele Gagnon (Alpine skiing): Represented Canada at two Olympic Winter Games, seven World Championships, and three Junior World Championships. Has two World Cup victories (2014 super combined, 2016 Alpine combined).

2003 FIS event in Mammoth Mountain (Slalom - DNF2)
2009 World Cup in Lake Louise (Downhill - DNF)

28 December 2018: Torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in a crash in the Bormio World Cup downhill, ending his 2017/18 season and his opportunity to compete at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Returned to racing in November 2018.

"Being sidelined just before a big event like that was tough, but it also made me determined to get back and be stronger than I was before." (skiracing.com, 1 Jan 2018; Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

2006

Grew up in the mountains on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, chasing his twin brother and older sisters around the mountain. (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

Everything about the sport excites him - the big winter storms followed by perfect bluebird days, sharing moments in the mountains with friends, the speed, the adrenaline, the constantly changing and variable snow conditions, the travel, the way skiing is a generational sport. "I can go on an on, skiing is a rad sport." (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

To continue being one of the top-ranked skiers in the world while inspiring the next generation of USA downhillers to follow. (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

He and girlfriend, ski racer Marie-Michele Gagnon (CAN), share the same trainer in the off-season, Nick Ward.

"It has been really fun to live and breathe this high-intensity lifestyle where we push each other training, but also eat the right food, rest properly, and really just do everything the right way. When I was younger, I worked hard but I was missing a few important pieces. Now having Marie-Michele to train with, our program in the off-season is dialed.

As for on-snow, I'm all about quality over quantity. Racing downhill and super-G, we only have one run that counts, so I try and train like that as well, focusing on one or maybe two runs instead of training as many runs in a session as possible. After training it's all about free skiing for me. Freeskiing is a huge part of my training regiment." (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

Winning silver medal in downhill at home country World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek in 2015. (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

Become the first man from the United States of America to win the Kandahar downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with his 2017 victory. (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)

He looks less at individual persons and more at the culture of where he grew up in Olympic Valley, California. "It was the mountains and the people pushing their limits on a daily basis in Tahoe that motivated me to also see what my athletic potential was. It also taught me how to love skiing, and when you love doing something, that is motivation enough." (Athlete, 16 Aug 2021)