SYNC Staff Member + Former NCAA Athlete Rachael DesRochers chatted with SYNC Team Member Finn Boissonneault to learn about her favorite places to ski and her race day routine.
Today we are joined by another one of our SYNC Team Athletes, would you like to introduce yourself?
Hi everyone, I’m Finn Boissonneault (pronounced Boss-in-know). I’m 17, I ski for Holderness School in New Hampshire but I am originally from Franconia, New Hampshire.
Where does your last name originate from?
It’s French Canadian but I don’t know any French. I take Spanish at school. (No hablo Francais)
That was going to be my next question, if you knew French!
No, lo siento. (Showing off those Spanish skills)
How is your season going?
Pretty well! I have been racing a lot and I just got to Burke Mountain for some E-Cups (Eastern Cups) and I am really excited for this race series. Then I have some speed races coming up which I am also excited for.
Do you have a favorite event? It sounds like you do all the events.
Yeah I do all events but I love both slalom and super-g, so I would have to say those two tie.
Hard to choose a favorite! Sounds like you would be great for Alpine Combine if they weren’t getting rid of it.
Yeah which is such a bummer because it is so fun to watch! (It’s also the first Alpine event that took place at the Olympics in 1936 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany)
Since you’re from the East and go to school there, do you have a favorite place you like to race?
I love Sugarloaf. I always ski well there and I know not everyone likes it but I do. They don’t always have the nicest weather, but when it is nice, it’s enjoyable to be there.
That’s true, the spring can be pretty nice there. I did see you were looking pretty fast in that latest Instagram Reel we posted.
Yeah I just saw that! I loved it!
How did you get into skiing? I know being from Franconia it’s hard not to get into skiing. (Franconia is where Bode Miller is from)
My whole family grew up skiing, but I wouldn’t say it was forced upon me, but ever since a young age I’ve always been ski racing and I loved it basically since I was a U-8. (Got to start em young)
Were your parents racers as well?
My Dad raced but my Mom just grew up skiing, not racing.
So it kinda runs in the family. I know you started racing young but were there any other sports you competed in besides skiing?
Yeah, I used to play soccer and I was really into it and mountain biking, which I still do but I dont compete anymore. I decided to quit both soccer and competitive mountain biking for skiing. (Something that almost every ski racer must face is choosing to give up other sports in order to pursue their skiing)
Mountain biking is a great activity to do to help with your skiing as it makes you look ahead and make quick decisions.
Yeah, really great for skiing.
Back to the topic of skiing, is there a race this season you are really looking forward to?
I am really looking forward to U18 Nationals because it is at my home mountain, which I hope will be good for me. (Home hill advantage is ideal)
That will be exciting! Have you traveled at all, to Europe, or anything this year?
Not this year, I have in the past but I don’t plan on doing that this year.
What about for summer training? Any favorite spots?
In the summer, Saas Fee, Switzerland is always good but in the fall, I love going to Hintertux, Austria. Both beautiful places. (And both places are a blood bath to get on the gondola in the morning)
Summer in Europe is breathtaking with the green valleys and white capped mountains.
Yeah it’s stunning!
Have you been watching the World Cup at all this year?
Yes!
Who are your favorites to watch right now?
I love cheering on Paula Moltzan because she is having such a great year and it’s so exciting to watch. Obviously on the men’s side, watching Marco Odermatt.
Are there any women you watch that ski similarly to you as a way to help improve your skiing?
I watch Mikaela Shiffrin because, well, she skis perfectly, but I also love to watch Wendy Holdener. Wendy has a similar style to me so I watch her for that aspect.
I think it is super important for young athletes to watch the World Cup and especially the skiers who have a similar style to their own. What about drills, do you have any that help you feel ready for race or training days?
Yeah, Switch Turns and also Up and Over drills, especially for GS. Edge Sets are also super helpful to get the knees and ankles warmed up.
Great drills! Why did you apply for the SYNC Team?
Last year I saw some of my friends on it and I thought it was really cool and I knew I wanted to be a part of this team. All the videos you post and this year with the media day it was so cool to be able to come together with other SYNC Team members for a day of training. I was able to meet athletes who I haven’t met before and get advice which was really awesome.
Yeah, we hope to keep the media day tradition alive. What about your favorite SYNC products?
Obviously the Pano Jacket, I wear it almost everyday , it’s like my favorite thing ever. I also love the shorts because it’s so hard to find a good pair out there.
The Pano for out East is essential.
Yeah it’s a life saver.
What are your goals for skiing?
I hope to win one event at U18 Nationals this year. I’m not sure if I am going to U.S. Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho but if I do, I hope to get some good results there. I am also currently thinking about college since I am in my Junior year of high school. I don’t plan on taking a gap year because I’m already in my second year of FIS and I still have one more year before I graduate which I hope will be enough to get into college.
Those are some great goals! Any highlights from your racing career you want to share?
Yeah, last year when U.S. Nationals were at Sugarloaf, Maine, I was one of the last people to go on the first run in the Slalom and I made 30th, so I got to go first second run. I was just so excited because I was a first year FIS athlete and I’m at U.S. Nationals and I just made flip and I got to run a clean course. I was able to put down a solid second run and just to be able to race against the best U.S. athletes, like Paula Moltzan, was so cool.
That is so awesome! Going first in the second run really just gives you such a confidence booster, like you get a clean slate and the ability to ski your own line and just send it.
Especially as a first year, clean courses are not common. (990 baby)
Any superstitions in your routine?
Yeah, I have an order for how I put on my ski stuff and I have to do it every single time. I do left liner, right liner, then left boot, right boot and if I do it wrong I have to re-do it otherwise it will get into my head.
You don’t want that to ruin your day! What about hobbies?
I am really into ceramics because it is so relaxing. (A great way to take your mind off of skiing)
That is a really interesting hobby! What about some tips for young racers?
Never give up and believe in yourself because you don’t want to look back on your racing career and wish you had done something different.
Great advice to follow. Ok, two last silly questions, what is an ick you get from skiing?
When older racers, young ones it’s fine, but when they wear their GS suit over their boot buckles and booster straps. They have no access to their buckles. (Like how are you unbuckling?)
That’s so true, their feet must kill. Ok last question, do you like pineapple on pizza?
No, hard pass. I love them separately but they do not belong together.
Great answer, well thank you so much for chatting with me today and we can wait to see you continue to crush it this season!