Bristol Bay is located 400 miles from Anchorage, way out in what Alaskans call “the bush,'' and is accessible only by air or boat. Callan Chythlook-Sifsof emerged from that wilderness and landed on the snowboardcross scene in 2007, winning the Visa U.S. Snowboardcross Championships and taking third in the first World Cup of her career.

After improving year by year, an injury took Chythlook-Sifsof out for the 2009 season, but she was determined to make it to Vancouver. She trained in Park City for months before returning to the World Cup circuit in 2010. Because of her hard work, she landed a spot on the 2010 Olympic team, the first-ever native Alaskan to do so. Chythlook-Sisof, who's a Yupik/Inupiaq Eskimo, backed up her Olympic season with some solid results in 2011, including a silver at the Winter X Games and the second World Cup podium of her career in Switzerland.

The 2012 season saw Chythlook-Sifsof take two top-ten World Cup finishes before she suffered a knee injury that left her on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

After some serious rehab, Chylook-Sifsof came back to the World Cup circuit in early 2013. She entered four World Cup’s and made the finals in each one. Now she’s looking ahead to Russia.

CALLAN SAYS
I feel great about the progression I was able to maintain last season and am so excited to begin the upcoming Olympic year strong and ready to put everything I’ve got out there.

FIRST TRACKS
''When I lived out in rural Alaska, my brother and I would just mess around on snowboards on a small hill near the house,'' says Callan. A few years and competitions later, she's an Olympian and X Games medalist.

OFF THE SNOW
Chythlook-Sifsof loves to hike and that’s what she sticks to in the summer months.