Although she spends most of her time in Steamboat Springs, Colo., these days, Erica Mueller always looks forward to competing on the East Coast, where she grew up riding Okemo during those infamous Vermont winters.

UPDATE
It was a breakthrough season for Mueller in 2008. The team veteran pushed herself hard all year to achieve her first competition win since the 2005 season during a NorAm cup in Park City, UT. "I haven't won a race in a couple of years and I said I really needed to do that again," Mueller said. "I'd been on the podium but I hadn't won, so it was pretty cool to come out on top."

FIRST TRACKS
Erica grew up skiing at Okemo, VT, but admits to never really being all that excited about it. Then she finally tried snowboarding during the seventh grade with two other curious girlfriends. They all became obsessed and eventually enrolled in the Okemo Mountain School and started competing. She started in halfpipe, but borrowed a teammates alpine board and moved on to racing. Post high school graduation, she moved to Colorado to train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.

Career Highlights

* 2008: Winner of Park City NorAm PGS
* 2007: 12th at Landgraaf indoor World Cup PSL, 11th in ‘06
* 2006: PGS national champion
* 2006: 2nd at Le Relais, QUE, NorAm PSL
* 2006: 3rd at Steamboat NorAm PSL