Senior Matt Couture during a race at the NCAA Eastern Championships at Sunday River in February. Photo courtesy of Castleton Sports. 

Matt Couture is a decorated Spartan ski racer. A United States Collegiate Sking and Snowboarding Association All-American, Academic All-American and Skier of the Year recipient, as well as a four-year participant at the USCSA National Championships, Couture will graduate from Castleton knowing he left his mark on the alpine skiing program. His hometown is Lyme, New Hampshire, but what else is there to know about Couture before he finishes school in May? The Spartan spoke with him to find out.

Q. If you had the opportunity to train with a professional skier, who would it be and why?

A. I’d think It’d be pretty cool to train with the whole U.S. Ski Team, but if I had to pick one guy or one girl it would be Marcel Hirscher or Mikaela Shiffrin. She is an old friend of mine that I went to school with and skied with, but I haven’t seen her in a while.

Q. What is it like competing at Nationals?

A. Competing at Nationals is very different than normal racing. They really like to make us feel like we are VIP’s I guess. They have announcers who talk about each racer individually and we receive special access passes to the mountain. There’s huge banners everywhere, and there are cameras watching us ski and steaming it live across the nation. It’s very different than just a normal race for us and it feels really cool and special.

Q. How do Mt. Bachelor and Killington compare?

A. Mount Bachelor is much bigger and the trails are wider. We’re higher up in elevation so we ski above the tree line sometimes. It is technically an active volcano so it’s really cool to ski down through where the mouth of the volcano was. The trees are much bigger and further apart so the woods skiing is a lot of fun. They get a lot more snow than we do, so there is not as much man-made snow and it’s very different to ski on and especially race on.

Q. Do you have a favorite trail at Killington?

A. I would have to say my favorite trail at Killington would be Superstar. It’s very steep, but has some flat and it’s a lot of fun to free ski, and it feels really cool when you break over the last pitch and you see the view and the lodge and everything.

Q. If you could go anywhere in the world to ski, where would you go? Why?

A. I would probably try and go to Austria. Do some skiing in the Alps. Just to ski on some of the most famous race trails and ski down the huge mountains with an incredible view.

Q. What’s something that you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t gotten around to yet?

A. I have always wanted to go sky diving or bungie jumping. I’m little bit of an adrenaline junkie.

Q. If you could only hear one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A. It would have to be “Lose Yourself” by Eminem

Q. What are you most proud of?

A. I am most proud of the way the team has been shaped and progressed in the four years that I’ve been here. I’m very proud of the fact that I am a three-time Academic All-American, having a GPA above a 3.4, and that I’ve gotten to compete Nationals as well as be able to have that combined with the results I have received.

Q. What are your favorite sports to play and watch aside from skiing?

A. I love playing ultimate Frisbee. It’s a lot of fun, really intense and fast paced. But I love watching soccer. I love watching the plays coming together and being able to score using team work.

Q. What are your plans post-grad?

A. I am going to be going to grad school for mechanical engineering focusing in solid mechanics. And I’m most likely trying to go out west, but I haven’t decided where yet.