Erik Schlopy


Erik Schlopy is former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Hamburg, New York, he competed in three Olympics: 1994, 2002, and 2006. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, he placed 34th in Giant Slalom. At the 2002 Olympics, he placed 14th in Slalom, and at the 2006 Olympic Games, he placed 13th in Giant Slalom. He also won a bronze medal in the Giant Slalom at the 2003 World Championships. Schlopy also took two podium finishes in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, won seven US national championship titles, and was a member of the United States Ski Team for 14 seasons.
He was a youngster when he started skiing at Kissing Bridge Ski Area near Buffalo, and when the family moved to Stowe, Schlopy became a force in junior racing with the Mount Mansfield Ski Club. He enrolled in Burke Mountain Academy and was Eastern junior champ at 14, J1 slalom and GS champ at 16 and joined the U.S. Ski Team at 18. He left the World Cup after the ’95 season to race pro, then decided to return to the World Cup and paid for his training and racing in Winter 1999, and was named to the 2000 Ski Team.
Schlopy retired from competition in 2008. He subsequently became a coach, and in August 2013 it was announced that he had joined the US national ski team as assistant coach to the men's alpine technical team, serving under Bernd Brunner.

Personal life

Schlopy is married to former Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders; they have two children. They are both Buffalo Bills fans. Freestyle skier Alex Schlopy is the son of Erik's cousin.