Every winter Friday, junior Ruhi Bhaskar heads straight to Lake Tahoe after school. She has two goals: catch the first chair lift up the mountain Saturday, and be the fastest to ski down it. 

It’s all in her pursuit of becoming the best ski racer in the region. 

“Every Saturday morning, whether they like it or not, they are riding that ski lift at 7 a.m.,” Ruhi’s coach Darryl Whittaker said. “It’s not easy with temperatures going as low as zero degrees, but Ruhi can handle it.”

Ruhi’s training routine is disciplined with a focus on fundamentals: warm up, run focused drills, reset and repeat. Aside from a small lunch break, she skis for eight hours straight — or until her legs feel like jelly.

That’s been her weekend routine since age 4. When most kids her age were just learning to ski, Ruhi was already tackling black diamond slopes. Taking advantage of her natural talent, Ruhi’s father Gopu Bhaskar signed her up for ski racing as soon as he could.

Now, nine years later, Ruhi splits her year between two competitive sports: varsity tennis at Los Altos High School and the Diamond Peak Ski Team in Tahoe.

Alpine ski racing is composed of six disciplines, three of which Ruhi specializes in: slalom, giant slalom and super-G. While each varies by ski length, course length and gate distance, they all follow one directive – to finish as quickly as possible. Ruhi said giant slalom is her favorite, as the gates are distanced far enough so she can maximize her speed. 

During the competitive skiing season from November to mid-April, Ruhi competes in 10 total races plus regionals, mostly in the Tahoe area.

Bhaskar said many young skiers at Ruhi’s level of competition live near Tahoe year-round, so showing up to practice is more convenient. Ruhi is one of the few skiers on her team who commutes from the Bay Area.

Despite the hours spent in the car together, Bhaskar said his favorite memories with Ruhi are playing 20 questions during the half an hour chair lift ride up a slope. 

But it’s not just an investment of time — racing challenges Ruhi’s body too, skiing at around 60 miles per hour around tight corners on open mountains.

“It’s  scary at times seeing her up at the top of the race as they count down,” Bhaskar said. “I can imagine her heart beating at a certain pace.”

Ruhi said she manages stress while racing by putting herself in a forward-thinking mindset. If she falls, she picks herself back up and focuses on the next run.  

“Skiing is a lot in the mindset,” Ruhi said. “If you’re nervous, you’re not gonna do as good.” 

Additionally, Ruhi wants to make a change in her attitude on the course. 

“In the beginning of last season, I was not as aggressive,” Ruhi said. “ My attitude wasn’t productive, but now I have learned from that and I’m focused on being relaxed and being aggressive on the course this year.” 

Through her commitment to ski racing, Bhaskar said he’s watched his daughter grow into a capable young woman — one he’s particularly proud of. 

“To be good at skiing, you have to get past the falling, getting ready and going to the cold ski hills,” Bhaskar said. “But once you get it and you see the results, you learn. I can see when she’s up on the stage or dealing with a very nervous situation, things like this are helping her.”