Czech athlete transitions from snowboard to ski World Cup (The Associated Press)

When Ester Ledecka charges down the mountain, she often has to remind herself whether she has a snowboard or skis attached to her feet. ”I’m always confused,” said Ledecka, the first elite snowboarder to compete on the Alpine skiing World Cup. Having won the parallel slalom at last year’s snowboarding world championships, Ledecka made her Alpine skiing World Cup debut this month and has finished in the points (top 30) in four of her first five races in the challenging disciplines of downhill and super-G. That’s an accomplishment that takes years of racing for many top athletes.