Olympic ski champ cancels trip to Whitefish
<p><strong>This booking</strong> photo provided by the Summit County, Utah, Sheriff's Office shows former Olympic gold medalist skier Picabo Street. Street has been charged with assault and domestic violence stemming from a December altercation with a relative in Utah. (Summit County Sheriff's Office via AP)</p>
Olympic and world champion skier Picabo Street has canceled her trip to Whitefish as she faces misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting her father last month while her three children witnessed the incident.
Street, 44, was scheduled to be in Whitefish today for a cat skiing trip that was a fundraiser for the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation. In November 2015, the foundation auctioned off 10 slots for a day of backcountry cat skiing with the champion downhill skier.
“All the people who had signed up for cat ski trip have been notified and are very understanding of the situation,” foundation Executive Director Tim Hinderman said in an email to the Inter Lake late Wednesday. “Picabo is very disappointed and has given her sincerest apology about canceling. She wants to keep the option to reschedule but can’t commit to a date at this time.”
Hinderman said several of people who won slots for the cat skiing trip asked to be reimbursed, but most said they would leave their money in for a future skiing opportunity.
“We are confident that we can sell the lost spots once the trip is rescheduled,” Hinderman said.
Street also was scheduled to cheer on junior ski racers competing in the Northern Division USSA Races at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Saturday.
She was arrested at her Park City, Utah, area home on Dec. 23 following an altercation with her father, Roland Street, 76, in which she allegedly pushed him down the stairs. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the famous skier told authorities she had gotten into a fight with her father and then locked him in the basement before calling 911.
Street posted bail and has a pretrial hearing Feb. 16. She has pleaded not guilty to one count of assault and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, the Tribune said.
A part-time Park City resident, Street won a gold medal during the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, in 1998 and was a Fox Sports analyst for the 2014 Olympic Games.
She grew up in Triumph, Idaho, and began her ski racing career in Sun Valley. Street spent 13 years on the U.S. Ski Team, winning the world championship gold medal in downhill skiing at Sierra Nevada, Spain, in 1996, before winning gold in Nagano.
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.