Forged by mountains, steadied by love, forever Outdoor Lovers — meet Aliah & Lucas

When former competitive skier Aliah and pro snowboarder Lucas met five years ago at a training camp in Switzerland, nothing about it suggested a love story. But life in the mountains has its own quiet way of weaving people together. What began as a playful photobomb and an easy friendship has become a partnership that is reshaping not only their careers, but who they each believed they could be.

Today, they’re carving a new path side by side — one built on presence, resilience, and a deep love for the outdoors.

You met at a training camp in Switzerland five years ago. Can you take us back to that week—what do you remember about that first connection, and when did it shift from friendship to something deeper?

Lucas: There wasn’t some instant crazy spark when we first met. I just thought Aliah seemed like a cool skier girl. We chatted for maybe 30 minutes, and then I went to bed — ha! Honestly, the only reason we stayed in contact is because I photobombed a picture of her on the mountain the next day and she tagged me on Instagram. That started this easy, fun friendship between us. It wasn’t until January 2023 that we finally got to spend real time together, and that’s when we realized there was so much more. It became clear pretty quickly that we were meant to be together.

Aliah: The first time I met Lucas, it wasn’t anything special. My team was at our end-of-season ski camp, and I’d brought a friend who had a crush on a guy from Lucas’ team. She convinced me to drive her to the U.S. Team hotel in my ridiculous Police van. As soon as we arrived, I questioned my life choices — one guy proudly showing me how he almost broke his butt, another running around in Spiderman undies, and Lucas in the kitchen calmly making smoothies and going to bed at 8 p.m. So no, no spark. But when Lucas photobombed me the next day, we started talking — and slowly, I realized he wasn’t like the others.

You reconnected in 2023, both at major turning points — Aliah questioning your future on the German Ski Team, and Lucas rethinking your core priorities. What did this moment mean for each of you personally?

Lucas: I’d always been hyper-focused on snowboarding and felt like I had to maintain this “rockstar” persona. That mindset brought success — I lived the rockstar life — but it never felt fully authentic. I was excelling in my sport, but nothing in my personal life was growing. I kept jumping to the next snowboard trip to avoid dealing with real life. Being with Aliah made me rethink everything. It pushed me to invest my energy differently, to build something real. She opened a side of me that had been dying to come out but couldn’t, because I was too scared to drop the act. With her, I could finally just be me.

“With her, I could finally just be me.” — Lucas

Aliah: Living in the skiing and snowboarding bubble for so long makes you blind. Since I went to ski boarding school at 13, I thought the way my team operated was normal — even though it was pretty destructive. But being with Lucas and having someone to talk to changed everything. He saw behind the scenes, saw what was really happening, and finally someone understood. That meant everything because no one had listened before, and I didn’t know how to escape. With his support, I found the strength to speak up. That eventually led to leaving the German team — messy but necessary. I also lost my job at the sport police and ended my competitive ski career overnight. It was the hardest time of my life, and without Lucas, I don’t know where I’d be. He helped me come out stronger.

“Leaving the team was messy but necessary. It made me stronger.” — Aliah

Lucas, you’ve said spending more time in Austria together was one of the biggest and most rewarding changes in your life. How did living and training there reshape your perspective?

Lucas: Innsbruck is probably the best place on earth to live as a snowboarder, especially in Europe. I was spoiled being there. But I had to adapt to being so far from home and everything familiar in the U.S. It was tough being away from family, but it was also good for me — in Telluride I’d been a small-town celebrity. In Innsbruck, nobody cares about your pro-athlete status. You must show up as a human. It’s humbling.
It also felt like a homecoming. My family is German — my mom’s side from Berlin, my dad from north of Munich — so being back made all of us reconnect with our roots. It’s been awesome.

Aliah, stepping away from the German National Ski Team was a huge move. How did you find your way into trail running, and what did that transition teach you?

Aliah: My dad is usually the first to try things — skiing, running, everything — so he got me out there. Trail running became my little safe space, where no one controls me. It was the first thing after retiring that showed me, I can decide for myself, go wherever I want, whenever I want. It taught me I needed to be myself, something I was never allowed or safe enough to be on the National Team. Trail running sparked a new competitive flame that had been lost for years, and now I can’t stop. I’ll never be the best of the best, and that’s what I love — it’s about my own goals… and occasionally beating my dad in a race ;)

“Trail running became my safe space — where no one controls me.” — Aliah

You’re both highly competitive — yet you talk a lot about knowing when to “turn it off.” How do you find that balance between drive and calm, performance and presence?

Lucas: It’s an ever-evolving practice. As pro athletes, we’re so used to being praised for accomplishments that showing cracks feels impossible. But that’s just not real. Aliah taught me that my competitive edge is a gift — but at home, it’s rest time. I’ve seen people bring competition into parts of life where it doesn’t belong, and it never ends well. Coming home to our little bubble lets me leave snowboarding on the mountain and pick it up again tomorrow.

“We’re each other’s safe place and biggest challenger.” — Lucas

Aliah: Lucas said it well. For me, turning it off at home was never hard — my family only cared about me, not me as an athlete. But over the years I barely had time to go home. I learned that time outside the sport is valuable. Turning it off was my escape and protected me. Maybe I turned it off too much sometimes. But now, Lucas and I have found the perfect ground — we can shut it off, be ourselves, and still stay aware.

You’ve both spent your lives in alpine environments — where nature teaches humility and patience. What have the mountains taught you about yourselves and your relationship

Aliah: As athletes, the alpine world was always restricted — hotels, venues, competitions. After retiring, I realized how much I’d missed. Rediscovering mountains with fresh eyes made me grateful. In our relationship, it taught us there is so much more to us than the athlete identity, and we’ll keep discovering that.

You’ve described how you’re at your best when you’re in each other’s presence. What does thriving together look like for you — in sport, in travel, in everyday life?

Lucas: Thriving together means we’re each other’s biggest fan. I’ll run to the finish line to hold Aliah’s hand if she’s about to fall over, because that moment might make the difference. She’ll jump fences or break past security at X Games to get me a backup snowboard if mine breaks. We’ve always done it that way, without discussion. We’re each other’s safe place and biggest challenger. We hug when we’re down and push when we know there’s more in us. There were times I was so sick of competing, and without Aliah reminding me to enjoy it, I would’ve spiraled. We just know how to deal with each other — it feels magical.

You spend most of your year exposed to sun, snow, wind, and altitude. How do you care for your skin through such extremes?

Aliah: I’m always the responsible one with sun protection — I watched my dad and grandpa blow it their whole careers ;) My skin is easy, so I keep my routine minimal. And as a wise man said: “Remember, UVA remains the same — rain or shine.” That base-layer of protection every morning makes all the difference for us, especially with 200+ days on the hill. So, we keep it up — thank you Utu! 

What’s next on the horizon — as athletes, partners, and Outdoor Lovers?

Aliah: 2026 will be a big one! Lucas is deep into qualifying for the Olympic Games, and I’m training for my first 100k race in Colorado right after. So yes — a huge competition and race season ahead. As partners, we’re excited to support each other through all of it… and hopefully take a long-deserved vacation after.