ATHLETE HIGHLIGHT | U16 ALPINE SKI RACING
This fall, Inaya will make the jump to FIS racing with VST, joining the next stage of competitive alpine skiing.
From her first days in the Cypress Mountain Scooters program to the start of her FIS career, Inaya reflects on the experiences, relationships, and lessons that shaped her journey. While the challenges ahead will be bigger than ever, those who have watched her develop over the years know she’s more than ready for the opportunity.
Yet ask Inaya what she’s most proud of, and her answer isn’t a medal or podium finish. It’s the growth.
A Journey That Started on Home Snow
Like many young skiers, Inaya’s introduction to the sport began close to home.
“I started with the Cypress Mountain Scooters program,” she recalls. “That’s when I started to ski and I really liked it.”
— INAYA SALARI
Inspired by her older brother, who was already ski racing, she joined Cypress Ski Club at just five years old. Over the years, skiing became much more than a sport. It became a community.
“I think the environment and the community of skiers is what I love the most. Just having fun skiing anywhere with the club, with your friends, the training, everything. The environment is really fun.”
That sense of belonging has been a constant throughout her racing career and remains one of the reasons she continues to love the sport today.
Learning to Love the Journey
Not every season was easy. Like many young athletes, Inaya went through periods when motivation was harder to find.
“There was a time in U10 when I wasn’t enjoying it as much,” she says. “It felt repetitive.”
But things changed as she moved into older age groups and gained more independence.
“U12 brought more responsibility,” she explains. “You had to figure things out yourself, ride the chairlift alone, take more ownership. That made it more interesting.”
That growing independence helped shape her approach to both skiing and life. Instead of focusing solely on results, she learned to embrace the process of improvement. And that mindset would pay off.
A Season of Growth
Inaya’s final U16 season was her strongest yet. A victory at Sun Peaks highlighted a year filled with progress, confidence, and personal breakthroughs. But while the results were encouraging, she measures success differently.
“What I’m most proud of is my Super-G,” she says. “I really gave everything, even though the results weren’t the best. I think that’s when I pushed myself the most.”
That willingness to commit fully became a defining theme of her season.
“What I worked on the most was really trying my best in everything I did. Not putting in a half run. Really putting everything into it.”
Reflecting on her first official Super-G race, Inaya remembers the feeling of trusting both her training and herself. Pushing at speed required commitment, confidence, and the physical foundation to stay strong from start to finish. When a course becomes demanding, conditions are challenging, or fatigue begins to set in, that foundation is there to support you. It’s often the unseen work—the gym sessions, dryland training, recovery, and consistency—that makes the biggest difference.
One of her biggest improvements this season came in giant slalom.
“Last year I didn’t like GS at all,” she admits. “The commitment was pretty hard to achieve.”
Working closely with her coaches, she returned to the fundamentals and gradually rebuilt her confidence.
“We went back to the basics and built on that throughout the season. Near the end, it felt really good.”
The experience reinforced an important lesson: progress often comes from trusting the process, staying committed to the work, and believing in yourself even when immediate results aren’t obvious.
The Strength of a Team
Although ski racing is often viewed as an individual sport, Inaya credits much of her development to the people around her.
“We had 12 people on our team this year, and I feel that really connected us,” she says. “We all pushed each other to get better.”
The team’s chemistry helped create an environment where athletes challenged and supported one another every day.
“Being part of a team means supporting each other and pushing each other to be the best version of yourself.”
The friendships built through training camps, race weekends, long travel days, and countless chairlift rides became just as important as the racing itself.
“They always found a way to make me laugh when I was having a bad day,” she says.
Her coach played a major role as well.
“Ferdi knew us really well. He knew what we were good at and what we needed to improve. He really pushed us to be the best athletes possible.”
Managing School, Racing, and Life
As competition levels increase, so do the demands placed on young athletes. For Inaya, one of the biggest challenges has been balancing ski racing, academics, training, and everyday life.
The race season often involves travel, missed classroom time, fitness training, and the pressure of performing both on and off the hill. Learning to navigate those competing priorities has become an important part of her development—not just as an athlete, but as a person. There were moments during the season when the demands became overwhelming.
“I wasn’t there mentally,” she says of one particularly difficult stretch. “That led to pretty bad skiing.”
What helped her most wasn’t trying to handle everything on her own. It was communication. By being honest with her coaches about what she was experiencing, she was able to work through those challenges and refocus on what mattered most.
“I had to think back and remind myself that I have what it takes,” she says. “I just needed to focus and not let things outside of skiing impact my performance.”
The experience taught her that strong communication is one of the most valuable tools an athlete can have. Whether it’s talking with coaches, teachers, teammates, or family, asking for support and sharing what you’re going through can make a huge difference.
When life gets busy, Inaya has also learned the importance of stepping away from skiing and making time for other activities.
“Staying active helps me. Going for a bike ride, playing sports, hanging out with friends—just disconnecting sometimes really helps.”
As she prepares for the transition to FIS racing, it’s a lesson she’ll continue to carry with her: success isn’t just about training hard. It’s also about communicating well, staying connected to the people around you, and knowing when to ask for help.
A Family Legacy on Snow
Ski racing has always been part of the Salari family story. Inaya first followed her older brother into the sport. Now, as she prepares to enter FIS racing, she’ll be following a path he has already experienced, having spent two years competing at that level himself. His experience has given her a glimpse of what’s ahead.
“It’s kind of like a refresh,” she says. “You start again.”
But while she’s following in someone’s footsteps, she’s also creating a path of her own. Her younger brother, Kiyan, is now coming through Cypress Ski Club and looks up to his older sister as an example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication. It’s a reminder that leadership isn’t always about words. Sometimes it’s about the example you set every day. Behind every young athlete is a support system, and for Inaya, that support has always started at home.
“My parents have always been there for me, no matter how well I skied,” she says. “They supported me through every training session and every race. Whether I was having a good day or a bad day, they were always there for me.”
Looking back on her journey from Cypress Scooters to FIS racing, Inaya knows she wouldn’t have made it this far without their constant encouragement, sacrifices, and unwavering belief in her. As she takes the next step into FIS competition, she’ll carry that support with her—just as she always has.
Advice for Younger Athletes
If she could give advice to her younger self—or to any young athlete starting their journey—it would be simple.
Stay patient. Trust the process. Keep working.
There will be setbacks, difficult races, and moments when progress feels slow. But growth rarely happens in a straight line. The athletes who continue improving are often the ones who stay committed, keep learning, and enjoy the people around them. For Inaya, success isn’t just about winning races. It’s about becoming the best version of yourself.
Looking Ahead
When asked to describe her final U16 season in a single word, Inaya doesn’t choose “success,” “growth,” or even “achievement.”
She chooses experience.
It’s a fitting reflection of a season that taught her far more than race results ever could. From breakthrough performances and challenging moments to lifelong friendships, personal growth, and lessons learned on and off the hill, every part of the journey has helped shape the athlete—and person—she is becoming.
As Inaya Salari begins her next chapter, she’s not simply chasing results. She’s embracing every challenge, friendship, and experience that lies ahead. And in doing so, she embodies what Cypress Ski Club strives to achieve every day: inspiring skiers for life.
Help Inspire the Next Generation
Behind every young athlete is a community that helps them get there. From training and race days to travel, equipment, and opportunities to compete, your support helps Cypress Ski Club athletes pursue their goals while building the skills, confidence, and values that last well beyond the finish line.
Interested in supporting Cypress Ski Club and our athletes? We’d love to connect with you and explore how your organization can become part of their journey.
Together, we can inspire skiers for life.
