Slalom is Paula Moltzan’s area of expertise as an American World Cup alpine ski racer. In 2023, she won a team gold at World Championships in Méribel.
In 2017, Moltzan enrolled at the University of Vermont, where she immediately had an impact on the Cats’ ski team. She was the first freshman to win the NCAA slalom championship since 1986 during her first season, making her the fifth UVM woman to do so overall. She was a two-time member of the NCAA First Team All-American during her time at UVM, and in 2017 she was named to the National Collegiate All-Academic Team. She trains alone in a woodshed during the summer and works as a whitewater raft guide on the weekends. Over the summer, she also tends to her garden, producing virtually any crop imaginable.
Moltzan participated in the 2015 World Championships at Beaver Creek, where she placed 20th in the slalom. She won the gold medal in the slalom at the Junior World Championships in Hafjell, Norway, a month later. During her time competing for the University of Vermont in Burlington, Moltzan won the NCAA slalom championship at Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire, in 2017. She returned to the World Cup circuit for the 2018–19 season, and in the 2019 World Championships, she placed eighteenth in the slalom. Moltzan finished eighth in the slalom, twelfth in the giant slalom, and fourth in the team competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
