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For Shannon Dunn-Downing, the path to the Olympics did not begin in a training facility or in a private club, it began on public lands in the mountains of Colorado. The Olympic medal that would later define her place in snowboarding history was earned through access and determination.
Dunn-Downing is the first American in history to win an Olympic medal for snowboarding, at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. This was also the year where the sport made its Olympic debut.
Across the country, there are 116 active ski resorts that operate on National Forest System land, which accounts for more than 60% of the skiable terrain in the United States. These resorts function through long-term special use permits that allow private operators to build and maintain infrastructure, while the land remains publicly owned.
Public lands make that dream possible. It transforms open space into opportunity, and is quite literally, where Olympians are made.
(Forest Service video by Travis Wegner)
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2026 16:16 |
| Category: | Video Productions |
| Video ID: | 994888 |
| VIRIN: | 260127-O-OI330-3002 |
| Filename: | DOD_111508942 |
| Length: | 00:03:58 |
| Location: | BRIGHTON, UTAH, US |
| Downloads: | 0 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Where Olympians Are Made: How Public Lands Shaped Olympic Dreams, by Travis Weger, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
