This month, Nordic Skier John Steel Hagenbuch ‘25 was named to the College Sport Communicators’ 2025 At-Large Academic All-America Second Team. He has had a remarkable career at Dartmouth, leading the Big Green to a third-place finish during the 2025 NCAA Championships. Hagenbuch also secured a first place finish in the 7.5k Class race, earning first-team All-American honors. He skis for both Dartmouth and the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, for which he earned a bronze medal in the skate sprint at the 2024 U23 FIS Ski World Championships. The Dartmouth sat down with him to talk about his achievements with Dartmouth and his plans for the future.
How did you get into skiing?
JH: I grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho, which is a good place to be a skier — but initially I did a lot of sports like tennis, hockey, soccer, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and Nordic skiing. As I got older I started specializing, and by the time I got to high school, I just did Nordic and soccer. My freshman year, I broke my leg and just skied after that.
Why did you choose to ski here at Dartmouth?
JH: When I graduated high school, I was going to go to Harvard, but then took time off during the pandemic and skied with the U.S. team. I thought about what would be the best for my life and career. I chose Dartmouth because of its unique qualities that aren’t possible at other schools. Being a Dartmouth skier has been one of the best privileges of my life.
What was it like to win gold at the Junior World Championships in the 4x5k relay?
JH: It was great. It’s been difficult racing for both the U.S. and Dartmouth, but it is possible. It’s a really cool thing to have the college experience that Dartmouth offers while representing the U.S. on the highest level. When I graduate from Dartmouth, there won’t be a single quarter that I’ve been there the whole time; I’ve missed at least one week every quarter. It’s a sacrifice — you take a bit of a hit — but it’s worth it because it’s all really special and it’s all so fun.
How has skiing affected your time here at Dartmouth?
JH: There are four S’s at Dartmouth for skiers: skiing, school, socializing and sleep. On any day, you can choose three but one will take a hit. The fall is really busy because the ski team is training really hard, but there’s also a lot of social stuff, so I’d be remiss to not participate in that as well. During the winter, you dial back social stuff and you focus on sleeping, school and skiing.
How do you see the rest of your career, both at Dartmouth and with skiing at large?
JH: I was named to the U.S. ski team in 2019 during my junior year of high school. There’s a lot of paths that present themselves: you can specialize, leaning into skiing and not going to college, or you can ski NCAA and come back to the national team after — which is what I chose. In my opinion, the experiences I’ve had and the friendships I’ve made at Dartmouth will prolong my skiing career and make it more successful. Had I stayed skiing at the World Cup all this time, I’d be burnt out and done with skiing. Dartmouth has prepared me well to take the next step and be balanced as a person, athlete and student.
Outside of skiing, is there anything that you are especially passionate about?
JH: Skiing is unique in that you’re able to cross-train in a lot of different ways. This summer, I was on a glacier up in Alaska, and when I'm home in Idaho, I mountain bike and do roller skiing, which is objectively the goofiest activity known to man. We’re aware of that, but we do it because it’s a necessary evil. It closely emulates the motion of skiing, but I’d rather do that than be indoors on a machine. Then in early summer, I go up with my alpine skis.
I like to be outdoors, fish and spend time with my friends. One of the best gifts Dartmouth has given me is friends who don’t ski. It helps me take my mind off of skiing because it demands a lot of time and energy.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
