Ashton Salwan has seen a lot in his 18 years. Ahead of his upcoming birthday at the end of June, Salwan has already competed in six different countries in international competition. And despite his well-stamped passport, Ashton is making it easier than ever to follow his Olympic journey around the globe by posting on GMTM.
Ashton’s GMTM profile is a perfect jumping-off point for casual fans or young athletes who want to get into Aerials. The videos Ashton uploads range from graceful Double Full flips recorded by his coaches during training to live event coverage complete with French-Canadian commentary. Each one shows a different perspective of what makes Aerial Ski so exciting.
The event that brought Ashton to GMTM was the Aerial Project Gold Interest Form, an open registration for athletes from around the United States interested in ski jumping. Ashton, who began his full-time Aerial Ski career at age 15, certainly has had more experience than some of the transfer athletes participating in USA Ski’s Talent ID event. But, Ashton serves as a great example of where the sport can take you and some inspiration for athletes who want to start in Olympic sports.
Ashton has been skiing pretty much since he could walk. And since 11 years old, he has been working toward an Olympic podium in Aerials. A knack for flips was the tell-tale sign that he should stick to the ramps terrain park over the alpine.
For five years, Ashton trained in his home state of Ohio, at the Mont Chalet Training Center in Chesterland, where he mostly trained with trampolines and water jumps. As he developed as a junior, his journey led him to Lake Placid, where he trained with Olympic-caliber coaches until he was 15. At the Buffalo Ski Club in New York, Ashton got his first reps on aerial snow jumps - and he didn’t look back. After a few years of dedicated training and learning, Ashton made the move to bigger mountains and bigger opportunities.
He joined the Park City Ski and Snowboard Team in 2019 after a move to Utah, and has been competing on the international stage since then. Ashton’s first FIS - the International Ski & Snowboard Federation - start came at the Utah Olympic Park in early May of 2019. Since then, he has competed in dozens of FIS events across Europe and North America, including stops in Switzerland, Italy, Finland, and Austria within the past two years.
Besides a full slate of pro competitions, Ashton has his sights set on representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. And in-between those training days and long trips, he will be taking classes at the University of Utah.
If you’re interested in learning more about Ashton’s story, connect with him by visiting his profile.
You can also meet more athletes like him in the USA Ski & Snowboard network on GMTM, where Olympic coaches and hopeful athletes are interacting everyday.
