Vail Native Jacob Dilling Retires After 26-Year Skiing Career

A 25th-place finish. That’s the number that closed the book on Jacob Dilling’s competitive skiing career.

It’s a modest result for a guy who racked up more than 350 FIS-level starts on the very same hill in Vail where he just hung up his skis. But don’t mistake the ranking for a lack of impact. Dilling, a Vail native and University of Colorado alumnus, didn’t just ski here; he built a career on the Western Slope’s most demanding stages. He retired Tuesday after the U.S. Alpine National Championships slalom, ending a 26-year immersion in the sport that began when he joined the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail in 2008.

Let’s look at the resume, because it’s not just about podiums. Dilling was a four-time NCAA qualifier. He claimed second-team All-American honors at the 2022 NCAA championships. He won the giant slalom at the Beaver Creek NorAm on Dec. 12, 2022 — a race he called "unbelievable" because he did it at home with his neighbors watching. That’s the kind of local pride that doesn’t show up in a generic wire service summary. It shows up in the ticket sales for Beaver Creek and the pride of the Vail Valley.

But the narrative isn’t just about glory. It’s about the grind. Dilling battled back issues for the latter half of his collegiate career. He missed the top 10 in some races. He made mistakes. He cried after a coach chewed him out for skiing too tentatively early on. He won a giant slalom at the University of Alaska Anchorage Invitational on the one-year anniversary of his father’s death. He took a bronze in slalom at the 2023 University Games in Lake Placid, which he said felt "like an Olympic medal."

The retirement announcement came with a sigh of relief. "Pretty relieved," Dilling said. "Just like, a weight — I don’t know where the weight was coming from, but a weight off my shoulders."

This is the part officials often skip. They talk about the awards; the Ceal Barry Leadership Award, the Dick Schoenberger Award, the Willy Schaeffler Award nomination. They talk about the stats: 39 of 45 collegiate races finished, seven podiums. They don’t always talk about the mental load of maintaining elite status in a sport where one slip means you’re 25th instead of 1st. Dilling said he’s a "baby again" now. He’s 26. He lived and breathed skiing for 26 years.

What’s the takeaway for the community? It means the Vail Valley has lost one of its most consistent high-performance athletes. Dilling wasn’t just a local kid who got lucky; he was a disciplined professional who represented Vail on the world stage. His career highlights weren’t just random wins. They were consistent performances. He placed fourth and seventh in giant slalom at the 2020 U.S. Alpine National Championships at Copper Mountain. He finished in the top 10 in 11 of 14 races during his freshman year at CU.

The Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy produced him. He earned awards there as the most committed and most improved young athlete. This is a success story for the local development of talent. It’s proof that the investment in youth sports infrastructure here yields elite results. Dilling didn’t leave Vail to become a star; he became a star because of Vail.

Now he’s exploring the future. The weight is off. The skiing is done. The stats are recorded. The next chapter is unwritten. But for now, the local impact is clear: a proven, high-level athlete is stepping away from the competitive circuit, leaving behind a legacy of podiums, awards, and a 25th-place finish that feels like a victory in its own right.