Born in Sugarloaf’s shadow, a life built on skiing might have seemed like a natural progression for Sam Morse. His introduction to the sport, though? That came not on the slopes but in his family’s living room.

In their Carrabassett Valley home, Morse’s parents, Earle and Pamela, had a pair of toy boots and skis. From about the moment he could walk, Morse would maneuver throughout the house in the play equipment — at least until he refused to accept a substitute for the real thing.

“He would walk around the house on the carpet in them, or put them crossways on the skateboard, stand there and rock back-and-forth,” Earle Morse said. “Then, one day, he just insisted that he had to come with us to the mountain. So, we got him his first real gear at 23 months, and he never looked back.”

So began a journey that’s taken the 29-year-old Morse to the apex of the sport. After a remarkable recent run, Morse will represent his country and his state as one of six athletes selected to Team USA men’s Alpine team for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

“You spend so many years grinding and getting so close, and when you finally get there, it’s a surreal feeling,” Morse said. “I wasn’t sleeping much leading up to (being informed of my selection). It was a thing where, even if you feel you met (the criteria), you just don’t really know for sure until you hear it.”

Morse has been a member of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team since 2015. He first put the world on notice in 2017, winning gold at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation Junior Downhill Championships in Sweden and launching his World Cup career.

Gradually progressing up the World Cup ladder, Morse posted what was at the time a career-best 19th-place downhill finish in Kitzbühel, Austria. He then finished 10th in downhill and 14th in super G races in Kvitfjell, Norway. But after a challenging season last year, he was suddenly in need of big results as 2026 began.

“It wasn’t the way I thought it was going to come together,” Morse said. “If the Olympics had been two years ago, I would have been a shoo-in, but last year just wasn’t as good for me. I was at a point where, if I wanted to go to the Olympics, it was going to be hard from there.”

In fact, Morse estimated his chance of Olympic selection at the beginning of 2026 as roughly 20%. Yet in everything changed during a World Cup stop in Wengen, Switzerland.

In a Jan. 15 downhill training run ahead of the annual International Lauberhorn Races, Morse had the 15th fastest. He then placed 15th in a super G race the following day after starting as the No. 47 seed — the biggest single-day jump of anyone in the 55-racer field.

It happened in difficult circumstances. Weather conditions and darkness made it challenging for Morse to see, and the course, he said, was “beat up.” Yet he powered through it, and just days later, he learned his Olympic fate in a face-to-face meeting with U.S. Ski & Snowboard Federation coaches.

“The conditions were tough — it was dark, and the light went out — and when that happens, you can put your nose to it or just live to see another day,” Morse said. “I decided I was going to put my nose to it, and I had a great run. It was hands-down (my best moment).”

It was enough to put Morse over the top. He learned of his Olympic selection early last week, joining teammates Bryce Bennett (Tahoe City, California), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vermont), Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colorado), River Radamus (Edwards, Colorado) and Ryder Sarchett (Sun Valley, Idaho).

With the World Cup schedule continuing right up to the Olympics, Morse hasn’t stopped. On Jan. 23, the day after Olympic selections were announced, he placed 18th in a World Cup super G in Kitzbühel.

Morse has received plenty of praise from folks in Maine, including those at Carrabassett Valley Academy, from which he graduated in 2013. Former French Olympian Jenny Piot, whom Morse met when Team USA and Team France shared a minicamp in Chile in 2017, is now the Alpine ski director at CVA.

“That feeling of getting the ticket and feeling, ‘Wow, I’m going to wear that bib with the Olympic ring,’ is awesome, and for Sam to finally get there, I’m super happy for him,” Piot said. “CVA is working with a lot of local kids, and Sam is showing that it’s possible for them to dream and get there.”

The first Olympic training run is scheduled for Wednesday, and the men’s downhill race is Saturday. The super G is on Feb. 11.

Morse knows those back in his home state will be watching.

“I’ve traveled the world and seen a lot of winter climates, and Maine’s is still the gnarliest,” Morse said. “I’m super proud to represent the state of Maine, and I owe a lot to it for making me the competitor that I am.”