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Height: 5-10
Weight: 192
Birthday: Sept 23, 1973
Birthplace: Seattle, WA
Hometown: Whitefish, MT

Success, someone said, is the residue of hard work. Just ask gate-runner and smoke-eater Manuel Mendoza, who's part of the strong Whitefish contingent on the FIS Grundig World Cup.

Mendoza moved onto the national team midway through last season after posting a series of strong results, highlighted by his slalom victory in Altenmarkt. He put a cork in his season by winning the national slalom title and the overall gold medal at nationals.

Confidence tempered by the heat of international competition last season tells Mendoza he's on the right track for the Olympics in 1998.

Comment: "My main goal is to get in line for the Olympics, so this will be good competition this season. I'll try everything I can to get into the Olympics. I hope to be in Japan but if that doesn't work out, I'll go for 2002."

Start-up: A low-level recreational skier ("I'm still pretty much a snowplow skier") and skateboarder, Mendoza started snowboarding when he was about 16- "back in the early days before we were allowed on the mountain." He was an instructor in high school "because it was one way to get a free lift pass. I don't want to do that any more, though."

Mendoza was a halfpipe rider at the start but got into running gates after watching some races and continues to train and ride with good pals Steve Persons and Tom Lyman. He tries an occasional halfpipe contest "but you really have to spend more time in the 'pipe than I do if you're going to be serious about it."

Coachsez: "Manuel's one of our strongest slalom riders but he's come on really well in GS, too."

Fire bug: He's spent four years on a forest fire "hotshot" crew. "It's similar to [teammate Rob] Berney. We're both type-1 but he jumps out of airplanes. I'm on a 20-man crew..."

Freetime fun: Mountain biking, golf ("I'd play 18, sometimes 36 holes a day when I'm home"), occasional fly fishing. "I like to keep busy. It's too easy to spend too much time sitting around the house."

Happy hacker: "I've played [golf] for three or four years. I was 4-over on my last game this year. I'm glad I ended on that note.

Family: Dad Manuel (a Nez Perce Indian who's a building contractor in the Whitefish/Kalispell area), Mom Esther (who's from Mexico), and two older sisters

Bookshelf: Enjoys fiction. "I always read when I'm traveling. I'll bring three or four books and then trade 'em as I finish 'em."

Motor magician: Also enjoys taking cars apart and putting them back together.

10 years from now?"I'd like to maybe be doing something in the industry, helping others to enjoy this ...