Leanne Smith is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alpine skier

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

 who has competed since 2003. Her best World Cup finish was 8th at a super-G event in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 in January 2011. Smith was named to the US team for the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in late 2009.

Early life

Leanne was born in Conway, New Hampshire

Conway, New Hampshire

Conway is a town, the largest in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,115 at the 2010 census. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the west and north. Cathedral Ledge and Echo Lake State Park are in the west...

 and went to A. Crosby Kennett High School

Kennett High School (New Hampshire)

Kennett High School is an American high school located at 409 Eagles Way in North Conway, New Hampshire, near the village of Redstone. The present school building opened in 2007, replacing the former A. Crosby Kennett High School located at 176 Main Street in Conway, which is now a middle school...

. She spent her skiing time on the local mountain, Cranmore

Cranmore Mountain Resort

Cranmore Mountain Resort is located in North Conway, New Hampshire. Currently, it is one of New Hampshire's most successful ski resorts.It was founded in 1937 by a group of businessmen, led by Harvey Dow Gibson a native son of North Conway and president of the Manufacturers Trust Company, who...

, which is where the founder of the first skiing school in the USA, Hannes Schneider

Hannes Schneider

Johann "Hannes" Schneider was an Austrian Ski instructor of the first half of the twentieth century.He was born in the town of Stuben am Arlberg in Austria as a son of a cheese maker. In 1907 he became a ski guide at the Hotel Post in St. Anton, Austria where he began work on what became known as...

, arrived in the USA. Following Cranmore, she trained with the Mount Washington Valley Ski Team. She also was coached by Kurt Simard.