Robinson carving a niche

In the Northern Hemisphere's winter, she competes on the Alpine skiing World Cup circuit in the Alps.

In the Southern Hemisphere's winter, she trains at home in New Zealand.

Alice Robinson hardly ever gets to put her flip-flops on and enjoy summer.

And that's just fine with her.

"It's just been my yearly routine for so long that I don't really know much better," Robinson said. "I definitely miss some summer but I'm definitely a lot more comfortable in the winter climate."

Is she ever.

Robinson is off to quite a start to the Olympic season, shaping up as Mikaela Shiffrin's biggest challenger in the overall World Cup standings.