SUGARLOAF, Maine — There were days when he would be absent when attendance was taken at Farmington High School, instead in the snowfields of this raw-boned mountain.

Later, there were days when he would snowboard for all hours as a member of the Carrabassett Valley Academy, located at Sugarloaf. He was in the company of future luminaries such as Bode Miller, Kirsten Clark, and Forest Carey.