![Hunter Wonders, of Alaska Pacific University, racing to fourth in the junior men's 10 k classic mass start earlier this month at 2017 U.S. nationals at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/image1-3-1.jpg")
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at next week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 19-year-old Hunter Wonders, of Alaska Pacific University, who’s representing the U.S. at his first Junior Worlds.
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![Hunter Wonders (in blue shirt) of Alaska Pacific University training on Eagle Glacier near Girdwood, Alaska. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/image2-2.jpg")
“My full name is Hunter Wonders. I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska.
I started cross-country skiing when I was first able to walk, thanks to my dad putting me in skis. I currently train in Anchorage with APU.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me rock climbing or running in the mountains. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘Service: A Navy SEAL at War’ by Marcus Luttrell.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is representing the US on US soil. One race I’m especially targeting there is the 10 k skate.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was to just have fun with it. One of the best race memories I have is winning 3 out of 4 races at Junior Nationals in 2016.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Petter Northug.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be either an engineer or in the military.
I’m missing zero days of school to be here.
