![Canada's Alexis Dumas (CNEPH) racing in the men's classic sprint qualifier at 2017 U23 World Championships, where he placed 42nd at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, on Jan. 31. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/Dumas.jpg")
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this 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 21-year-old Alexis Dumas, of the Centre National d’Entraînement Pierre-Harvey (CNEPH) a.k.a. Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre, who’s representing Canada at his second U23 Worlds.
On Thursday of this week, Dumas placed 38th in the men’s 15 k freestyle (tying his best result at U23s), and on Tuesday, he was 42nd in the classic sprint. He’s listed as a starter for Saturday’s 30 k skiathlon.
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“My full name is Alexis Dumas, but you can call me Dumas. I was born in Quebec, raised in Quebec, and one thing you should know about my hometown is we speak French, and yes, we are still part of Canada.
I started cross-country skiing when I was three, thanks to my parents. I currently train in Quebec (Mont Sainte-Anne) with CNEPH [Centre National d’Entraînement Pierre-Harvey].
If I’m not skiing, you might find me in my bed. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be any book with pictures and not too much text.
![Canada's Alexis Dumas (CNEPH) racing to 38th in the men's 15 k freestyle at 2017 U23 World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/Dumas-2.jpg")
One of the things I’m most excited about for U23/Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is that my parents will be there to cheer. One race I’m especially targeting there is both distance races.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was the best way to climb a hill is to go straight up.
One of the best race memories I have is winning my first big race when I was junior at nationals in Mont Sainte-Anne.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Simon Lapointe. He is so handsome.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be a mechanical engineer trying to find a way to make ski poles even lighter.
I’m missing zero days of school to be here, and my professors are probably thinking, ‘Anyway, it’s an online class. He would be weird to show up at university.’ “
