August 05, 2019 (Minnesota) – The veteran technician waded his way through a rack of Fischer skis, carefully looking at the base structure and testing the camber – looking for that perfect pair of cross country skis. It was a routine for which he has become quite an expert since being thrown into the fray a few years ago.

In the past two decades, Minnesota native Matt Liebsch has risen from the ranks of Minnesota High School cross country ski racing to become one of Central Cross Country Skiing’s most recognized figures. He’s had success as an athlete, working his way up to World Cup and World Championships teams, he’s become a highly-regarded ski guru, a successful coach, and all while balancing his own family of five.

Ironically, Liebsch started his athletic career as a hockey player at Osseo High School outside Minneapolis. It wasn’t until his sophomore year, at age 17, that he switched to cross country skiing.

“My girlfriend, now my wife, was on the team,” he laughed. “I didn’t even know what skiing was. But from the first day of practice I was hooked. Four days later I was racing.”

And he’s never looked back. Cross-country skiing and his family – he and wife MaryBeth have three kids – are his passion.

After high school, he kept with his adopted sport, training with the University of Minnesota and Piotr Bednarski’s GO! Training program. “I really learned a lot in that period,” said Liebsch.

Along the way, he caught the eye of CXC Coach Bryan Fish, who brought him on board with the CXC Elite Team in 2006. Then things really started to accelerate.

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