No stranger to alpine ski racing but brand new to full-time life in Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe School teaching and learning community, Madison “Maddie” Vieara-McCarthey is off to a fast start this ski racing season.

Maddie and her twin brother, Aiden, also a longtime Squaw Valley Ski Team alpine ski racer, enrolled in Lake Tahoe School’s 5th-grade class this week after their family determined to move from Palo Alto and make Lake Tahoe their full-time home this winter.

“I believe Maddie and Aiden will thrive at the Lake Tahoe School in a small-class environment with a focus on critical thinking and developing leadership skills,” said mother Christine McCarthy. “And being in Tahoe full time will really allow both Maddie and Aiden to further develop their passion for alpine ski racing.”

So far, that plan has played out to near perfection for the family. Maddie took two podiums in last weekend’s Far West Skiing league opener at Alpine Meadows, a second in the morning races and a third in the afternoon.