The world’s best skiers can accumulate up to a dozen passport stamps as they travel throughout North America and Europe during the World Cup season.
But for the dozens of unfunded U.S. athletes below the “A” team level, travel costs of up to $35,000 per season can be prohibitive.
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To ease the financial burden, a group of entrepreneurial U.S. skiers produced a nude calendar in 2017.
At least 19 unfunded athletes participated in the project, titled “Under the Suit: The Bodies of the Ski Team.” Two funded athletes, two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety and two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht, also posed naked to help their unfunded teammates.
“Every once in a while you need to let it all hang out for a good cause,” Weibrecht wrote in an Instagram caption.
The group quickly sold out of the 1,200 calendars, raising almost $60,000. While no more calendars are available, fans can still make a tax-deductible donation to the World Cup Dreams Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Photos of 2018 Winter Olympians in the calendar: