His father---who ran a ski resort---put him on skis at 11 months
(Pat Deneen told USA Today that when he went to buy skis for his young son, he said, "I need the smallest skis you got
" Still, Patrick's boots had to be filled with newspaper so he could wear them
) Broke wild horses, with his mother, a horse trainer
His early ski training was made possible by his parents' decision to homeschool him
Started competing in Alpine skiing when he was 7, and continued as an Alpine skier until 1999
In 2004, made the U
S
Ski team at age 16
After missing much of the next two years of skiing due to an injury, he placed third in the world in dual moguls in the 2006 Junior World Championships