Louie Vito

Having hit the slopes since he was a child, professional snowboarder Louie Vito became a championship-level competitor in extremes sports contests all across the world. Born in Columbus, OH, Vito grew up in nearby Bellefontaine, where he first started skiing and boarding at a small vertical slope called Mad River Mountain. Since his home state was not know for its skiing, his parents sent him to Stratton Mountain School in Vermont, where he learned how to snowboard in the mornings, while delving into his studies in the afternoon. After graduation, he moved to Salt Lake City, UT, where he began to compete. In 2005, Vito won both the USASA National Championships Open Division and the Burton Australian Open, while finishing in the top ten in several other contests. The following year, he turned pro and continued to do well in competitions throughout the world, including two Grand Prix wins in 2008 while doing well in the Winter X-Games. Vito crossed over to the mainstream when he was included in the season nine cast of "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC, 2005-), which included former UFC champion Chuck Lidell, supermodel Kathy Ireland and disgraced former congressman Tom Delay.