U.S. Army Spc. Robert Burns assigned to 3-172nd A. Co., 86th Infantry Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, represented the U.S. Armed Forces Sports team at the 2025 CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire) Military World Winter Games hosted by the Swiss Military from March 23 to March 30 in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Spc. Burns was present to compete in an alpine snowboarding event at Titlis Mountain in Engelberg, Switzerland. Burns, originally from Mt. Shasta, California enjoyed winter sports as a child, which led him to the Vermont National Guard to pursue a military career in tandem with winter sport competitions.
“Through friends within the program, I was recommended to seek out the Vermont National Guard. Specifically for the opportunities that may be afforded to me by becoming a Soldier and potentially being able to represent the Army in the next Olympics,” said Spc. Robert Burns. “After becoming an Olympian in 2022 and representing team U.S.A in Beijing, China, my next goal was to do so again in the 2026 games in Milan, Italy and the Vermont National Guard was a program that was readily available to accept new infantrymen and potentially compete in sport for the military.”
CISM, one of the largest military games, hosts a summer and winter contingent. This year the 2025 Winter Games saw forty-three nations and over a thousand athletes compete in eight separate disciplines over a week. The U.S. team participated in Biathlon, Nordic Skiing, SkiMo (Ski Mountaineering) and Alpine Snowboarding.
“Covid hurt the program for a few years, but now it's one of the biggest winter events that's occurring,” said Spc. Burns. “A collection of militaries from around the world sending their athlete representatives to compete alongside one another, in hopes of engaging and creating friendship, ties and bonds across state and national lines.”
Burns prepared gear for competition day as he stretched and ran through his warm up routine. Two alpine snowboards adorned with the familiar flaming red bull on the nose of each board showcase just how intense an athlete he is when it comes to these competitions.
“Alpine snowboarding is a really cool sport, a sport I fell in love with at a young age,” said Spc. Burns. “I’m super thankful to be here, I can’t thank the Vermont National Guard enough. Alpha Company Catamounts and just the U.S. Military in general for creating this opportunity to allow us athletes to compete in the sports that we have dedicated a lot of time and energy to and being the best we possibly can be.”
Burns spoke about his journey growing up in a mountain town. He purchased a snowboard for a hundred and fifty dollars after witnessing an alpine event, found a coach that would take him on and hit the ground running. His focus on becoming an Olympian began at the age of twelve and has opened opportunities for him to snowboard all over the world.
“I would say a couple of things. The one thing that I think is so important is to really hold loosely, all the decisions that you have at a young age, you have so many opportunities in front of you. If there is something about the military or the programs they offer that excites you then I would absolutely search that out,” said Spc. Burns. “I would encourage you to have conversations with recruiters or anyone you know that is in the guard. Really search out and see if it’s the right fit for you. I think there are just an endless number of opportunities. Most importantly, continue to have fun with it and continue to believe in yourself.”
The Alpine Snowboard event was unfortunately cancelled on the day due to inclement weather and extremely low visibility at the top of the Swiss alps. Instead, the following day the weather was pristine and Burns was able to join fellow athletes from around the world for a day of casual riding on the slopes further emphasizing the motto of the 2025 CISM World Winter Military Games “Friendship through Sport”.