Paolo first discovered skiing on a family holiday when he was about 5 years old. Suffice to say, by the time he was a teenager he was sneaking out of school, and onto the bus just to head up the mountain and ski as much as he could.
After being scouted for competition, Paolo began his career as a racer in San Bernadino, California. By the end of the season Paolo was winning most of his races and was invited to come back again the following year.