4 years? Try every day since he got into the sport. Winter Olympians put in the hours, days, months, and years of training that any other athlete does. They just don't have the money that professional athletes get, so they usually have to work a couple jobs just to support themselves. I know the skiers in the Alpine events compete every winter in a series of races that are covered extensively in Europe, but go largely unnoticed in the US. They have to train year round just to keep up their fitness in order to compete during the season. Some of the top athletes are lucky enough to have endorsement deals that help them out financially, but most have to supplement their income with other jobs.