Racer Turned Big-Mountain Skier

(Photo courtesy of Jon Wick)

Julia Mancuso won two silver medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler and a gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. As if that wasn’t enough, her name appeared on the start list for a big-mountain and freestyle skiing competition in New Zealand called the World Heli Challenge. She didn’t actually compete in this event, but you can certainly expect her presence in the big-mountain scene going forward.

It’s certainly not unheard of for a ski racer to transition into the big-mountain world. In fact, former Olympian Daron Rhalves won 12 World Cups in ski racing. He’s now featured in Teton Gravity Research films. What is startling is how quickly Mancuso has risen to the top of the big-mountain game.

Check her out in action below.