Salt Lake City, UT – Salt Lake City’s Jen Hudak is a professional halfpipe skier. She is the silver medalist from the 2011 Freestyle World Ski Championships held in Park City, Utah, and the 2010 Winter X Games gold medalist in women’s halfpipe skiing. We were able to catch up with Hudak recently to get the inside scoop on life as a freeskiing athlete.
How did you get into freeskiing?
I started freeskiing at age 16 and prior to that I was a moguls skier. I learned so many key skills that I picked up park and halfpipe stuff pretty quickly. Ultimately my decision to make the freeskiing scene my focus was that it offered an environment that seemed more focused on fun and progression and pushing the limits than on winning. It was exactly what I was looking for at the time.
What makes freeskiing unique?
Freeskiing is unique because our number one focus still remains on having fun and constantly pushing the limits. Essentially the sport was born out of a want to change, to break free of restrictions and limitations (like moguls and aerials in the 70s). What stands out now is that the sport is very careful to maintain that energy and hold onto its birth roots. We never want rules and regulations to dictate our sport – it needs to be led from the heart and souls of the athletes involved. So far we’ve been successful, but as things get more and more competitive that could be our biggest challenge.
What has been the favorite part of your freeskiing career?
My proudest memory was winning X-Games last year after six years of hard work. But generally my favorite part of my freeskiing career is that I have a freeskiing career! I have been very fortunate to have been skiing this wave since the early days of the movement.
On a sunny ski day at any location in the world, where do we find you?
It would really depend on whether or not there was fresh snow on the ground! I love skiing at Alta in Utah on a pow day, especially a sunny pow day! But sunny days can also be very productive in the halfpipe, X-Games is usually my favorite halfpipe of the year, but Park City, Breckenridge and Copper all do a great job!
When you’re not on the hill what are you doing?
If I’m not on the hill and it’s winter time I’m probably traveling, blogging, reading or at the gym. During the off season I’ll be on my bikes (road and mountain), in school, at the gym, hiking with my dog or coming up with new ways to enhance my “Jen Hudak” brand. There’s a lot more to this sport than just being a great skier. Learning to see yourself as a brand and constantly trying to develop that brand takes a lot of work.
If you had to be something besides a skier, what would you be?
Well, I’m studying psych and business in school with good reason. I’d love to be able to help people fulfill their dreams and make the most of the opportunities that they’ve been given. Often we are our own biggest competitors – we can stand in our own way. I want to help people realize how to get out of their own way and accomplish things that they never thought possible.
Where do you see freeskiing in five years?
I see freeskiing on an international stage with growing popularity, coming off of an incredible Olympic debut. I see more twin-tips being sold than snowboards (no offense guys). I see myself looking back on the last 15 years in pure amazement, eyes welling with tears because I’m so proud of how far my sport has come and feeling so lucky to have been part of something so grand.