Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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Gretchen Blieler OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER AND SILVER MEDALIST "Gretchen is an awesome representative of the sport of snowboarding—a talented and stylish rider who continues to push the boundaries of freestyle snowboarding. Her versatility as an athlete and creativity shows in the pipe and freeriding. Gretchen has persevered through big crashes and serious injuries to remain one of the best riders in the world for more than a decade. Not afraid to innovate or get inverted, she was the first female rider to land a Crippler 540 in competition. Gretchen was dominant at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, claiming a silver medal and becoming the real Aspen Silver Queen. It's not surprising—given her looks and articulate speech—that she's the poster girl for sponsors K2, Oakley, and Aspen/Snowmass. With all of her fame and exposure, she remains down to earth and continues to give back to her community, championing such causes as fighting global warming and advocating for women's athletics. She's off to a great start this season with a podium finish in the first World Cup of the season in New Zealand. Experience is invaluable at this level. This may be her last Olympic bid. She's motivated to throw down. She's got dedication, passion, skills, and still loves to shred. I'm stoked to watch her rule it again this winter." —Chris Klug, Olympic snowboarder and bronze medalist Discipline: Snowboarding. Event: Half-pipe, two-time Olympian (2006, 2010), Olympic silver medalist (2006). Age: 32. First time on a snowboard: Panda Peak at Buttermilk Mountain at age 11. On Aspen: I've been fortunate to travel to some of the most beautiful places. Everywhere I go, I find myself comparing the places to Aspen, and I still haven't found a place that measures up. Trick to watch for: Fronsidet corked 900 tail grab and backside 900 stale fish. Biggest setback on road to the Olympics: My trampoline accident a year and a half ago. I shattered my eye socket, broke my nose, suffered a concussion, and had severe double vision for months. Getting back from that accident physically, mentally, and emotionally was one of my biggest challenges. Cause closest to my heart: Growing up in Aspen instilled in me how important it is to be able to live in harmony with our natural environment. I love working with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and Protect Our Winters. Plans for this decade: To start a family and continue studying to teach the techniques of meditation, ayurveda, and yoga that have been so instrumental in my life and my snowboarding career. photography by getty images (snowboard); NBC OLYMPICS/USOC (portrait) Gretchen Bleiler in action during the women's snowboard half-pipe qualifying run at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver, Canada, in February 2010. 168 aspenpeak-magazine.com 166-171_AP_F_NEW_Olympians_WIN13_SPR_14.indd 168 10/30/13 5:07 PM