BIOGRAPHY
Originally an alpine racer, Mikaela Matthews uses her speed to her advantage. Her success began early on; in 2006 she was the top ranked J3 in the U.S. In 2008, Matthews came in third in moguls and dual moguls at the NorAm Cup event in Val St. Come, Quebec. She continued her success in 2009, earning first place in the 2009 NorAm Cup in Arapahoe Basin, and eleventh in the 2009 National Championships in Squaw Valley.

The 2010 season, Matthews’ rookie season on the U.S. Ski Team, saw the Team Summit product, grab four NorAm podiums and finish second in the overall NorAm standings for the second consecutive season. A shoulder injury kept Matthews out of competition for the 2011 season but she launched into 2012 ready to prove herself. She hauled in two top-10 results in her first go on the World Cup tour and finished the season ranked 22nd in the World Cup moguls standings.

MIKAELA SAYS
I had probably the most exciting and memorable season of my career so far. I returned from taking a year off after having shoulder surgery and qualified for the American World Cups through the U.S. Selection event in Steamboat in December.

Lake Placid was my first World Cup ever and I qualified for finals in sixth. Unfortunately, I blew up in my finals run and broke my thumb and partially tore a ligament. I spent the rest of the season skiing with a cast on my left hand. At the Deer Valley World Cup, I got my first top ten result at the World Cup level in duals and that finish qualified me for the second half of the World Cup tour. I went to Japan and Sweden, and had another top-ten finish in Sweden. I qualified for World Cup finals in Megeve, France and finished the season ranked 22nd on the World Cup circuit. At nationals in Stratton, VT I finished fourth in singles and sixth in duals.

I am looking forward to competing on the full World Cup circuit for the 2013 season and am hoping to have a couple new tricks under my belt. Hopefully the experience I got on World Cups this year will help to improve my consistency at that level.

FIRST TRACKS
On skis just before the age of two, Matthews spent most of her beginning years skiing with her parents, both avid skiers themselves. At age four, Matthews started alpine racing with the Copper Mountain Race Club. She moved with her parents to Denmark after two years at Copper, and began to explore the European slopes where she was introduced to moguls skiing. It was during this time that she discovered her love for moguls. After living in Denmark for a year and a half, Matthews and her family moved back to the states. She then joined Team Summit at age eight, and has been skiing there ever since.

OFF THE SNOW
When she’s not skiing, Matthews enjoys hiking, playing volleyball with her friends, and check out the free concerts around Park City. “I started skateboarding last summer and have found that to be really fun and rewarding,” says Matthews. “It is completely not competitive and that's what I like about it.”