Turns out, you don’t have to be from a big sports family to make it big. Jessika Jenson is proof positive that with hard work, the right attitude and, yeah, some natural talent, you can go from small town USA to Team USA.

FIRST TRACKS

At age six, Jessika Jenson first put on a pair of skis at Kelly Canyon Ski Resort near her hometown of Rigby, Idaho. But there wasn’t a professional instructor there to provide tutelage; no famous name or seasoned vet. And when she made the switch to snowboarding at age 10, she had never had lessons. The support was there, sure, but not the expertise—her family would accompany her to the mountain each weekend to “pretend to know what they were doing.”

Really, it was a classic case of “fake it ’til you make it.” And Jessika sure as hell made it.

Beginning competition at 14 at local resorts, Jessika worked to show up at every possible open event. With time, she climbed the ranks, mingled with other skilled riders, and grew into a force on the slopes.

Now a 28-year-old two-time Olympic veteran, the Idaho Falls-born sensation remains a rising star and one of the fiercest competitors in the Blenders Entourage.

CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• TEAM USA OLYMPIC VETERAN • SOCHI 2014, PYEONGCHANG 2018
• PLACED 3RD IN SLOPESTYLE, STONEHAM, CANADA • 2015
• PLACED 5TH IN SLOPESTYLE, MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN U.S. GRAND PRIX OF SNOWBOARDING • 2015
• PLACED 3RD IN BIG AIR, WORLD SNOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS, YABULI, CHINA • 2016
• PLACED 4TH IN SLOPESTYLE, 6TH OVERALL, FIS WORLD CUP STANDINGS • 2016
• PLACED 2ND IN SLOPESTYLE, MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN U.S. GRAND PRIX OF SNOWBOARDING • 2016
• PLACED 5TH IN BIG AIR, FENWAY U.S. GRAND PRIX OF SNOWBOARDING, BOSTON • 2016
• PLACED 5TH IN SLOPESTYLE, PYEONGCHANG OLYMPICS • 2018

TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN. ALL-TIME BADASS.

Jessika Jenson’s an inspiration to anyone looking to stay in forward motion. Somehow, in-between touring the world and shredding for Team USA, she fits in time for dirt biking, mountain biking, and wakeboarding. Could she possibly be a better fit for the Blenders Entourage? (Short answer: no.)

Follow her @jessikajenson and be sure to cop her Olympian-approved ‘JJ Forest’ goggles, one of the coldest designs on the slopes today. //