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Brad Wilson Retires After Eleven Distinguished Years

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
April, 27 2022
Brad Wilson
Brad Wilson made his third Olympic appearance at the 2022 Beijing Games. He retires after 11 years as a mogul skier for the U.S. Ski Team. (Mike Dawson/U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

It was born from a love of skiing, as so many U.S. freestyle mogul skier’s careers are. Brad Wilson went from bumpin’ around his home resorts in Montana to making a serious go of becoming a U.S. Ski team athlete when his family moved to Park City, Utah, so he and older brother Bryon could join Wasatch Freestyle.

Wilson made the U.S. Ski Team at 18-years-old in 2012 and leaves it just shy of his 30th birthday, having skied his last competition in March at World Cup Finals. Over the course of his decade-plus tenure Wilson represented the United States at three Winter Olympics (2014, 2018, 2022), made four World Championships teams (2013, 2017, 2019, 2021), earned two World Championships medals, and 16 World Cup podiums—including three victories. He is a five-time U.S. National Champion and was FIS Rookie of the Year in 2007. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Brad Wilson (@wilsfreestyle)

 

The sport of mogul skiing drew Wilson in, but what kept the three-time Olympian motivated was the community of people he found in the freestyle world. The relationships formed during his career fueled his competitive fire because at the end of the day, no matter the result, he was cared for. 

“Everybody (on the team and the international field) were all respectful. It’s always been that way, nothing’s ever changed. I’m proud and thankful to have been able to spend all of this time with this community.”

Spending his formative years as an elite athlete has shaped and evolved Wilson’s worldview and has taught him many things, most notably that dreams can become reality with hard work. “Being around all of these highly driven and inspiring athletes (U.S. and otherwise) has taught me that really anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I got to experience people, including myself, be successful and achieve their dreams.”

For his next chapter, Wilson will be leading the next generation of mogul skiers in their quest to achieve their dreams as the Head Mogul Coach for Wasatch Freestyle. It’s a fitting new beginning for Wilson who said he would miss progression the most as an athlete. Although he will no longer be personally progressing his run, Wilson will continue to contribute to the progression of the sport and inspire that love for process in the next crop of Olympic mogul skiers. 

In addition, Wilson is also excited to focus time on his creative pursuits with plans to start a woodworking and design furniture business. “I've been thinking about these different projects for a long time now. With skiing, I haven't been able to fully commit to it and I’m excited to do so.”

Wilson would like to thank his teammates, coaches and all support staff for their support during his skiing career. “Thank you to all of the people at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, my coaches, especially the PTs, and everyone else. Everyone at the USANA Center of Excellence really goes above and beyond for our successes, without them none of this (my career) would be a thing.” 

Follow Wilson in his next chapter and creative pursuits via Instagram at @wilsfreestyle