Meet Janina Kuzma—Two Time Olympian, Freeride World Tour Athlete, & Heli-Ski Guide

The Kiwi, Janina Kuzma, grew up chasing winters across hemispheres: family ski trips to the Alps, entire seasons in Fernie, British Columbia, and, eventually, a life split between freeride podiums, Olympic halfpipe starts, and remote backcountry ranges. The New Zealander competed in the halfpipe at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics and along the way built a career filming and skiing big mountains around the world. In recent years, she has shifted her focus to guiding, working with heli-ski operations in New Zealand and Canada while completing the demanding path to full certification—she’s currently a New Zealand Mountain Guide Association Assistant Ski Guide. 

Janina spoke with Gordy Megroz about discovering freeride competition by chance, choosing between disciplines, and why guiding has become the most meaningful chapter of her time in the mountains.

Gordy: How did you first get into skiing?

Janina: My dad worked in the mining industry, so we moved around a lot. When we were young, we took a trip to the Arlberg to ski. After that, skiing just became something we did together as a family. Later we spent a lot of time in Canada—especially in Fernie. It was always joyful, something we shared as a family.

Gordy: What do you remember about those early trips?

Janina: We’d wake up so excited to ski. My sister would say she dreamed it was snowing. Because the timing lined up with our summer holidays, we’d spend about six weeks skiing and snowboarding in Fernie over Christmas and into February. It was just an awesome childhood for kids who loved winter.

Gordy: When did skiing become competitive for you?

Janina: I was mostly just free skiing with friends on the mountain. Then I met the pro big-mountain skier Dave Treadway in Fernie. [Editor’s note: Dave Treadway died in an avalanche in 2019 in Pemberton, BC.] He saw me skiing and told me I should try freeride competitions. I didn’t even know what freeride was. My first big-mountain event was at Lake Louise when I was 17. I crashed badly, but I was hooked. The next year I came back determined and ended up winning almost every competition in Canada.

People encouraged me to compete in the U.S. on the IFSA tour, and I did well. I won events and even got the Sick Bird award [given to skiers who have the most daring run of the day], which very few women had received. Around that time, the Freeride World Tour in Europe was starting, and I got wild cards to compete. That opened everything up.

Gordy: You were clearly drawn to freeriding. How did halfpipe enter the picture?

Janina: I’d always skied halfpipe for fun. Fernie had a mini-pipe you’d pass through, and I loved it from the first time I rode it. In New Zealand, I started training and competing more seriously in freestyle while still focusing on freeride in North America. When halfpipe was announced for the Olympics, the New Zealand team asked if I wanted to try to represent the country. I said yes, and that’s when everything accelerated. I progressed quickly and really embraced the structure—nutrition, sports psychology, strength training, all of it.

Gordy: Was it difficult balancing freeride and halfpipe?

Janina: It just wasn’t sustainable. One year I competed at X Games and then flew the next morning to Chamonix for a Freeride World Tour event. Eventually I focused on halfpipe competition and did my freeride work through filming instead.

Gordy: You competed in the Olympics in 2014 and 2018. During that period, did your relationship with skiing change?

Janina: I always loved skiing. Even at competitions in incredible places, I wanted to go explore outside the pipe. Some athletes only wanted to train, but I wanted to ski powder and see the mountains. My coach, Tom Willmott, was also a guide, and after competitions we’d go ski backcountry terrain or take heli trips. That helped keep the passion alive.

Gordy: When did guiding enter the picture for you?

Janina: Not at first. But after years of filming in the backcountry and always hiring guides, I started thinking it would be amazing to gain that knowledge myself. I did a seven-day mountain course in New Zealand and loved it. Then I began the certification process—avalanche training, glacier travel, climbing peaks over 3,000 meters. I had to work especially hard on rope and climbing skills because I wasn’t a climber. I guide in New Zealand with heli operations like Mountain Heli and Sun Lakes Heli, and I’ve also worked in Canada with Last Frontier Heliskiing.

Gordy: Ski guiding has long been male-dominated. Have you seen that changing?

Janina: People talk about it that way, and I understand why, but I’ve also worked in environments where many of the guides are women. More women are entering the profession, and it’s great to have different perspectives and intuition in the mountains. There’s a lot of passion there.

Gordy: What has guiding meant to you after your competitive career?

Janina: We’re incredibly lucky to do what we love. I’m in the mountains every day, and I’m the happiest person ever. I love showing people the beauty of these places. Even in a bad New Zealand winter, I come home feeling like I had the best day. Sharing that passion with guests is what makes guiding so meaningful.

(Photos courtesy of Janina Kuzma)