New Yorker Alex Bowen got his start in aerials at age 13 at Buffalo Ski Club’s wooden jump site. The upright tricks didn’t satisfy him for long and he performed his first back flip at 15. Three podium results on the 2011 NorAm circuit convinced U.S. coaches to bring him up to the next level, where their top-level guidance is already paying off. In his first full season on the World Cup in 2015, Bowen secured a surprise silver medal at the 2015 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Kreischberg, Austria with a trick he had never done on snow. Two more top-10 World Cup finishes earned him the 2015 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year title. Bowen continues to consistently perform on the World Cup circuit with multiple top-10 finishes.

FIRST TRACKS

Bowen started skiing in a backpack when he was only a year old. His dad skied cross country and alpine with Bowen on his back. “At the age of three, I really put skis on my feet and was in a harness guided by my father,” he says. “Kind of like a dog on a leash, my father guided me and caught me if I fell.” He started competing when he was 13 at the Buffalo Ski Club with upright tricks like 360s and daffys. He did his first back flip at the age of 15, and then began his aerial career.

Q: Name your favorite music artist(s) that motivates you.
A: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zepplin, U2 and B.B.King