Kristen Ulmer (born on September 8, 1966) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

former mogul specialist within the

United States Ski Team The U.S. Ski Team, operating under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and ...

and professional extreme skier. After retiring from skiing in 2003, she became an advocate for mental health and coach around performance and anxiety.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

Henniker, New Hampshire Henniker is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, the reported total population of the town was 6,185, although the figure, 27.9% greater than the 2010 population, has been questioned by local official ...

, Ulmer moved to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, in 1985 to attend the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

. In 1986, she began competing in

mogul skiing Mogul skiing is a freestyle skiing, freestyle skiing competition consisting of one timed run of free skiing on a steep, heavily moguled course, stressing technical turns, aerial maneuvers and speed. Internationally, the sport is contested at the ...

and filming extreme ski movies.

Professional athletics

Ulmer’s professional ski career spanned almost two decades. Ulmer became a mogul skier on the U.S. Ski Team in 1991. ''Powder'' magazine named her as one of the greatest professional female skiers of her time. She was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 2018. She is known for jumping off high cliffs, performing flips, and ski mountaineering, including for being the first female ski descent of

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Grand Teton Grand Teton is the highest mountain of the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park at in Northwest Wyoming. Below its north face is Teton Glacier. The mountain is a classic destination in American mountaineering via the Owen-Spalding rout ...

in 1997. An avid rock and ice climber,

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness or in ...

pilot, adventure cyclist, and kiteboarder enthusiast, Ulmer was voted "Most Extreme Woman Athlete in North America" by the outdoor industry in a 2000 ''Women's Sports and Fitness'' magazine poll. Ulmer retired from professional sports in 2003. Alongside her ski career, Ulmer also contributed writing to magazines such as ''

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

'', ''

Ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

'', ''Powder'', '' Details'', and ''

Outside Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network * '' ...

''.

Career post-retirement

Since her retirement in 2003, she has continued to study, teach, speak, and write on the subjects of fear and anxiety. Ulmer coaches athletes in various sports disciplines and runs mindset-only ski camps in

Alta, Utah Alta is a town in eastern Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 228 at the 2020 census, a large decrease from the 2010 figure of 383. Alta is centered in ...

. She also works as a zen therapist. In 2017, she published her book, ''The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What to Do Instead'', in which she discusses fear and offers an approach to resolving anxiety. In the book, she argues that traditional approaches to overcoming fear, such as pushing through it, are often ineffective. Instead, Ulmer advocates for accepting and understanding it as a natural emotional response and offers strategies for individuals to reshape their relationship with fear. Ulmer's work has been featured by media including

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', ''

The Robb Report The ''Robb Report'' is an American, English-language, luxury-lifestyle magazine featuring products, including automobiles, aviation, boating, real estate and watches. Founded in 1976, it is currently owned by Penske Media Corporation. It also di ...

'', and '' The Megyn Kelly Show''.

Personal life

Ulmer attends the

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

festival in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

each year and built the

Praying Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...

and Scorpion

art car An art car is a vehicle that has had its appearance modified as an act of personal artistic expression. Art cars are often driven and owned by their creators, who are sometimes referred to as "Cartists". Most car artists are ordinary people with ...

s with her ex-husband. The fire-breathing Praying Mantis can now be seen at the Container Park in

Downtown Las Vegas Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as DTLV) is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the original townsite, and the Downtown gaming Las Vegas, Downtown Gaming Area was the primary gambl ...

References

External links

*
"The Princess of Extreme Skiing: That Girl"
''Powder'' Magazine
Forbes magazine interview on skiing the Grand TetonManage your Fear with guest Kristen Ulmer 11/6/2014 radio interview
*
"New Years Destinations: Ski to Live"
1/28/13 ''Outside'' magazine
"Kristen Ulmer: From extreme skiing to mindset training"
Lifesherpa podcast
"Mind Over Mountain?"
''Wall Street Journal'' full page article about Ski to Live. 3/19/12
"Mind Over Mountain: Former Extreme skier Kristen Ulmer shows students that whether they think they can or think they can't they're right".
Ski Magazine Oct 2010

''Forbes'' magazine, 11/16/07
"Get off the Relentless Treadmill of Ongoing Anxiety and Symptom Control"
''Kristen Ulmer'' Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulmer, Kristen 1966 births Living people American female alpine skiers 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen