BIOGRAPHYNew 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 the top-level guidance is already paying off. 

The 2012 season saw Bowen reach a career high fourth-place ranking in the NorAm standings with four podium finishes. He also tackled his first three World Cup competitions and came away with a top-20 result in lake Placid.

ALEX SAYS
My highlights of 2012? Doing my first triple flips and gaining air sense. I had the most fun jumping in ideal conditions. I’m focused on preparing myself to be the best I can be, so I can move up in ranking and get on some podiums in competitions.
 
My goals  For this season are to do well in World Cup competitions and make it to the next Olympics. Also, I want to have a great time while I am doing aerial skiing.

I got more on snow jumping time than the past years, and with that gained a lot of experience. Eric Bergoust is a knowledgeable coach, and taught me many aspects of the sport that I had a hard time learning before. 

FIRST TRACKS
Bowen started skiing in a backpack when he was only one. His dad cross-country and downhill skied 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.

OFF THE SNOW
Off the snow Bowen get into anything not related to aerial skiing like poker, pets and painting. He has also begun his college education at the University of Utah.