Meet the Athlete:
Julia Kern
Fired up for her 9th year as a member of the U.S. Ski Team, Julia Kern is crushing it in all aspects of life. Along with a rigorous training routine, she is enjoying Vermont as much as possible and dancing her way through pre-season prep. Read on to learn about the inspiration behind our brand new collab print, Hot Stuff, and catch up on #JuliasJourney!
Forecasting a Spicy Season
What was your inspiration for your print this year?
My inspiration for this year’s print originated from a phone call while catching up with a friend and former teammate, Hailey Swirbul. After designing prints with water and sun, we talked about continuing to incorporate the elements of the earth. Along this train of thought, my inspiration came from time I spent this past year in the desert in Moab and the Anza-Borrego Desert. These times provided a change of scenery from the snowy trails to the vast, red landscapes that gave me time to reflect and gain a refreshed perspective. On a ski-specific level, I want to keep things spicy this coming year: taking risks, challenging the norm, skiing with more fire, and keeping things exciting. Chili peppers encapsulate my sources of inspiration and represent the daily reminder to bring the heat this winter. 🔥
How far do you think you could make it on the Hot Ones interview?
It depends on the time of year — if it is right after ski season, not very long! Europe isn’t known for having too much spice, but after the summer decently far! Maybe we should give it a try?
What’s your favorite candy?
Atomic Fireballs.
What race are you most excited about this year?
Minneapolis World Cup on home soil! This will be the first U.S. World Cup in 23 years and I can’t express how excited I am to race in front of family, friends, supporters, and the next generation of skiers.
What is the hardest part/the best part of preseason training?
The hardest part about preseason training is becoming reacquainted with my dear old friend, the pain cave. As the season approaches, we start to do time trials, race simulations, and hard interval workouts to prepare for the mental and physical demands of ski racing. The adjustment to building comfort in pushing to the limit takes me some time.
The best part of preseason training is getting to do a variety of sports and activities for training — enjoying all the best things Vermont has to offer while we are at home.
On a ski-specific level, I want to keep things spicy this coming year: taking risks, challenging the norm, skiing with more fire, and keeping things exciting. Chili peppers encapsulate my sources of inspiration and represent the daily reminder to bring the heat this winter.
-Julia Kern, U.S. Ski Team Athlete
What does success look like for you this season?
This season I hope to consistently make sprint finals (and reach for the podium), and take my distance racing a step further, finishing in the Top 20 more consistently. More importantly, I hope to bring the fire to each race, pushing hard and having fun on the journey along the way.
You’re kind of a TikTok/Reels aficionado - how long does it take you to learn the dances?
It depends on the dance, sometimes 5 minutes, and sometimes 2 hours. Not only do you have to learn the dance, but nail it in sync with other people! Jessie can learn them quickly and then teach me and I like to believe I have started to become faster at learning them….or better at identifying which ones are easier to learn!
We love the name of your new print, Hot Stuff! Tell us more... 🌶
Who doesn’t love Hot Stuff?! I think the name is fun, fiery, and could be interpreted in a lot of directions. I hope this print can make anyone wearing it feel like Hot Stuff, radiating confidence, high energy, and full of life.
What is your 5-song hype-up playlist?
More on the print:
Hot Stuff 🌶
Inspired by the vast, red landscapes of Moab and the Anza-Borrego desert, the vibrant and fiery chili peppers in "Hot Stuff" are certainly bringing all the heat this winter!
a portion of proceeds go towards supporting Julia's Journey on the world cup circuit!
Hot Stuff | Julia's Journey
Hot Stuff sold out... stay tuned for Julia's 2024 collab print!
