Grete Eliassen is an American-Norwegian freestyle skier. She won a bronze medal in Slopestyle at the 2011 Winter X Games XV in Aspen, Colorado. She has won 6 medals at the Winter X Games in slopestyle and halfpipe events including back to back gold medals in 2005 and 2006.
Eliassen was born in Rochester, Minnesota. She started skiing at the young age of two. She grew up near some of the finest mountains in North America. She moved to Norway for a year when she was five. When she returned to the United States, she started playing several different sports: hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis, water-skiing, baseball, cross country skiing, and alpine skiing. When she was 13, Eliassen moved to Lillehammer, Norway. She decided to continue her skiing career there.
A year after Eliassen moved back to Norway, she was named the Norwegian SL National Champion. Soon thereafter, she was selected to join the Norwegian Ski Team. She was on the team for two seasons. At the age of sixteen, Eliassen won the Super-G at the Junior World Championship in France and placed third in slalom skiing at the European Junior Olympics in Slovenia.
Eliassen realized that racing was not the type of skiing that satisfied her and soon after she fell in love with freeskiing. During her first year of competing in freeskiing, she took first place in the Rip Curl Free Ski and the US Open. Since she made her debut, she has won the US Open four times as well as wins at Red Bull Cold Rush and the Dew Toru. She captures back to back gold medals at the Winter X Games. In addition, she also won two silver and two bronze medals at the Winter X Games. She is the only female skier to medal in both the first Halfpipe and Slopestyle X Games events. In 2007, Eliassen won all the open events, US Open, European Open, and Nippon Open. She was named “Women Skier of the Decade” by Fri Flyt magazine.
From fall 2008 until spring 2010, Eliassen co-produced and was featured in the ski film “Say My Name” with one of her sponsors, Red Bull. She won ESPN Best Performance in a Leading Role and IF3 Montreal Best Female Performance for her role in the film.
In 2010, Eliassen broke the Hip Jump World Record. She reached speeds of 60 miles per hour downhill, hit the custom 30 foot hip feature, and soared more than 31 feet in the air. No woman has even come close to breaking her records. She graduated from the University of Utah in May of 2013 with a business marketing degree. She enjoys waterskiing and wakeboarding when not skiing.
Achievements of Grete Eliassen
- 2013 FIS World Championship, Slopestyle-3rd place
- 2011 Red Bull Cold Rush Champion
- 2011 Female Skier of the Year (Powder Video Awards)
- 2011 Female Performance of the Year (Summit Action Film Festival)
- 2011 1st Place TRAINS Slopestyle
- 2011 X Games Bronze Medal Slopestyle
- 2010 Female Performance of the Year (IF3 Film Festival)
- 2010 Female Leading Role Performance (ESPN Action Film Awards)
- 2010 Set Women’s Hip Jump World Record
- 2010 Winter X Games, Slopestyle- 3rd place
- 2009 Winter X Games, Slopestyle- 2nd place
- 2007 US Freeskiing Open, Halfpipe- 1st place
- 2007 Winter X Games, Halfpipe- 2nd place
- 2006 Winter X Games, Halfpipe- 1st place
- 2006 US Open, Halfpipe-1st place
- 2005 Winter X Games, Halfpipe-1st place
- 2005 US Open, Halfpipe- 1st place
- 2005 World FIS Halfpipe Championships-3rd place
- 2004 US Open, Halfpipe-1st place
- 2003 FIS Junior World Championships Super G-1st place
- 2003 European Junior Olympics, Slalom-3rd place
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Grete Eliassen is women skier of the decade and women’s hip jump world record holder. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You started skiing at a very young age of two years. You reached the pinnacle of success by winning six medals at the Winter X Games in slopestyle and halfpipe events including back to back gold medals in 2005 and 2006. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
Before women were allowed in the X Games we only had the US Open and that was the most prestigious event in freeskiing and winning that event was the starting point for my ski career. The first four years we were allowed in X Games we only had halfpipe event and in order to get slope we had to prove ourselves there. It was kind of weird how that all worked, but we ended up getting it in the end. I am still waiting for women’s big air though.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
I try to participate in all different types of activities. I love to water-ski and wakeboard in the summer, because it’s similar to skiing, but just with water. And I did a lot of hiking this Fall to get my legs ready for winter. I just love my workouts to be as fun as possible because then it does not feel like work.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
I try to eat 3-4 meals a day which include protein, fats and carbohydrates. And I snack in between.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding freestyle skiing girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of freestyle skiing ?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
A lot of times during my career courses were not up to par and the women received the worst practice and competition times. Therefore, it’s important to know everyone has the right to express their opinions on conditions and scheduling. And if you don’t speak up nothing will ever change.
Video
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How did you feel before and after your memorable win of gold medal at 2005 Winter X Games in halfpipe event?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
It was such an amazing feeling and very unexpected. Because I had never considered myself the best in halfpipe I was really shocked. But I remember being so focused that day and really concentrating on learning new tricks and stomping runs, and that’s what I did.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Tell us about your experience when in 2010 you broke the Hip Jump World Record. You reached speeds of 60 miles per hour downhill, hit the custom 30 foot hip feature, and soared more than 31 feet in the air. No woman has even come close to breaking your record?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
My sponsor Red Bull asked me that year if there was any type of project I wanted to pursue and I told them I wanted to build a hip jump to see how big I could go and I always thought the photos of the snowboarders and skiers going huge on a hip was a photo I wanted to have. I ended up going bigger than everyone expected and I jumped over the measuring tower.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influencer and motivator in your success in the field of your career in freestyle skiing ?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
My biggest inspiration was Sarah Burke.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You compete in both slopestyle and halfpipe in Freeskiing, which event you enjoy more over the other ?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
I have always loved slopestyle more than halfpipe. I love pumping tranny in halfpipe, but the only reason I got good at halfpipe was because X Games only allowed that event and I had one week a year where I got to ski the best pipe in the world every day. The reason I love slopestyle is because I love to jump and the course is always different, it’s good to change it up.
Video
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You co-produced and was featured in the ski film “Say My Name” with one of your sponsors being Red Bull. You won ESPN Best Performance in a Leading Role and IF3 Montreal Best Female Performance for your role in the film. Tell us more about this endeavor of yours?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
I had worked with many ski film production companies in the past and I was sick of not being able to showcase my skiing to the world. Because these production companies would not be focused on women’s skiing they would only give me a couple shots or the credits in a movie. So I had the opportunity to work with my own crew and we decided to make a movie together. It was an incredible experience and it worked because I won every award I could think of that year for my skiing.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
In 2007, you won all the open events, US Open, European Open, and Nippon Open. You were named “Women Skier of the Decade” by Fri Flyt magazine. What responsibility these awards bestow upon you in your future efforts and activities in the field of professional freestyle skiing?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
It’s a tremendous honor but something I worked really hard to achieve. I feel that being a professional skier for over ten years has given me a lot of insight on how the ski industry works and it’s my responsibility to educate the next generation to make sure they get as many and hopefully more opportunities than me.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Grete Eliassen:
You can follow me on Instagram @gretegirl
To know more about Grete Eliassen, Check her out at:http://greteeliassen.com/
To know the latest about her, check her out at:https://twitter.com/gretegirl
https://www.facebook.com/GreteEliassen
Women Fitness Team thanks Grete Eliassen for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.