Aspen, Colorado — Thrilling scene from the slopes of Aspen Mountain where retired alpine ski racer Julia Mancuso was challenged by halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira to a grudge match race through the NASTAR ski course and she did not pass up the opportunity to reaffirm her dominance slicing through the gates.
Mancuso retired from her storied career as a ski racer back in 2018 after taking home a gold medal for Team USA in giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics while Alex was fresh off a gold medal performance in the halfpipe at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. Two gold medalist and there can only be one winner.
Although this race was just for giggles, when you put two gold medal caliber athletes in the starting gates, you know they aren’t going to dog it. Won’t spoil the ending and we think Mancuso gave Ferreira a handicap but if you watch close one of them missed the 7th gate:
Love to see two of the greats from Team USA having fun on the slopes and just folks getting after on NASTAR courses in general. Next up Mancuso wants to take on Ferreira in the terrain park!
Here’s Alex’s final run in Italy. Incredible execution. Cheers!
About NASTAR
NASTAR stands for NAtional STAndard Race and is the largest public grassroots ski racing program in the world. Founded in 1968, NASTAR gives recreational racers an opportunity to compete and compare their scores to friends and family regardless of when and where they race using the NASTAR handicap system.
NASTAR was developed by SKI Magazine in 1968 and now boasts more than 100,000 races at over 100 resorts around the country. Racers are scored by earning a handicap that represents their ability. The handicap provides participants with a tangible number, or handicap, that is the percentage they are behind the time of the National Standard or the National Pacesetter.
Today, NASTAR is a family operated grassroots program. NASTAR is bringing greater awareness to the sport and value to the industry while motivating participants of all ages to get involved in alpine racing.
