Gretchen ElisabethBleiler (born April 10, 1981) is an American former professional halfpipesnowboarder. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics.
Career
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Bleiler aspired to compete in the Winter X Games from a very young age, and found her passion in snowboarding at age 11 (1992). She has been riding ever since and became professional in 1996. Among her accomplishments, she jump-started the invert revolution for female riders as the first to land a Crippler 540 in competition, and won more halfpipe competitions in 2003, 2005 and 2006 than any other female snowboarder.[2] In the pre-Olympic season she won four of the five US Olympic halfpipe qualifiers and is also a four-time X Games gold medalist, most recently winning the superpipe at Winter X Games XIV.[2]
Starting in 2007, Bleiler expanded her career into snowboard and outerwear design, through Oakley and K2 Snowboarding, designing her own signature outerwear line for Oakley, and participating in the K2 Alliance, which develops and tests women's products, as well as working on the graphics for several K2 Boards. In 2008, she helped to create a new all-female invitational superpipe competition at Snowmass called the Snow Angels Invitational.[8]
While competing in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, many[who?] considered Bleiler a gold medal favorite. However, she fell on both of her final runs, and took 11th place.
During the summer, Gretchen Bleiler coaches and mentors youth at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. In 2008, 2010, and 2014 she was awarded a Signature Session at High Cascade.[9]
Bleiler announced her retirement in January 2014 after being injured in a 2012 training accident and failing to make the 2014 Winter Olympics team.[10] She is currently pursuing speaking, writing, teaching, activism and being an entrepreneur;[11] she is an owner of ALEX Bottle (which stands for "Always Live EXtraordinarily") with her husband Chris.[12]
Named Snowboarder and Transworld Snowboarding 2003 "Female Rider of the Year"
Nominated for 2009 Teen Choice Awards "Other Action Sports Athlete – Female"
Personal life
Bleiler enjoys surfing, mountain biking, interior design and fashion.[13] She is also active in several environmental organizations, including the Aspen Snomass Save Snow campaign, and stopglobalwarming.org.[8]
