Local Look
Gretchen Bleiler has gone from a Midwest girl to an international snowboarding superstar. She and her family moved from Dayton, Ohio to Aspen at age ten, then to Snowmass Village at age 12. She went to a small private school three miles from the Aspen Mountain ski area and still remembers missing school because of avalanche danger. It didn't take long for Bleiler to hit the ski slopes as part of her school's physical education program. She switched to snowboarding at age 14 and learned to ride the halfpipe with the Aspen Valley Snowboard Team. After graduating from Aspen High School in 1999, Bleiler barely missed the 2002 Games, but went on to take the silver medal at the Torino Games. Since then, Bleiler has graced the covers of FHM and ESPN magazine, created her own signature clothing line with Oakley, her own glove and mitten with Level, her own helmet with Giro and developed the look and ride of the K2 Mix Snowboard.
