Annika Hunt Joins the Show in Levi
Nearly one year ago, 17-year-old Annika Hunt stood in a World Cup start gate for the first time. The Burke Mountain Academy athlete was at Killington to forerun and also to cheer on her older sister, Mia, who made her World Cup debut. Mia, a University of Denver athlete, earned the start by winning a time trial in Colorado earlier that month. For Annika, the Killington experience was both exciting and inspiring. “I love my sister and love seeing her have success. At that point I hadn’t thought about either of us racing World Cup yet. When she raced in Killington I was like, wow, World Cup is so much closer than I thought!”
This year, in Levi, it’s Annika’s turn to debut on the White Circus. The 2025 overall Nor-Am champion is now a member of the U.S. Ski Team’s C Team and has earned start rights in every World Cup this season. “A year ago I would never have imagined having a designated World Cup spot in any discipline,” says Hunt. Though unexpected for her, her breakout year didn’t surprise anyone following her rise.
A FAST START
In 2024, during her second FIS season, Hunt reached the podium in Nor-Am super-G, competed in the Youth Olympic Games, and came painfully close to meeting U.S. Ski Team criteria. She describes how her focus on results backfired. “At [2024] Nor-Am finals in Panorama, it felt like everything kind of went into shambles. I felt like I almost forgot how to ski because I was so focused on my results. I wanted to make criteria and I wanted good results so badly that I completely forgot about the process, about just loving skiing and having fun and thinking about my technique.”
Determined to reset, Hunt left nothing to chance in 2025. She secured her national team spot early, competed in the World Junior Championships, and punctuated the season with the overall Nor-Am title. Her finals roll included two victories and two podiums in speed at Sugarloaf, plus a slalom podium on her home hill in Burke. “Everything sort of clicked at that point at the end of the season,” says Hunt. She captured the overall, downhill, and super-G titles—and gained a stronger, healthier mindset. “I wasn’t thinking about the Nor-Am overall title at all. I was just focused on my skiing and doing my best, and everything went my way. It proved to me how important it is to just remember why I ski, and that I love it, and that focusing on the process is just so much more productive.”
ROOTED IN THE SPORT
The youngest of three, Hunt grew up in Park City, Utah, with deep ski racing roots. Her father, Jesse, a former U.S. Ski Team and University of Vermont athlete, spent 20 years leading U.S. Ski & Snowboard as head coach and alpine director, nine more heading Park City Ski & Snowboard, and is currently sport director at Burke Mountain Academy. Her mother, Anne Kari Aas, a native Norwegian, raced Nordic for the University of Utah.
The Hunt kids all competed in multiple sports as youngsters. Mia, 22, swam and ran track. Espen, 21, played hockey, and Annika was a competitive gymnast until age nine. Ultimately, all three chose skiing—and all remain in the sport. Mia, a senior at Denver, and Espen, a sophomore at Colby, both compete on the FIS and NCAA circuits.
Annika credits much of her success to her siblings constantly challenging her, on and off the slopes. “My siblings are such an inspiration to me, and I am so grateful to have their support, but also have them pushing me every day.” The competitive fire started with miles of freeskiing all terrain at Park City, chasing siblings and friends through powder and trees, and launching off jumps for impromptu big air competitions. “I learned a lot about pushing myself and scaring myself—learning to be courageous and confident on skis; and I also learned how to just love skiing for skiing.”
In 2020, as a second-year U16, Annika moved east to attend Burke Mountain Academy. The shift came at the perfect time. “When I went to BMA, the training environment was so much more intense, but it was the perfect age for me.” Hunt maximized the opportunity, graduating from BMA last spring with a World Cup start and a spot on the national team.
HITTING THE TRANSITIONS
Following her breakout year, Hunt joined the Europa Cup speed team and began her U.S. Ski Team experience at Mammoth in April, training with the World Cup speed squad. The experience both excited and intimidated her. “They all were super welcoming and helpful. They told me what they were working on and what has helped them.”
Eager to test herself in every discipline, she gravitated to the tech team. In August, she joined them for three weeks in Ushuaia. With her talent—and a guaranteed start in every World Cup—Hunt can now choose her races strategically, which brings both opportunity and challenge.
Starting in Levi made sense on multiple fronts. Slalom is her strongest event and her lowest-point discipline. Because she plans to race in all disciplines, she enters Levi with what will likely be her biggest slalom training block of the season. Then there’s the inspiration from Killington. “I just want to start a SL World Cup so bad.”
She admits that toggling between all events in the U.S. and Europe “is going to be a lot when the season gets started,” but she’s excited to take it on—especially during a post-graduate year when she can fully focus on skiing. “I know it’s going to be tiring, and I know I’m going to have to travel a lot, but I’m totally open to doing it.” It also helps that Hunt feels at home in Europe. “I absolutely love Europe. I love the food and the different cultures. I’ve never felt out of place there.”
CALM ON THE APPROACH
Hunt is grateful to be in Levi alongside teammate Liv Moritz, who made her World Cup debut last year in Kronplatz. Fellow teammate Mary Bocock, who trained with her in Mammoth and Ushuaia, has also been a steady guide. “She’s definitely a role model for me, and someone who I go to if I’m seeking advice in skiing or with just starting out on the U.S. Ski Team and the World Cup.”
With that support, Hunt reminds herself to approach Levi as a learning experience. “No one is expecting anything, I’m going to be an underdog, so I’m just going to do my best, treat it like any other race and think about what I’m working on.”
Regardless of the outcome, Hunt now draws perspective from her own progress. “The fact that so much can change in one year gives me so much hope and reassurance that if things don’t go my way in the first World Cup it doesn’t matter that much. It’s not going to determine how my season goes.” She also carries advice from Mia before Killington. “I was asking her if she was nervous and she said, ‘You know, I’m nervous, but I feel like this is where I belong.’ I thought that was so cool that she had this competitive mindset going into it.”
HOW TO WATCH
U.S. fans can follow Annika and her teammates as they kick off their World Cup season in Levi, Finland. The women’s slalom races stream live on Ski and Snowboard Live beginning Nov. 15.
About the Author: Edie Thys Morgan
