Feautred Image: Oskar Enander
Norwegian freeride force Hedvig Wessel is a competitor to her core. Just ask her, and she’ll tell you that competition is an essential part of sport, having competed in every sport she’s ever tried. At just 29 years old, Wessel’s competitive ski career has gone through multiple iterations, starting as a young mogul skier with Olympic dreams, to Freeride World Tour competitor and now one of four women to compete in the inaugural Natural Selection Ski (NST) event in Alaska—airing April 17 on Red Bull TV. Practically raised on the mountains in Norway, it only makes sense to see Wessel sporting the now notorious NST vest.
Born and raised in Oslo, Norway, Wessel was first introduced to skiing at her school when she was just three years old. Her kindergarten class had its own private ski lift, which allowed her and her classmates to get comfortable on two planks before they could even write their own names. It didn’t take long for Wessel to find the joy skiing eludes.
“I loved it from the very beginning,” says Wessel. “I loved the speed, the excitement, the people—just being out skiing was the most fun ever.”
At the age of 11, Wessel was ready to make skiing a competitive pursuit—an opportune time in Norway to be a female mogul skier. Olympic gold medalist Kari Traa had just announced her retirement from freestyle skiing and was starting her own team to develop the next generation of Norwegian Olympic hopefuls. Wessel proved to be a natural, already having a gymnastics background, and the hunger to represent her country on sport’s biggest stage. By the time she was 18, Wessel was living her dream of walking in the 2014 Sochi opening ceremonies as the youngest Olympic athlete for her country.
Making it to the Olympics is one hurdle, competing well at the Olympics is an even bigger one. Disappointed with her performance in Sochi, Wessel dedicated the next four years to preparing for medal contention in Pyeongchang but the day before her departure for the 2018 games, the skier broke a bone in her shoulder in a massive crash. Clearance from doctors allowed Wessel to compete but she’ll be the first to admit that her mind and body weren’t communicating and she once again was not able to put down a run she was proud of.
“That was when I decided to switch to freeride because I had the invite to do the Xtreme Verbier on the Freeride World Tour,” Wessel tells me. “Instead of being disappointed, I transferred the goal of wanting to be the best over to freeride.”
Wessel placed fourth in her first-ever freeride comp and she quickly latched onto the unique competitive energy that is the Freeride World Tour (FWT). The biggest perk of competing on the Tour is the opportunity to travel the world with a group of like-minded individuals who inevitably become your best friends. For Wessel, that was what made the tour so special the first couple of years as she skied and learned how to improve in this competitive arena along the way. In 2020, Wessel placed second overall and lit a fire within her to claim the overall title. In 2021, Wessel placed second overall again, now she was frustrated. In 2022, a third consecutive year finishing runner-up nearly ended her relationship with competitive skiing entirely.
“When I got second for a third year I decided I needed to take a break,” says Wessel. “I needed more, I needed something else to find that spark again because it was not [on the Tour]. Being with all the great people and traveling the world didn’t feel fun anymore.”
Of course, for Hedvig Wessel a break isn’t actually a break from skiing at all. It’s dabbling in the ski film world and in 2023, Wessel’s skiing was featured in five films, including segments in big-name productions from Matchstick Productions and Warren Miller. When it came time to compete in 2024, Wessel was ready to come back and approach the FWT with a team behind her. Along with her partner and family, Wessel also worked with a mental coach and nutritionist to collectively devise a plan that would help her achieve her competitive goals while simultaneously keeping her from burning out. The approach? One day, one competition, one ski line at a time. The results? The 2024 FWT World Title.
“I didn’t focus on the results, per say, even though that was the goal,” says Wessel. “I only focused on my runs and one run at a time. If I ski a run I’m proud of, I know it will be a winning run.”
When Wessel got the call officially inviting her to the very first Natural Selection Ski event in Alaska, the competitive fire was lit once again—but now, with a successful game plan. Rather than get caught up in the idea of winning Natural Selection, Wessel flew into the Tordrillo mountains with the simple goal of being present and skiing well. Doing what felt right, in each individual moment.
While the results of Natural Selection have yet to be revealed—you can watch the entire event April 17 on Red Bull TV—it seems like a no-brainer to put our money on Wessel for the ski women. Her competitive nature, knack for performing under pressure and well-rounded ski skills serve her well on big-mountain faces. Much like on the Tour, if Hedvig Wessel puts down a line Hedvig Wessel is proud of, it would be a tough one to beat from a judging standpoint. But like you, dear readers, we’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out how it all went down.
