Mischa Thomas, 17, has been skiing since she was three years old and, after more than a decade of pursuing her passion, she is not only a junior champion but is getting ready to step it up.
Originally from Auckland, Mischa was taught how to ski by her parents during their trips to Mount Ruapehu.
"I always enjoyed jumping off everything I could find, and just the adrenaline of going fast," Mischa said.
Her current role models include fellow snow sports skier Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
After watching the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Mischa was further inspired to transform a hobby into a career.
In 2020, she decided to focus on freeskiing after accompanying her family on an overseas trip to Copper Mountain in Colorado, where she spent quality time skiing in the terrain park.
After returning from the trip, she made her way down to Wānaka for the winter and trained with the Cardrona High Performance Centre.
Accomplishments quickly followed, as she won the New Zealand Freestyle Series in 2020, and placed third in the 2023 Freeski Slopestyle Junior World Championships.
Her success did not stop there, as she more recently placed first in the 2025 Freeski Halfpipe Corvatsch European Cup and Freeski Slopestyle LAAX European Cup Premium.
Mischa also finished in the top 10 of this year’s Freeski World Championships, open division.
Her wins were more than just titles and trophies, they further motivated her to do more and better.
"It made me back myself a bit more, knowing that I was able to compete against them and be at that level ... and it made me hungry for more," she said.
More is certainly on the horizon for Mischa as she prepares to qualify for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics in February before taking part in her last Freeski Slopestyle Junior World Championships taking place in March of next year.
She spends most of her days in Wānaka — when she is not on the slopes, she is hitting the gym or trampoline to improve her skill and stamina.
