Julia Kern made her debut as a member of the Development Team on the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team during the 2015-16 season. She had breakthrough performances at SuperTours, Nationals, Junior Worlds and the OPA Cup, proving herself as a strong racer in many regards. With Kern’s strong passion for improving and achieving as a skier, she will be one to watch for in the future. Kern will attend Dartmouth College in the fall of 2016 and join the Dartmouth Ski Team.

Some of Kern’s best races of the 2015-16 season included grabbing second U20 in the U.S. Championships freestyle sprints in Houghton, MI, second in the SuperTour 10k classic race in Craftsbury, VT and second in a 10k freestyle race in Toblach, ITA during the OPA Cup Trip.

FIRST TRACKS
Kern grew up playing every sport possible, trying to imitate her older sister, including basketball, soccer, skiing, cross country running, track and field and swimming. As a family, the Kerns were always doing some kind of athletic outing, whether it was organized sports or going hiking, kayaking, climbing, biking and surfing. Kern learned how to ski as soon as she could walk, with her grandparents in Germany taking her on long ski adventures though the woods. When she was a freshman in high school, she realized her dream of playing college basketball had changed to wanting to ski and race all over the world. She skied for Cambridge Sports Union in high school and then attended Stratton Mountain School for a partial gap year. Kern is now enrolled at Dartmouth College. 

OFF THE SNOW
Kern love having outdoor adventures with her family in her free time, such as hiking, surfing or beach volleyball, and she still enjoys playing pickup basketball. She really enjoys doing photography and film projects in her free time as well, especially when she is traveling. Her sister lives in California so while she doesn’t get to see her often, it is “always an adventure” when they are together.