Third Time’s a Charm: Devin Logan on Being a US Olympic Ski Veteran, Skiing’s Future, and More
When a pro skier stops mid-run to do an interview, you know it’s gonna be good. Enter Vermont-raised, U.S. pro freeskier Devin Logan.
About a month ago, I grabbed my skis and scooted over to Summit County, Colo. Like a pro, Logan was also there to ski, so I caught up with her for a quick chat halfway down the slopes.
Devin Logan joined the U.S. Pro Ski Team in 2013, and competed in her first Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014 (actually, on her birthday). Then again, she made the 2018 Olympic ski team. And she’s been going full speed since, with appearances at the X Games, Dew Tour, Freeski World Championships, and more.
She’s not only a pro skier, but also a self-proclaimed foodie, and a major advocate for women’s snowsports. What makes a pro like Logan tick? What advice does she have for the next generation of female skiers? Read on to find out.
Q&A With US Olympic Skier Devin Logan
GearJunkie: What’s your mindset approaching this year’s Olympic qualifiers compared to past competitions?
Devin Logan: Having two Olympics under my belt, I know what to expect. I’ve competed in both halfpipe and slopestyle. Now, my game plan is different — I’m just trying to live in the moment.
Just that pressure of “Why did I start skiing in the first place?” and embracing what I love about skiing once I make the team. For skiing, the U.S. team is one of the hardest teams to make.
My game plan was acknowledging the conditions, that frustration, and just focusing on landing a clean run. I landed the 900, put one down in the run. And I can give my all and know that be proud of that.
GJ: You mentioned that leftside 900 in the halfpipe in [Dew Tour Olympic] qualifiers. How difficult is it to get amplitude like that and maintain it?
DL: With the weather conditions, women’s qualifiers was rough. The snow kind of turned from a flat bottom to an icy wall to powder, you have to be light on your edges and soft. For the halfpipe, you want to maintain speed. But with speed and wind, if wind comes when you are in the air, then you kind of hope for a window to hold that and be as aero as possible.
I focus on this rule I have of the 4 Ps: pressure on my edges, pumping the wall, patience, and then popping/pushing on the wall for the landing. It’s all about having a clean transition on days when it’s snowing like that. You just have to do your best.
GJ: How have you seen the sport evolve in your last two Olympics?
DL: Women’s skiing progression has been outstanding in the last 6 years. I feel like I really capitalized on my age in 2014, walking away with a silver medal before I turned 21.
Women’s freeskiing especially has evolved a ton. But the sport also comes with the risk of injuries when you are competing at this level. It’s crazy to see what the next generation of female athletes is accomplishing.
Kelly Sildaru and Eileen Gu throwing all these tricks that are progressing the sport… all these women who keep pushing the bar. It’s great — because we want to see more inclusion.
GJ: When you aren’t skiing, what do you do to train?
DL: I have been so lucky to live in Park City [Utah] for the past 10 years. Skiing at the Center of Excellence, working with my coaches, and training there. The training center has a basketball court, super trampoline, pool — lots of things to offer. I spend about 3 days a week strength training.
But I’ve also gotten into mountain biking and road biking in Park City, [and] going hiking, camping, and taking advantage of the outdoors [in] places like Moab. And I’ve also been getting up to Sun Valley, Idaho, and Montana.
My favorite place to ride so far in Park City is probably Trailside Elementary Bike Park, which is super close to a lot of the Deer Valley trails and downhill trails.
GJ: What’s something people may not know about you?
DL: I love to cook. I’ve actually got an Instagram account called Dining with DLo. Going home for the holidays is exciting because I get to cook a lot.
I [made] a 2-day crockpot soup for Christmas. It takes that long to cook.
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GJ: You are 28. Hanna Faulhaber, who ranked highest for the U.S. team in halfpipe qualifiers is just 17. On the flip side, pros like Jamie Anderson and Shaun White are in their 30s. Do you think age plays a factor in athletes’ styles and performance?
DL: All the credit to the women for their efforts because it’s so rad to see. We really build off each other in this sport.
Hanna is 17, just going for broke. When I see her, she’s fearless — I think back to when I was 17 — that was 10 years ago when I got into this sport. Brita [Sigourney] and I joke with Hanna, we’ll say, “You are 17, do it while you can.”
And on the flip side, as a veteran, I think we are better under pressure, and with expectations. We can look ahead and anticipate certain things.
GJ: You are involved with the Women’s Sports Foundation. What does women’s equality in snowsports mean to you?
DL: I got introduced to the WSF at their annual gala. Having the women’s founder of freeskiing — Grete Eliassen — be their president was so cool; plus the organization’s founder Billy Jean King, seeing her work, and seeing what they are doing for women’s equality around Title IX and equal pay … it’s great.
[It’s] bringing the awareness of women in sport to that top level. Whether it’s women’s fencing, tennis, skiing, anything.
It’s really about just finding resources to build each other up. There’s so much mentoring going on there as well. I like having that network of so many rad females in sport and business.
Devin Logan Bio
- Profession: Skier
- Hometown: West Dover, Vermont, USA
- Age: 28 (will turn 29 on Feb. 17 at the Olympics)
- Competes in: slopestyle, halfpipe
- Career highlight: 2014 Olympic silver medal in slopestyle skiing
- Achievements: 4-time X Games medalist, World Championship bronze medalist, Olympic silver medalist, ranked No. 1 overall in the 2016 FIS World Cup
- Fun fact: Her brother, Chris Logan, is also a professional skier
Note: This interview occurred in December 2021. It has been edited for readability and clarity.
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