Tips, Tricks & Truths- Get To Know Coalition Snow Athlete Jeanee Crane-Mauzy

Jeanee is a freestyle skier who focuses on the halfpipe, she was born and raised in New Hampshire but later moved with her family to Park City, Utah. Jeanee comes from a family of five girls and has always played sports and activities that were dominated by the boys, so she is so happy to be working with Coalition Snow who is focused on making gear for the girls and encouraging more women to become involved in the snow sports world. 

When you are traveling and away from home for extended periods of time (for competition, training, etc) what meal do you crave the most?

Usually, a really hardy kale salad. In Europe they don’t really eat kale.

If you could have any three people (dead or alive) over for dinner who would they be? Why?

I think I would say my grandmother who passed away in 2018, my mom who is still alive, and probably Taylor Swift. And I think it would make a really interesting combination. My grandmother was actually a professional skier in the 40’s, she won the World Cup tour in 1948, so it’s cool that I kind of became what she was part of the legacy of creating. I mean she was a ski racer but they didn’t really have freestyle in the 40’s. She was also a journalist and had a master’s degree from Columbia to be a teacher. Taylor Swift has always been one of my favorite artists and then we’ve also had a lot of like important parts of our family life that have been connected to her music. My sister had a brain injury and a lot of her recovery was connected pretty strongly to Taylor Swift’s music. And my mom is just one of my favourite people and I’d always want her to be with me for dinner.

How do you relax? Do you have any favourite hobbies that help you winddown?

I really like taking baths, like a bubble bath and epsom salts, have maybe a glass of tea or wine. Otherwise sometimes having a glass of wine and watching a show by the fire. Just taking time to relax and pamper myself. Going to the beach in the summer, that’s really relaxing.  

How have things changed for you and your training during this pandemic?

Quite a lot. It’s made traveling internationally really hard, and it’s cancelled all the competitions so far. Being on snow is also really hard because I am not part of the US Ski Team, I compete under the umbrella but I ski independently. So, to get on snow this summer in Mt. Hood you had to have a commercial insurance license which I obviously don’t have for myself and then I ended up hurting myself a little bit and wasn’t able to go on the trip. But just figuring out how to like be under somebody who has that commercial license, and the US Ski Team used to be able to invite people on trips and kind of be with them, but this year it’s super strict. So, it’s definitely made it a lot harder.

What do you love most about Coalition Snow?

I love that it’s a brand that is by girls for girls, and so it’s really promoting females in the sport. It’s a place where you can really connect with other females who are part of the sport and that are pushing it and have that little bubble of girls.

What sets Coalition Snow apart from other brands?

Their product is obviously really good and I think that also their graphics are really unique. They have a lot of artwork design in their graphics which is cool compared to a lot of other ski companies which are pretty basic with just like the brand of the company. 

What is your favorite product? Why?

Well, I ski the Roz G. ski and then this winter will be my first winter with one of their powder skis which I’m pretty excited about. Before I just had a few different Roz G. skis. I’m really excited to ski powder on powder skis instead of halfpipe skis. But the halfpipe skis are great like they’re also really good for free-skiing because I have a racing background and they’ll hold an edge really well for carving. So, it’s a really good all mountain ski that’s specifically designed for the park and pipe. 

How long have you been working with Coalition Snow? How did that relationship start?

It’s been like 4 or 5 years and I think it started through Roz, she was a Canadian halfpipe skier that was one of the first big pros, and I can’t remember if she brought it up or if I brought it up but she connected me with Jen and it just kind of went from there.

What is the best advice you can give to younger athletes or aspiring ski athletes?

Really try to surround yourself with people who love it as much as you do so you have that push, and also to make sure that you keep it fun because if you’re not loving something then it’s going to be hard to dedicate your life to it. And realize that it’s also not everything, you should still keep interests in other things and have things all tie together. But if you love it then you should definitely follow as far as you can, keep talking to other people, find new opportunities, see if you can ski in the summer or be part of a team. I think having a coach is really important too if you’re wanting to become competitive in any of the ski or snowboard events, having a coach really helps.

Do you have any tips for finding motivation to push through tough days?

Sometimes just realizing how lucky you are, it’s really lucky to be able to follow your dream in a sport, and to be able to be somewhere foreign or to have the opportunity. So, for me even though I have struggled with injury or poor competitions trying to realize it’s cool that I’m in Aspen, or in France, or in New Zealand. I’ve met some of the most amazing people in the world through this and pain and struggle are part of it, so it’s okay to have that. It’s okay to be bummed, you don’t have to pretend that you’re positive all the time, but to be able to also realize that it’s temporary and that the positives should outweigh the negative. 

Have you learned any travelling tips or tricks through your experiences?

Yes, totally. I live in Utah, and Salt Lake City flies everywhere, but a lot of times it’s so much cheaper to book a separate reservation through somewhere like New York. You would fly domestically to New York, and then fly a European airline brand into Europe. Especially since the European airlines are more likely to check ski bags for free. And make sure you know what the airline’s ski bag policy is because sometimes the check-in people don’t really know.

How do you prepare for your event? Do you have any tips for handling the stress or performance anxiety?

I definitely think it’s really helpful to work with a therapist or somebody that’s specifically like an athlete competitive coach, because competing, and also just in life, controlling or knowing how to handle your anxiety and pressures is a huge thing. A lot of people feel like it is just up to them to take care of, but especially in competing your mental game is just as important as the physical tricks you can do because if you can’t do them under the pressure of competing then you’re not going to compete well. So, I think paying as much attention to your mind and your mental game as you do with working out or learning your tricks is really important. 

Rapid-Fire Q&A

What is your least favourite type of music?

Screamo and crazy stuff like that

Do you snore?

No

What did you eat for breakfast?

I usually have a protein shake

What is your favourite movie?

Dirty Dancing

Coffee or tea?

Both, we drink loads of tea in our house but when I’m somewhere that has good coffee then I’ll drink a lot of coffee

What is your favourite season?

Winter, but I also love having the change of seasons

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Dark

Would you go to a movie alone?

Yup, more frequently I’d go to a restaurant or museum alone when I’m traveling

Window or aisle seat?

Window

Favourite ice cream flavour?

I make a dark chocolate peppermint Schnapps ice cream and that is probably the best I’ve had

(ed. note: interview has been edited for length and clarity)