Jonna Mendes


Jonna Mendes is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She specialized in the speed events and raced for nine seasons on the World Cup circuit. Mendes competed in two Winter Olympics and four World Championships. She was the bronze medalist in the Super G at the 2003 World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Born in Santa Cruz on the California coast, Mendes began skiing at age four when her family moved to the Lake Tahoe area in the Sierra Nevada mountains. She made her World Cup debut in March 1997 and retired from international competition in May 2006.
Mendes won four U.S. titles: two in giant slalom and two in downhill. The first came at The Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana, but was followed by a broken foot the next day, incurred in a crash near the end of her second run in the slalom. She repeated the next year at Squaw Valley,. She won her first downhill title at Alyeska in Alaska, and won again at Mammoth, in California, the following year.

After racing

Mendes attended college in New York City and dedicated her time to working with the U.S. Ski Team's national alpine development system. In 2008, she was the recipient of U.S. Ski Team's Russell Wilder award, which is given annually to recognize the most outstanding effort in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboarding. In 2011, Mendes moved to Sun Valley, Idaho to help found the new Sun Valley Ski Academy. Under her leadership, eleven student-athletes have been named to US National Alpine, Nordic, Para Alpine, and Snowboard Teams. In recognition for her service to the local ski racing community, Mendes was named to the 2023 Sun Valley Winter Sports Hall of Fame.

World Cup results

Top ten finishes

SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace
2001Nov 30, 2000Lake Louise, CanadaDownhill10th
2001Dec 1, 2000Lake Louise, CanadaDownhill6th
2002Dec 1, 2001Lake Louise, CanadaSuper-G10th
2003Nov 29, 2002Aspen, USASuper G10th
2003Dec 6, 2002Lake Louise, CanadaDownhill9th
2003Dec 8, 2002Lake Louise, CanadaSuper G9th
2003Jan 17, 2003Cortina d'Ampezzo, ItalySuper G8th
2003Jan 18, 2003Cortina d'Ampezzo, ItalyDownhill5th
2003Feb 28, 2003Innsbruck, AustriaSuper G8th
2004Dec 20, 2003St. Moritz, SwitzerlandDownhill5th