November 6th, 2025 | by Julia Kern
Hey everyone! We're so excited to finally announce our athlete collaboration bottle with Julia Kern! This is the first of three athlete bottles we'll be launching in the coming weeks so stay tuned ;)
Julia is an Olympian and professional nordic skier! We're so excited to support Julia's journey this year both on and off skis. We asked Julia some of our burning questions about her training process in Vermont as well as what inspired her awesome sunflower design for her bottle. Enjoy reading her insightful answers!
Hey everyone! We're so excited to finally announce our athlete collaboration bottle with Julia Kern! This is the first of three athlete bottles we'll be launching in the coming weeks so stay tuned ;)
Julia is an Olympian and professional nordic skier! We're so excited to support Julia's journey this year both on and off skis. We asked Julia some of our burning questions about her training process in Vermont as well as what inspired her awesome sunflower design for her bottle. Enjoy reading her insightful answers!
Julia sending a big jump during the 2025 Cochrans Nordic Cross
Julia sending a big jump during the 2025 Cochrans Nordic Cross
Having a home base in Vermont that I love has made the world of a difference! I spend about 6-7 months of the year on the road, so the time at home is precious to connect with loved ones, my community, and I enjoy sleeping in my own bed. This year, I even grew a garden and cooked delicious meals from my own homegrown ingredients. I also love the ability to train out the door on my schedule from time to time.
This summer, I had one towering sunflower in my backyard. It stood tall and cheerful, always smiling back at me whenever I looked outside. That sunflower became a little symbol of growth and good energy. It stretched up to about eight feet, a daily reminder of how vibrant life can be when you nurture it. I spent the season growing both food and flowers, filling my days with small bursts of joy and color, a balance of nourishment and beauty that kept me grounded and happy.
The most fun I have had on skis was during the Bill Koch League festival, going on a scavenger hunt on double skis with my friend. I loved moving through the forest on skis and just having fun. In my professional career, crust cruising is an absolute blast! Crust cruising is cross country skiing on spring snow where the top layer freezes frozen and smooth so you can ski anywhere you want. It is like backcountry skiing, but you can cover ground much faster and you ski on slightly more mellow terrain.
Off skis, mountain bike trips are always a blast. The last two years I did a mountain bike and camping trip to Vallee Bras du Nord, spending a few days on the bike and cooking food over the fire. I like the simplicity of unplugging and adventuring in the mountains for a few days.
My coach reminded me that when you get to the start line, take a moment to look around and soak in how incredible this opportunity is. You get to do this. All the hard work is done — now it’s time to show what you’ve built. Gratitude and perspective go a long way, especially when the nerves start to kick in at the line.
One of my earliest memories really shows how competitive I’ve always been. I was racing in a BKL event with an individual start, and I remember being totally confused about how you could “win” when everyone started separately. My parents told me that if I passed everyone I could see, I’d know I had won. So I raced as hard as I could, passing everyone in sight. But at the finish, I was sulking — convinced I hadn’t caught one last person — because I was a terrible loser as a kid. Needless to say, my parents were ready to use that moment to teach me a lesson about handling defeat… even though, as it turned out, I had actually won the race.
Since then, I’ve gotten a lot better at handling defeat. When you’re racing against the best in the world, it’s incredibly hard to actually win a race (I haven’t won one yet). Over time, I’ve learned that there’s so much more to ski racing than just winning, and that how you handle the losses does far more to shape your character than the moments when everything goes your way.
I feel really lucky to have grown up surrounded by sports. Sport has always been my way of building community, making friends, and learning how to set goals and work hard toward them. Sport is such a powerful space — it teaches you how to fail, how to work with others, and how to build a strong work ethic. I want every kid to have the chance to get outside and be active, whether that’s on snow or anywhere else, because sport can do so much good. I was also fortunate to have amazing role models who guided me along the way, so I didn’t have to figure everything out on my own. Now, I want to share what I’ve learned and help inspire the next generation to chase their own paths.
Having a home base in Vermont that I love has made the world of a difference! I spend about 6-7 months of the year on the road, so the time at home is precious to connect with loved ones, my community, and I enjoy sleeping in my own bed. This year, I even grew a garden and cooked delicious meals from my own homegrown ingredients. I also love the ability to train out the door on my schedule from time to time.
This summer, I had one towering sunflower in my backyard. It stood tall and cheerful, always smiling back at me whenever I looked outside. That sunflower became a little symbol of growth and good energy. It stretched up to about eight feet, a daily reminder of how vibrant life can be when you nurture it. I spent the season growing both food and flowers, filling my days with small bursts of joy and color, a balance of nourishment and beauty that kept me grounded and happy.
The most fun I have had on skis was during the Bill Koch League festival, going on a scavenger hunt on double skis with my friend. I loved moving through the forest on skis and just having fun. In my professional career, crust cruising is an absolute blast! Crust cruising is cross country skiing on spring snow where the top layer freezes frozen and smooth so you can ski anywhere you want. It is like backcountry skiing, but you can cover ground much faster and you ski on slightly more mellow terrain.
Off skis, mountain bike trips are always a blast. The last two years I did a mountain bike and camping trip to Vallee Bras du Nord, spending a few days on the bike and cooking food over the fire. I like the simplicity of unplugging and adventuring in the mountains for a few days.
My coach reminded me that when you get to the start line, take a moment to look around and soak in how incredible this opportunity is. You get to do this. All the hard work is done — now it’s time to show what you’ve built. Gratitude and perspective go a long way, especially when the nerves start to kick in at the line.
One of my earliest memories really shows how competitive I’ve always been. I was racing in a BKL event with an individual start, and I remember being totally confused about how you could “win” when everyone started separately. My parents told me that if I passed everyone I could see, I’d know I had won. So I raced as hard as I could, passing everyone in sight. But at the finish, I was sulking — convinced I hadn’t caught one last person — because I was a terrible loser as a kid. Needless to say, my parents were ready to use that moment to teach me a lesson about handling defeat… even though, as it turned out, I had actually won the race.
Since then, I’ve gotten a lot better at handling defeat. When you’re racing against the best in the world, it’s incredibly hard to actually win a race (I haven’t won one yet). Over time, I’ve learned that there’s so much more to ski racing than just winning, and that how you handle the losses does far more to shape your character than the moments when everything goes your way.
I feel really lucky to have grown up surrounded by sports. Sport has always been my way of building community, making friends, and learning how to set goals and work hard toward them. Sport is such a powerful space — it teaches you how to fail, how to work with others, and how to build a strong work ethic. I want every kid to have the chance to get outside and be active, whether that’s on snow or anywhere else, because sport can do so much good. I was also fortunate to have amazing role models who guided me along the way, so I didn’t have to figure everything out on my own. Now, I want to share what I’ve learned and help inspire the next generation to chase their own paths.
Julia's training has brought her all over the world!
Julia's training has brought her all over the world!
When asked if Julia had anything else to share with everyone, she said one thing:
"Come support American skiers this year in Lake Placid!"
This is the first time the World Cup Finals have been in the US. They will be in Lake Placid, New York (so close to us!) so come and bring your best cheering squad with you to support Julia and the rest of her teammates!
When asked if Julia had anything else to share with everyone, she said one thing:
"Come support American skiers this year in Lake Placid!"
This is the first time the World Cup Finals have been in the US. They will be in Lake Placid, New York (so close to us!) so come and bring your best cheering squad with you to support Julia and the rest of her teammates!
This bright yellow bottle includes a fun graphic of a sunflower patch wrapping around the base of the bottle inspired by the flowers growing right outside Julia's house.
This bright yellow bottle includes a fun graphic of a sunflower patch wrapping around the base of the bottle inspired by the flowers growing right outside Julia's house.
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