5'10"
25
Carnelian Bay, CA
Amelia Josephine “AJ” Hurt discovered her passion for alpine skiing at age 4 when she entered Team Palisades Tahoe. Her father Steve has been a member of the ski patrol there for over three decades; frequent visits to see him on the job inspired Hurt to hit the slopes. She quickly fell in love with what she describes as the adrenaline rush of going fast and spending time outdoors on the mountains — sensations no other sport could replicate.
Hurt's versatility set her apart from an early age. At 14, she earned an invitation to the National Training Group. As a first-year FIS racer in the 2016-17 season, she became the top junior born in 2000 in NorAm qualifying race points across both speed and technical disciplines. She made her world cup debut in November 2017 at Killington, Vermont, at just 16 years old, shortly before her 17th birthday. By 2018, she had captured two national titles in alpine combined and giant slalom at Sun Valley, Idaho, and earned a silver medal in the team event at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Val di Fassa, Italy.
The 2020-21 season showcased Hurt's remarkable range as a multi-event skier. She won the 2020 slalom national title and scored world cup points in four disciplines — parallel, slalom, giant slalom and downhill. She concluded that season by earning a slalom bronze medal at the 2021 FIS World Junior Championships in Bansko, Bulgaria, then finished second in downhill at the 2021 U.S. National Championships. Her ability to compete at elite levels across speed and technical events made her one of three American women racing both disciplines.
Hurt made her Olympic debut at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 while attending Dartmouth College. In January 2024, she earned her first world cup podium with a third-place finish in slalom at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
The 2024-25 season presented new challenges when Hurt dealt with back and shoulder pain, missing several races. She rebounded with determination, achieving her best-ever season slalom ranking of 29th despite earning fewer world cup points than the previous year. She finished eighth in giant slalom at the world cup finals in Sun Valley and earned a career-best seventh place in Sestriere. In April 2025, she closed her season by winning the U.S. Alpine National Championships slalom title in Vail, Colorado, posting the fastest second run to edge teammate Katie Hensien by 0.05 seconds. She was nominated to the U.S. roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, returning for her second Olympic Games alongside fellow Palisades Tahoe teammates Keely Cashman and Nina O'Brien, whom she grew up skiing with in Northern California.
When not racing, she enjoys free skiing and spending time at Lake Tahoe's beaches.
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