Palos Verdes, CA
Beatrice "Bea" Kim has emerged as one of the most promising talents in women's snowboard halfpipe. The Palos Verdes, California, native made waves during her breakout 2023-24 season as a 16-year-old rookie on the U.S. Snowboard Pro Team. Kim captured her first world cup podium with a second-place finish at the prestigious Laax Open in Switzerland, finished fourth in her X Games debut, and concluded the season ranked third in the overall FIS World Cup standings. Her rise to the elite level accelerated rapidly after years of dedication at the junior ranks, where she earned a second-place finish at the 2022 FIS Junior World Championships and secured four podiums on the FIS Nor-Am Cup Revolution Tour.
Kim's path to competitive snowboarding began with family trips to Mammoth Mountain, where she fell in love with the sport at age 6. Her family's support has been instrumental in her development, splitting time between their home in Palos Verdes and Mammoth, along with frequent trips to New Zealand, Austria and other destinations for off-season training. Kim trains under coach Ben Wisner, who previously guided two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim. In 2018, Kim's family took her to South Korea to watch the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 in person, where she witnessed Chloe Kim win gold in women's halfpipe—a moment that proved transformative for the young athlete and solidified her Olympic aspirations.
Beyond her competitive achievements, Kim has established herself as a dedicated climate advocate. A member of the Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance since 2021, she has used her platform to speak about climate change's impact on winter sports and the environment. Kim was invited to speak at the United Nations, on Capitol Hill and at the White House about the effects of climate change. She was also named the 2024 Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance Member of the Year. She participated in a leadership summit in the Arctic, where she shared her experiences with scientists, ambassadors, climate experts and other leaders from around the world.
Kim's Southern California roots remain central to her identity. She grew up surfing at local breaks near Palos Verdes and credits the sport with influencing her snowboarding style, describing the halfpipe as "an endless wave."
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