Katie Hensien sees fresh opportunities after first major injury

Moltzan, Winters, O’Brien, Radamus, Hensien and Ford Celebrate Team Parallel: Photo GEPA

When a dark cloud struck her down, Katie Hensien was riding high after wrapping up a benchmark season. It came as a crash at a spring training camp in Utah, tearing the ACL and MCL in her left knee.

As a result, it shuts down her 2023-24 season, for which she’d secured her first complete season of World Cup slalom and giant slalom starts. Hensien finished her 2022-23 season ranked a career-best 42nd slalom and 46th giant slalom on the World Cup Start Lists.

Despite the stormy outlook, Hensien is finding the silver lining.

“It’s been a hard road to process everything, but I’m excited to have nine months to get in the best shape possible and to come back stronger than I was before,” she says. “It’s good to step back and figure out my physical and mental health.”

Track record

Hensien, 23, notched her first World Cup starts back in 2017. An ongoing podium force on the Nor-Am circuit, the tech specialist didn’t land her first World Cup points until December 2020 with a 27^th in slalom in Semmering, Austria. Days later, she followed up with a career-best 18^th in Zagreb, Croatia. Also, nabbing a handful of top 10s in the Europa Cup, Hensien’s World Cup performances were inconsistent.

However, she started strong last season with a 26^th in the Levi slalom. She then landed her first World Cup GS points (27^th) in Killington.

“It was so special to do it in front of the home crowd, in front of my parents. It was unreal,” she says.

The Redmond, Washington native earned additional World Cup points in Semmering and a 23^rd and 26^th in last season’s World Championships GS and slalom. Additionally, she was an alternate on the Stifel US Alpine Team that won World Championship gold in the Parallel Team Event.

The taste of tackling both GS and slalom at the top level was educational and eye-opening.

“Balancing two events in the World Cup is very, very challenging,” she says. “Having two important races during a weekend and back-to-back this last season, resetting was mentally hard. I’m focusing on feeling good about splitting my focus, of making the most of every moment and opportunity.”

Hensien is now shifting this perspective and attitude toward the recovery that lies ahead.

Recovery goals

“I’ve enjoyed talking with my parents and friends I haven’t spent a lot of time with. Besides racing, I haven’t traveled a lot. There are countries and places I’ve always wanted to go,” she says. “I hope to visit places I haven’t gotten to see in the World Cup circuit. I’m considering doing an internship or a master’s  program, things I’ve put on hold. Getting my mind off of skiing a little might be super helpful,” she says.

Hensien graduated from Denver University last year, walking this spring, with Computer Science and Business degrees. She also has her eye on DU’s master’s programs. As for places on her bucket list, she’s always wanted to explore Patagonia, Argentina, London and Mexico. She and her dad have enjoyed fishing together since she was young and are discussing a fishing trip to Alaska.

Just a few weeks after her surgery in late May, Hensien has relished spending time with her teammates at a dryland camp in Park City. Although her time in the gym looks much different than everyone else’s, she’s finding new routes to physical strength and mental release.

“In these early stages, it’s important to listen to my body,” she says. “It teaches me patience. It’s like, I can’t just do a squat? I’m doing PT every day, working with a strength and conditioning coach. The biggest focus is to make myself stronger and tell myself; you have this time, so make the most of it. If it’s a six-pack, or 20-plus pull-ups, to be able to squat X amount of weight. I can work on those. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. I’m going to bike this hard or throw this med ball against the wall, bench-press to get my frustration out. I won’t get this time back.”

Hensien is now looking at February to click back into her skis.

“I’m not trying to make a record-breaking return to snow,” she says. “I want to make sure I return stronger and not worry about my knee. Now it’s up to me to put the work in. I know there will be ups and downs throughout this whole process. I’m not afraid of that. I’m just making sure I do it properly.”