By John Clary Davies

Jonny Moseley watched the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics on TV. When he saw the top U.S. mogul skier finish in eighth place, he decided he wasn’t just going to go to Nagano in ’98, he was going to win–which is exactly what Moseley did, with style. Moseley relieved the mogul world from conventional spreads and twists, first with his 360 mute grab in ’98 and then with his Dinner Roll–a cork 7–in Salt Lake City in 2002. That trick didn’t score well with the judges–Moseley finished fourth–but it ignited change within the discipline and introduced the progression of freeskiing to the mainstream. All of a sudden, skiing was cool again. In addition to his innovations in mogul skiing, Moseley filmed with TGR, MSP and Warren Miller, won the 2000 U.S. Open Slopestyle and placed second at the 1999 X Games Big Air contest.

Now 36, Moseley narrates Warren Miller Entertainment films and is an ambassador for Squaw Valley. He has also been a successful television personality, providing commentary for freestyle events during the Olympics, hosting programs like The Real World and The Amazing Race, and as a contestant on Skating with the Stars. In 2006, Moseley completed a degree from the University of California, Berkley. Here, in a recent interview with Powder.com, the pioneer reflects on his career.

My oldest brother saw Hot Dog… The Movie and a lot of freestyle was happening at Squaw at the time–they filmed Hot Dog there. One day, Jeff, my oldest brother, signed us up for a King of the Hill–a duel mogul contest on KT right under the chair there. I was only like nine at the time. We loved it. I ripped up the moguls and we got free cookies at the end. The next day we signed up for the freestyle team as quick as that.

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