At the time of the last Winter Olympics, 16-year-old Indra Brown had never even ridden a halfpipe.

Despite having been skiing for nearly 10 years, Brown had yet to tackle the giant U-shaped slope. The main reason was a lack of access worldwide. Full-size competition halfpipes are rarely built because they require specialized infrastructure and perfect snow conditions.

In his hometown of Melbourne, real halfpipes are virtually non-existent, but that changed when Brown’s family immigrated to Canada at the age of 12.

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Her local ski area has a halfpipe, so she got her first taste of the sport during spring training, stopping by for some fun with friends at the end of the season.

Notably, the camp was hosted by the Canadian Olympic Team, which just returned from Beijing 2022.

It turns out they were organizing a clinic for local “groms,” and Brown was among the hundreds of young skiers who attended.

Among the instructors that day was Kathy Sharp, the legendary Canadian skier Brown is currently competing against.

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At the time, Sharp had just won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics and a gold medal at PyeongChang 2018.

Neither Sharp nor Brown could have predicted the twist of fate that would lead them to unwittingly mentor students who would compete on the world stage before the next Olympics.

“She laughed [with us] At the X Games. We talked about it a little bit,” Brown’s mother Anne told Wide World of Sport and other media ahead of Milan-Cortina 2026.

“She was really sweet about it.

“She was like, ‘I just pretty much encouraged my competitors to come out.’ she was amazing ”

Brown is currently competing with and even surpassing her idols like Eileen Gu, and her rise to the top of the sport can only be described as meteoric.

“It’s so cool to see these guys that I’ve watched over the years and admired their skiing,” Brown said.

“Now to be able to stand on the podium with them and skate around them is such an amazing experience. I never expected to have this experience so soon, so I’m really grateful to be able to learn as much as I can.”

Just a year ago, Brown never thought she would compete in the Olympics.

She was conspicuously absent from last year’s test event in Livigno, as she had not yet made her debut on the World Cup circuit.

Although she had a goal in mind of competing in the Olympics, she was careful not to get her hopes too high because anything is possible when it comes to freestyle skiing.

Brown’s interest in skiing began with annual family ski trips to Mt Hotham. But her passion really took root while living in Canada for several years.

There, life revolves around skiing seven months of the year unless you’re playing ice hockey, and the Browns naturally chose the slopes in Calgary.

One of four children, Brown and his younger brother James eventually turned to freestyle, motivating each other through a sibling rivalry that was both competitive and supportive.

James also competes in freeski halfpipe and is a talent to watch.

“I feel like he loves to push me,” Brown says of the brotherly dynamic.

“If he’s doing tricks, I want to be able to do them too, and we have a great time battling each other.

“It’s a great environment for us to grow.”

Over the past 12 months, Brown and her coach Jamie Melton have developed a series of tricks to help her nail her perfect run.

Their goal was to build a competitive repertoire for the World Cup circuit and eventually the Olympics.

Driven by that vision, Brown has embraced the journey and is focused on achieving the technical milestones he has set for himself rather than the pressure of a specific score or ranking.

After enjoying success on the World Cup circuit this season, Brown has no plans in mind, but is determined to pull off the special and difficult trick he’s been aiming for for years.

“I’m working on a few things to show you guys on the big stage, so stay tuned,” she teases.

Since making his World Cup debut in December, Brown has gained worldwide attention after finishing on the podium in each of his first three World Cup appearances.

“I just try not to add any pressure or anything,” she says of dealing with the newfound spotlight.

“I’m just here to continue running and skiing and that’s what I’m focused on. So I try not to get distracted.

“It’s hard sometimes, but I remember what I’m doing.”

When asked how she was able to adapt so smoothly to the elite level of the World Cup circuit, Brown praised her process-driven mindset.

“I love competing and the feeling of landing and the adrenaline rush you get from it,” she says.

“So, going into the World Cup, my only goal is to run and land a run that I’m really proud of, and I’m focusing only on the run I want to run, not the results or the numbers I got.

”[Treating it] I think that really helped because like any contest, nothing changes. ”

That’s the approach Brown will take in his Olympic debut, entering the freeski halfpipe as one of the favorites for gold.

There is an idea that [standing on the podium]But I don’t want to go there with the position I want or the medal I want,” she says.

“I just want to go out there and do my best and be really proud of what I did.

“This is my first Olympics and I’m only 16, so if I can go there and be proud of myself and be really happy with what I’ve done, I think that’s a medal in itself.”

Qualifying for the women’s freeski halfpipe begins on Friday at 5:30am (AEDT).