Scottish freestyle skier Kirsty Muir has reflected on a breakthrough season that saw her achieve historic milestones in her sport, expressing surprise at her own accomplishments while maintaining focus on future goals. The 21-year-old from Aberdeen spoke to BBC Scotland in April 2026 about her recent successes, which included becoming the first British woman to win World Cup titles in both freeski slopestyle and the overall park and pipe discipline.
Muir’s 2025-2026 season culminated in Switzerland at the complete of March, where she secured the dual World Cup victories that marked a personal and historic achievement for British skiing. “It has definitely been a goal of mine for a while and I suppose the end of such a fun and good season just to come to that was really special,” she said. Her accomplishments built on earlier success in the year, including topping the podium at the 2026 Winter X Games in Aspen, where she won the slopestyle competition.
Despite these achievements, Muir narrowly missed Olympic medals at the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina, finishing fourth in both the women’s freeski slopestyle and large air events. In slopestyle, she scored 76.05 points, missing the bronze medal by just 0.41 points. Her Olympic performance came after overcoming a significant setback, having been sidelined for much of the 2023-2024 season due to knee and shoulder surgeries that kept her from competition following the end of 2023.
The Aberdeen-born athlete described the injury layoff as a turning point in her approach to the sport. “I feel like I have had a bit of a mindset change,” Muir admitted. “I don’t understand how to explain it, but I think I have surprised myself. But also I have been working hard for it and I think everything just came together.” This shift in perspective coincided with her return to peak form and subsequent series of victories on the World Cup circuit.
Looking ahead, Muir remains ambitious about her potential for further growth, and success. “The worrying news for her rivals is that Muir believes her best is yet to come,” reported BBC Sport. “Definitely, I think so, I have had a really cool season,” she added when asked about her future prospects. Her continued development positions her as one of Britain’s most promising freestyle ski athletes heading into the next competitive season.
Muir’s journey in freestyle skiing began at a young age, with her first steps on the snow at Aberdeen Snowsports Centre when she was just three years old. She initially pursued alpine skiing before transitioning to freestyle disciplines, eventually specializing in both big air and slopestyle events. Her early promise was evident in junior competitions, where she claimed multiple British titles and represented Great Britain at international junior events before making her senior debut.
Throughout her career, Muir has accumulated notable achievements across various platforms. She earned silver in the big air event at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne and followed that with medal performances at the 2019 FIS Junior World Freestyle Skiing Championships. Her senior international breakthrough included a sixth-place finish in women’s slopestyle at the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Aspen, Colorado.
The skier’s Olympic debut came at Beijing 2022, where, at age 17, she became the youngest member of Team GB’s delegation. There, she finished eighth in women’s slopestyle and fifth in women’s big air. She later became the first Scottish skier to medal at the Winter X Games, claiming double bronze in both slopestyle and big air at the 2023 event in Aspen.
Muir’s World Cup success began in earnest during the 2025-2026 season, with her first victory coming in March 2025 at Tignes, France, in a slopestyle event. She followed this with her first World Cup win in big air in November 2025 at Secret Garden, China, where she scored 174.50 points with technically demanding runs including a left double-14 and a right double-10 mute. These victories laid the foundation for her historic season-long achievements in the overall standings.
As Muir looks to build on her recent accomplishments, her focus remains on continued improvement and pushing the boundaries of what she can achieve in freestyle skiing. Her recent comments reflect both satisfaction with her historic season and determination to pursue even greater success in the years ahead.
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