Watch: Skier Lucas Braathen Dodges an Unexpected Obstacle Like a True Olympian

Ski racing, by design, requires lightning quick reflexes. Incoming gates, minute changes in the snow surface, gusts of wind: when you’re competing in a mountain environment, you have to stay on your toes. 

What usually isn’t part of the ever-changing ski racing equation, however, is other skiers. Likely by accident, that status quo changed while Brazilian-Norwegian racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was speeding down the course in what appeared to be a training session.

As he rounded a gate, a skier slid into his way and blocked his path. Braathen only had a few moments to react. Tap or click the embedded video below to watch.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Slalom Tokyo Drift (@slalomtokyodrift)

That, right there, is what separates Olympians like Braathen from the rest of us. Rather than panicking, he quickly adjusted his edges and dodged gracefully around the interloper. If I were the one racing down the course that day, I would’ve earned myself a ticket to the ER—the errant skier probably would have ended up in an ambulance, too.

Braathen is gearing up for his second Olympic appearance in 2026. The racer appeared at the last Winter Games in Beijing, but didn’t end up finishing in either of the events he competed in, slalom and giant slalom.

His races during the 2024-25 World Cup circuit were more fruitful. Braathen finished the circuit with ten top-five finishes, including a fourth-place during the finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. The season also included a unique accolade—at Beaver Creek, Colorado, Braathen became the first Brazilian skier to stand on the World Cup podium. 

Previously, Braathen competed for Norway, where was born to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father. In 2024, Braathen announced that he would instead represent Brazil. While he was born in Oslo, he spent some of his formative years in South America. 

“My love for sports was found in the streets of São Paulo, playing football with my friends and cousins. It feels meant to be,” he said in his announcement, according to Red Bull.

When the World Cup season kicks off, Braathen will have another opportunity to impress his Brazilian fans. Hopefully he won’t have to dodge any more skiers in the meantime.

Related: Introducing The 2026 Photo Annual—Chris Benchetler Featured on Cover of POWDER’s New Print Magazine