Charlie Mickel, 21-year-old Olympian mogul skier with roots in Durango, met fans young and old at Purgatory Sports Downtown on Saturday to take selfies, share stories and sign autographs.
Mickel had an impressive winter season, claiming the U.S. national title in men’s moguls at the Toyota U.S. Freestyle Championships at Palisades Tahoe on March 29, taking fifth place at the FIS Freestyle Moguls World Cup in Nanto, Toyama, Japan, on Feb. 28, and representing Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Purgatory Resort, a sponsor of Mickel.
Although Mickel moved out of Durango to Park City, Utah, at 16 years old so he could train, he spent his earlier days training on the slope at Chapman Hill Ski Area and Purgatory Resort.
He said becoming an Olympian level athlete has required a lot of sacrifice and dedication, but he is keen on visiting his hometown of Durango more frequently.
“I try to visit as much as I can, but with my training schedule it is a little rare, and more rare than I’d like,” he said.
He is trying to incorporate summer trips to Durango into his summer training schedule. The end of May and early June is a timeframe that is non-negotiable, he said.
“I want to enjoy the white water. I want to see my friends when they’re coming back from college,” he said. “ … I absolutely love coming to Durango and being in the house I grew up in, in the town I grew up in.”
Mickel’s fans were excited for him to visit Durango this weekend, too. They formed a line in Purgatory Resort Downtown on Saturday, eager for the opportunity to talk to the athlete and get an autograph.
Durango resident Kristi Sage brought her 10-year-old triplets to the ski shop to meet Mickel.
She said her son, also named Charlie, has won first place in U-10 ski races and is an exceptional judge of other contestants, often giving them scores extremely close to what the professional judges land on.
Charlie made sure to wake up at 2:15 a.m. to watch Mickel compete in the Olympics last season, she said.
“It was really neat for them to meet a role model and see that they could do bigger things,” Kristi said after her children finished talking to Mickel.
Mickel said he was skiing in competitive events when he was as young as 5 years old. As he got older and developed his skills, he kept reaching higher levels of competition.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Olympian biography for Mickel says he had a breakout season in 2024-25, beating almost all of his personal bests and earned his first podium at World Cup finals in Livigno.
He is a two-time National Champion and the 2023-24 NorAm Cup Overall Champion, U.S. Ski & Snowboard says.
All of that aside, he said the advice he was given for preparing for the Olympics is “the best way to prepare for the Olympics is to have gone.”
He said he has struggled with the pressure of competition before, but what keeps him grounded is remembering why he competes at all – because he loves skiing, moguls specifically.
“I just want to have fun and enjoy myself. And I’ve found there's a lot of times where I have to reiterate that with coaches, because coaches will see the potential in a young athlete and they want to develop you, they want to see you succeed and become a star in the sport. But ultimately, it has to be fulfilling to yourself,” he said.
Mickel said he knew at least as early as middle school he wanted to be an Olympian-level athlete. He made it to that level – but he is still determined to take home a gold medal someday.
He provided several pieces of advice for aspiring athletes:
- Sleep, nutrition, mobility, training and intention all add together for one’s overall performance.
- Every day is an opportunity to improve – and an opportunity to digress.
- Disciplined, daily training will net in exponential results.
- Whoever wants the win the most – and puts in the appropriate work – will beat the competition.
Mickel said he wouldn’t have achieved the success he’s had so far without the support of his parents, who saw him through trials and errors such as finding the right ski clubs, and who provided him emotional support along the way.
He said he wants to pay that support forward and invited aspiring athletes to reach out to him for advice at the email in his Instagram bio. He added he is interested in supporting area ski programs and he thinks he has helpful advice to share.
cburney@durangoherald.com
