March 23, 2022 was a fairly ominous and overcast day in Big Sky, Montana, as Park City local Mikayla Willis took to the start gate for her final run at the Freeride Skiing World Qualifiers. After taking first place in the competition the day before, what began as a run that could secure her a spot on the World Tour ended with a near-death experience that left Willis in a coma.

Where She Began

Born and raised in Park City, Utah, Mikayla Willis began skiing at the age of four. She was motivated to be the one of the best skiers after witnessing Mikaela Matthews ski in the World Cup to Rihanna. From that moment on, she said that skiing wasn’t a choice anymore — it was her life, there was no living without it and she was going to take skiing to the highest level. 

“I was like, I want to do that, that is the coolest thing, and I think when somebody else has your name… anything’s possible,” said Willis. 

Willis describes Park City, Utah as “the prime” for ski opportunities. Her passion turned profession when she began competing in freeride skiing at the age of 12 and joined both Team United and the Alta Ski Team. She went on to win competitions, market with local ski brands and graduate from the Winter Sports School in 2021. However, she says her approach to skiing became negative after striving for results, rather than for the love of the sport. Willis also noted the pressure to succeed in activities like skiing and snowmobiling that are mainly male-dominated sports.

“No matter the number of women that are growing in a sport, [we are] still kind of ostracized,” said Willis. 

The Path to Injury

When the 2022 competition season approached, Willis was 18 and had the option of competing in junior or adult events, but the choice was clear since competing in adult events could lead her to a national championship. However, she says her first year without a coach and a fast-paced, result-driven mindset led her from one injury to another.

Right before the six-week window of major competitions, she fell off her skateboard and got a hard cast put on her wrist. Her first competitions in Crested Butte, Colorado and Taos, New Mexico didn’t go as well as she had hoped. However, she states that by her third competition in Grand Targhee, Wyoming, she was used to skiing with a hard-cast and did extremely well in the first day of competition. She says the hard-cast made her slow down — something she had always struggled with since she wanted to give every opportunity her all-or-nothing approach to put on a show for the people watching. 

On an off day between competing in Grand Targhee, Willis went for a casual ski with friends and unfortunately caught an edge while riding switch (backwards) off a cliff. She hit her back and even though she was in a lot of pain, she caught her breathe, skied down and competed again the next day. From there, Willis headed to the Freeride World Qualifiers in Big Sky, Montana — not yet aware she had punctured her lung, broken her spine and fractured her hip. 

Hungry and ambitious, Willis drove up to Big Sky, Montana, knowing this three-star free ride event could possibly secure her a spot on the Freeride World Tour. She won first place on the first day of competing but said her primary focus for that second day was about what people would think if she won. So much so that the pair of skis she chose were not those best for the snow conditions, but rather the ones she thought would be best to hold on the podium. Willis said this mindset of disingenuous priorities was what got her into trouble since she focused more on what she wanted to look like rather than what she wanted to feel. 

As she approached the start gate on March 23, Willis said she chose a line with a mandatory gully that had rocks lining each side and two unavoidable cliffs. She recalled her intuition telling her to not ski the line, but she had no plan B and her only goal was to win. Willis went off the first cliff successfully, and then she stood on top of the second, feeling confident, with two options: one safe, and the other impressive.

“Instead of hitting the side that I knew damn well that I should hit, I hit the side that was going to look bigger to everyone else,” said Willis.

Upon turning out she fell backwards, and she said she knew in that moment it wasn’t going to end well. She fell head first into a rock and upon first impact dislocated her shoulder and lost her helmet. The rock then punctured her skull, split her nose in half and left her seizing as she fell down the mountain. Two days later she awoke from a coma in Billings, Montana after being life-flighted twice — with titanium mesh and 30 screws replacing what once was part of her skull. Willis says CT scans in the hospital also revealed her injuries from the week prior of a broken spine, fractured hip and punctured lung.

Being Present in Her Comeback

In a situation where many would wake up scared or angry, Mikayla said she awoke from her coma euphoric, happy to be alive and ready to ski again. She recalled the feeling of waking up as zooming back into her body from a place without shame and secrets that made real life seem simple. Willis said this experience gave her a deeper understanding of how she could meaningfully use her time and thoughts towards something as simple as spreading love.

“With head injuries and just everything, it’s just if you can wake up and smile at somebody and see somebody else smile back at you,” said Willis. 

She described the way in which her community rallied behind her as a “jolt” when Park City residents raised over $100,000 towards her medical bills. However, she said she felt like she owed her community, and she felt as though she needed to repay everyone as she kept trying to meet the expectations of others.

“Especially in the time that I needed myself more than ever, I was so focused on what I needed to do for everyone else,” said Willis. 

After her head injury, Willis said she felt like she hit rock bottom when she couldn’t do the things she loved. Every task seemed more difficult after her injury — even those as simple as doing laundry. and especially when she found herself with vertigo and instances of social anxiety. Willis even said that eating her favorite foods was like trying them again for the first time. She began her comeback by taking each day one step at a time, and realized the only way forward was to shift her perspective from the big picture panic of life to what she needed to do now for herself.

Willis returned to competing in 2025 with a low-stakes competition at Snowbird resort. Even with her newfound sense of presence on the mountain, she attended alone as she didn’t want to make her family worry about her getting hurt. She says that even though she was in tears from the top of the run all the way to the bottom — she won. She said that for the first time she was able to make conscious choices while skiing rather than her traditional all-or-nothing approach. She plans to compete again for the 2026 season in Canada and the United States. The Freeride World Tour is still on her radar, but she is also prioritizing filming and exploring the backcountry on a snowmobile with her dad.

She said her newfound ambition isn’t the validation of others, but her own curiosity — searching for the questions of life rather than the answers. She described her new approach to skiing as beautiful and almost overstimulating when she truly takes in being present on the mountain and focuses on what she needs to do for herself. “When you stop listening, that’s when you get hurt,” she said. After overcoming a life-changing injury, Mikayla Willis chases presence and podiums by taking life one step at a time.