Jeanee (pronounced JEAN-ee) Crane-Mauzy is many things. World class half-pipe skier. Leader of a nonprofit that works on brain injury policy change and caregiver training. Activist on behalf of the South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, which is facing the existential threat of climate change-fueled sea level rise, weather pattern changes and stronger-than-normal storms. And now, EcoAthletes’ newest and multi-talented Champion.

“Jeanee is a passionate, creative, solutions-oriented advocate for social justice and climate justice causes,” enthused EcoAthletes founder and CEO Lew Blaustein. “That combination makes her the perfect addition to our #ClimateComeback squad.”

Born into a skiing family — her grandmother Abigail Macomber won the 1948 World Cup downhill and later launched the Ski Windham ski area in upstate New York — it is not hyperbole to say that Crane-Mauzy could ski before she could walk.

“Skiing is second nature to me and my four siblings; I’ve been doing it since I was a year-old,” she shared. “I started racing when I was five in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire where we lived. At nine, I was racing; at 13, I was tricked into trying moguls and found that I liked it. A year later I switched full-time to freestyle skiing — which includes moguls, slopestyle, half pipe, and aerials. Ultimately, I focused on half-pipe because I enjoyed spinning more than flipping. I loved the creativity of it and the collegiality vibe among the competitors.”

Crane-Mauzy advanced quickly in half-pipe, being invited to the 2012 World Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria when she was 15. It was then that she realized she could and wanted to go pro. She then convinced her mom that moving to Park City, Utah to have better coaching and more consistent access to training would be a good idea.

“I was the driving force behind the move,” acknowledged Crane-Mauzy. “Then, I started working my way up from regional to national to the North American tour, which is second tier behind the Grand Prix circuit. Getting strong results in North America would qualify me for the World Tour Finals, which I was able to accomplish in 2015 at Whistler, British Columbia.”

Her career was clearly on the ascendancy and then life changed dramatically for Crane-Mauzy when older sister Jamie, a highly ranked slopestyle skier, suffered a horrific crash at the same Whistler event.

“At first we thought Jamie was going to die,” Crane-Mauzy recalled. “She was in a coma. The doctors used a new technology that monitored the oxygen in her brain tissue, adjusting it through ventilators and medication. Jamie was the first person ever to be treated with it in North America. Needing to relearn everything, she ended up being in the hospital for three months and then I helped to care for her. Thankfully, she did not suffer any long-term brain damage.”

Crane-Mauzy returned to the half-pipe, earning a 2016 North American tour win, thus garnering an invitation to the 2016-2017 World Cup season. Despite that, that same year, the US Ski Team dropped her from their development program, saying that she was too old at 19.

Angry and disappointed but certainly not defeated, Crane-Mauzy pivoted, skiing with the Park City team over the next several years. Injuries to both ACLs slowed her down but she was still able to qualify for every World Cup since 2014. COVID slowed her down as she got very sick early in the pandemic, but she pivoted again, coaching young girls in Park City, and then moving to Paris with a sibling, continuing her training in Switzerland and Austria.

It was during her time in Paris that Crane-Mauzy became a climate activist after a lifetime of interest in caring for the environment.

“My family was always concerned about it,” she said. “We stopped using paper towels 15 years ago; our toilet paper was made from bamboo. As I’ve traveled all over the world as a skier over the last 10 years, I’ve seen glaciers receding in real time. Ironically, during the first year or so of the pandemic, the earth healed because no one traveled. What I don’t understand is why the values of caring for the environment and climate action are not universal.”

While at an ‘eco-conscious fashion’ event in Paris, Crane-Mauzy learned about the tiny South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, which is in existential danger due to rising sea levels caused by climate change.

“I heard about an initiative that Vanuatu is leading at the United Nations,” Crane-Mauzy related. “They are pushing the International Court of Justice to issue a non-binding opinion to gain clarity on how existing international laws can be applied to strengthen action on climate change, protect people and the environment and save the 2015 Paris Agreement. It will be voted on in a few months in the UN General Assembly. New Zealand, Germany and more than 80 other nations have already voiced their support. The more I learned about this issue, the more it really spoke to me, and I wanted to become involved in some way.”

She spoke with Vanuatu officials about potentially getting dual citizenship so she could compete for the country at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

“They think I can become an ambassador for the issue in the USA and Europe,” Crane-Mauzy noted. “It would not only be for Vanuatu; I would publicize the climate issue for small islands around the world. We can garner tremendous attention!”

Last August, Crane-Mauzy went to Vanuatu, meeting with the country’s Head of Foreign Affairs and the Climate Committee to put the dual citizenship plan into motion. Then in September, she visited New York City during both the UN General Assembly session — attending a speech by Vanuatu’s president Nikenike Vurobaravu — and Climate Week NYC, during which she helped to advance the issue of climate action on behalf of Pacific Islanders.

She believes that becoming an EcoAthletes Champion will help her become a more effective ambassador for Vanuatu.

“I am excited to be part of the Champions network because, by connecting with other climate-minded athletes, I’ll get to learn how to be a better, more effective climate advocate for Vanuatu and more,” Crane-Mauzy offered. “I want to make a difference wherever I can — my family produced a documentary film that will premiere in February about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and my sister’s accident; I’m a foster parent and advocate for rights for foster kids — and now I need to do so on climate. Being an EcoAthletes Champion will enhance my ability to do so.”

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