Brains
L.J. Strenio. You may know him from his 2017 X Games Real Ski segment that won him a Bronze medal and fan favorite, his appearances in Line Ski’s Traveling Circus, or from one of his awe-inspiring season edits. However, Strenio just recently put another impressive title to his name… Astronaut (well, sort of).
Just about 10 years ago L.J. attended Utah University earning a bachelor’s degree in English. After spending the last decade as a professional skier Strenio decided he wanted to further his education and began attending classes at Portland State University in Oregon working towards another degree in Computer Science.
Beginning this August, Strenio will be taking his talents down to the Mojave Desert to work at the Armstrong Flight Research Center writing code. While he won’t be landing on Mars anytime soon, Strenio will be working on some seriously cool projects, working with Fiber Optic Sensing System technology (used in planes and spaceships to give readings on altitude, pressure, g-force, etc.) on an undisclosed project.
Now, for those of you who worry you may be losing your favorite street skier, have no fear! Strenio plans to continue with his ski career during the winter months. He is setting a prime example for young groms. His passion for education is clear and he is finding a way to weave it all in with his love for skiing, and he’s doing it quite successfully too.
Strenio’s plans for this next season include trying to put out a “well rounded” segment, full of both backcountry and urban skiing shots. Given all the work he has done on and off the snow up until this point, I think it will be one to watch.
