Career
She specialized in the speed events and raced for nine seasons on the World Cup circuit. Mendes competed in two Winter Olympics and four World Championships. She was the bronze medalist in the Super G at the 2003 World Championships in Saint Moritz, Switzerland.
Born in Santa Cruz on the California coast, Mendes began skiing at age four when her family moved to the Lake Tahoe area in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
She made her World Cup debut in March 1997 and retired from international competition in May 2006. The first came at The Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana, but was followed by a broken foot the next day, incurred in a crash near the end of her second run in the slalom.
In 2011, Mendes became the recruiting coordinator for the new Sun Valley Ski Academy in Sun Valley, Idaho. She attended college in New York City and had been working with the United States. Ski Team"s national alpine development system for the previous four years.
Top ten finishes
5 Downhill, 5 Super G
Season standings.
