Richmond (BC), Canada – Canadian Alpine snowboarder Alexa Loo has announced her retirement.nLoo, 37, spent the last 11 years training and racing on the Canadian Snowboard Team program. The two-time Olympian and seven-time Canadian Champion in Parallel Giant Slalom from Richmond, British Columbia, stepped three times onto the FIS World Cup podium throughout her career, all in Alpine Snowboarding disciplines.

“Alexa has been a trailblazer for women in snowboarding, leading the path and motivating younger alpine snowboarder to strap up and snowboard. Alexa leaves a strong legacy to women’s snowboarding, and we genuinely wish her the best of success in her professional career,” said Robert Joncas, Director of High Performance at Canada~Snowboard. “We hope that she will, in some way, continue to share her passion for snowboarding in the community.”

At the Olympic Winter Games held last February in Vancouver, Loo placed 12th, the top Canadian in the women’s field. Loo qualified for the quarter-final, and conceded the victory in her first dual by the smallest possible margin, 0.01 seconds. Loo then became the first Canadian woman in alpine snowboarding to qualify for the elimination round at an Olympic Winter Games, thereby posting Canada’s best ever result in that discipline.

Loo attended five FIS Snowboard World Championships and has 14 starts to her credit. Competing at her last World Championships in Gangwon, South Korea, Loo placed 8th in the Parallel Slalom and 12th in the Parallel Giant Slalom – her career best results at World Championships.

In 2009, Loo finished first in the Nor-Am Cup rankings as she won all three of the races she competed in.

Last May, Loo married Ari Goosen. She will now put to use her Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst designations in the work force.