Murray keeping busy after retirement

Former ski cross racer takes on new sponsor, approaches year anniversary as entrepreneur

new sponsor Julia Murray (pictured) and Davey Barr have signed on with Prior for the coming season.

Julia Murray is keeping it local for the upcoming ski season.

The 25-year-old, who retired from competitive ski cross in 2012 after competing in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, has teamed up with Prior for the upcoming winter season.

And she's not the only one — fellow national ski cross athlete Davey Barr is also making the switch to Prior.

Murray said she had known Prior founder and designer Chris Prior from around town, but decided to partner up fairly recently.

"It all started when Chris and Davey and I were having a barbecue on a barge this summer," chuckleddirector on the FIS Ski Cross World Cup tour. Barr raced on the circuit for a dozen years, winning a bronze medal at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in 2009.

Prior sales and marketing co-ordinator Matt Dussault explained the company is taking a different tack in its approach, in that it's moving away from a slate loaded with athletes to a roster of "brand ambassadors," a range of influential people in the industry.

"With us changing up our athlete program, there was room for Davey and Julia, and (Prior) wanted to get them on board right away," he said. "They're looking to ski for fun and chase snow. With us being a local manufacturer and them both being raised in Whistler, it just makes sense to get them on