Austin’s Mary Nelson still isn’t slowing down.

Nelson was back at the NASTAR National Skiing Championship recently and she proved she still has what it takes to ski with the best of them. Nelson placed third in the 60-65-year olds platinum division and she finished second in the slalom March 24-March 30 in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo.

Nelson had never skied in Aspen before and she called it the trip of a lifetime. But the course came with it its difficulties.

“When you stood up at the starting spot, you couldn’t even see the finish line,” Nelson said. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s still scary when you get up on the gate.”

Nelson qualified for the NASTAR race at Winter Park, Colo. On her trip to Aspen, she also stopped by Winter Park again as Nelson took in 10 straight days of skiing since she is now retired.

“I would’ve liked to stay longer, but reality set in,” Nelson said. “It’s fun to see everybody race from all around the country and some people are very competitive.”

One of the best parts of NASTAR is the great skiers who serve as the pacesetters. This time, Nelson got to work with AJ Kitt, Ted Ligety, Stacey Cook, Kaylin Richardson, Heidi Voelker, Steven Nyman and Nolan Kasper.

Nelson plans on skiing as long as she can and she thinks it’s a great family sport. She originally learned to ski from her father.

“It’s good to get kids involved in things like skiing,” she said. “But make sure you wear a helmet.”