Groenewoud won the gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships. When Groenewoud won gold during the 2012 Winter X Games in Aspen and in Tignes, she dedicated her wins to teammate Sarah Burke who died in January 2012 in a training run. During 2013, Groenewoud was considered among the top female skiers in her sport and as such was a favourite to win gold in the new Olympic sport of halfpipe at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. During the 2012–13 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup she finished second at the stop in Sochi that was considered the last test event at the location before the Olympics.