 
As a little girl I dreamed of being like Dorothy Hammel, the little skirt, the bowl haircut -twirling around on pearly white figure skates. After years of training, ballet lessons, 5 am starts, I developed heaps of strength, but little of the necessary grace.
I was a teenager before discovering that skiing was really where it was at for me. Life has never been the same since.
Having been raised in a ski town, I always thought that once I left home, I would never return to the mountains. Well, I guess many perceptions change as you get older. One thing is for sure , my passion for skiing and the mountains has only increased with the years. Sure, I took time off the slopes to pursue a degree, travel and try life in the outside world, but not for long. I am now entering my seventh year in Crested Butte, and today, more than ever, I find myself devoted to a life of skiing!
Tele turns, La Grave style |
Personal challenges, the desire to push myself further than I have been before has always been a big part of my life.. Looking back, it now seems like my progression into competition was a natural step. These events gave skiing an entirely new edge for me and forced me to challenge myself even more. The speed and strength that I had once taken for granted, was now my primary asset and still I found myself honing it to new levels. Often, I was the only telemarker in a field of Alpine Skiers. No, I was really never trying to prove a big point, telemarking has just always been what I love to do and do best.. One thing is for sure, in these competitions, my preference for the free-heelsure has made it even more interesting. Still , the pressure of being judged , performing under fire, has been my most fantastic challenge. and love it ( I have always been my own hardest judge). All the hard work and focus has paid off - I was a U.S. Extreme Competitions Finalist for all of the four years that I competed.
Now my ski days are different. The newest biggest challenges have now taken on the shape of big, exotic, foreign mountains. The adventure of the approach, the assault and the descent have given new meaning to my definition of skiing. Now, climbing up a mountain is (almost) as important as skiing down. Where this new passion for the extreme will take me, I dont know, but one thing is for sure. The more I travel, the greater my desire to see more; I never want to stop exploring! The world is full of still higher and harder peaks. They are a constant to challenge to the way I think and breath and they are beckoning..
STATS: HEIGHT:55, WEIGHT: 125 lbs AGE: 27 yrs BIRTHPLACE: Burlington, VT
HOME: Crested Butte, CO
MARITAL STATUS: I am mated for life - Adam
Tele-Mama |
HOBBIES: all the mountain life basics - skiing, more skiing, biking. If I did not love to Ski I would live at the beach. I love ocean water, arm nights, Frisbee on the beach, reading books - quality reading - airport novels.`
SPORTS: Yes
SPONSORS: The North Face, Smith, Turtlefur, Life-Link, Rossignol, Black Diamond, Swiss Army, my own hard work.
HOME MOUNTAIN: Crested Butte
BEST SKI RUN IN THE WORLD: Almost anything in Alaska that has that 9 pm. alpenglow, slopes of orange-pink powder that truly glows.
WHERE IS THE MOST EXOTIC PLACE YOU HAVE EVER SKIED: I suppose the volcanoes in Ecuador, but every country and mountain range has some exotic quality to it - even my back yard
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM SKI ADVENTURE: There are so many places to go, but more often than not the rad mountains in exotic locals do not offer the greatest snow. I am on one of my dream mountains and its DEEP with out danger of avalanche, the sunset is gorgeous, the moon is rising, and I dont feel the cold.
HISTORICAL INFLUENCES/IDOLS: Growing up - Pipi Longstocking was my heroine. This little girl with no parents, a pet monkey, who traveled the world independently (Who needs Barbie for an idol?)
DESCRIBE THE MOST HORRENDOUS SKI EXPERIENCE YOU'VE EVER HAD: Despite how dreamy Los Lenas, Argentina can be.... I have never skied steep, slabby, phone book breakable crust like that anywhere in the world...
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A PERFECT SKI DAY: I feel so spoiled in saying this , but I feel life is a string of perfect ski days. Wake up early, climb a beautiful mountain, ski powder - 10,000 feet of it! Have some controlled fear and then ski home at dusk, exhausted, curl up with a bowl of hot, homemade soup and a cute boy.
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