Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the Vail Valley?
I actually make the commute down from the highest city in the country, beautiful Leadville Colorado. I’ve been based in Leadville for 7 years!
What is your favorite thing to do outside?
It changes all the time!
When the white stuff flies, nothing can top a quiet tour on a chilly morning to do my dance through the white stuff. When the skis don’t slide, my bicycles have been my favorite tools to access the places that bring me peace. I’ve always said, for me it’s about the place, more than the sport. The skis or bikes are just the tools I use to access my favorite places. The flowstate of sliding or pedaling is the meditation, and the mountains are the teacher.
How long have you been skiing?
Growing up in Virginia, I had the chance to pizza my way down the slopes of a ski area in the Appalachian Mountains, called Massanutten, a few times as a child. But I really learned to ski when I moved to Colorado as a teenager, and immediately fell in love with the possibilities I dreamed of on skis. My first season, I found an old pair of full metal Volkls with Dynafit volcanoes at a local consignment store, and toured nearly 100 days that winter!
What is your favorite place to ski?
I hope to never fully answer that question because the journey is the destination. Some of the most special places my skis have taken me are the heights on Denali; AK, Pico de Orizaba; MEX, Mt Hood; OR, Mt Rainier; WA, and numerous high peaks of the San Juans and the Central Mountains of Colorado. When I ride the chairlift, my favorites are Silverton, Telluride, Jackson Hole, and Taos.
Do you have a favorite pair of skis?
I cant choose a favorite, all my skis serve me so well. Most of the season in Colorado I enjoy skiing around 100mm underfoot, with a long radius. For me that’s been my trusty Kestle Tx 98s in a 188 length. Some days I prefer a bit more of a waist and curves, a pair of 4frnt Hoji’s has had the right balance of float and edge for me. For the big days when every gram counts, I’ve been happy with a pair of short, 85 mil Black Crows. N + 1 is the equation for a ski guide’s quiver.
Do you have any goals for the upcoming winter?
Goals serve as a great motivator for me. This winter I’ve got a healthy list of ski descents in Colorado; some infamous, and some, more underspoken and seldom skied. I have some descent goals for trips planned this season in British Columbia, and back up to the Alaska Range this spring.
Outside of personal skiing, I’m really excited to facilitate safe adventures on skis with my awesome clients, and educate students in the skills necessary to improve their safety margins to access the mountains they are passionate about.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Leftover homemade pizza with a fried egg on top! With Sriracha of course.
Is there anything else the people of the internet should know about you?
I hope the people of the internet know that the mountains welcome all people. There’s plenty of space for your grief, and your joy there. It’s a privilege to have the ability and education in order to go there, and our responsibility of that privilege is to share that opportunity the mountains provide.