She Jumps Showing of Catch Me if You Can

Last night cars full of excited girls and guys were making the push up the Little Cottonwood road to see the first all women’s ski film, “Catch Me if You Can“.

Claire Smallwood Doing the honors

The film was put on by SheJumps, who’s vission is “to create a community of ambitious and compassionate women that are willing to take a “jump” to reach their potential and help others reach their own.”

Whitney, Me, Vinny, Jamie standing room only

VP doing the Pogo cross up

The night kicked off with several slide shows including that of Re Wikstoms. The images were strong, showing women throwing back flips, hitting huge cliffs, skiing big lines, and women just being women.

Lindsay Van and Vanessa Pierce Representing at the Peruvian

As the last raffle tickets were shouted out By Claire Smallwood, the lights dimmed and the film started to roll. Imediately you could tell that this was going to be a ground breaking film. The music choice, the editing style, it all apealed to that kick ass female ethos. It was the first time I actually felt like women were being represented accurately in a film.

Vanessas all around!!!!

The film was short, but it hit hard, filled with phenomenal skiing and representing what being a woman in the ski industry is really about, pushing hard, succeeding at times, wrecking at others, getting back on your feet, and inspiring others.

After the film and a little Pogo demonstration by Vanessa Pierce we all headed over to the Peruvian to keep the party going. It was truly an incredible night for all, but especially for women in the ski industry.

As I looked around the room I noticed that the Peruvian was filled with some of the most talented women in the industry and instead of doing the stereotypical female competitive thing, they were all talking with one another, sharing ideas, getting excited for each other, and generally wanting to help build this community of women who are trying to push the envelope and change the way women are seen in sports.

Cheers!!

There was something really profound that went down last night, I felt as though we really were starting to take the reigns of a revolution, a time when women are going to start pushing, inspiring, and supporting each other and I am so stoked to be a part of it! Thank you to SheJumps for leading this much needed revolution!!!

First photo in Powder Mag.!!!

Last season I got a call one night around ten. It was Steve Lloyd wanting to know if I was up for doing a 4am night shoot. Without hesitation I said I’d be there. I was on a mission and stoked at any oppertunity to shoot with a photographer that gets as much published as Steve.

So I went right to bed and before I knew it I was turning the alarm clock off and getting all my gear together. The plan was to meet at the top of Little Cottonwood at 4am. That would give us enough time to get to the top of the ridge and set up the shot before it got too light.

It was a beautiful night, with snow falling ever so lightly and still winds. I remember the skin up being so calm and beautiful and the whole time just being in awe that my life choices had lead me to such an incredible place and that I was hiking up a mountain at 4am to go ski and shoot with athletes and a photographer I had looked up to for years.

I guess it is when you feel the most ballanced and your spirit is in such a possitive place, that magic truely happens.

We set up the shot with remote flashes, but with the cold temps and the dead tree in the way the flashers weren’t working right, making only about 1/4 of the shots actually happen.

It just so happened that on my turn the flashers went as planned and my body was in the right position. The minuit Lloyd took the shot he said it was a winner! I knew that if Steve was saying it was it good it must have been.

Since that evening there have been different percentages that Steve has given me for the probability that the shot would make it into Powder, but I never counted on it being a sure thing…. Well, until I got the Powder Photo Annual on Monday and saw it for myself.

Photo: Steve Lloyd

Photo in Mountain Sports and Living Magazine

I got a call in September from Chad Spector saying that he needed to do a ski photo shoot up in Ogden. Aside from being totally confused, because there was maybe a dusting of snow on the ground, I was kinda excited to get the ball roling on the season.

So we went up to Ogden dressed in our ski garb and with skis in had posed with the bronze sculptures at the base of Snowbasin. Sat by the Fire place in the lodge, staged a bar shot, and ultimately changed into lifestyle clothes and headed into town.

We did our best to convey the wintery images that the magazine was seeking and in the end it was the image of us walking down the street that won us the spot. Since this article has published I have thought seriously about my pro walking career. Could I be a pro walker and a pro skier?? It might just be too much to take on at the moment, maybe I should just stick to skiing.

Pro walker rocking the Trew Beanie