Change Is In The Air

The mountains are ablaze with the colors of fall. Their vibrancy hits me like a blaring siren. Screaming that winter is just around the bend. As the fall’s flashing colors send my head spinning I think back on my summer months….

First there was the “Big Thaw”.  A month long Road trip down HWY 1 in which surf, Redwoods, and the simplicity of beach life helped lay the foundation for a full recovery after a long winter.

Then bikes…. The first activity that I was able to get back to. And was I ready to get back!!!

Then there were the Hikes… Such a simple form of getting out in the mountains and so rewarding.

And then more bikes… Why? well they are just too damn fun!!!

While the summer has been a time of rejuvenation for mind, body, and soul.

The season of anticipation is upon us.

It is a time when we dream big, but often have sleepless nights due to the endless flow of eager energy circulating through our beings.

Will this be another La Nina season of record breaking proportion? Are you gonna be ready when mother nature calls?

Yes the colors blare

and dare us to dream big,

train hard,

and get ready

for that blanket of white freedom!!!!

Behind the Hit Reel Edit

As many of you know I have been working my way back from having torn my ACL in January. Over the past 6 months I have been doing a lot of thinking about what skiing means to me? what it represents? and how I have come from being a little girl with a crazy dream to a grown woman now in the midst of that dream.

I decided, since I did not have much footage from this past season, to go back to my 2009-10 season where I played all over the mountains of North America with some of my best friends in the world and had a blast with each turn!

The edit is a celebration of the beauty, freedom, and exuberance that skiing offers!

Avi Path: The road to becoming an educator

December and January are the months of building. We build strong legs, while waiting for our snow pack to grow, we become inspired by the white peaks and start developing our season tick list, and we begin to keep track of what Ullar is laying down. Quickly, the anticipation for the winter season turns into deep powder days of excitement and before you know it, we have found our rhythm and are entrenched in the ski season.

For the past four years I have taken December and January to be a time of not only building my legs, and excitement but also building my understanding of the snow and mountains, where I spend most of my days. This season I chose to take my knowledge and dedication of understanding our snow to the next level.

Previously I had taken the level 1 AIARE Avalanche course, the Freeride Avalanche Summit over at snowbird, and countless refreshers, beacon clinics, and snow study discussions and seminars. This season, however I have decided to embark on a path a little more involved, marking the beginning of my long sojourn into the world of backcountry guiding.

There are many ways to approach such a career, but I thought there was no better way to begin this process than by working on becoming a snow science educator. The way I see it, if I am going to make a life out of being in the backcountry I want to make sure that the people I share that environment with are equally in the know of the potential hazards, proper travel and rescue techniques, and have and know how to use their avi rescue gear, because

…well, you never know who might be the one there to save you.

So, the first step was to take my level II Avalanche course. I chose to go through Crested Butte Mountain Guides as they have some of the most highly experienced and accomplished instructors, not to mention that learning the science of snow in some of the most dangerous and unstable snowpack in the country seemed to be an excellent opportunity to really get my hands dirty.

So on the 16th of December I packed up my truck and headed out with Weston D. for Crested Butte, CO.

I am not one of those people who loved school, or even excelled in the classroom environment, so needless to say embarking on this more classroom and science oriented program was more than slightly unnerving. Never-the-less I pushed on, following my desire to become a professional in the outdoors (beyond my career as an athlete).

With a new notebook, my BCA snow study kit, beacon probe, shovel, saw and a mind ready to be filled with terms, data, and concepts I headed into the classroom.

During the course of our Level 2, C.B. proceeded to get hammered with a southwest flow, locally known as “The Pineapple Express“. We received over 5 ft of snow in our three days and the storm could not have provided a better venue for learning and exploring in depth the bonding, layering, metamorphic process and a slew of other topics and concepts.

With a mind full of new dorky data and information based around snow crystal type and temperature gradient, I returned home to Utah just in time for the holiday season to kick into gear. I waded through the onslaught of family and friends all vying for attention, tried to catch a couple pow days in between, and just surrendered to the fact that, until  my AIARE Instructor Training Course in January, my life was gonna be hectic.

So on it went, and yes it was quite crazy, even managed to squeeze in a trip to Sister’s Oregon for Hoodoo’s annual Tele Festival. But, like you always do, I managed to make it through.

So here I now sit, having just completed my Instructor Training Course.

Being re-inspired by developing a new goal and vision for my future has been a really exciting process, one that started this past summer. However, I have decided that I really have to make sure that this “vision” I have for my future actually feels right in reality. While the Level 2 was the start and a prerequisite for the ITC (Instructor Training Course), it was not indicative of my hoped future career.

The real test was heading to Silverton, CO for my ITC. I headed out there alone, with the only familiarity being the Triangle Motel where I had stayed last year with the Trew Crew, and was staying again. It is interesting, when you come out of a period of feeling a bit lost and fragmented, those pieces tend to realign themselves, offering such clarity. And that was the space I was in heading out to Silverton last Sunday. I headed out with the only expectation of experiencing something new and by the end of the course feeling out weather my supposed path was holding up to reality.

The course could not have been more inspirational, educational, and valuable. Tom Murphy, Tim Brown, and Ben Pritchett came to the table with years of invaluable experience, clear teaching techniques, and a free flowing concept of a continued development framework that highlighted AIARE’s dedication to the continual growth a progression of Avalanche awareness and education.

It was an intensive 3 day course with each student teaching one mock level 1 section and an overall frame work of learning the Level 1 curriculum, Teaching techniques and skills, and then furthering our professional development on all aspects.

With only three days it is hard to imagine that so much could be accomplished. I was quite fortunate to be in a group and a class filled with seasoned guides, educators, and rescue workers all who had previously been in professional leadership roles dealing with backcountry safety. Now, at another point in my life (or even two weeks ago) I would have felt completely in adequate and self conscious. However, with my newly re-acquired perspective I was able to feel only inspired and look up to each of my classmates as mentors. With their experience they were able to ask insightful questions, add phenomenal first hand accounts that were applicable to the topics, and provide analytical commentary.

The course came and went and I felt like a sponge trying to soak up each morsel of information. I am not sure anyone could absorb, in entirety, the multitude of ideas and concepts of the three days. However, I do know that I have been inspired!

It is now the middle of January and I am finally feeling the flow. I have completed the first major step on this new journey and am hungry to start practicing my new skills and see where this all will lead.