This week a group of Nepalese women, who call themselves the Seven Summits Women are receiving international acclaim for being rockstar mountaineers. Women between the ages of 21 and 32 have joined forces to change the perception in Nepal of women in mountaineering. They are on an adventure and on a mission to do just that by climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents. They are hoping to attract more women to the realm of climbing by visiting schools as a group and explaining their mission, which includes education, empowerment and environment. The team have taken out loans, used up their savings and looked for sponsors in order to make this happen. All in the name of women empowerment through adventure in the great outdoors. Keep up the amazing work ladies! I can’t imagine how many girls you inspire everyday!

Saphalhos!!

Earlier this month, Chhurim, a Nepalese woman, became a Guinness World Record holder by becoming the first woman to scale Mt. Everest twice in same climbing season. In fact the 2 trips were only a week apart. 21 women have reached the peak of Mt. Everest, but only Chhurim has been able to reach it twice in one season. In the article, she addresses that it is rare for women to accomplish physical feats such as this because “they are considered not as strong as men and face many problems like finding toilets,” which shows how much impact all of these women could have if they showed the world that they can hold their own at something most people in the world would never attempt to do.

Here in Crested Butte, a small but significant portion of our community is Nepalese. I have worked with Sonam and Namkha in the restaurant that I worked in for years until just recently. I managed to learn a few basic greetings in both the Nepalese and Sherpa languages, such as “how are you? > Kasto Cha?” or “thank you > Dhanybhad” “good night > subha ratri” They were often  the lights of the restaurant. You never heard them complaining. You never saw them get angry. but you did always see them smiling. I have an intense passion for travel and learning about different cultures, so I can’t imagine how much I probably annoyed them (although you’d never notice it) by asking questions about their lives in Nepal. Most of the Nepalese in CB are Sherpa, and have made a huge mark in town with their out-of-this-world food at both the Sherpa Cafe and Momo. Many were guides back in Nepal, some of them having double digits worth of Everest climbs. Their stories fascinate me. You walk into any bar here and hear the same story a million times of what somebody “hucked” that day or how many ski days they have put in this winter. But if those lovers of bragging rights sat down just once to hear what their busser at dinner that night did in a day back in Nepal, they would quickly be humbled. It is a culture that I had never encountered before moving here, and one of the many things I love so much about our community.

Good Luck to all of you badass ski-bumettes!

SheJumps to Alaska Videos

I know I’m from the South, and usually that means I would know every Nascar Driver’s name, car # and who their sponsors are, but honestly, I can’t say that I have ever actually watched a full race from start to finish. I just don’t really enjoy watching things or cars or people going round and round in circles. That being said, I do appreciate the sport- its roots are buried in the Appalachian mountains, as are mine, and well, I like to go fast too. Plus watching her lead her first lap was so exciting, I was clapping the whole time.

However, this past weekend gave me a totally new and (shocking to many people) reason to watch Nascar-a woman. Danica Patrick made history on a couple different levels.
1- She became the first woman to win a pole in the Sprint Cup Series, placing her in the top starting spot in the Daytona 500.
2- She became the first woman to lead a lap (in above video) in the 500. She actually went on to lead the race twice for 5 laps.
3- Driving in the top 10 all day, she finished 8th, which while not her goal, is still the best a woman has finished in the Daytona 500, and pretty damn impressive too.

Danica Patrick and I share a special bond, although she doesn’t know it. It’s the bond that is created when having an unusual first name, and then someone famous having that same name. I have to admit this relationship she doesn’t actually know about has really made me not like her at times. When I was waiting tables, I can’t even count the number of people that asked me for her stats, or asked me if I had heard how she did in (fill in the blank) race. I’ve even had people ask-wait for it- if I’m RELATED to her! My only response to that is “yes, actually we’re cousins on the Danica side of the family”. But honestly, I am proud to share a first name with such a badass woman, who not only lives in a dudes world, but drives in it, and does it well.

Congratulations on making history Danica. You’ve given me a reason to watch Nascar, and you inspire women everywhere by doing it.

See you at the family reunion!

Above is a beautiful article remembering Sarah Burke a year after her death from people in the industry that knew her. A year ago today the world, and closer to home, the ski world, lost an incredible person. While never lucky enough to meet her, I have never heard one bad thing about this beautiful, inspirational woman. Kind, generous, caring, inspiring, happy, talented, these are the words I hear describing this incredible woman who paved the way for other women to join into the world of freeskiing and extreme sports. Her name became a household name as she broke the mold of what women and skiing meant together as she excelled year after year, competition after competition.

She is still an inspiration to everyone in the world of skiing, but to women, Sarah is a hero.  These snippets of her short but full life show us that even as a hero, an idol, a super star, and a bad-ass athlete, Sarah was one of us. A dreamer, a lover, a friend, a woman. She represents ski bumettes everywhere, and her story gives us the strength to know that we can do anything we believe we can. Even through her tragic death, she is able to serve as a beautiful reminder of what it is to live by our own standards of happiness, while being a light in others’ lives as well.

Thank you Sarah. From one ski bumette to another.

Tonight the ski industry elite are gearing up for their chance to win at least one coveted Powder Award. Powder Magazine, known as “the skier’s magazine” nominates and votes on a number of categories based on the previous year’s ski movies. Best Line, Best Powder, Best Editing, etc. The one that I am focusing on though, big shocker here, is the Best Female Performance. All of these women kicked ass this year, and I am excited to see which lovely lady will take the prize home.

Watch tonight at 7:30 MST.

Nominated are:

Michelle Parker – Superheroes of Stoke – MSP Films

Ingrid Backstrom – Superheroes of Stoke – MSP Films

Angel Collinson – The Dream Factory - Teton Gravity Research

Elyse Saugstad – Kill Your Boredom – Voleurz

Good luck ladies!

I know he is not a woman, but I have to give a big congratulations to Crested Butte native, Aaron Blunck! Blunck is a local athlete who has been expected to do big things on snow for quite some time now. Friday he took 2nd place at the Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, CO, landing him a spot in this year’s X-Games. This also earned him points toward qualifying for the US Olympic team in Sochi 2014.

SheJumps, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase female participation in outdoor activities essentially through creating a community of women who help each other reach their goals, used it’s vision to create a contest that will “help increase the presence of women skiers and riders in the Alaskan mountains.” Flow Tailgate Alaska and SheJumps have joined forces to inspire women to push their own limits while being safe in the backcountry.

Flow Tailgate Alaska is a 10 day festival (March 29-April 7 2013) that started in 2008  as a “way to honor the pioneering spirit of riding in Valdez, while giving access to a whole new group of riders in an affordable way.” Known for having some of the best terrain on earth, Valdez offers bottomless powder, endless mountains for various skill levels and an inspiring setting to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. You will have the opportunity to take educational classes, meet other powder hounds, scope your lines and head out into paradise doing what we all love so much. Ladies, it is your time to shine this year!

Videos must be 1-5 minutes, and must be from the 2011/2012 or 2012/2013 winters. Submit videos via the SheJumps.org facebook page by 1 am MST February 28, 2013. The videos will be judged by a panel of men and women. Although the public will get a say in who gets 2 Runner-Up prizes and a People’s Choice Award, supported by Flylow Gear and RAMP Skis and Snowboards. Get those cameras out and show the world how you will represent female skiers everywhere!

Prize Package Includes:

Airfare for 2 to Anchorage                                                

Tent Accommodations at the Festival

Transportation from Anchorage to Valdez                  

1 Full Day of Cat Skiing

2 All-Access Passes to TGAK                                           

Swag Bag from Sponsors

For more information visit SheJumps.

You probably read with horror about the avalanche that killed 3 out of 13 skiers near Steven’s Pass in Washington last year. The New York Times’s, John Branch, writes a complete account of the tragic incident through the eyes of those involved and loved ones left behind. It is beautifully pieced together, though the question looms-is it worth it? Whether you ski in the backcountry, have friends who do, or want to learn something about a very real event that affected many throughout the ski industry, please take a look.

Moving to a ski town from a world where backcountry skiing did not exist, the fear of avalanches is very new to me. I recently took an introductory class through SheJumps with Kelli Rohrig of White Room Adventures, which gave me a day’s worth of overview information. I learned the very basics of snow science, different causes of avalanches, different snow types, basic terminology, and the most efficient ways to use my gear. It was eye-opening and it scared me to death. Avalanches are a very real threat to those of us who venture out into the mountains that surround us, whether it is alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, or even snow-shoeing. No matter how great of a skier you are at the resort, take the time to learn about the terrain around you, your equipment, and what to do when the shit hits the fan. Knowledge, not ski ability, will save your own and your partners’ lives.

Killer Babes.

The Female Wolf Pack, releasing it’s teaser video on Vimeo, just yesterday, has made a splash with ladies and men across the online social world. With strong and widely known athletes such as Michelle Parker and Suz Graham, it’s purpose is “to increase female visibility in action sports.” The teaser itself shows nothing but badass women ripping on skis and surf boards, floating on water and in the air, climbing up mountains with their hands and their bikes. Awesome women doing awesome things.

Girls. Girls. Girls.

Rachel Burks, a big mountain skier based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, founded the Female Wolf Pack as a way to showcase what women can do in the world of action sports. On the website, which is still just a preview site until the 1/1/13 premiere, Rachel says, “I look at the things that I’ve done over the past six years and feel boundlessly lucky and stoked to be where I am. This is a feeling I’d love to share with other girls. I want to open doors for those who have the same thirst that I do: the thirst to show others what girls are capable of.” Basically, she wants women of all ages, of all corners of the action-sports world, to have a chance to showcase their talent, their drive, and their fearlessness to a wide-range of viewers. She goes on to say that she wants “… FemaleWolfpack.com to extend to all those who want to melt some faces off and hopefully inspire and foster the next generation of rippers.”

Women. Women.

There are 3 rules to this video-content-only website.

1. Fun. 2. “No Excuses, Play Like a Champion.” 3. No Nudity.

So ladies, if you wish to show off  your talent on this new female-only sports venue, enjoy yourself while being safe, stay positive by believing in yourself, and stay classy- bring on the sexy by kicking ass, not showing yours.

This article can also be found on Westelkproject.com.

I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle Parker at the World Premier of MSP’s Superheroes of Stoke in Seattle this year. She is tiny, sweet and totally rad. To welcome her to the team, Contour used some of Match Stick Production‘s footage from Whistler, BC along with her own footage taken with her cam caddy.

Charging hard and picking incredible lines, Michelle earns every bit of credit she gets. I’m personally excited to see more of her own footage on the snow!