Interview on PUSH.CA
So stoked to have an interview about SheJumps.org on Canada’s premiere snowboarding website, PUSH.CA…It just came out!! So cool!
http://push.ca/blogs/spencerfrancey/archive/2011/11/14/shejumps-women-in-winter-sports.aspx
Check it out!
First Day Back on Skis in North America
I was a little hesitant to charge out to Alta because of fear of hitting rocks after one in Chile nearly dislocated my shoulder…But my friends Bob and Mike Birch got me all stoked despite waking up with a fever…Sweat it out, right?
Super mellow cat track to start…no big plans just skiing low-angle pow today due to avalanche concerns…
On our first lap, I saw my friend Selmer, shredder extraordinaire…but wait…what’s that he’s got? It’s a swallowtail noboard!! With carpet for the pad! Nice work Selmer!
Liguria is an awesome restaurant in Santiago, CHILE. Check it out if you ever go there…This pin was on my backpack and put a smile on my face when I saw it today…A bit of the South America still sneaking in there…
Ran into some old friends…Meredith! Just back from Tanzania…what a culture shock!
And on our 2nd lap, a 5.10 skin move through the trees…Usually there is snow here I think…
Stoked to be wearing my Banff Mountain Film Festival BUFF! What a treat…
And there go the guinea pigs…Skiing in the protected gullies is still the safe bet. The pow was super dense for Utah style but it’s going to build a great base.
We did cut this slab off at the end of the day…NW facing aspect around 9000 feet. Wind slab about 6-7 inches thick…Avy danger was CONSIDERABLE today. Be careful out there!
And for my afternoon project, my first time (of many, many times) shoveling both decks of the Brighton Chalet. I’ve GOT to get my time down!
Banff Recap: The Mountain Spirit Festival!
I got to Banff and was immediately overwhelmed by its majestic beauty…
Then the magic started happening and I was getting ready for my presentation at the Devil’s Gap for the event “So you want to ski in the movies.” I was presenting with other amazing people including Mike Douglas, Tristan Tafel, Nick Waggoner (Sweetgrass Productions, their new movie “Solitaire” is absolutely breathtaking!), Sam Giffin (Downhill Affair with Molly Baker and Zack Giffin), and Spencer Francey (Chasing Winter productions, field producer for “the Art of Flight”). I was a bit nervous before the presentation because there were some issues with the A/V and I had worked so tirelessly on the slideshow I was going to show to illustrate how women are killing it in the snow sports these days. Of course as things do, they worked out, and the slideshow played brilliantly. Or so I thought….
I spoke about the need to create your life story based on what you love to do and always be challenging yourself to take your life to the next level, not necessarily search endlessly for sponsors in order to get a UPS package in the mail. I guess what I had to say had a pretty profound affect on some people! I was given so many compliments on my speech, including by Josh Dueck, who’s movie “Freedom Chair” (produced and directed by Mike Douglas) was one of the most inspirational stories I had ever seen. I was truly flattered. Here is a picture that Spencer snapped of me when I was blushing from Josh’s comment “Straight up inspiring, Claire.” Wow!!
One of the most significant parts of the evening for me, however, was the neverending story of getting to see you and your best friends succeed in making your dreams come true. So for me it was really about seeing Molly and Zack there–not just because they were in Banff for the festival–but because they were there starring in a movie that Zack’s brother Sam made about their love story. So for me it was really cool to see how Molly and I have evolved through the years. She is, after all, my oldest friend in freeskiing and remains to be one of my best friends. We had an incredible weekend dancing and laughing together, watching inspirational speakers and films, and continuing the weave the fabric of our own adventures together. Huge thanks to Molly, Zack, Sam, and Shaya for their support and just general good vibes that I will always miss (when they’re not around!)
There was this one dance move called the Smallwood that got busted out…I think there are some new pros in town!! Shaya and Zack reppin’ a big SMALLWOOD
So in Banff they love to put empty bottles and cans upside down in drinks. I like it. It reminds me of…well, I can’t say I’ve ever seen it before so now it’s going to remind me of Banff! The Chihuahua at the Magpie & Stump (by the way, their nachos are KILLER!)
And the Eddie’s Trash Can, don’t ask me what’s in it, I just took the picture..haha…
Again, a huge thanks to the crew at the Banff Ski Lounge for their awesome support and stoke! They are all proud reppers of the SJ Girafficorn hats!
I made a great friend when I was in Banff…Michelle Locke (below) is a rippin’ snowboarder and a total freelance adventurer just like myself! Her and her boyfriend Rob made my stay just that much better. She is a huge supporter of SheJumps (with many other Banffettes) and I’m super stoked to see her spirit help to carry the vision of SheJumps out in CANADA! Thanks Michelle!
Of other incredibly notable experience during my time in Banff was ice skating on a completely clear, frozen, and beautiful Lake Johnson, ou bien, Lac Johnson parce que on parle aussi le français au Canada…je pourrais m’habituer de vivre la bás…
Super sad when great trips have to come to an end. Thank you so much to Spencer for showing me around and to everyone else who made my time in Banff so unforgettable. Next up: making a movie about skiing in Patagonia to be featured in the Banff Mountain Film Festival next year…A huge thanks to my sponsors HOT CHILLYS and FLYLOW Gear for their endless support of my adventure!
I made it home to Alta and another huge dream has come true for me! I am the caretaker of the Brighton Chalet this year. So this is my view from my desk. No pity party for me!
And it’s snowing now!!!
I Jump: Avalancha en el Volcán 2011
I distinctly remember telling all my Hood River friends that my trip to Chile this year was going to be short and sweet—“I’m only going to guide for a couple of trips for CASA Tours and then be home.” I just started getting into kiteboarding this summer and the Columbia River Gorge is known for its amazing windy August and September days. I wasn’t lying until I actually got down to South America and started to ski powder. Then I forgot all about summer as I knew it before.
I had a great time guiding for CASA Tours (my second year, amazing tour company for ski and snowboard vacations in Chile and Argentina). We had great snow for almost every group and I even had time between trips to go to the Pichilemu and catch some waves.
I was just beginning to wonder what it would be like to actually leave on my scheduled day of departure—September 20th—and head home, when I was contacted by Rodrigo Vera, a professional climber and instructor at one of Chile’s top eco-tourism colleges in Pucón, Chile. Rodrigo, or “Negro” as he’s known to most, offered me a position as the Director of Marketing for a competition he had been dreaming to create for years—a timed race from the top to the bottom of Villarrica Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in South America—Avalancha en el Volcán.
My immediate reaction was “Yes! Of course!” and then the reality set in that I wasn’t going to be writing press releases and contacting my media friends in English, but in Spanish—and not any Spanish, but Chilean Spanish. As the time drew closer to the day of the competition, I realized how far I had come by throwing myself into the position. I was proud of overcoming the desires to quit and say “Wow, I have no idea what I’m doing!” and continue to work at the level I envision for any project in my life.
When the competitors started showing up in Pucón, I was the person to meet and greet them, register them, give them all the beta about the competition and make them feel welcome and proud to be involved the competition. It was an amazing feeling to put faces to names and ask them, “How did you hear about Avalancha en el Volcán?”
The day of the competition I hiked up and raced with all the competitors. It was a great feeling to see everything through start to finish. I ended up in first place for the women and really feel vested in seeing more people have the amazing experience of sharing a day on an active volcano with people from around the world….Avalancha en el Volcán 2012!
What an amazing experience!! Thank you to all who made it possible!!
Another look at SheJumps.org in Chile
I just wrote a piece for SheJumps.org and it is up now on the site! Please take a moment to check it out…I will be posting it here soon. Also a (seriously) rad new video from SJ-Co founder Lynsey Dyer (and another one of me skiing Mount Adams is on there too!)
Valle Hermoso
For more sweet photos of the trip so far, I just checked in at FlyLowgear.com as well…
So there I was…
I will write enough to say that this past week was very challenging. The “family” as I call it in Alta, Utah is incredibly tight-knit and we lost two people in the course of about a week. Compton lost his life in a motorcycle accident and Jake was pushing himself (as usual) in Glacier National Park when he fell over 800 feet. It’s devastating to lose people, but there is a tangible, albeit small, amount of solace knowing that they were doing something they loved. Rest in peace bros, you will be greatly missed.
And it tends to do, time rolls on…Not without some tears and a few beers to remember some amazing times skiing powder with those guys…I was working all last week guiding my last trip with CASA Tours. We had 3 weather days stacked up right on top of one another. In fact, my last 2 weeks were pretty much one huge weather day. The last week of August Brian Stevenson, Spencer Francey, and I went to Lonquimay and had a phenomenal day of ski touring in Araucaria trees…That was the last sunny day. After that, all of Chile got pummeled by yet another Pacific weather system and it was down time all around. We went to Pucón (check the lazy reblog below), checked out some hot springs, and I tried to get work done for SheJumps and this incredible competition that is happening in Pucón in October.
So when weather day after weather day was stacking up and our clients were beginning to get frustrated (hold on, let me fix the weather for ya! Just kidding), things were starting to feel foggy for me. I couldn’t put my finger on it…I knew that it was the stress of losing 2 friends in a week, but it also felt like it was the mid-trip blues. A point when you are not quite sure where you belong…You want to live somewhere, find some shelves, plug in your chargers and leave them there.
Yes last week, as I like to say, “is what it is.” But I had a turn for the better, no pun intended, during the last two days when, without abandon, I hiked. Ando sola ahora…Maybe I didn’t hike that far compared to some people (ahem, Greg Hill), but it felt damn good to give the ski area “the bird” and start trucking. I just went solo and then I happened to meet some super cool people along the way. The experience, however routine it may seem in my own mind to go ski touring, shed light on a few things I think I was forgetting. Have you ever been thinking negative thoughts and then stub your toe? That’s sort of what was going on with me…I think…Well I am taking all of these lessons not with a grain of salt, but with gust of fresh air—err fresh “volcanic” air hehe.
Two days ago, after skiing Volcan Nuevo I was skinning over to Valle Hermoso with my new French friend, Camille. I remember the exact negative thought about a frustrating experience I recently had when I slipped on some ice and my ski actually came loose (turns out I didn’t have the Dynafit toe piece completely cleared out of ice). I slid about 10 feet and self-arrested myself with my feet on some rocks. It would have been gnarly to crash into them with my body, and thankfully my other ski was just about 10 feet below that…but it was an incredible reminder and one-way (for now) ticket back to reality. It was like the Universe saying “Hey Claire, what the $#@! are you thinking about ? Do you know where you are and what you are doing?”
So yeah, that happened. And then…this happened:
top of Volcan Nevados de Chillan…
It’s just so beautiful here you just can’t be bummed out for really any amount of time!
On the summit of Volcan Nuevo ^
My new friend Camille super stoked on the pow turns we just got from the summit of Volcan Nuevo!
Where does the time go? Skiing!
Wow! It can’t be that I haven’t updated in weeks, but it’s true! The winter is off to an incredible start. We got over 80 inches of snow in the past week. I don’t think I have had a bad day of skiing (is it even possible) since the season has started. Wait, which season? And where did it start? I love the endless winter!
Women's Beacon Clinic at Alta
I am cooking for a private family this week at Alta. Last night I made a shallot-white-wine-aged-cheddar-thyme-and-deliciousness-sauce for some macaroni and cheese…A bit of crushed red pepper cauliflower and sauteed spinach with some steak to top it off! Tonight: stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in prosciutto….Life is good! I love to have the opportunity to cook for more families in Alta…the view from the kitchen is inspiring to say the least! Tonight I will have to bring my camera!
ski touring with friends in the Wasatch!
SheJumps is keeping me sooo busy! We will have a party at the FlyLow booth during the Outdoor Retailer show and a couple of fun movie premieres are scheduled for Jan. and Feb. in various parts: Utah, California, and Colorado! Above is a photo from our Women’s beacon clinic at Alta. We had over 60 participants there, and 60 other participants at our Women’s Avy Seminar at REI the week before. SheJumps is really growing!
