Age: 26 | Vitals: 5’10”, 170 lbs | Years Boarding/Skiing: 17 | Current Residence: Taos, New Mexico
Background:
I was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico shortly after my parents had moved from Mammoth, California. My feet were first attached to skis when I was 2 years old, and by 9 I was strapped to an old snowboard with Sorrel boots. I grew up sledding in arroyos, climbing trees, and playing hockey, then turned to rock climbing, caving, biking, exploring, in addition to the occasional bit of hooliganism. But I really got hooked on snowboarding, and it soon became my central focus. Snowboarding led me to local sponsorships and I soon began competing and placing well in USASA slopestyle, bordercross, and halfpipe events, and won two 1st places in a local mogul event. More recently, I placed 4th in the 2009 Taos Salomon Freeride competition, and I took 1st in the 2010 Taos Salomon Freeride event.
I studied geology at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and spent summers raft guiding in New Mexico. Fear of injury and a growing love of powder and trees led me away from park related competitions. I got a split board, enrolled in some avalanche classes, and took to the San Juan mountains. I rode 4 to 5 days a week, and became just as intrigued with the climbing as the descending. I loved finding new lines in trees, moguls, and anything steep. I became so fascinated with the mountains that I soon began to look into alternate methods of backcountry travel. I’ve entered the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse a few times, a 40+ mile ski from Crested Butte to Aspen.
After college, I instructed at a white water guide school and looked for a winter job. Taos Ski Patrol always captivated me as a kid. (Those people got to play with explosives, they just called it, “avalanche control.”) I dreamed for a little while, then remembered that I was a snowboarder wanting to apply at a skiers only resort….Still, I interviewed, bought some skis, got a WEMT, and was hired on to the Taos Ski Patrol two years after TSV was opened to snowboarding. So these days I’m on skis while I work and I snowboard on my days off. I’ll definitely be entering more big mountain freeride events, and will continue to hike and board in my enchanted local terrain.
Some favorite board equipment:
K2 Slayblade, Jones Mountain Twin, Libtech “Lando,” Sparks R&D Splitboard Bindings
