Age: 28 | Vitals: 5’8”, 137 lbs | Ape index: -4 ☹ | Years climbing: 12; Years skiing: 15 | Current residence: My Toyota truck (Ok… mostly Jackson, WY in the summers and Bozeman, MT in the winters)
I grew up in the flatlands of western Nebraska, but developed a love for the mountains at an early age when my parents took me all around Colorado and Wyoming to race sled dogs. Our nearest climbing gym was three hours away, but between that and a home woody in the garage, I was hooked.
As soon as I graduated high school, I moved to Jackson, WY. I swore I wouldn’t return without climbing the Grand Teton. I made good on the promise and continued to climb in the Tetons in the summers and at Vedauwoo and the along Front Range while attending college in Laramie at the University of Wyoming. I spent a good deal of my time living out of (and in) my Toyota 4Runner, working various gear store jobs and ski patrolling until I finally landed my dream job in 2008 as an Exum Guide in the Tetons.
Climbing in the Tetons instilled a passion for long, alpine rock climbs in the mountains. I’ve always loved the technical aspect of placing gear, building anchors, and staying efficient on long, complicated climbs. After college and my second season at Exum, I packed up and headed out on the first of many extended road trips between guiding and ski patrolling seasons. Every spring and fall, I’d grab a climbing partner and travel all over the western US and Mexico in search of all forms of rock climbing – from long alpine routes to sport climbs, desert towers to bouldering.
I have also been a ski patroller for nine years; first at Snowy Range near Laramie, then at Snow King in Jackson, and finally at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman, Montana. I love to backcountry ski on my days off and occasionally ice climb, but I am by no means an expert at that!
These days you’ll also find me on the rivers on my days off, rowing my 12’ raft or carrying my packraft into remote wilderness rivers. In the last ten years I’ve never lived in one place more than about four months at a time, but hey… I recently bought a bigger truck—what more does a girl need?!