Kara Williard

Kara Williard reviewer biography, BLISTER

Age: 27 | Vitals: 5’9”, ~145 lbs | Years skiing: 23 | Current Residence: Gunnison, Colorado

Background

I am originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico and I owe it to my dad for getting me up to Santa Fe Ski Basin and Taos Ski Valley on weekends to spark my lifetime love of skiing. I have centered several of my decisions around this love of skiing, including pursuing an undergrad in Sustainability Studies as my passion for preserving snowpack and fighting climate change was ignited. I worked my way through college at a local ski shop in Albuquerque and spent every off-day in Taos, getting comfortable on steep and rocky terrain. Through this shop, I became a ski bootfitter and first attended MasterFit University to attain bootfitting credentials in 2012.

After graduating from UNM in December of 2015, I moved to Taos and began working for one of the premier bootfitting shops in the nation, The BootDoctors in Taos Ski Valley. I have attended Masterfit University five times and have now attained the highest level of bootfitting certification. I find that bootfitting only gets more rewarding with experience and it has made me really happy to get countless clients out on the slopes in comfortable boots — an experience that can be life changing for those who have annoyingly complex boot issues, such as myself. My years in Taos provided 100+ days of skiing a season and falling in love with steeps in particular.

Kara Williard reviewer biography, BLISTER
Kara Williard skiing in Japan.

My winter skiing obsession is balanced with mountain biking, backpacking, running, climbing, and working as a sustainable farmer throughout the summer months. In the years post-undergrad, I managed a 350-acre ranch at 9,000 feet in Mora, New Mexico, growing vegetables, and raising sheep, cows, and chickens. I have also spent two seasons as a mountain bike guide for Western Spirit Cycling Adventures out of Moab, Utah where I guided multi-day trips all around the western US.

These days, I am living in the Gunnison Valley to pursue a Masters in Environmental Management from Western Colorado University, with a focus on Sustainable and Resilient Communities. I am serving a fellowship as Farm Manager for a local farm, through the nonprofit Mountain Roots Food Project. I am also still obsessing over skiing, mountain biking, and spending every day outside. As I look forward, several passions will never be abandoned — skiing, preserving natural beauty and biodiversity through activism and regenerative farming, and spending the most possible time in nature.

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