20 Questions
Describe your skiing background:
Started skiing at age two at Stevens Pass, WA. I never raced but always skied with racers. I also always skied with the boys, which makes you tough which is good for what I like to ski these days. I didn't start combining skiing with mountaineering until mid-way through college and then learned a ton when I lived in Chamonix, France right after college.

What was your big breakthrough or defining moment in skiing?
I'd have to say it was in January of 1999 when I skied the Bubble Fun Couloir in Jackson Hole with Mark Newcomb and Chris Figenshau. Immediately afterwards, I met with The North Face and that achievement was a big part of them using me as a ski mountaineer. For me personally, it simple gave me a lot of confidence in my skiing ability but also my ability to handle tough situations.

Describe a skiing experience when things got out of hand:
Once, in Russia, we were trying to ski this really steep icy chute when things got out of hand. Two of the girls decided to come in on a rope and then weather came in and they slipped and got tangled and when one of the girls got off the rope she lost her edge and started a slide for life. I felt really helpless and could do nothing. Somehow, the girl falling managed to self-arrest with her axe and we all recovered but it was a close call!

What are you up to when you’re not skiing?
Knitting, surfing and lots of rejuvenating...

Do you think the best skiers today are better than the best skiers twenty years ago?
I think the skiers from 20 years ago are the best they could be with the gear they had. Honestly, things have changed so much that I don't think it's even fair to compare, and not just in equipment. Basically, the best skiers from 20 years ago paved the way for the skiers of today to be as good as they are...

How does fear affect your skiing?
It makes me better and it makes me love what I do because I feel alive with a little fear in my blood.

Do you have any vices that you would like to share?
Nothing too crazy—I used to chew tobacco for years, now I just eat sugar.

Ever been caught speeding or ever been arrested?
Both.

Any tattoos or body piercings?
Just one little tattoo and an ear piercing done in a very weird and sketchy place in India.

What are your future plans or goals in skiing?
To do a backflip and to ski a really, really big peak.