Take The Backroads
I have been living in Salt Lake City for 4 years now. In that time I have found back routes from my house to locations that I frequent- the gym, Whole Foods, Sugarhouse Coffee, or Guthrie Bicycle for example. If you were to measure the distance of my side-street-ventures, it would likely measure longer than taking the main roads, but I love my back roads. There is less congestion, fewer traffic lights, and an ease with which I seem to flow from locale to locale. Clearly I am not the only person who has lived in Salt Lake City for [...]
Each Step Must Be Itself A Goal
It has been over a decade since I set out to become an Olympian in the sport of halfpipe skiing. When I began there were only a handful of contests a year, and only a handful of competitors. There were no Olympic Games for us, just the idea of them. Many of us take on goals that initially seem insurmountable. Some of us achieve them, others fall short; but reaching a goal is not the entire purpose of having a goal. Besides loving skiing, the concept that has propelled me to continue over the years is the process of self-reflection & growth [...]
Stepping Back
Yesterday was the 9th time that I’ve turned south off of Interstate 70 onto CO-82 for the Winter X-Games in Aspen, CO and will mark my 8th Winter X-Games appearance. (It would be my 9th appearance, but I was sidelined last year with a knee injury and attended the event as a spectator. You can read about that trip here.) I couldn’t help but recount the feelings of anticipation that I’ve had every year, each year markedly different, but this one feels extremely special. Most of my peers that I began this journey with 10 years ago are retired and [...]
Overcoming Loss and Surviving Plateaus
Loss: what a powerful four-letter word. Loss is one of those inevitable uncontrollables that we all, at some point or another, have or will experience. Whether it comes in the form of losing a job, your health, a loved one, or even your motivation, loss packs a punch. In a matter of two rough weeks in January, I lost all of the things that I just mentioned. On January 10th, I blew out my knee thereby losing my health and my ability to partake in my job (skiing professionally); on January 19th I lost a dear friend, my mentor and [...]