Things I Care About
July 8, 2019
I care about a lot of things, but as a female skier there are two things that I care deeply about that relate to my photography displayed here on Hooey Mountain. One is getting more women and girls not only involved in this sport that I love but sticking with it later in life. The other is climate change.
I cannot tell you how many times, whether I was in college or now as an "older" woman, I look around the ski lift line and I am surrounded by men. I often ask myself, "Where are all the female skiers?" I recently started following a great organization call She Jumps which promotes outdoor involvement and skills training for woman and girls at all levels. Being active outdoors is good for your soul, it gets you off your phone and builds confidence as your skills progress. Being a young explorer leads to an active life filled with the desire to learn. Getting outside your comfort zone and pushing your limits does not have to be just for the young. It’s good for all ages. I believe in their mission and hope to help them in their fund-raising efforts to continue to offer more events and programs. When I look at my images of these vintage toy skiers, especially the women in the Skier Series (2019), I can't help but think about ways to get more women and girls comfortable challenging themselves outdoors by teaching them the skills they need and building a community by hosting events. The rewards are life long and will hopefully keep women on the hill for years to come.
The mountains I grew up skiing on are struggling to survive without more and more snowmaking, which is expensive to operate and leaves a huge footprint on the environment. Plus, anyone who skis knows there is no comparison when it comes to skiing on the stuff provided by Mother Nature versus the man-made stuff. Small local mountains are important because they are where the next generation of skiers start to grow that same passion. More importantly, the effects that climate change is having way beyond the fun had on the mountains, is really the bigger concern. It affects all of us, regardless of if you like snow or not. We need to be responsible for our actions now and so I support organizations that also care deeply about climate change like Protect Our Winters (POW). I struggle with how to offset my impact on the environment when I'm enjoying my days on the ski mountains. I still really enjoy having a lift take me to the top of a mountain, but backcountry skiing and skinning up mountains is becoming more and more popular these days. No crowds. No lift lines. Way less environmental impact. Great rewards. We are starting to go full circle back to the dawn of skiing.
When I look at my images on Hooey Mountain, I think about these two things I care about. Girls outside pushing their limits and having fun and back country skiers enjoying the fruits of their own labor on Hooey Mountain.
