Sponsors/Support if any: Prior Skis, Smith Optics, Icebreaker Merino, and Southamericaski.com

What makes you passionate about skiing?
It’s hard to explain because it’s more of a feeling than a concept. You remember the feeling when you were 6 years old and you would wake up at 5am on Christmas morning and couldn’t wait to see what was under the tree? When I wake up on a powder day, I can’t get to the mountain fast enough and see what’s waiting for me…

What are your aspirations in skiing?
My two biggest passions in life are skiing and traveling. I have been working two jobs to finance my ski trips and big mountain competitions. My long term aspirations are to make a mark in the industry, to be filmed and photographed and to be paid to ski and travel. My more realistic short term goal is to ski in Kashmir, India this spring and experience a new culture.

Who are your current role models or who inspires you?
Jenn Ashton, Sarah Oakden, Heather Roberts and Re Wikstrom. I met Jenn at my first competition at Red Mountain. She was super encouraging and explained to me the judging and how to pick the best line. Last season in Crested Butte, Jenn was busy both coaching juniors and competing. She threw down a solid technical line winning the competition and two of her juniors made the top 3 in their division. I admire her ability to ‘kill it’ and coach others to do the same. Sarah Oakden rips and I am amazed by her humbleness. Heather Roberts is an awesome skier who has dedicated infinite hours behind a camera and in front of a computer to promote female riders through her short films. Re Wikstrom is a sick female photographer and is ‘making it’ in the ski scene. She inspires me to always try my best in front of the lens.

What is your greatest personal achievement in the mountains? (Competition/Line/Trip)
Tahoe March 2005. I quit my desk job, bought a $1000 camera and decided to try my luck as a full time ski bum/writer/photographer. I headed down to Tahoe but my plans to live in my Jeep and eat Ramen Noodles were never realized. I was taken in by Rob and Grant in Truckee and we skied awesome pow everyday at Squaw. Then I met Duane from Adventure Film Works and started filming in different spots along the North Shore. Next I headed down to Kirkwood for the World Tour Finals. The skiing paid off because for the first time I made it into the finals alongside females I looked up to: Jamie Burge and Jess McMillan. My plan to continue heading south to Mammoth was short lived. My stories weren’t paying and I had run out of money. So I headed back to Whistler, searched for another desk job and landed my first ski sponsor: Dynastar/Look/Lange. Tahoe 2005 is hands down my best ski trip to date.

How have you dedicated your life to the mountains and adventure?
From age two onwards, I grew up skiing with my family in Whistler and my parents helped run the Blackcomb Ski Club. When I was ten, my family moved to Australia, ending my dreams of being the next Nancy Greene. When I graduated high school in Las Vegas, I moved the next day to Seattle where I could go to university and ski every afternoon with the Husky Ski Team. From then on, I figured out a way to combine skiing and travel with school. I studied abroad in Paris and visited the French Alps and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The following summer I interned at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile and skied every weekend at Valle Nevado or Termas Chillan. At the end of my trip, I ventured over to Las Leñas, Argentina where I met Jamie Bond, Joe Lammers and Mark Lasseter. Jamie told me about freeskiing competitions and introduced me back into the Whistler scene. I entered my first comp that winter and have been competing ever since. After graduation, I moved from Seattle to Whistler and came full circle. One year later Mark hired me to work for his company Southamericaski.com, and I have been skiing endless winters ever since.

Why have you dedicated your life to mountain pursuits?
Skiing and the mountains have been the common thread in my life and kept me strongly connected with my family and friends. I am most at home and alive in the mountains and have had so many fun days. I have made amazing friends all over the world through big mountain competitions and traveling. In South America, I have I had the opportunity to learn another language and discover new places. Sometimes I feel that skiing is a selfish pastime and about self-gratification, so I try to give back as much as I take. I write articles, take pictures, volunteer, plan movie premieres and organize ski vacations for people to South America. I am most fulfilled though when I show someone new to Whistler around and make their day.

What are some things the mountains have taught you that have proven valuable in the real world?
The mountains have taught me the importance of balance in nature. They taught me to be confident, to push my limits and constantly challenge myself but to equally have patience, respect and to take calculated risks. The mountains aren’t going anywhere and I want to be around a long time to enjoy them. They have also taught me the importance of different mountain cultures. Though we might share a common passion for the mountains we should respect local customs and take the opportunity to learn from one another.

How will the scholarship enable you to further pursue your skiing aspirations?
The scholarship would give me exposure and financial support. I want to be recognized and travel with photographers on ski magazine assignments. I hope to combine my two greatest passions, skiing and travel and showcase it to inspire others, especially females, to get out there and rip it up! I would use the money for a trip to Kashmir I have been planning since I graduated university in 2003… time for me to get after it!

How can you be a Biglines.com ambassador?
I can spread the word about Biglines, write articles and get people stoked to ride! On my last trip to Las Leñas, I gave out stickers to riders and talked to marketing directors about Biglines.com. I also wrote an article about my first time heliskiing and couldn’t believe the positive feedback. I received several emails from people I had met in Las Leñas telling me how stoked they were to read the article.


Check out the other girls in the running for this year's Freeride Scholarship.

What is the Biglines Freeride Scholarship? Check it out