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For me it is incredibly important because I have fun and it makes me happy.... and above all I now have the time and I want to use it! I have already been on the road with Angelika Kauffmann twice and she has inspired me again and I still want to learn so much.

For me it is complete freedom.... You forget all your worries, collect new energies and find myself again

I want to ride off piste with more confidence because I don't feel I have enough experience ... and when you ride off the beaten track you have a great responsibility towards yourself and the others and you have to be on your toes .... that's why I want to be there !!

I am acutely aware of lack of women certified as high-end ski instructors. The CSIA has four levels of certification. As of 2019, at level 1 50% of candidates receiving their certification are women. At level 3 only 7% percent are female. To become a certified level 3 CSIA instructor would allow me to become a mentor to generations of new female ski instructors and skiers and to empower them within the sport, something I believe is incredibly important.

It makes me feel empowered. Enduring the overwhelming power of nature and stability of the mountains around me whilst harnessing the forces built by skiing makes me feel incredibly strong.

Provide improved ski instruction to my clients and to more proficiently share my passion for snow sports. My extended career objective, is to become a CSIA course conductor. This would allow me to advance and inspire new generations of ski instructors and skiers in an even more expansive capacity.

I have sought opportunities to combine my recreational pursuits, personal passion, academic interest, and career drive towards a life inspired by the outdoors. This approach led to my development as an avalanche educator; to my work, research, and education with the Simon Fraser University Avalanche Research Program; and, to my role as President of Mountain Mentors, a non-profit mentorship program for women in backcountry skiing and rock climbing.

My love for skiing now, in large part, stems from an understanding of it being a vehicle for designing outdoors spaces where women, LGBTQI2-S, POC, and Indigenous Peoples belong. The peace, joy, delight, and freedom that are the reasons I ski are inextricably linked from my work in making it accessible to others.

Further my efforts and guide actions towards creating more inclusive, representative, just, and equitable winter outdoors spaces. I have a huge amount of energy for this work and a strong drive to honour the legacy of women in the industry who have worked for female inclusion while acknowledging that female representation alone is not enough to create outdoors spaces where everybody belongs and feels safe.

I lead 'backcountry' tours for local non-profits (The Catamount Trail Association and The Friends of Bolton Backcountry) and the outdoor store I work at as a manager (The Outdoor Gear Exchange). I also am on the board of the local non-profit - Waterbury Area Trail Alliance.

To me, skiing is much more than just an activity or a sport, it represents the hardship, the goal-seeking, and the joy that are present in other facets of life. Skiing provides a sense of community, and a stress relief.

Become a more informed ambassador for skiing. Having this formal instruction will allow me to not only be safer in the backcountry, but to aid in disseminating this information to those who can't afford said training.

I moved to the mountains originally for a short 3 month stint as an actor for a small regional theater in the area. I fell in love with the scenery, and taking long walks in the mountains -- which is what I now know is called "hiking.” I like to challenge expectations. And by being a black woman who spends much of her time outdoors it's very clear to me that we (BIPOC) are under represented in the sport.

As a Black female from Florida who never stepped into a pair of ski boots until 6 years ago, I never knew that this would be something that I would fall so deeply in love with in such a short time. I ski to spend time in the mountains, I ski to keep me sane. I ski to unwind. I ski to get amped. It’s a beautifully peaceful, and magical thing.

I want to take this opportunity to grow and feel more confident in my backcountry navigations, and I want to share that knowledge with people who look like me and feel like I do. It's important that we try and open this sport to more people. And by doing that, we can guarantee the longevity of the sport with more diversity involved. We as women are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to rights, and I feel like women of color have it even harder.

In 2000, 3% of ski guides in Canada were female. Today, that number has risen to 9%. Over the years, I've taken many courses, mostly from men. It was really common for me to feel intimated, discouraged, or in some cases harassed, often being the only girl in some of these courses. I found that with any female instructor I took a course from, I would cling to them like a small child to their mother. It was incredible to feel like I could take a course without feeling like I was too nervous that I couldn't even ask a question. I was able to relate to their style of teaching. More than anything it was a huge relief seeing someone like me, a girl, setting an example. I finally felt like I belonged.

Skiing makes me so happy. Experiencing this happiness allows me to show up 100% in other areas of my life. Whenever I experience an uncomfortable situation, a challenge, a storm in life, I believe skiing has equipped me with these skills to get through almost anything. Through communication, through pushing yourself, through hard and rewarding experiences. Skiing makes me healthier. Skiing has provided me with an incredible community. Skiing grounds me to the environment.

I want to strive to be outstanding at my job, simply just to set a good example. This is important to me because in so many ways I want to reinforce the fact that women make incredible leaders and guides. I want to strive to make the guiding industry, and back-country skiing as a whole, a much more inclusive environment.

As the head coach for our first-year U10 racers at Squaw, my job is to develop all of our athletes' technical skills, understanding of race tactics, and love and respect for the mountains and themselves.

Because it's fun. Because it both humbles me and teaches me how strong and capable my body and spirit are. Because it enables me to help transform my athletes in the same way I'm transformed every day in the Valley.

After having the opportunity to learn under equity-minded examiners, I also want to become an examiner for PSIA because of the impact I can have on bringing up other women and underrepresented folks in the industry.