MELISSA GILL

Photo: Keith Fearnow (@fearnowka)

Skiing aids in my discovery of who I am while helping me uncover who I have yet to become. It is my playground of life and my most appreciated meditative environment.

I was blessed to grow up in Teton Village, Wyoming as my father was the General Manager of JHMR for most of my childhood. Skis were strapped to my feet when I was 2 years old and with the help of my neon edgie wedgie, I was power sliding my way around the magic carpet zone in no time.

I began to chase gates on the NASTAR course when I was 7 years old, and that turned into a ski racing career through the age of 21. A crash resulting in a tibia/fibula fracture was what ultimately pushed me away from racing; a redirect that I didn't realize I needed at the time. I left ski racing after that injury and I discovered a new way of interacting with the mountains. One that was more organic and more aligned with how I want to move my body in nature.

My first experience on a skin track was in 2012. Wearing borrowed gear from head to toe, I took a single lap up to Cardiff Pass, skiing relatively crappy snow, and it was the best run of my life. I haven't purchased a ski pass since.

Over the past 8 years, ski touring has facilitated some of the most beautiful interactions I could imagine. On skin tracks all over the Wasatch, the Tetons, the Sawtooths and the Chugach, I have met some of my favorite people accompanied by rich conversation that brings purpose and perspective to my life.

While ski touring has facilitated some of the best moments of my life, my world was rocked when I lost my boyfriend in a tragic accident in the Teton Range in 2014. In a single moment, the environment that sourced so much of my joy was now the source of unimaginable pain.

Eventually, I arrived in a place where it was time to decide how I was to move forward in the mountains. I made the choice to make the backcountry a place of discovery, rather than loss. To do the work that is needed to repair my relationship with nature and to rebuild trust in myself. With this journey has come incredible depth and unparalleled joy. Everytime I step onto a skin track, I am reminded of the fragility of life as well as the responsibility I have to live my life with purpose.

When I look ahead to what is in store for me, I see myself seeking out a career and life experiences where I get to use my privilege to bring the healing potential of nature to humans who are navigating their own diverse and challenging life experiences.