by Kristina | Jan 10, 2019 | Favorite, Life
It turns my finger the color of burnt orange peels when my hand gets damp. I paint the inside with clear nail polish to avoid this inevitability, but steel is not the best medium for jewelry. A horseshoe nail bent into the shape of a ring, this symbol of...
by Kristina | Jan 3, 2019 | Life, Travel
We’ve been traveling for a day and a half – 36 hours on planes and in airports and on trains in airports. Fitting my swollen feet back into my shoes after the 14 hour flight, one of three to travel nearly 6,000 miles, is a herculean effort. When the cab...
by Kristina | Dec 31, 2018 | Life
At the end of December, it’s fun to reflect on memories that made us smile and consider what things we’d like to leave behind as we enter a New Year. A lot of things made me smile in 2018. Spending my birthday skiing a twofer on Helens and Hood and saying...
by Kristina | Nov 22, 2018 | Mt. Rainier, Turns All Year, Tutu
What’s the best way to celebrate seven years (84 months) of turns all year? The snow dances in cascading sparkles as we move, the crystals refracting the sunlight in every direction. Theresa and I are skinning toward a convex slope on an especially warm spring...
by Kristina | Oct 25, 2018 | Skiing, Turns All Year, Tutu
These are not my people. My people approach April with glee, knowing the best adventuring opportunities of ‘Volcano Season’ are right around the corner. May and June, and sometimes July, bring an ample harvest of spring corn in the sunshine. Slushy-turns,...
by Kristina | Oct 18, 2018 | Advice, Skiing
Even if the glass hadn’t shattered everywhere, the snow was too dirty to make any remnants salvageable. The malted-brown goodness Andrew had carried for hours was gone forever, dissolving before our eyes into the frozen earth. We’d be spending New Year’s Eve without...
by Kristina | Sep 15, 2018 | Life, Publications, The Mountaineers
This summer kicked my ass. Between family visits and house projects and planning a secret, surprise wedding, my personal life has been all over the place. Life at the office has been similarly hectic, with an organizational restructure resulting in two openings on my...
by Kristina | Aug 11, 2018 | Climbing, Mt. Rainier, Publications, The Mountaineers
Nearly 400 people have been members of The Mountaineers for 50-years or more. Together, they share 20,000 years worth of outdoor memories: exploring, learning, and conserving in our wild places. I have the privilege of learning about their stories on a weekly basis....
by Kristina | Jul 28, 2018 | Skiing, Turns All Year, Tutu
Get into the car wearing nothing but a tank top, shorts, ski boots, and tutu (duh). Go on a five minute ride. Walk 30 seconds, on snow, to the top of a flat landing and click into your skis. Sloosh your way down for 750ish vertical feet on perfect, skier-groomed corn....
by Kristina | Jul 18, 2018 | Life, Lists, Wedding
How to plan a surprise, secret wedding in 10 easy steps: Get engaged. Tell no one.Decide you don’t want to plan a wedding and opt for a secret, surprise backyard ceremony instead. Make it a western themed pig roast, because you are from Montana and he loves to...
