Meet the Atlas Team

Almost two decades ago, I foresaw that the Disney movie “Frozen” would put a sudden halt to global warming and serve as the catalyst for a tidal wave of young snowshoers who would worship those who had honed the difficult skill set since before they were born. I wanted to be ahead of the curve and became Atlas’ first sponsored snowshoer back when the company was a mere garage band. Since then, I’ve raced in a lot of snow in a lot of places. Yep. Pretty much.

A long time ago on a snowy field in the farmlands of Norway, I dawned my grandfathers wooden skis. A passion for snow country was born. In 1998 I relocated to the Sierras where I was first introduced to snowshoeing. Once I put my first pair on, I never looked back. Today, I believe snowshoe running to be the strength in all the running I do. I would be less of an athlete without it.

As a former NCAA Cross Country All-American living in Northern Minnesota I was struggling to train through the oppressive winter conditions. My first forays on Atlas Snowshoes almost 20 years ago provided the respite from the roads that I needed. Since then, snowshoe racing has taken over road, track, and even trail running as my favorite athletic pursuit.

I’ve been around long enough to see the evolution of snowshoe racing in the United States and have been fortunate to be a 2 time USSSA National Snowshoe Racing Champion, 3 Time USSSA National Team Member, and World Master’s Snowshoe Racing Champion.

I have been a triathlete for 19 years, and started snowshoe racing in the winters here in Colorado since 2002 to keep up my running fitness. Started off with a pair of used Tubbs 10k’s and then switched to Atlas. Part of my role as a triathlete allowed me to do gear tests and once allowed me to test one of the first pairs of the Atlas run and race models. Looking forward to representing such a great brand!

After moving from the midwest to the Sierra Nevada Mountains I found snowshoeing helped with my winter conditioning and snowshoe racing was my next challenge. Accomplishments: 1st place Northstar snowshoe series, 1st place Diamond Peak uphill, 1st place Tahoe Rim Tour snowshoe ½ marathon, 1st place Fresh Tracks snowshoe race, Xterra Fire & Ice winner

Keeping my running training going through the winter is critical for me. And I hate, yes hate running on a treadmill. There are endless trails around my house in Tahoe to get out and explore on snowshoes. The local 5k/10k/1/2 marathon snowshoe races are a nice change from my longer races in the summer and keep me motivated. Most people I talk to can’t imagine running on snowshoes until I show them my Atlas gear. We make every race a family day with our 3 kids running in the kids race and eating all the treats after. Good times!

I began to snowshoe race as a way to cross train for the summer triathlon season. I quickly fell in love with the sport and the serenity each race entails. 2nd overall 2010 and 2013 beaver creek snowshoe series.

I think it might have been Danelle Ballangee who encouraged me to give snowshoe racing a try. Despite spending most of my time face down in the snow disentangling myself from myself that first race, I was hooked! What a freakin’ aerobic workout! I love the grassroots feel and camaraderie. I prefer technical, steep courses: being in the woods, hopping over logs, jumping over streams, snowshoe “skiing” down steeps. Some of my accomplishments include first places at Swift Skedaddle, Turquoise Lake, Overall place finishes at the State Championships and this year I was the Colorado State Champion. On my birthday this year I won the master’s division North American Randonee Championships.

I grew up in Alaska where I began running track and cross country in high school. Over the years I have chosen sports that utilize my lungs and legs. I began racing road bikes, cyclocross, and mountain bikes in the 90’s and found my strength whenever the conditions got dicey. Snowshoe racing brings together the best and friendliest competitors.

I have found that snowshoeing is a great way to maintain fitness during the colder months, as well as building strength. It allows my body some time away from the everyday pounding while running, but challenges my fitness to a level that I cannot match running. I love the atmosphere at the events and look forward to the 14/15 season following my third pregnancy.

Despite growing up in MN, it wasn’t until I moved to Colorado I started snowshoe running to improve my downhill running for the mountain running season. Falling in the snow hurts less!

To me snowshoeing is a natural and essential extension of running. I think of myself as simply a runner, and I define “running” as going out and traveling under your own power as effectively and fluently as possible in a given terrain/context. It just so happens that I love winter, I love snow, and when in most cases when traveling through these conditions snowshoes are the most efficient tool for the job. Lucky for me I live in Alaska where I might have 8+ months in a year in which I get to use my snowshoes. I enjoy racing as a way to share my experiences with others, but more than anything I just like to get out and play in the snow.

I've been a runner since I was in Middle School, but didn't take up snowshoeing until I lived in Bend, Oregon about 12 years ago. It was really by accident that I fell in love with snowshoeing. My first attempt was in rented snowshoes that were definitely not built for running. I thought that it couldn't be that difficult to run 8 minute/mile pace in snowshoes for a 5-mile loop....90 minutes and two completely bloody and bruised ankles later I was hooked!

As a competitive trail runner born in Southern CA, my "runnable" training days were only limited by my passion to push exploration beyond the "next bend." I lived for the exhilaration of bagging a new peak and then bombing down a windy, flowy, single track. I love the challenge. And I love that each day in the wild brings something completely new, despite the amount of times I have traveled the same trail. But then opportunity, mixed with a deep passion for mountain pursuits brought me to Bozeman in the Fall of 2016 to open up Physical Therapy Elite. Snow was a novelty to me. I thought my outdoor trail running days were over until the Spring thaw. That is until I slid on my first pair of Atlas snowshoes (after seeing Sage hauling through the snow in a pair) and they changed EVERYTHING. I was hooked. Snowshoe racing is a perfect compliment to my offseason trail racing schedule. Trainable running days in Bozeman? 365.

Going to school in Minnesota, I found the brutal winters to be a challenge when it came to training for road and trail races. I frequently found myself injured from lacking the skill to run on ice. The monotony of the treadmill was more than I could handle for the 4-5l months of winter and snow coverage. When my teammates started snowshoe running, I was quick to jump on the bandwagon and instantly hooked! Snowshoe running provided the ability to go anywhere no matter the conditions and not worry about slipping on ice! The move from Minnesota to Colorado was an easy one, warmer winters with plenty of places to snowshoe!

Growing up and spending most of my life in the Midwest, I became well acquainted with winter. Outside of some childhood enjoyment, the season was, for the most part, something that you just had to deal with while looking forward to the warmer months. This perspective changed when I discovered snowshoe running a couple years ago. Now, I actively look forward to the changing seasons and diversity in gear that comes with taking full advantage of them. While I'd spent some time on cross country skis, and continue to enjoy them when conditions allow, I find that I’m able to get outside in a greater variety of conditions and explore more trails during the winter, now that I’ve discovered snowshoe running.

I discovered snowshoeing after moving from Las Vegas to a small mountain town. Having lived in Las Vegas for years, I was accustomed to being able to trail run year round, but when my husband and I moved to the mountain I was forced to face winter conditions and trails covered in snow. I think I Googled “how to run in snow” and came across an ad for Atlas snowshoes. A few clicks later I had my first pair. I fell in love with snowshoeing and being able to enjoy the mountains in an entirely different way. Now I take a more organic approach to my training by letting Mother Nature dictate when it’s time to transition from mountain running to snowshoeing. This approach has increased my abilities as an athlete and made me more appreciative of what the mountains can offer.

Running a trail race in NH called "Moose on the Loose" (dressed in my infamous moose suit) A woman and her daughter approached me after the race and asked A) Why are you dressed as a moose B) We think it's hilarious and C) What are your winter plans?! After explaining that they were on a snowshoe team called the Sweetie Pies I was in and the rest is history!