Hilaree O’Neil
A Telluride local, Hilaree grew up skiing at Steven’s Pass in Washington state. She didn’t begin skiing competitively, however, until moving to Europe in her early twenties. She began with a few European extreme contests and derbies scattered throughout the Alps. After college graduation, Hilaree followed some friends to Chamonix, France, where she intended to spend the winter—a winter that turned out to be five years long. During this time, O’Neill slowly transformed from a lift-served skier to a big-mountain, backcountry ski mountaineer. She found she had what it took for extreme skiing: athletic abilities perfectly suited for the rigors of climbing as well as skiing and a spirit of adventure that would take her to faraway places and down many first descents. When not travelling, Hilaree enjoys life in Telluride with husband Brian, son Quinn, and the many incredible adventures and training options that her home has to offer.
John Griber:
John Griber has lived within view of the Tetons for almost 30 years. “I look at the mountains every day, and they give me inspiration and strength.” That pretty much sums up John’s reasons for adventure snowboarding. It’s not the rush of competition; it’s the exhilaration and awe he feels every time he explores another peak, whether it’s in his backyard or halfway around the world. John began snowboarding 17 years ago in the demanding terrain of Jackson Hole Ski Area. It proved to be a perfect training ground, giving John the opportunity to hone his mountain skills and make many first descents. His passion for mountain adventure has taken John beyond the Tetons and to the far reaches of the globe in search of premier snowboard descents. Some of his noteworthy expeditions include: the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island, Antarctica; Apolobamba Range, Bolivia; Patagonia, Argentina; Tian Shan Range, Kyrgystan; Cordillera Blanca, Peru; Norway; Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia; and Mt. Kenya, Africa. When not traveling, John may be found guiding fly fishermen on the Snake River or spending time with his wife, Becca, and his son, Nevin.
Ingrid Backstrom
Ingrid Backstrom grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she spent her winters skiing down the nearby mountains and her summers hiking back up them on backpacking trips with her parents and two younger brothers. After graduating from Whitman College, the call of the mountains drew her to Squaw Valley, California, to put in what she thought would be a yearlong stint as a ski bum. It only took a few freeskiing contests, however, for Ingrid to realize that she had found her niche, and that she’d be calling the mountains home for a long, long time. Ingrid’s star is on a phenomenal rise, as her string of first-place titles shows. She recently won awards for “Best Female Performance” and “Breakthrough Performance” (for her segment in Matchstick Productions’ film Yearbook) at the 2005 Powder Magazine Video Awards. When she’s not skiing, Ingrid still stays outside as much a possible, running and biking to relax and keep fit. Ingrid is grateful for the opportunities that her sport brings her, especially getting to travel and ski with “amazing people around the world.”
Kristoffer Erickson
Kris Erickson frequently jokes about being the invisible man, because there are very few photos of him carving turns on remote peaks. That is not because he is taking the easy way down after a tough climb; it is because he is the unseen person, on the chin-scraping slope, behind the camera lens. For over a decade, Erickson has brought his camera to the highest points, coldest reaches, and most untouched folds of the planet’s geography. What’s more, he is not merely a shutterbug who stands idle to the side of any expedition. Instead, he tackles the same challenging mountaineering projects as the world’s other top-flight climbers, often combining his abilities to ascend difficult mountains with a love and passion for true mountaineering ski descents. This is “glisse alpinism” and, when combined with a remote photo shoot, it is Erickson’s idea of nirvana. Erickson’s romantic vision for exploration of the final frontiers and his photojournalism documenting these far-flung adventures has blended with his traditional style and ethics in climbing and skiing to capture a rare and wild side of history.
Kip Garre
Kip grew up in the great state of New Hampshire where he began skiing soon after he could walk. From cross country skiing to alpine ski racing sliding on the snow has become a passion that fuels his lifestyle and helps outline his future. Domestically Kip has worked for Shasta Mountain Guides and been a lead guide for Points North Heli-Adventure in Alaska for the past five years. Ticking off classic lines in the US like Liberty Ridge on Rainier, The Grand Teton and the Mendel in the Sierras has helped Kip train for international adventure. ” Spending a few years in Chamonix, France really taught me how to travel in the mountains, something I truly enjoy.” More recently Kip has spent time in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca and Kashmir’s Pir Panjal. When the summer comes around Kip is spending time climbing, running, biking and painting houses.
Kim Havell
From Telluride, Kim Havell is a Cloudveil, CAMP-USA, and Salomon athlete. She began her outdoor career as an alpine ski coach and transitioned into backcountry skiing and climbing, including ski and rock ascents/descents in the San Juan Mtns, guiding/skiing in the Chugach Mtns with H2O in Valdez, AK, and ski adventuring in Russia, France, Italy, Canada, Switzerland and Japan. As an eight year member of San Miguel County Search and Rescue Team, she has been certified in all facets of rescue operations. Kim is a ski model and guide for the Telluride Ski & Golf Company and a guest instructor for the San Juan Outdoor School/Field School, Carabassett Valley Ski Academy and Babes in the Backcountry. Highlights: In 2004, Kim skied remote volcanoes in Kamchatka for Skiing Magazine, and also led female ski mountaineers on Japan’s North Island, including a ski ascent/descent of Mt. Yotei-san. In 2005 she climbed Lobuche Peak and Ama Dablam in Nepal with a group of SAR athletes, and in 2007 she made a successful 2 day ski ascent/descent of the Grand Teton and Mt. Moran. In 2008, she has made four first female descents (including a 1st descent) of couloirs on the Little Wasatch Ridge in the Telluride area, and is gearing up for the team’s departure to Pakistan.
