7 year old girl navigates double black diamond no-fall zone!🏂

Описание: That first turn at the top of ‘Tunnel Vision’ chute at @kickinghorsemtn was easily the most important and high consequence turn of her life and I’m proud of but not surprised to see her safely and calmly navigate this double black diamond no-fall zone.

As we strapped into our snowboards and rode a heel edge track out CPR ridge I could see people migrate to the gondola windows as the cabs zipped by, likely wondering what a little 7 year old girl in a tutu was doing navigating the precarious ridge between the black diamond terrain that fell East into the morning light and the double black diamond terrain that fell West.

But this little 7 year old has 7 years experience and we chose to descend through this cool double black diamond chute called ‘Tunnel Vision.’💃

This actually happened a few runs prior to us heading up Stairway to Heaven and doing the longer (and equally steep) Whitewall (see previous post) on the same day and to see her tick off a couple KHMR double black diamonds in a single day is super impressive.

Runs like this aren’t just about snowboarding. It’s about descending safety by all means necessary. It’s about communication and trust building. It’s about working through fear and realizing the power of emotional regulation in high pressure moments. This is about celebrating the small moments and steps that eventually lead up to a completed picture and yes there’s even fun to be found in these sometimes daunting processes because if you’re not enjoying it and laughing at the end then why are you even doing it?

People wonder where she gets her ‘I can do anything’ mentality and it continues to be bolstered in moments like this where her fear and caution are rightfully validated but not given complete control and with some support she’s able to step just beyond what she previously thought possible.

These moments are empowering if conducted with respect and intentionality.❤️

Board/boots/bindings: @burton
Outerwear: @flylowgear
Helmets/goggles: @anonoptics