Skiing icon Ingrid Backstrom on breaking down barriers
Reporter Megan Ratcliffe caught up with the pioneering ski icon, who reflects on a life spent going big on the slopes, and passing along her passion to the next generation.
Ingrid Backstrom was 12 years old when she first faced the icy slopes of Crystal Mountain as a downhill racer. Three decades later, she skis professionally, descending down the extreme hills of places like Alaska and Palisades at Tahoe. The icon of female big-mountain skiing has also starred in more than 20 ski films, advocates for snow safety, has big-name sponsors such as the North Face and Völkl, and is a mother of two.
As she gets ready for the upcoming ski season at her home in Leavenworth, Washington, Backstrom reflects on her career as a professional big-mountain skier, a style of extreme skiing that focuses on steep and rigid terrain.
In a sport that is traditionally male-dominated, Backstrom aims to reverse that as a vocal advocate for females in the sport. One of her motivations involves promoting safety — the culture of extreme skiing has traditionally embraced unnecessary risk.
“For so long, I tried to stay silent and blend in, and I thought that it was the right thing to do and to not draw too much attention,” said Backstrom. “But I learned that every member of the group is really important, even the least experienced because it’s everyone’s job to ask questions and to think about the decisions they’re making.”
Avalanches are a risk that come with big-mountain skiing, and education on how to avoid and prepare for them is important to Backstrom. She is the co-founder of S.A.F.E A.S (Skiers Advocating and Fostering Avalanche Snow Safety), an avalanche safety clinic designed toward women. She plans to teach Level 1 and Level 2 avalanche training this winter.
Backstrom’s passion also includes getting more people, especially women, excited about the sport.
“It was also about changing that macho culture,” she said. She has grappled with that issue throughout her career. “It was very much built on exclusivity and coolness…It’s changing a little bit, where more types of people can celebrate the fun of it.”
As a pioneer in the sport, Backstrom speaks with authority. Her numerous accomplishments including being is the first woman to be featured on the cover of Powder Magazine, placing first at the Canadian Freeskiing Championships in 2004, being awarded the Best Female Performance and Reader Poll Favorite at the Powder Awards hosted by Powder Magazine from 2005–2009, and being voted Fan-Favorite at the ESPN X games. She was also featured as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Action Sports in 2013.
Despite her high profile and impressive resume, competition is less of a priority for her than having fun.
“I try to make it first and foremost about the skiing and tell my story and not try to tell people how to do it and how to be,” Backstrom said. “This is one story, and there’s a lot of different stories out there that I want people to be able to hear and listen to.”
Reporting by Megan Ratcliffe, for the Reynolds School at the University of Nevada, Reno.
