Connor Koch

// YOUR BODY IS GEAR • For Arc’teryx mountain endurance athlete Connor Koch, fitness is more than strength—it’s a lifeline, a discipline, and a gateway to life’s deepest meaning. In the thin margins of Montana’s wilds, his physical and mental ability is a cornerstone for survival, exploration and purpose. • #alwaysready #bemtntough #staydangerous

Merritt & Cleveland. Single push with @cfirer . “Earth teach me humility, as blossoms are humble with beginning.” @arcteryx #arcteryx #mountainrunning #glaciernationalpark #montana

“I’ve long dreamed of standing atop the Grand Teton in winter. I climbed this peak on my 25th birthday. Again, after hip surgery. Stared at it across the valley from the summit of Gannett Peak, and from many plane flights between my old home of Denver and my new one in Bozeman. What a majestic and unattainable summit, Grand indeed, guarded by a burly approach, technical ice, and big mountain terrain. With conditions looking prime for climbing, @sam_saarel and I packed up the truck and drove down to Jackson, climbing through the night and into the steep ice as sun broke over the Tetons. When everything goes right in the mountains, even the biggest days can feel smooth, and we soon found ourselves booting the East face while ravens circled overhead. With encouragement from some friends in the upper Chevy couloir, we mustered up the energy for the summit push, enjoying the pinnacle to ourselves amidst swirling clouds. Breathing deeply, we clicked into our skis and edged into the void.” First image @erichroepke Images 2-4, 10 @sam_saarel

I did an epic podcast with @conkoch , actually we did two… We recorded a few months ago and ended loosing the SD card, which worked out because the conversation on this episode was even better. @conkoch has a fascinating story and over the last few months has become a great friend. Really cool to hear is story and also see him getting into hunting.

I’ve been wearing the bird since 2019. Crazy what can happen with a dream and hard work. It all started with a dumb trip idea: @jonnymorsicato and I would quit our jobs and road trip across the west, climbing sandstone until our fingertips rubbed off. Before walking in to our first meeting with Arc’teryx, I stopped Jonny outside the store and said just smile and nod, brother—we’ve got this in the bag. We left with 2 jackets, 2 pants, 1 pack, and $200. Highway robbery! We did the dang thing, maybe took the dirtbagging a little bit too seriously, skipping showers just for the cred. Getting busted sneaking into hot springs and abusing all-you-can-eat buffets along the I-15 corridor. Sushi and burritos were living in fear! And us? We were living in bliss. We leaned heavily into fast, technical mountain travel right as the pandemic kicked up, and it was a rocket ship from there. I could fill a book with all the adventures, another 10 with thanks and gratitude for all the people that made this journey possible. @summit_fever , love you forever brother. All the folks who have supported my unlikely path as a full time athlete and ambassador, thanks for indulging me. For believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Lots of people hit me with the “must be nice,” but I will never forget the personal and professional sacrifices I made to pursue mountains with all my heart. Left an 80k job in the dust. Bad breakups. Rough injuries, low checking account balances. It ain’t glamorous, or as a friend put it after watching me break my hand in an avalanche, “It ain’t golf!” But it was beautiful and full and I always felt alive. Every 14er in the Lower 48. Gannett, Cleveland + Merritt, Granite, Rainier, GFT. Multisport mega failures, first descents in the AK Range. Volcanoes in Mexico. Swimming in lakes and way too much coffee. Some storms you would just not believe. Lots of windshield time. All of it was worth it and more, every damn penny, a chapter that will serve as the foundation for the rest of my life—my real life, which I suspect is just beginning. Love you all. Gonna go cry and run up a mountain for the love of it. This body is not a temple but my mind sure is.

Desert magic 🌵 @arcteryxutah Production @missionranchstudios Stills @nicole.giampietro Motion @sam_saarel Direction @chasedeop

Lessons from the mountains 🦅

Spring powder hunting in Montana, in the season that keeps on delivering. Backcountry skiing in Montana is a labor of love, often requiring long approaches, character-building bushwhacks, and uphill exits. But if you know where to look and when to strike, the payoff is immense. My ski of choice nearly every day this season has been the @momentskis Deathwish Tour 104, a ski that feels like an extension of my legs at this point. From overhead cold smoke to steep and variable, it’s the one that gets it done. 📷 @sam_saarel #momentskis #backcountryskiing #arcteryx

It’s easy to get carried away with hyperbole, but the recent storm cycle in SWMT was truly all time and certainly the best period of sustained deep snow I’ve ever skied. After two rough driving days from the California coast to Bozeman, @cfirer and I kicked things off with a 10k day of video game bluebird pow, and things just never slowed down. Best of all, I had the opportunity to share it with many partners, including perennial stalwarts, new ski friends, Stetson, and of course my lovely lady, who braved the cold second half of the cycle for fresh turns. Backcountry skiing is perhaps the most absurd, frivolous, and joyful activity in my life. I value it immensely, largely because I can still remember quite clearly teaching myself to ski at 22 years old. I could blame my “One More Lap!” philosophy on a snow-deprived childhood, but the truth is that I just love skiing with all my heart, and the day I turn down another powder run is the day I start getting old. Many times this cycle, I espoused that I could ski low angle pow for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. Fortunately, I won’t have to test that theory - like everything, fresh snow is temporary and soon enough it’ll be time to step into steeper terrain. Anyway, I’ll let the snow speak for itself. Here’s 20 from the storm and the sunny days in between. @arcteryx @momentskis @folkrm.mtn @camp_usa

@conkoch is on the pod for episode 58 ! We had an absolute blast chatting it up on all things mountain running, climbing & skiing Connor spoke all about his racing experience at the @telluridemountainrun , some of his projects from last winter - including skiing the grand, as well as projects from years past. Connor is a real one. And it was such a privilege getting to help tell his story. Get it at the link in the bio above ☝️ 📸 Mike Thurk @mthurk

@conkoch was confident that he could safely ride his chosen line but instead was swept into a rock wall by an avalanche. “[Rocky Talkies] were truly instrumental in communicating with my partners after the avalanche and getting me up out of the couloir safely.” Thank you to Connor for sharing this story with us, as we wish our community a safe winter season in the backcountry.

Last summer, @cfirer and I managed to climb Mts. Cleveland and Merritt in a single push, standing on the high point of @glaciernps and staring into Canada as clouds and golden light swirled around us. It felt like we had found the center of the universe. When days this like come together, it can take some time to really absorb the experience. It’s easy to share facts and details, more difficult to distill 20 hours of moving time into a single takeaway. Maybe that’s the point - over time, the details fade, but the feeling remains as clear as ever. For me, the feeling is always one of being alive, of singing a song from the heart. With the recent passing of my friend and teammate @michaelogardner , I’m thinking even more than usual about whether a life in the mountains is, in Mike’s own framing, “Worth the Weight.” My cover story for @glaciermountaineering brings me one step closer to answering that unanswerable question. I’m proud to share “Earth, Teach Me,” available in print across Montana. Thanks, Mike, for shining a big light. Charlie, for another perfect day in the mountains. Arc’teryx, for the gear and endless support. And my adoptive grandfather, for whom this story was written. With infinite love and gratitude 🦅 _____ #glaciernationalpark #montana #writing #climbing #mountainrunning