Ingrid Backstrom

If you saw me skiing at 16, you never would have believed I’d become a pro skier. I skied timidly, in control, and on the ground at all times, despite my coaches’ best efforts to get me to go off jumps. Looking back, I think all the times I skied around the jumps—or absorbed them to get as little air as possible—helped build up my mental and physical strength and confidence. So often our society prioritizes risk-taking, pushing it, peer pressure and a sort of eff-it, loose cannon attitude. But for me, I think being a wimp for so long, saying no, and ignoring the external pressure helped me build confidence and intuition until I was ready. I wrote more about this on my Substack this week; the link is in my you-know-where. 🎥: Push by @mspfilms

This is my second run of the 2010 FWT contest at @palisadestahoe . The first run, thankfully not shown, I had been terrified to compete (since I was the one filming with @mspfilms at the time I wanted to show I was worthy!) and had picked a mediocre line and skied it even worse. I was in the back of the pack heading into the second run so I just figured what the heck, I’ll ski something just for fun, just for myself. I had seen Shane McConkey hit this air, and knew it had a high GNAR score in the Squallywood book by @robbgaffney , of which I had a signed copy and studied nonstop at the time. The rollover is major and intimidating and it took me a while to get down to where I could even see the takeoff, let alone the tiny landing. I tried my best to ignore the crowd and just focus on whether or not I could do this. I took my time and inched down until I knew I had it, took a deep breath, and dropped. The landing was super smooth and felt like I didn’t even take off—the best kind. Thanks to Robb for showing what was possible, in skiing and in life. My memories of Tahoe and this community are so amazing and a huge part of who I am today. ❤️

For a long time in my ski career, when people I worked with would ask if I wanted to have kids, I would say “I’m not sure, I’m leaning towards maybe not.” Which wasn’t a lie exactly but it wasn’t the truth. The truth was that deep down I knew I hoped to have a family one day but I didn’t dare admit it to myself, let alone to anyone in the ski industry. To me at that time, something so simple as wanting kids seemed too basic, too predictably feminine, not badass, not hot, totally not cool and definitely career-ending. Despite being raised by a badass skier mom and knowing lots of other amazing moms who skied (like @jessaktahoe , @jennberg_ and @wendyfisher , to name a few), at that time I couldn’t see a viable path for me to be both a mom and a professional skier. If I could go back in time I would tell this version of myself two things: —sweet dance moves! sick one-piece! buy some bitcoin & sell it in November of 2021! 😉 —listen to yourself for what you want and go after it. Don’t feel like you have to squeeze into preconceived ideas of what is available to you, no matter if it’s cool or not. Footage from Claim by @mspfilms

While winter in the western US might have been a bit of a letdown, ski season in South America begins in 6 weeks⛷️ Come join our 22nd annual Superstars Ski Camp at @skiportillo Chile August 15-22 with coaches: @mikedski @ingridbackstrom @elysesaugstad @codytownsend And me, @steepskiing This all-mountain ski camp is geared towards advanced skiers looking to expand their skiing horizons through focused coaching and skills acquisition both off-piste and on. Camp@is $3400 per person plus hotel stay. We have 15 spots still available for 2026 DM for more details or hit my site, chrisdavenport.com #skiing #skiportillo #summerski #superstarscamp

I got invited to @skiweltwilderkaiserbrixental , Austria, earlier this winter for @visitaustria , so of course I immediately asked if I could bring my family and they said yes– it sounded too good to be true! #ad In Austria, there’s a term called “lebensgefuhl,” which translates loosely to awareness of–or attitude towards– life. It is evident in everything from the food to the partnership between farmers and ski areas to the family activities to the miles and miles (ahem, kilometers and kilometers) of well-tended pistes, to the people and the hospitality, all geared towards full enjoyment and being in the present. The kids picked up on it naturally, because in Austria, “I think they just want you to have a good time.” Vielen dank, Austria—we can’t wait to come back! #feelaustria #lebensgefühl #skiAustria #skiwelt

Ahhh, the sights and sounds of spring in the big mountains…always a wild time in April chasing this elusive feeling, watching the weather and hoping things line up. When it all comes together it’s truly like nothing else. @thenorthface @thenorthface_snow @alaskaheliskiing @girosnow @volklskis #asmr #ski #alaska

The iconic @thenorthface Base Camp Duffle has been enabling exploration for 40 years, and I’ve been lucky enough to get to drag, pack, hump, and haul these puppies to the places of my wildest dreams. I still have every single bag, even ones that are 22 years old, and I still use them all. Here’s to the next 40 years of adventure, exploration and duffle shuffles! 1. 📸: @jimmychin from our ski descent of Reddomaine Peak, China 2. 📸: @whitphotography from Baffin Island 3. @jimmychin , Chengdu post-expedition 4. Denali LZ 5. On the Baltoro Glacier, Pakistan 6. Duffle stack, China 7. All the most important stuff, aka peanut butter and coffee. @giuliamonego in China, photo by @jimmychin @thenorthface_snow

It’s time to send it back to Japan with the Japanese Godfather of freeskiing @tatsuya_tayagaki Tatsuya teaches us about Omotenashi - the Japanese philosophy of wholehearted, selfless hospitality - and how sustainability is already engrained in Japanese society. Japanese snacks will also be discussed. 🇯🇵🍫 Listen where you get your podcasts or links to Spotify, Apple, and YouTube in our bio. Please review, like, and subscribe! #allmountainpodcast #climatechange #skiing #sustainableskiing #mountainculture

I’ll happily clean up after your tracks anytime! Just call me. @thenorthface @thenorthface_snow @girosnow @volklskis @dalbelloboots @markerproducts @alaskaheliskiing

Back to our usual frothy shenanigans today at @stevenspass with the best tree skier @suzannebrydges

When the perfect combination of cold temps and humidity conjures sparkly flakes out of thin air and every thing feels right. Magical mountain moment captured by @annethene at @alaskaheliskiing @thenorthface @thenorthface_snow @volklskis @girosnow @dalbelloboots @markerproducts With @kooshpow @vasu_sojitra @emilyxchilds @tatummtat ✨

How it started ➡️ how it’s going. First video: Nine winters ago we went to @revelstokemtnresort when our oldest was 9 months, to film for Lineage by @powdermagazine and @hennievj . We went to 23 ski areas in the western US and Canada over six weeks of road trips to document our quest to find the top 25 lift-accessed lines in North America, along with a baby, a dog, my parents, and some incredibly patient filmers, including Hennie and @mediabadboy and @annethene . It was my personal attempt to prove to myself and everyone else that I could keep skiing and filming after becoming a mom, and I would not recommend it to any new parents! 😅 Of course we all want to get back to doing what we love after big life changes but looking back I can imagine there are probably more chill ways to go about it! Last week we got to go back to @revelstokemtnresort to shoot family skiing for @thenorthface_snow , a different type of skiing in different conditions, and I can’t believe that we have a ten year old now (plus her younger sister!) and get to do fun stuff like this as a family. It’s still not chill! But it’s the absolute best. Growing up my parents always told me that “Skiing is what we do as a family,” and I’m learning more and more that, while it’s not easy for many reasons, it’s so worthwhile when we can make it happen. Time as a family outside, learning how to fall and get back up, new friends and fresh air and snacks—all the things that I learned growing up that I now get to impose upon my kids—aka Forced Family Fun, as my friend Katie calls it 😜—that’s what it’s all about. 🎥: @hennievj @mediabadboy 📸: @jimdelzer @revelstokesnowboardfamily Special thanks to @katydberg @colepates @masonyost_ @m_sangy @gabrielladl and everyone on the crew for being extra amazing.