Icelantic skis: Girlfriends, friendships, fulfillment
Connecting with girlfriends is one of the most precious experiences - and when I look around to all the corners of my life.... the long ago past or the recent days: I have made some really fantastic friends along the way. They're strong and hilarious, a little too rowdy (just the way I like 'em), they have good hearts. They're a good mix of young and old, conservative and really liberal. They take pride in taking care of themselves. In so many ways....they fuel my fire. When I connect with my girls I feel alive.
Annelise hits on this in her post below. Nourishment and laughter and how important it is to connect with the ladies. There's a strange, unspoken, sacred fulfillment that comes from female friendships. I'm so grateful to know what that really means.
Annelise Loevlie is the CEO of Icelantic.
Chilean dreams
The sun was beginning it's nightly ritual of retreat to the other side of the world, casting an electric fire on the mountain tops. The reds and oranges were setting the snow and smog of Santiago ablaze with vibrant strokes of light that no words can describe.
I had seen pictures of these sunsets but never could have imagined the power and stillness that was being delivered in that moment - everything was stopped.
After day one of hiking in search of anything even remotely skiable, we found ourselves a top McConkeys, a couloir chute named after one of skiing's greatest, who died four years ago, much too early.
There were six of us - all seemingly strangers standing on top of a mountain. None of us had skied together before, let alone in a foreign country on foreign terrain, and it was all because of an idea born on a chairlift….
Several months earlier, I was skiing in Alta, UT with a good friend who told me about an event he participated in last Summer in Chile called “The Eye of the Condor” - a unique ski photo and video competition put on by La Parva resort. Since I work and ski with mostly men (98% of the time), the idea to put together an all-women’s team to compete in the upcoming Eye of the Condor struck me, and the seed was planted.
Fast Forward 5 months and here we are, six women from five different states and two countries, standing atop our first mountain together – the beginning of our week-long adventure, not knowing what was in store for the coming days, only that we were there because something drew us there. What that was , had still to be determined…
Recognizing the fading light, we packed our gear, threw our skis on our shoulders, and continued the rocky hike on the knifes edge of the Ande, heading towards "la face", the run that we would navigate to get back into the Valley where our cozy condo was. Before long, stars began appearing and the fire began to fade. Suddenly the moon was above and we were halfway down the mountain, navigating our way through bullet proof 5 day old sun crusted snow laden rock gardens.
Sort of laughing and sort of not.
Halfway down the mountain, I stopped to wait for a couple of the girls. My nerves (which had made themselves known a couple minutes prior) had calmed, and I looked up for the first time and realized where I was.
And everything cleared.
By the time we all made it down safely, the night was black and we were beat, but buzzed from day one, and in cadence with each other, excited about the days to come. The next six days unfolded quite like the first – filled with endless motivation, determination, support, love, nourishment and laughter. If it sounds “girly”, you’re right. This was my first time ever doing something like this with a group of women and my first time ever organizing and producing anything to this caliber.
We ended up winning the video competition which was a huge feat considering our circumstances. When it all started, we were a group of strangers who had never met, worked together, traveled together, sweat together or persisted together. When the final night came and awards were given, I was shocked but not surprised to be called on stage in front of hundreds of Chilean skiers and press.
The amount of desire and genuine determination to do the “very best”, without expectation in this group of women was overwhelming and potent. I’m not sure if this is always the case, but in this situation, I’m not sure if anything could have stood in our way. So many lessons were taught and learned during this Chilean adventure, I’m still digesting it all, and probably will be for a long time.
The most outstanding as of now, however, is the lesson of focus, desire and enthusiasm. Anything is possible if you have these three elements. Even if nothing else is clear, I mean nothing, having these to fuel your path will ensure an exciting and enlightening ride, regardless. Also, a lesson in expectations. And to approach certain things with none – an empty cup as I like to say. This makes for an acute awareness of what’s unfolding – a presence, which is not present if expectations are set.
All very interesting.
And this is my perspective from the top of an Ande…
