I know sappy posts are boring to read. That being said, I needed to write one:

This summer in Govy has taught me more than I could have imagined, certainly more than one post can cover. I have met so many wonderful people who have showed me so many more aspects of this industry than I ever knew existed. Every single time I think I've learned about each part of the vast industry that my life is based on, another part astonishes me and I realize that I haven't even reached the tip of the iceberg that is this ski community. I can't help but feel terribly gifted every night when I lay down and reflect on my days here. As I grow up and try to find my way in the ski world, I have begun to learn that, ironically, it has little if not nothing to do with my actual skiing. So many times we get caught up as individuals in this world because, lets face it, it's an individual sport. In reality the skiing community isn't about our accomplishments as individuals but as a family together, where we learn and grow from each other and our shared love of the sport. 

I have crossed paths with so many people who play completely different roles in the ski world. I have learned so much from you all and I am eternally grateful. This community is so vibrant and each of its members bring something new to the table. From park skiers continually pushing color coordination boundaries, to racers trying to pull the radius of an impossibly straight ski, to big mountain pros hucking themselves off of cliffs I could only dream of; the whole idea of sliding on snow brings out the kid in each of us in the best possible way. From the upper echelon of this industry all the way down to the J5, we all feel the same skiing spirit. I have truly found a family in skiing, a family that has welcomed me with open arms.

A love for the mountains and the ski life is something that I wish I could bestow upon everyone, but it seems like only a select few become fully enthralled with its magic. I guess the only thing I can do is be thankful that I have fallen head over heals in love with skiing because to say it has changed my life, would be an understatement.

"We all come from the mountains, but we are not all of the mountains. Those of us who are, we children of the wilderness, must return to it again and again, until the day we don't come back leaving only that which was touched along the way."