Tania Awalegaonkar
Contributor
- Title: Contributor
- Email: Tania.Awalegaonkar@gmail.com
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Social Media Links
- Pronouns: She/Her
Expertise
- Topics of Expertise: Snowboarding
- Years in This Expertise: 23
Experience
Tania Awalegaonkar’s path to snowboarding and writing for GearJunkie can be traced back to her Appalachian roots. Having been raised by two immigrant parents in rural Virginia, she wasn’t exactly privy to the budding world of snowboarding in the 90s. However, things changed after she was gifted an impromptu snowboard lesson at the not-so-local hill of Wintergreen Resort, VA. Despite the minimal snowfall and long commutes of most mountains south of the Mason-Dixon line, Awalegaonkar found herself diving into the sport and culture of snowboarding through whatever means available, including reading magazines, watching films, learning about gear, and even playing Shaun White Snowboarding on GameCube way too often.
Awalegaonkar’s continued zest for the sport led to her roles as the women’s snowboard team captain at her college and as an instructor at the hill where she learned to snowboard. Once graduated, she moved to Oregon to work at High Cascade Snowboard Camp, where she became even more entrenched in snowboarding. This prompted her to pursue a boot-fitting & snowboard sales position at Evo-Portland to expand her knowledge of gear further. After pursuing her graduate degree at the University of Utah, Awalegaonkar now resides in Salt Lake City, UT. Since living there, Awalegaonkar has acquired a few more hobbies, including rock climbing, mountain biking, and standup paddleboarding, to bide her time for the winter season.
Though full of adventure and tomfoolery, Awalegaonkar’s story also comes with many challenges, mainly from feeling underrepresented within the industry. Her South Asian body type is rarely recognized in outdoor sports, and the gear follows suit. After many tearful dressing room experiences trying on kits, she is determined to improve body inclusivity within outdoor spaces. As such, she has since become a brand ambassador for Coalition Snow, a woman-owned ski & snowboard brand, using her position to advocate for more diversity in outdoor sports. She has also been a product tester for brands such as The North Face, Black Diamond, Trew Gear, and Alpine Parrot.
As a GearJunkie contributor, passionate snowboarder of 23 years, and a larger-bodied woman, Tania Awalegaonkar reviews products to provide insight to others like her and further improve access to gear for people of all sizes.
Career Highlights
- Modeling on-snow for The North Face winter 22-23 extended-size outerwear line
- Winning SheJumps Scholarship for free AIARE I certificate course through Northwest Avalanche Center
- Hosting body-image and food workshop through We’re All Mental non-profit
- Attending annual Soy Sauce Nation Stir Fry event at Boreal Mountain, CA since 2022, an event that highlights Asian-Americans within snow and skate culture
- Mentoring for at-risk youth through Burton Chill Foundation at Powder Mountain
- Backcountry snowboarding in the San Juan Mountains
- Backpacking the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayan Mountains
Education & Certifications
- Education: Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia. Masters in Physician Assistant Studies, University of Utah
- Certifications: AASI Level 1, ACLS, CPR, AIARE 1
- Club or Association Memberships: Fat Senders. Color the Wasatch. RAR. Part Time Babe Club
- Awards or Recognitions: Activism & Social Service Award – University of Utah Physician Assistant Program 2023. SheJumps AIARE 1 BIPOC Scholarship 2021
- Previous Publications: Snowsports in Bigger Bodies
A Word from Tania
Hailing from eastern Virginia, thigh-deep snow and pow slashes were never part of my childhood outdoor experience. However, it only took one trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to know I would be snowboarding for the rest of my life. Since then, I’ve been dabbling in various roles within snowboarding, such as boot fitting, snowboard instructing, managing injuries at summer snowboard camps, and now product reviewing for GearJunkie while working as a PA (Physician Assistant). My interests include in-resort and backcountry snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, backpacking, mental health, fitness, and social justice advocacy.
