Chris Walch didn’t strap on skis for the first time until she was 22. The Hawaii native hadn’t even seen snow until that point. But after moving to Austria to connect with her father’s native mountains, something clicked, and it clicked hard.
“Those first moments of terrifying freedom were [amazing]. I loved skiing. I was hooked. I want to keep learning how to do this,” she said in episode four of Rossignol’s Alpine Souls.
And learn, she did. Now a ski instructor at Big Sky, Walch is also the founder of the nonprofit Women of Winter, which provides support, education, and community to women of color in the mountains.
“I might not be able to change the world, but I can change the world I live in,” Walch said.
Now that’s a mantra worth reciting. Learn more about Walch and her journey in this video, then go back and catch up on the rest of the Alpine Souls series while you’re at it!
Runtime: 4 minutes
