You may have noticed our Kaki ripping up the sidecountry
this season. This 27-year old former
investment banker in New York City knew there was more to her life than moving
money around. She moved to Jackson Hole in 2010 and proceeded to demonstrate
the quintessential definition of babe-ness: epic adventure, facing fear, and
sharing the stoke!
When Kaki was a kid her family moved to Switzerland and she
learned her turns in Morzine, France.
She remembers, “back then I was always jumping, always showing off!” That spirit followed her to Jackson. She remembers her first winter here, the epic
2010 season. It didn’t take her long to
find a group of guys willing to take her OB. Her first excursions to
Sarcophagus, Mario World and into Granite were her falling-in-love moments with
Jackson Hole. “It’s like nothing else on the planet for shredding deep powder,
the most amazing, steep, fun terrain you’ll ever see. It’s so hard to get here,”
she says, “but once you’re here you find this amazing nucleus of people who don’t
want to leave, and who love the outdoors, not just at the village but skiing
the park, mountain biking, ice hockey, you name it.”
If 2010 was her education year, 2011 was her expedition
year. I have to tell you, this girl
skied Central Couloir this past winter, twice. Here’s the story.
“The first time was with Tigger, we climbed Cody and I was just
going up to watch and learn, my plan was to ski Four Shadows. When we got to
Central there were two guys there, and the first guy skied it and radioed up, ‘it’s
the best I’ve ever skied it – it’s now or never!’ And the next guy skied it
with one pole, and I thought, if he can do it I can! So I did it, I skied it,
got to the crux and it looked like a more extreme Corbetts – on a good day. And
– I just went in – it’s a double – a 10-footer then a tabletop and another
15-footer. It was soft and deep and so
worth it!”
Kaki really caught my attention at the first Babe Force ski
day. “After that first day I saw that
the Babe Force was all about blowing people’s expectations. When we all set out
I thought, ok, we’re really going to ski with 40 girls? How is this gonna work?
But it did, and when we all got to the lifts at the same time every run,
clogging up the maze with this amazing ripping fast group of girls, I knew it
was for me.”
Kaki’s favorite “progression session” this winter was putting
skis on her friend Bailey from Tennessee, who had never been on them before, and
within two hours teaching Bailey how to ski from the top of the Gondi. Kaki
says, “her smile was the exact same as a girl who had just hucked Fat Bastard
or skied Corbetts for the first time.”
This iconic Wyoming girl (and I’m a native so I can say that)
also plays hockey for the Moose and is a wrangler in the summer for the Gros
Ventre River Ranch.
Kaki said the best thing to me: “What’s I love about the
Babe Force is that it was started for all the right reasons – it’s inclusive –
those who want to inspire others are welcome. On the first ski day it was not
only following the girls who were so fast – it was the girls who weren’t as
fast, coming up to say, you inspired me – ‘cause that’s what I’ve been saying
to boys my entire skiing career – thanks for showing me how to get down the
mountain that fast and for showing me it’s possible. We girls love to ski with
the guys, but we want to ski with the girls even more.”
Congratulations Kaki, I’m honored to patch you up girl!
-Dawn
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