Ellen swaps her Manitobah mukluks, designed by Haida artist Tiffany Vanderhoop, for her ski boots in the Alyeska Resort parking lot outside of Girdwood, AK. Photo: Emily Sullivan After three days of youth ski camp and climate-focused community events, Ellen and I head to the Eaglecrest backcountry for a ski tour to close out our time together in Áak’w ʫ_nIV . The ocean glimmers in the afternoon sun, and across the water, the striking peaks of Xutsnoowu ʫ_nIV (Admiralty Island) create an impressive backdrop. Ellen’s paternal village of Angoon sits on the opposite side of the island, roughly 40 miles as the raven flies. This ridgeline is an important home for Ellen. It serves as a key location for her forthcoming film and one of the first places she established a relationship with ÎIS¼_ʫ_nIV as a skier. “It’s a place that feels so incredibly special, that has watched across [the water] at these different lands through change of time, through contact and colonization, ” she says. “I’ve experienced such a wide array of emotions up there. So much of it coming from feeling what the land has witnessed and experienced.” Despite the temperature hovering around 40 degrees, the afternoon feels incredibly warm, the sun’s heat reflect-ing off the snow in stark contrast with the cold, deep blue waters below. Though we’re only 2,700 feet above sea level, the trees on the ridge are stunted—a hallmark of the alpine. Below us, the rainforest continues to awaken from the long winter. Ellen navigates the terrain with a familiar ease, tak-ing stock of where we might descend. She skis confidently through the forest, weaving between trees and airing small drops, her orange jacket a pop of color in a sea of blue and green. Her joy in this moment fuels Ellen’s energy to create change; a moment of bliss to bring everything back to the simple joy of making turns. 060 The Ski Journal
The Ski Journal Volume 18, Issue 1: Page 60
