“It all began with a photo of my uncle. In the picture, he’s standing atop a 13,770-foot peak with a beaming smile and his arms stretched high above his head in triumph. I came across this picture about a year ago, and it stirred something in me. I, too, wanted to climb Wyoming’s Grand Teton and experience the magic of one of North America’s mountaineering classics.

I didn’t just want to climb the Grand, though — I wanted to ski down it too.”