Amie Engerbretson

What was your very first skiing memory? My life skiing began before my memory lucky for me! I have video of me skiing the rope tow at Squaw Valley for the first time when I was 10 months old! I of course don’t actually remember that. My earliest memories must be just skiing with my dad at Squaw. I always just wanted to follow him everywhere!

What big goals or aspirations do you have currently? Right now my biggest goal in skiing is to produce a female ski film. There are a lot of nuts and bolts to get into place but I think I can do it! Beyond that I am always working on my skiing and my soul. A lot of my challenges surround fear and managing it so I am constantly striving to improve my confidence which then helps me on all fronts.

What's your favorite rest day activity? Sleeping in and yoga! A lot of times I have to get up crazy early, so when I have the chance to sleep in, I take it! I also do a lot of yoga in the winter just to keep things stretched and balanced.

Biggest inspiration? Other women, all of them. It is an exciting time to be a woman and there are so many amazing females doing amazing things in skiing and other sports. I also have to say my dad. He instilled a love of skiing and the outdoors in me, he is hard worker, he is honest and he has a great heart.

What would be your dream ski trip? Anywhere with good snow and good people. It is hard for me to put specifics on my favorites because really if you have the key ingredients of good people and good snow, kinda like butter and wine, anything will be great!

Favorite on the mountain snack? I love to have a snickers with me in the backcountry. It is actually similar calories, sugar and protein to a lot of sport bars but it tastes way better! I put one in my long underwear on the hike up so that at the top I have a perfectly warm delicious snack! Let's be real, nothing is worse than a cold snickers...

Tell us a bit about the Tahoe scene and what it's been like for you. Tahoe is an amazing place and I am lucky to have grown up there. It is definitely a community where everyone knows everyone and supports each other. Sometimes I feel like half the people I bump into at Squaw say they babysat me as a kid. It is funny now because there are a lot of ski photos of me around town, at the resorts, in the mags and in the papers. A lot of times people will ask if they know me and say I look familiar. I usually smile because the reason I look familiar is I am stalking them on every piece of ski media they see!

What is your proudest line to date? My first line I ever skied was called Pyramid in Alaska. I had no warm up and had no idea what I was getting into. We weren't filming yet so there was no pressure and I just had a ton of fun! It was by far the steepest and biggest line I had ever stood on top of at that point. It is also an Alaska classic so it is read to claim it as my first!

What's your current get psyched jam? My current favorite jams changes basically every hour but I can always count on Cher to get me pumped for a day or to wake me up on a long road trip.

How has growing up skiing with your dad shaped you?I would say that the who I am as a skier is because of my dad. He was a pro skier when I was little and watching him chase a dream was inspiring. What was even more inspiring was when he gave me the space and encouragement to chase my dream. Not all parents would be as psyched as my dad was when I told him after college graduation that I was going to be a ski bum!

What's in a normal day for Amie Engerbretson? It depends. Sometimes I am up before the sun, doing something fun, sometimes hard, sometimes scary! Sometimes I am in an exotic location being followed by cameras and being treated like a princess. Other times I am just at my computer in my sweats just working away. It is a mix and I think that is why I love this lifestyle.

Have you had any scary moments in skiing? If so, how do you overcome those?- I have. A couple years ago I was fully buried in an avalanche in Utah. It was really traumatic and I had a couple other close calls soon after that made it even harder to cope. I ended up seeking help and went to a trauma counselor which completely changed things for me. Now my strategy to be open and honest about what I have been through, what my fears are and how to cope with them.

How do you Rumpl?I Rumpl all the time! I have my down puffy in my car at all times. It is great for when I get off the hill and want to wrap up in something warm and dry, or for when I get out of the cold river and need to warm up. It is also great for crashing on couches knowing I always have something that is comfy! My Rumpl comes with me to the beach, to the dessert, to concerts and up mountains!