“Sh*tshow” signs with The House, Becomes First Female
I was on a plane to Denver, headed to SIA 2014, leafing through the pages of the January ’14 issue of Powder Magazine. I stopped on an article entitled “Punk Rock.” The black and white photo of a sunglass wearing, messy haired mountain gal jumped out at me like an athletic version of Patti Smith. It screamed attitude. I read the four page article quickly, then re-read it. Alex Taran’s story of a life as wandering youth, ski adventurer, and entrepreneurial ski philanthropist was captivating. It became apparent that Alex Taran was and is a soul skier, one who finds deep connection in the mountains and a deeper understanding when she skis.
While getting coffee at SIA I started chatting up an auburn haired gal with a septum piercing. We exchanged tales of Ski Patrolling, skiing powder, and acting like goofballs at every moment, appropriate or not. Her story seemed familiar.We introduced ourselves, swapped business cards, and as the outgoing woman walked away I looked at hers: Alex Taran. Fate has a pretty funny way about it. From there phone calls, emails, and text messages began. I gained a look behind the curtain and my inkling of Alex’s passion was solidified through our conversations, which would start sitting in a chair and end with me waving my hands, jumping up and down, and whooping, hollering, and laughing. We now refer to them as our stoke sessions, very similar to the conversations I have with friend and House Team Rider Garrett Russell.
Alex Taran is a woman unlike any I have ever met and a skier who’s passion is so palpable it’s contagious. Lovingly nicknamed ShitShow by her Snowbird Ski Patrol family, Alex is a force of nature. She created the South American Beacon Project, travels the world to ski epic lines (right now she is on a volcano in the Bering Sea), guides in the Ruby and Andes Mountain Ranges, champions skiing as saving her life, and refers to the mountains as her classroom. That’s who Alex Taran is, a badass ski mountaineer with a heart ablaze, ready to lean into what’s next. She is the first female skier to join The House Team, the benchmark for passion, the epitome of the best parts of skiing.
“As soon as I could walk at the age of 18 months, in a snowy field in Montreal, Quebec, my dad strapped red plastic skis to my snow boots and therein began the journey. After moving to the United States and spending several years skiing in Squaw Valley, I moved to Snowbird, Utah. I have endless winter year round based in the southern hemisphere out of La Parva, Chile.
As a skier I enjoy Big Mountain Freeskiing and also more technical Ski Mountaineering lines. (Blog)
I work as a ski guide in Chile as well as in the Ruby Mountains, A Ski Patroller at Snowbird, run the biggest avalanche education organization in Chile (SABP), teaching avalanche classes both in the northern and southern hemisphere.
I’ve been featured on Television, in Magazines, Advertisement, Online and Film. Please see the Media Page.” — alextaran.com
Competition Results:
Photo Video:
1st Place 2012 Eye of the Condor. Santiago, Chile
3rd Place 2012 Salt Lake Shootout. Salt Lake City, Utah
Freeskiing:
6th Place 2013 Freeride World Tour Qualifier (Subaru Freeride Series)
Snowbird, Utah
7th Place 2011 Chilean Freeskiing Championships (Freeskiing World Tour) Arpa, Chile
10th Place. 2010 Argentinian Freeskiing Championships (Freeskiing World Tour). Las Lenas, Argentina
8th Place. 2010 South American Freeskiing Championships (Freeskiing World Tour). El Colorado, Chile
5th place. 2009 South American Freeskiing Championships (Freeskiing World Tour). La Parva, Chile
