Living her BAÏSTLife.
Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting our BAÏSTLife Crew, which is made up of several talented athletes who push our brand to the limit and always live their BAÏSTLife. First up, is Morgan Dinsdale, ski guide and big mountain free skier, from British Columbia. She has such a huge love and passion for skiing and it is truly inspiring and motivating. Morgan claims her true purpose in life is to share her immense love for nature and the outdoors with others, which led her to her calling as a ski guide.
Want to know more? Read on and get a peek into Morgan’s life:
How long have you been skiing/riding?
I’ve been skiing as long as I can remember. Growing up in Canada it’s just a way of life. I grew up on the same tiny hill my mother grew up skiing at and it was freezing and tiny and absolutely wonderful! Orange lenses forever, viva la night skiing!What is your favorite memory of being in the snow/in nature?
I’m honestly not sure I could ever choose just one memory, I am so grateful and blessed to have so many. To choose a few... I feel in love for the first time hiking a 556km section of the Appalachian Trail and that was pretty life-altering and magical. I felt like Wendy with the Lost Boys in the woods for weeks. I’ve also had so many moments where I’ve found myself laughing and crying tears of gratitude and wolf howling in pure ecstasy in the snowy mountains. Skiing just makes me so damn happy! Running the Nā Pali Coast Trail in Kauai in a day was also one of the most moving moments of my life — it was like a gift I gave to myself where I learned I was capable of so much more than I had believed I was. I am myself when I’m in wild places. It brings out my soul and lets it shine, joyously. So. Damn. Lucky!
Describe your perfect ski day.
My perfect ski day is a long day in the backcountry skiing a couloir or something wild with my best friends under deep but stable conditions with the sun shining. I’m with my favorite adventure buddies: Caito and Joe, Kaylee, Kira, Wiggles, Joe “No One Cares You Tele” Wale, Elizabeth (and her little Wolfie) and Ari, and we’re just enjoying snack packs, laughing, being silly and being in the mountains together.How do you start each day? What does your morning routine look like?
I’m a big believer in a daily self care routine. Mine is wrapped up in the beauty of the morning. I wake up every day around 5 a.m., light a lot of candles, practice a guided meditation and yoga with some music. Tea time follows with a healthy breakfast, usually eggs and avocado or oatmeal with lots of goodies if I’m headed for the mountains. Then, I read weather maps and think about what I’ll be seeing out in the hills that day.What makes your riding style different from others?
I spent 16 years snowboarding and I also half grew up surfing in California, where my father lived for most of my life. I think when I transitioned to skiing that surf/snowboard style came with me. The fluidity of surfing really moves me and it’s how I like to think about moving through the mountains — where would the water flow, how would it bend and follow the path of least resistance. In my eyes, skiing is the most beautifully creative way to move through this world, and I see big lines as this beautiful brush stroke on the canvas the mountains give us. Isn’t skiing just the most romantic way to live life?!
Where is your favorite place to ski?
Truthfully, my favorite place to ski is wherever I can ski with my Mamma and my sister – they are my two favorite people to be on the hill with and you can’t wipe the smile off my face. This is often back home on Blue Mountain and it’s lovely and silly and playful and wonderful!What’s the furthest you’ve ever traveled to ski?
Last year, I traveled to New Zealand to ski guide in Queenstown. It was amazing!What do you do in the off-season to stay in shape?
Move. I spend a lot of my summer long distance hiking and trail running and that keeps my heart healthy and my legs feeling strong. I’m a massive believer in strength training and I try to do that year-round with a ski focus. I’m also a nutritionist and I know that a massive component of maintaining a healthy body, mind and spirit comes down to what I choose to eat and drink, so I eat clean and drink lots of water. I’m a vegan athlete and super proud of that!Do you have any wellness tips for people who want to ski on your level?
The most transformative wellness tip that has helped me is significantly cutting back on sugar intake. I used to suffer from really bad knee and hip pain and when I cut out sugar that pain goes away almost entirely. It’s amazing how inflammatory sugar is and the dangers of it. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a sweet treat from time to time, but I just love how strong I feel without sugar more! I also really recommend just skiing A LOT; the more you ski the stronger you feel, so get out on those not-so-great days and enjoy it anyways, even if it’s a grind!
You’re headed out to the hill. What’s in your pack? Tell us your five must-haves.
- A snack pack filled with kiwis, apples and peanut butter, pesto and crackers, hunks of roasted sweet potatoes.
- BAÏST Gloves otherwise my paws get cold!
- Avy gear and a radio.
- Spotify playlists downloaded. If I’m freeskiing at the mountain on a day off, I love a good beat. I imagine each song is a different ski edit and just go play around the mountain all day. Only one ear in though! Gotta be able to hear what’s around you!
- My gratitude rock. I have a small rock that I carved the initials of my family onto. Each day when I put it into my pack, I remind myself that I’m not just taking my gear with me, I’m taking them too. It’s my responsibility to be smart and safe so I can come home for them. When I get back for the day I take it out, close my eyes, and spend a moment being grateful for their love and support of this life I live.
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