cole karchner
preferred pronouns
He/Him
hometown
Durango, CO
currently resides
Red Cliff, CO
what's your day job?
Director of Sales, Weston
highest level of avalanche education
AIARE Rec 1
what's your story on finding your way to snowboarding/skiing?
I was born in Durango, CO but robbed of a western childhood when my family moved to Tampa, FL during my early years. I spent my youth dreaming about getting back to the snow, though I didn't really know what I was missing having left at such a young age. On my 12th birthday, my dreams finally came true, sort of, when my family moved to the mountains of North Carolina. We were 15 minutes from a local ski hill and without ever trying the sport I bought a snowboard setup and season pass. As you might have guessed, I fell in love with snowboarding and pretty soon the small hill I learned on was not enough to feed my addiction. I got back to Colorado just before college and up to Vail shortly after to continue chasing the dream!
Describe Your Best Powder Day in the Backcountry
One of my best days was an unexpected 20+ inch powder day in the woods of Vermont following around local friends. It was awesome to shred pow in a completely different landscape than I am used to here in Colorado. Especially with good company and more snow than I thought I'd ever see back east.
Describe A Humbling Day in the Backcountry
Humbling days are easy to come by in the backcountry. There are always lessons to be learned and many times things don't go as planned. Sometimes it's the weather, sometimes it's your strength and sometimes it's just bad luck! During one of my recent trips, it was a combination of all three. I had spent some good time planning the summit of a local peak and got a crew together to go send it with me. We got a later start than anticipated, so we were already under a time crunch. About 3/4 of the way up an unexpected storm rolled in and we had to make the tough call to turn around. We were all exhausted and felt defeated after all of the planning and effort to get most of the way up the climb. Days like that remind us that in the backcountry nothing is certain.
why weston?
Great tools for shredding, Great community of people to shred with, and great causes to shred for!
What does your quiver look like?
The Backwoods is my favorite ride for tight trees and deep days. I love The Range for all-mountain shredding when the snow isn't as fresh or when I'm feeling like being a bit more playful. For something new, I've been taking on skiing and love the forgiveness of the Summit Skis!
stance
Goofy, +15 / - 12
sponsors
All of my beer industry friends, they keep my thirst quenched.