2019 Member Spotlight: The Powder Highway Trip

Some of you may already know that a few of us Skiyentes belong to another ski club, Mountain High. Last year there was an opportunity to sign up for a ski trip aptly named, “The Powder Highway Trip”. Several of us ladies, Nancy Pratt, Sandra Volk, Barbara Brady, Stevie Viaene, and me were all in. Sadly, Nancy had to cancel at the last minute as she had re-injured her knee in the last Pacrat race and got the creeping crud just days before we were set to leave. Unbeknown to each of us, the four of us became roomies for the bulk of our trip while staying at Panorama Village. I had the lovely experience to get to know these women as we skied the resorts of the Canadian Rockies. I would like to highlight a few of the fun facts I gathered while in their good company! BBB- Gave Barb this name because that is exactly what she is! Badass Barbara Brady! While skiing may be one of her favorite activities, she is a member of three bike clubs & is an accomplished cyclist. She rode Cycle Oregon at least 11 times! The Classic Cycle Oregon event is for riders who can complete daily rides of 70-110 miles for 6 days in a row! She swims with the River Huggers swim team in the Willamette once a week in the summer, where she also paddle boards. Even more noteworthy is that she qualified and completed in Kona, Hawaii at the world Ironman Championships!!! It is considered the most challenging one-day sporting event in the world. BBB hikes once a week, and does one multi-day trip each summer- Mt. Rainier, High Sierras, Colorado Rockies. In 2012 she summited Mt Kilimanjaro with a 19,342 foot summit. For rest, she kayaks on various local lakes. I get tired just dreaming of doing so much. In her retirement she has travelled extensively. Be sure to ask her about all this. As for her skiing, let it suffice to say she ain’t no weenie. And another thing, she loves clemetines! 12 The three S’s: Sally, Sandra and Stevie. You already had my bio earlier this year so here is a little membership info on the other “S’s”, written with pride. Sandra Volk is also a woman with determination! I noticed a few markings on her leg and inquired the meaning of her tattoos. She said they were for the number of marathons she had completed. Sandra coyly explained that she had run out of room as she has completed many more, maybe 25! She is responsible for our new sponsorship in Pacrat, Secret Ardvark. It is an awesome hot sauce that comes in three varieties. Sandra is racing with the Racy Brats, alongside Sally & Stevie. Her work as a RN for Kaiser keeps her busy as a bee during the week but she gets outside to recreate as often as possible. Stevie Viaene is a passionate athlete who formerly coached High School racing for Tigard High School and at times Aloha High School. She met her husband, Kevin, while instructing at Timberline Ski School. You’ll have to ask her about that chance meeting! That’s all I’m gonna say about that. Many of you know her as team captain of the Racy Brats. While in Mountain High she was team captain for many years of the Frosted Flakes. Stevie also did five years of Cycle Oregon. She keeps fit by chasing her two Portuguese Water Dogs daily as she trains with them for conformation and agility. Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. Most recently she is adding Water Work skills and Trick Dog to the mix. You can only imagine the intense bond between her and her award winning dogs. Our ski season ended so abruptly., I was just feeling like my ski legs and confidence had returned. Hope I get the chance to ski with you soon, or next year for sure! Photos from top: Skiyente Chicks in Canada, Sandra, Stevie and Nancy Pratt; Courtesy of Prez Sally.