Introducing Jessica Silverman, one of our newest Adventure Scholars.
In her biography/introduction, Jessica writes: I am taking a gap year(s) from a psychology-philosophy degree at the University of Vermont to chase the whims of adventure. Dreams that have captivated me from such a young age are becoming closer and closer to being a reality.
Over the past year, I have stood in places I’ve never thought I would stand. My skis have cruised down slopes I assumed I’d only see in pictures. This past year I have spent traveling, taking my passions for the mountains to the Rockies, Tetons, Himalayas, and Southern Alps. I have progressed in the backcountry, both in the art of ascent and the art of descent.
At the forefront of this call for adventure lies the most formidable goal yet: skiing the quintessential lines of backcountry Alaska. [In mid-March, Jessica traveled to the Chugach Mountains of Valdez, Alaska for a 10 day ski touring adventure, funded in part with a Flyin Ryan Adventure Scholarship.] This trip combines everything I love about the art of skiing: its raw, intense, its high consequence, and its completely untouched by the fingerprint of society.
This season I have partnered with Coalition Snow. They are an all female ski company, whose mission is to ignite of revolution of female skiers and riders to stand up and break down the ‘shrink-it, pink-it’ paradox that has plagued the ski industry for far too long. Part of going to these remote mountains, and skiing these big lines, is to see if I can do it, but the other part is to show other people that they can too. The goal of this trip specifically, and going forward in general, is to build camaraderie amongst women, to empower women to believe in themselves and trust each other.