Welcome to Alpine Dreams

I’ve been trying to post something for months to put Alpine Dreams into the world, but it’s taken even longer to figure it out for myself. It’s not too dissimilar to Cascade Endurance, but it’s more an overall state of mind. It’s the umbrella under which all of my work resides, combining the various compartments of coaching, bodywork, and writing practices.

What if training was a creative act where what you do daily supports being in the alpine doing whatever it is you love in that zone, and also the way to bring the connected feeling of the alpine into your everyday life, whether you’re sitting at the computer or out on a run? That’s what I want. And what if everything is training? What if running, skiing, and being in the mountains is a form of expression, just like art, music, or anything else? What if you can find that feeling of connection through bodywork and/or art? I think you can and I think we do.

I fell in love at first sight with Montana where, at seventeen, I wanted everyone and anyone to be able to experience the beauty and awe that comes from being in the wild. I majored in Environmental Studies in an effort to convince people to save the natural world I loved so dearly. I ditched my backpack and began running in one day what I used to travel in several and stumbled into the sport that fit me perfectly. Then I fell into massage, realizing we can’t experience the outer world without first experiencing our own bodies. I focused my massage practice on injury treatment and sports massage, only to find that there was a missing link between sport and health. I expanded to endurance coaching and personal training to try catching people before they were injured on my table. As I’ve coached people for nearly two decades now, it’s become apparent that training is much broader than workouts. Through bringing creativity back into my life, I’ve realized I’ve been doing the same thing all along: trying to find connection with myself, nature, and the larger world. Running, bodywork, and art (in the most expansive sense of the word) are all avenues through which to be in the landscape and become more present in our lives.

Here you’ll find art classes, writing workshops, guest teachers, and musings on all of the above topics, and more. Check out what’s already on the docket!

A huge thank you to the talented artist and athlete Michael Hutchins who read my mind when he created this beautiful picture to capture the feeling of Alpine Dreams. It truly is perfect.

By the wonderful mountain artist in all forms Michael Hutchins.