Chasing the endless winter, by K.C. Deane

K.C. Deane Season Edit from Scott Nikkel on Vimeo.

My name is KC Deane and I was born and raised in Sandpoint, a small town in North Idaho. My dad was a ski patroller and started me skiing at the age of 3. I think back to those early days and realize that being exposed to the mountains and skiing has shaped my life and allowed me to do things I never would have been able to accomplish. I want to give kids the chance to pursue that same dream, a chance that they might not have.

I see a lot of kids that might not have the chance I had and I think that it would be a great option other than playing sports at school as their only outlet. Not every kid wants to play basketball or soccer, and being able to go to ski school would allow more people to get involved with the sport.

Follow K.C.’s season here and at his website, kcdeane.com, and help us send disadvantaged kids to ski school this winter with the Athletes With a Cause charity program.

Some of my first memories were of skiing with my Dad and brother. Skiing quickly became a huge part of my life and took up most of my winter days. My dad would take me out of school on powder days so that I could ski and I rarely missed a good day. After the third grade I started home schooling because I missed so many days the year before that I was almost held back a grade. From then on I spent almost everyday in the mountains and skiing took over my life.

After finishing high school I moved to the Reno/Tahoe area to further my skiing career. Its hard to believe that what I have been able to do because of skiing. I have been able to travel to all sorts of ski destinations from Whistler BC, to Valle Nevado Chile. Being able to travel to these spots makes me realize how much skiing has given me and how it has shaped my life.

Traveling to South America to coach and ski was pretty cool. The kids were all from North America so it was easy to get along and get the point across. We started in Termas De Chillan and we were there for 9 days before heading to Valle Nevado. It was a pretty cool chance to see another country basically for free. And we were at Valle Nevado for another 9 days. Pretty sweet place other than the lack of trees. When it got cloudy you couldn’t see anything.

You can help K.C. send kids to ski school by making a donation.

This winter I’m going to be shooting photos and doing some big mountain comps. I am also going to be filming a series of webisodes that will come out every month, and will be based around myself, and Scotty Nikkel’s travels. I will also be doing a few stories for some magazines. This year I might be getting the chance to go heli-skiing which would be awesome. After the season supposedly ends, mine will still be going and the plan is to head to Norway to meet some fellow riders. From there we will head to Italy to the glacier and do some skiing and work on new tricks before heading back down to Chile again to coach at Evolve Chile.