5 Things I’ve Learned: Michelle Parker

November 5th, 2012 • BY

Parker off piste with pal Moseley

A Tahoe prodigy, Michelle Parker was up and gliding on skis before the age of two and ski racing by six. She launched her pro freeskiing career at 15 and today, at 22, Parker is a virtual film star. This season, she’s got a solid role in Matchstick Productions’ Superheroes of Stoke, a flick that celebrates the past and present heroes (including those that gave their lives for what they loved) that have made skiing what it is today. Here, we check in with this badass skier on the key things she’s learned from spending so much time on the white stuff.

On being a film star…Last season was my first winter dedicating all of my time to filming and I learned a lot about making the right line choice—going through the process of choosing a line from the bottom, studying it, and knowing exactly where you are the whole time you are skiing it. I also was very lucky to get to film alongside people like James Heim and Hoji. I’ve looked up to them for years and those guys were willing to share their knowledge with me.

On fear…I’ve learned that, for me, fear is totally mental. I will always be working on how to better control and focus my mind. Visualization and confidence in your actions can help take the fear away. Of course, there are times when you get nervous, but I believe it’s important to have 100 percent confidence in everything that you do. I never drop into a line thinking that I’m going to crash. I always drop in with confidence and a focused mind. There are for sure those moments where fear gets in the way, but learning how to control that and focus your energy towards the best possible outcome is very important.

On avalanches…I’ve learned that the human factor—with things such as ego, poor planning, peer pressure, complacency, and tunnel vision coming into play—can be a major contributor to avalanche accidents. It’s something that I’m constantly thinking about and trying to become better and better at. It’s really important to not let the human factor get in the way of decision-making in the mountains.

On passion…Through skiing, I’ve learned about health, discipline, the power of the mind, business, design, and so many more things. Most importantly, though, skiing has taught me about passion and what it means to be a passionate person. Skiing drives me and it’s built a foundation in my life that extends out to almost all aspects of my life. ‘Passion’ is one of my favorite words and favorite characteristics in humans. When someone has passion it radiates from them—it’s such a beautiful thing.

On Shane McConkey…Shane was and will continue to be one of my heroes and inspirations. He was such an incredible human being that was so filled with humor, kindness, humility, and passion. He was an absolutely amazing skier, but what I looked up to him most for was his character. Every time I hung out with Shane, it was always hilarious and so much fun no matter what we were doing. He still makes me laugh and I continue to learn about him through his wife and daughter. They are incredible individuals that instantly make me smile when I see them. I wanna be like Shane when I grow up.

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Erinn Morgan

About

After a 10-year career as an award-winning New York City-based editor launching and redesigning urban, style-driven magazines, Erinn Morgan left her downtown Manhattan digs after September 11th, 2001, in search of a less encumbered, freelance lifestyle. A life-changing, two-year-long trek around the country in a motorhome eventually landed her in Durango, Colo., which she now calls home. Her writing has appeared in numerous— More about this author →