Burks
WE WERE brought together to shoot a Warren Miller segment in Crested Butte in 2008 and I have to admit I was nervous. I saw her (pictured left) for the first time in a film the season before sending one of the most beautiful backflips I’d ever witnessed by a guy or girl, and then again in the “Levitation Project” film where she stomped it like she’d done a hundred before. I had heard she could throw down with the boys, drink them under the table and I figured she’d want to eat shit like me for breakfast. I was straight up afraid of her, like I am of pretty much all girls that I might have to compete against and I figured I’d probably spend the next five days cowering under a table. In the split second we met however, I knew she was not like any other person I had met before; this girl was different and it was time to ski pow!

In a matter of a few moments I realized Rachael Burks wasn’t operating from a competitive, threatened place. Without being elitist or cocky she was above all the shallow cutthroat parts that girls competing against each other can bring out and it instantly put everyone at ease, or rather in stitches. She wasn’t about to size me up and figure out how to “beat” me. She was there to play her own game, be in the moment, and laugh. Throughout the week I learned more about the girl, her motivations, and where her one of a kind attitude comes from — the heart.

Thinking more like a guy, or not thinking too much at all rather, she approached things from the right place and it inspired me enough to sit down and write about it. It didn’t take long to see that the girl is all heart. She spoke from it, skied from it, and laughed from it enough to become someone I will always look up to.

Like one of her best friends the late Billy Pool, people like these two put it all out there; they don’t hold back; they don’t live small; they don’t talk shit; they radiate pure love, truth, and an overabundance of heart. It’s for that reason that when they fall they fall hard. Billy’s death was no exception. The day she came back to the hill almost two weeks since his death, Rachael was overcome with so much fear she was paralyzed and had to leave the hill. It hit Rachael so hard she was almost ripped away from the sport she loved the most. Three weeks to the day later however, I got to watch her throw one of her signature beautiful backflips. I knew the girl was back.

I laugh so hard from her stories about being sold used ski boots four sizes too big without a clue or care for having the coolest new gear or for how well it fit for that matter. Growing up in Utah with strict parents gave her strong moral opinions and an even stronger love for BEER! Cruising Snowbird and Alta, it wasn’t long before she was taken under the wings of Billy and Julian Carr who told her she might even be pretty good if she got some equipment that fit. A few years later it shows. With a top three nomination at the Powder Magazine polls for best female segment of the year, the 26-year-old came out of no where to prove that she wasn’t just good for a girl, she was “good” period.

As an athlete she continues to push her sponsors not to distinguish between men and women’s skis so that she’s on the best possible product regardless of gender. At the same time she has the balls to say no, “I won’t risk that,” when a filmer or photog asks her to do something she’s not comfortable with.

You’re the only person on the planet when she’s in conversation with you, her intense big blue-green eyes will take in every breath of what you’ve said, respond with some of the most thoughtful words you’ve ever heard and then finish it off with a belly laugh that can be heard in the next state. An early riser, she likes to get up, read the paper, drink her coffee and use the bathroom all before eight o’clock and stopping for lunch on a powder day is pretty much out of the question. When it’s time for a beer, however the situation is serious. She appreciates brew like some appreciate fine wine, a stein of the good stuff after a long day mixed with some one-liners from the movies “Beer Fest” or “Anchor Man” makes for an entertaining après for everyone involved.

People like Rachael Burks are rare, she’s out there to enjoy every single moment and do it with integrity. Spending time with her reminded me why we started SheJumps, to celebrate the beautiful, empowering, camaraderie of what females and genuine, unselfish support can do. She reminded me that girls in a competitive situation can still empower each other; we can push each other, and as a whole we can bring new meaning of how our gender is viewed. I will forever appreciate not only being able to live out my dream of filming for one of my heroes but that this sport I love has brought me another perspective and a new friend. —Lynsey Dyer