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Nikki LaRochelle

@niklarochelle

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“You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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I’m very happy to be here! Skimo starts tomorrow. Pray to the skimo gods for the snow to stop in Bormio. by @niklarochelle

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8 months ago

Ski mountaineering racing - a sport I’ve done for years and a sport I genuinely love. Four years ago, I Photoshopped this Olympic commentary image into existence because I overheard a guy at the airport quite convincingly say we have to manifest our dreams (!!!). Fast forward to a year ago when I sheepishly threw my hat in the application ring to become an Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) technical commentator at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics for ski mountaineering, where the sport will make its debut. After four rounds of interviews, including a trip to London this past May, I was selected. Words fail to express the shock and elation I felt when receiving this email. I am a complete novice and have a lot to learn, though offer some qualities to the work that will be helpful. Passion for the sport and familiarly with the athletes, to be sure. But also softer skills like thinking quickly on my feet, having the acumen to know when to be succinct and when to expand and an utter love for vocabulary and expression - perhaps my one superpower when it comes this space. I am as terrified as I am thrilled but know in our one little life we have to take big swings if fortune brings them our way.

As a full-circle anecdote, @rorykelly_11 , my make-believe Photoshop co-commentator, has been helping me prepare in a way that’s both generous and entirely characteristic of him because he’s a nice guy.

To kick things off, I will be commentating this weekend for the @ismf_skimo live stream broadcast at the first World Cup of the season. Quite fittingly, it's the first WC to ever take place in the U.S. at Solitude, Utah. I get to commentate with @bradjaymc, a seasoned professional whose cool-as-a-cucumber vibes serve as a nice counterpoint to my high strung, neurotic way of being. Live stream link to come. Wish me luck, sports fans! #accuratehilariouscoverage by @niklarochelle

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10 months ago

With as much grace as bowling ball bouncing down an escalator, @paddyroc follows pro @niklarochelle through a skimo crash course at @breckenridgemtn. Can he keep up and get past the awkward feeling of his skin-tight suit? Full ep at the link in bio! by @niklarochelle

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2 years ago

When I was 23, my dad died of a heart attack. He was backpacking in a remote area of Utah’s canyon country with two of his best friends. The three of them made a pilgrimage to the desert every spring and fall for over 20 years.

This past week, Brad and I went with David and Mark to the canyon where he died. We even stood where he took his final breath. This of course felt nearly impossible to do, perhaps even more so for Dave and Mark. Luckily our trip wasn’t all sad. We spent time scrutinizing Bobs’s comprehensive snack selection, primarily the Hostess Cherry Pie that has a tendency to look like a head wound.

At times I felt this all to my depth and other times I chose not to because it’s too much. I think both are okay. The natural world provides wonderful perspective, through dust and rain, storm and bloom. What a memorable trip. What a heartfelt gesture by David and Mark. What a remarkable dad I had.

“Death is not necessarily a movement away from life, but a grace through which we may move closer to life’s source.” John Philip Newell by @niklarochelle

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Here’s my artwork for the 2024 Elk Mountain Grand Traverse and the 2024 Alley Loop Nordic Marathon race posters - two iconic Crested Butte ski races. I’m biased but I like them both quite a bit! I’m psyched to race the upcoming GT with my Nordic phenomenon friend @kellhern and I’m tackling the Alley Loop 3K with my two-year-old. Both, of course, will be formidable endeavors. #spandex #bakedpotato #skiracing #ski taken in Crested Butte, Colorado by @niklarochelle

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3 years ago

“What are you training for this summer?”

“I want to do something practical like a pull up with my seven-year-old”

#pullups #49pounds taken in Breckenridge Recreational Center by @niklarochelle

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3 years ago

The two best members of our family, confidently (and successfully) breaking the “don’t wear printed patterns” to a photo session rule. #floralmeetsplaid taken in Breckenridge, Colorado by @niklarochelle

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3 years ago

‘Twas an eventful winter and spring, as I continue to calibrate life balance - the same work we’re all doing. Time in the desert will always be essential with both friends and family. Winning a bunch of thermoses with the incomparable @jessiebyoung at the @aspensnowmass Power of Four was…hefty! Brad and I finally cracked the overall podium with a third place finish at the @thegrandtraverse - a rewarding accomplishment for us. (Brad’s star-spangled USA suit - circa 2009) And time with Pen and Teagan either doing epic kid shit or just sitting in a bubble bath. Life flies by. Balls get dropped. Nothing is perfect. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Keep it simple. Experiences over possessions. Make it happen!

📷 #2 by @koz_ taken in The Wild West by @niklarochelle

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

ONE! 🥳 One year ago, baby Teagan was born! Let’s face it, newborn babies are digestive tracts with heads. Thankfully over time they progress to become sack-of-potatoes status and that’s when T$ really discovered #onecent! Once these two figured each other out, Brad and I were chopped liver. I sit and watch Teagan and wonder who she will be in this world. What a wonderful thing to be able to follow along with a new little life! Its been a joyful, sleepless, sticky path of Minnie Menace/Baby-T/Teagan Taco/Baby Brad/T$ glory! #oneyearold taken in Breckenridge, Colorado by @niklarochelle

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4 years ago

In the @thegrandtraverse race series, the Triple Crown winner is awarded to the person with the lowest cumulative time accrued between the ski, run and bike events, all spanning the 40 mile backcountry course between Crested Butte and Aspen. After the back-to-back run/bike this past weekend, I was able to secure victory, even beating all the dudes - 🤘🏽But what's more cool is that I won the (xtremely official/highly competitive) Quadruple Crown - that's when you do the Triple Crown but also birth a baby in the same calendar year! And whats ever cooler than that is @tbird_adventures won the Quadruple Crown last year, making her the OGQC winner. But what's cooler than any of this is the dude who isn’t skiing, running or biking, but floating 40 miles down the Missouri River in a pumpkin - you win, brother 🎃. #grandtraverse #pumpkin #pumpkinraft #ogqc taken in Crested Butte, Colorado by @niklarochelle

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4 years ago