Super Women
Photos by Todd Powell
Jody Thompson’s relaxed demeanor belies her legendary reputation as an exceptionally hardcore mountain athlete known for her ice climbing prowess, telemarking success and more.
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MONIQUE (MONA) MERRILL
THE STAR MOUNTAIN RACER
Mona Merrill is unique. Unique not just because she was raised in Third World countries, where she has stories of scorpions and snakes in her house, but unique because she can suffer in a race like no other, including most men.
Mona learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable. She recalls not having electricity for months or waiting in long lines to buy eggs and sugar and not thinking anything of it. Suffering in a race is second nature to her.
She has made the cover of the local paper more often than any other female because she wins almost every race she enters — not just the local running or mountain bike series, but even more impressive the winner of the 2007 World Champion Adventure Race in Scotland’s mountains or winning Primal Quest in Utah.
These mountain adventure races are multi-day torture sessions; race organizers purposely design courses bordering on insanity because it provides good media coverage. They are always a team event, three men and one woman, and Mona is the female on the elite Team Nike, one of the best teams in the world. One has to be incredibly strong at a wide variety of mountain sports — mountain biking, trail running, rock climbing, rappelling, kayaking, and even the occasional horseback ride.
More importantly, one has to be good at performing well after days of no sleep. She does best in the races requiring the most suffering: multiple days, averaging an hour or two of sleep a night and incredible amounts of vertical gain — sometimes 10,000 feet a day.
Long distance racing in our mountains became her forte – she has won the 24 hour Montezuma Revenge mountain bike race numerous times, but lately her newest sport is randonnee racing (uphill/downhill ski racing). And on a day off, it’s usually some epic adventure; perhaps a bike ride to the end of a road, climbing a peak, and going for another bike ride.
At 38, Mona still races hard, but also is the proud owner of Amazing Grace, the local organic coffee/breakfast/lunch shop. Now her suffering is working all day and not playing nearly as much. But give Monique a day off, and guaranteed she is deep in the range on skis or on foot.
NO ONE SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY
It is not easy or convenient to make a home in the mountains. The winters are long, the economy volatile and much of what the rest of the country takes for granted is considered a luxury here. Yet, here are four women who live where they love and love what they do, and display a beauty born from loving their lives and living it to the fullest.
An avid backcountry skier, Ellen Hollinshead skis the peaks of Summit County from October until July. She is the founder and director of the Summit chapter of the nonprofit Backcountry Snowsports Alliance.
