Tough is probably the first word that should come to mind when you think Jenn Berg, but you could also go with compassionate, or fired up. Berg, who has been a big-name big mountain skier for years, is a contrast in terms. She un-ironically calls herself a straight-up sledneck, but says she misses the tight-knit crew of women, like Ingrid Backstrom and Jess Sobolowski, she skied with at her former home hill, Squaw Valley.

A one-time ski racer, Jenn dominated the freesking contest scene, including winning the U.S. National Freeskiing Championships at Snowbird in 2002, before quitting competing to focus on filming—she’s been in multiple Warren Miller movies, shooting photos, and working with gear companies like Mountain Hardwear.

After skiing Squaw for 10 years she transplanted to Snowbird because of the snow and the opportunities to get into the backcountry. “The thing about Utah is that everyone’s got toys, and there’s a lot of land to go play on,” she says.

Now, she’s shifted her focus to snowmobiling, big mountain skiing and mountaineering around her home in the Wasatch and abroad

“In the near future I’m heading back to Chamonix to scare myself,” she says.-H.H.

All photos shot by Heather Erson and Drew McElwee of Heather Erson Photography at Snowbird Ski Resort.