The Family That Skis Together
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The Tele Mike V-Team Vlog
This VLOG is dedicated to the families that ski together and the heartfelt familial connections that are forged in snow and ice. I always thought that I would be a fantastic father for a daughter to raise in the mountains in addition to my son who is quickly outpacing my ability to keep up with him on the mountain. But alas, a daughter was not in the cards for me. So I did the next best thing which is to be “Uncle Tele Mike” to Tianna Terrell.
Good sistah Tianna is the daughter of my main number one backcountry partner, Karl Terrell. Even in his 60’s, Karl is made up of Terminator parts. With Karl growing up in Colorado, he is not as much of a skier as much as he is a reincarnated Buffalo Soldiers who also hunts, fish, ride horses, drives snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and moves through the backcountry mountains as if it is his childhood neighborhood backyard. Because it is!
Tianna’s mother, Desi, is a ripping skier in her own right, ex-D1 collegiate track star, and president of the Ski Ambassadors chapter of the National Brotherhood of Snowsports. Together Karl and Desi created a beautiful monster of a daughter and world class athlete who was on both the US Junior Olympic ski and Junior Olympic track team. Tianna went on to run track for Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado. All of this has positioned Tianna to be a ferocious alpha female backcountry skiing who is quickly outrunning the backcountry endurance and skill capacity of both her father and Uncle Tele Mike.
The Family That Skis Together
To see more of Tele Mike, Karl, and Tianna skiing, you can click here for an edit of them touring from a few years back. For more Tele Mike V-Team Vlogs you can check out “Late Night in La Grave”, “Project Ski Africa”, and “Diversity in Backcountry Skiing and Riding”. Thanks for tuning in!
About The Author
Mike Russell ("Tele Mike")
Location: Denver, CO
Top Gear Picks: V8 186cm / TTS Binding - Stiff
Instagram: @tele.mike
“Tele Mike” Russell has never seen a snowcapped mountain that he did not want to climb and ski. Fierce and soulful, Tele Mike is a big mountain Telemark Skier who is passionate about climbing technical routes and skiing exposed backcountry mountain descents on a global scale.
Tele Mike finds gratitude in guiding and showing anyone how to access the beauty of the mountain in a way that is safe, connected, empowering, and accessible, regardless of ability levels. His ultimate motivation is to amplify ALL voices in the backcountry ski community regardless of an individual’s labels or demographics. And due to his African and Native American heritage, Tele Mike has meticulously curated countless mountain experiences for BIPOC communities which provides positive mountain experiences to underrepresented groups, in an effort to bring about sustained physical and mental wellbeing, and inner peace, while overcoming generational fears of open spaces.
Tele Mike also loves to use his artistry to create short cinematic heartfelt mountain adventure films to show people of color that there are other people adventuring in the mountains who look like them, enjoying safe open spaces.
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