When I was 23 and just out of college, I worked as a newspaper reporter in Tahoe City. The best assignment I had all year (not that covering city council meetings wasn’t a learning experience…) was a piece on female pro skiers who called Tahoe home. I spent the day at Squaw Valley, trying to keep up with Ingrid Backstrom, Michelle Parker, Jamie Burge and Jenn Berg. The story I wrote after was nothing to write home about, but I do remember at that moment that I felt like I had discovered what I wanted to do in life: I wanted to write about skiing. I also was completely in awe of the girls I skied with that day. Anyway, all of this is to say that on Thursday, when I found out I was nominated for a Powder Magazine Video Award for best female performance for my part in Powderwhore Productions’ TeleVision (the segment is above) — alongside Ingrid Backstrom, Grete Eliassen, and Elyse Saugstad, all incredible athletes who I’ve covered with amazement for the past few years — I was completely stunned. The reality of it — that a telemark skier with a desk job is nominated for such an award — probably speaks most to the lack of female presence in ski movies these days (honestly, were there only four women in a ski movie this year?). But I’ll take the nomination for what it is: a great honor. Just like I was when I was 23, I’m still in awe in women like Ingrid, Elyse and Grete and to be included in the same breath as them is completely mind blowing to me. This year’s awards are happening in Aspen on Jan. 28, which is during the X Games. I’ll be there with ESPN reporting on the X Games, so hopefully I can sneak out of work in time to go to the show.