A Ski-town Wedding: Christie and Sargent

Much of our first date - only a few blocks from the Pacific - was spent reminiscing about growing up on the shores of Lake Michigan. We shared our stories of winters on the slopes of northern Michigan and summers on the shores of Lake Michigan. Sarge confessed that he was bored of the ‘single-season’ lifestyle of San Diego, and it was time he followed his passions. “I need to live in a ski town, but somewhere close to a lake,” he said. But, the 500 feet of vertical at Boyne Mountain outside of Petoskey, Michigan, simply wouldn’t cut it. As soon as I heard that, I could think of only one place—Jackson.

Though I had moved to San Diego, I knew Jackson was where I would raise a family. Sarge had first come to Jackson at age 15, with Wilderness Ventures, and had been in love with the place ever since. Needless to say, our first date was not our last; we spent our second winter together driving around North America skiing and searching for that perfect place to plant our roots. We were very diligent with our ski-town research. It was, of course, something of a foregone conclusion that we decided on Jackson.

We do, however, have one other favorite ski destination: a cat skiing operation called Retallack. In the remote mountain wilderness of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, it is a perennial favorite. On the last night of our 2010 Retallack trip, Sarge stood up to give a toast. He recited a lovely skiing-inspired poem in front of some of the “who’s-who” of pro skiers, got down on one knee, and proposed. I was in shock, but to no one’s surprise, I said yes.

Planning the wedding was easy. I had always wanted Summer Solstice as my wedding the date. Since we had already been dating and travelling together for over two years, we decided to go ahead and make the date for 2010 – just 4 short months away. We also wanted to show our friends and family as many of the reasons why we loved Jackson as possible. One of those reasons is Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Ushering all of our family and friends up the gondola to our ceremony outside on the mountain, and dancing the night away in the Couloir Restaurant seemed the perfect way to officially kick off our future.

But…if only we could ski too, and we did! Thanks equally to the cool June rain and the previous winter’s avalanche from the Headwall, there was still plenty of snow on the hill. As dusk settled and the stars came out, we climbed up – Sarge in his tux and me in my gown - and made one short run. During our climb up the hill above the Couloir restaurant, our guests had clambered out onto the balcony, cocktails in hand, to cheer us on.

In short, we had a fantastic party in a breath-taking setting with the people we love most. The food was wonderful, and Mandatory Air and the Miller Sisters pulled out all the stops. Sarge and I were able to incorporate many of our loves and passions into one unforgettable day. We couldn’t be happier.