Born and raised in Meyers, California, Chris Whatford grew up a ski racer at Kirkwood. “As I got older, I couldn’t help but want to jump off things and go fast through the chutes that I would admire while riding the chair in my speed suit,” he says. Through his teens, he started exploring other forms of skiing: powder, cliffs, rails, backcountry, resort. He worked as a coach for the Kirkwood freeride team to help share his love of skiing with others. “Seeing a kid do their first 3 or backflip is a feeling that I continue to chase to this day,” Whatford says. “To me skiing is all about trying something new and having fun with your friends.”
