Photo by Dana Menlove

Meet Mark Menlove, the second executive director of Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA), from 2004 to 2019. When Mark joined, WWA was a fledgling organization, driven by volunteer board members. Mark’s 15-year tenure was instrumental in steering WWA’s growth. 

Mark joined WWA because its mission resonated deeply with his values. After leaving behind a career in ski resort management due to conflicts over unchecked expansion, he experienced firsthand the conflicts between skiers and snowmobilers while living in a remote corner of the Wasatch Mountains. Joining WWA allowed him to apply his passion for winter solace and seek solutions on a broader scale. 

One of Mark’s most memorable moments from the early days at WWA was a late-night bluegrass folk jam during an early Grassroots Advocacy Conference at Donner Summit. He recalls:

“Guitars, mandolins, harmonicas, and singing, laughter, and pure unadulterated love and joy in the experience of being together in the mountains and showing up for something we all love. I’m so happy to see this tradition has carried on.”  

Mark also vividly recalls hiring Charlie Woodruff, WWA’s first outreach coordinator, whose idea to screen a backcountry film in Boise sparked the genesis of the Backcountry Film Festival. Mark loves how the festival has become pivotal in engaging the community and promoting WWA’s mission.  He reflects:

“Establishing the Backcountry Film Festival as a means of gathering in celebration of winter, creating community among likeminded people, and raising funds for local groups doing such important work is certainly one of our greatest achievements.”

Alongside the Backcountry Film Festival, Mark considers WWA’s greatest achievements to be the growth of SnowSchool, co-founding Outdoor Alliance, and securing policy victories such as integrating over-snow vehicle use into Forest Service plans and influencing Yellowstone’s Winter Use Plan. 

When asked how he thinks WWA’s work has evolved over the past 25 years, Mark shared:

“I love witnessing WWA’s mission and focus continue to become more inclusive and more focused on partnerships and win-win solutions.”

Mark’s advice to members today is simple but powerful:

“Keep showing up where decisions are being made that impact your winter experience. Keep it joyful. Keep having FUN!” 

We owe a great deal to Mark for his leadership, vision, and enduring impact on Winter Wildlands Alliance. Join us in celebrating the legacy he helped build by continuing to support WWA’s mission.

Nicole balances her days between advocacy work and shedding her skins on top of snowy mountains. Unceded Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla lands.
Photo by Whitney Whitehouse @whitwhitehouse

This profile was originally featured in our Spring 2024 Trail Break issue.

“Getting involved in public lands advocacy is empowering. Participating in comment periods, and writing your representatives: these actions go hand in hand with adventure.”

Nicole didn’t grow up skiing. Instead, she spent her childhood racing BMX. As an adult, quiet hiking trails and long backpacking trips brought her back outside. In 2015, Nicole founded Women Who Hike, a worldwide organization that empowers women on and off the trail.

Today, she’s added backcountry skiing to her long list of endeavors, complementing her work in outdoor advocacy with Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of national advocacy organizations that unites the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands. WWA is a founding member of Outdoor Alliance. Nicole works to help our communities get involved with local and national advocacy efforts led by OutdoorAlliance and the organization’s member groups.

Nicole says getting into the backcountry is “her thing” because it combines her love of hiking with skiing and moving slowly through the mountains. She says, “Advocacy, the process itself, is kind of like going backcountry skiing. If you’ve never been before, you don’t just show up by yourself. You take some time to learn about it. You get the equipment, you go with a friend who knows avalanche safety and how to navigate the terrain. At Outdoor Alliance, that’s what we do, we help navigate the landscape of conservation policy and the advocacy process.”

Frazier’s well-earned snow beard on the nordic track in Sun Valley, Idaho. Unceded Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Shoshone-Bannock lands.
Photo courtesy Frazier Miller

This profile was originally featured in our Spring 2024 Trail Break issue.

“Skiing for me is a spiritual experience– not just the sport, but being in nature in winter. I want to do everything I can to help protect the winter backcountry for future generations.”

Frazier’s connection to the winter landscape runs deep, anchored in cherished memories of skiing with his boys. Witnessing his sons evolve into strong, independent skiers after years of ski school, lessons, and countless hours in the car has been immensely gratifying.

Beyond skiing, Frazier finds solace in the mountain snow during summers, boasting a resume that includes two ascents of Denali and most of the Pacific Northwest’s volcanoes. Celebrating his 50th birthday, he and his wife, Tia, accomplished the remarkable feat of scaling Mt. Hood, Mt.Adams, and Mt. St Helens in a mere three days with their sights set on Mt. Rainier this summer.

Frazier sees WWA as the guardian of our winter backcountry. Eager to contribute, he aims to bolster WWA’s capacity through increased membership and foundation development. His enthusiasm also extends to side country issues, particularly the delicate balance between resort expansion and preserving sensitive snowscapes. Frazier feels honored to be part of the mission, ready to lend his voice to the cause.

Doug Stoup skinning up the track in Antarctica with Ice Axe Expeditions.

Photo by Tyler Wilkinson-Ray, @tylerwilkinsonray

This profile was originally featured in our Fall 2023 Trail Break issue.

“We need everyone’s help! This is not political! We have the opportunity to bring balance to the backcountry and help protect the places we love for recreation!“

Doug moved to Tahoe 23 years ago to ski year-round in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There he started Ice Axe Expeditions, a backcountry ski company that specializes in human-powered ski adventures in remote places around the world. As a North Face athlete, he connected with other backcountry travelers who were similarly concerned about how we recreate on public lands and wanted to protect and preserve our outdoor environments.

Today, through his work with WWA and Tahoe Backcountry Alliance (a WWA Grassroots Group), Doug is helping to spread awareness and knowledge of climate change’s impact on the winter backcountry, how we can reduce noise pollution, commercial development, privatization and industry, and minimize our impact on wildlife. Doug showcases WWA’s Backcountry Film Festival in Antarctica every year, helping to bring international attention to the critical issues we are working on.

Liz snowshoeing on Boise National Forest, Idaho. Unceded Shoeshone-Bannock, Umatilla, and Walla Walla lands.

Photo courtesy Liz Fitzgerald

This profile was originally featured in our Fall 2023 Trail Break issue.

“How can you not appreciate and support Winter Wildlands Alliance’s enduring commitment to stewardship, conservation, and greater conservation of the public places we currently enjoy?“

As a “surfer girl” growing up on the beaches of southern California, Liz’s first exposure to winter play was a permanent move to Idaho in the early 70’s. She became a lover of all the seasons and the outdoor fun Boise offered, but found her best place in the snowscapes of Idaho winters. As a volunteer for WWA’s SnowSchool program since 2008, Liz has seen the wonder and excitement in junior “snow scientists” as they learn how important our snowpack and watershed is to their community, and as they experience (in some cases for the first time) how fun snow play can be on our public lands. 

Liz hopes her small part with SnowSchool and long- term WWA membership will help children understand the importance of respecting and protecting our public lands. She adds: “As I continue to recreate on our public lands each winter,” she adds, “I look out over the landscapes and wonder if what I benefit from today will be the same or better for future generations.”

One of Johnny’s favorite places for winter adventure is Alaska. Anceded Tlingit lands.

Photo by Sean Odom @seanodom.dp

This profile was originally featured in our Fall 2023 Trail Break issue.

“Climate change is altering and compromising these places we hold so dear. Winter landscapes are at the crossroads of poorly funded public land managers struggling to adapt and a public that has discovered backcountry winter recreation at unprecedented levels. The intersection of these and other emerging issues shows the immense challenges before us. That’s why we need Winter Wildlands Alliance and its members now more than ever.“

Johnny was born and raised in New York City, but after summering in Vermont for many years his family moved to the Green Mountain State full time. As soon as he could afford the wheels to drive up the mountain, his passion for cross country skiing was lit. Johnny learned at an influential age how transformative active winter recreation in quiet landscapes can be. It became, and has long since been, his place to be centered. “I found that inner peace,” he says, “even when skiing through misty rain and dodging mud puddles in the Appalachians.” 

For Johnny it’s not about the conditions. It’s about the landscapes, the ecosystems, and the deep privilege of being able to experience them. The importance and transformative nature of these fragile places and experiences are what makes him whole. This is what inspired him to join WWA as a member and to serve on our Board.

Marla communes with her favorite tree skinning up Little Agnes Mountain in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area, Routt National Forest, Colorado. Unceded Ute lands.

Photo by Jeremy “Shaggy” Bailey

This profile was originally featured in our Fall 2023 Trail Break issue.

“Public lands and natural resources belong to no one, while at the same time, to everyone: to experience, to connect with, to cultivate, to cherish in their purest uninhibited form. Winter Wildlands Alliance preserves such places for future generations to explore: benefitting our own independent tiny circles of experience in our own thin slice of time.“

As an avid backcountry skier, mountain biker, river runner, backpacker, and snowmobile owner, Marla’s passions to preserve wild places and protect their awe-inspiring ecosystems run authentically deep, fueling a drive to contribute her energy towards action-based conservation organizations like WWA.

“We depend on nature as much as nature depends on us (businesses and individuals alike),” she writes. “It’s our shared responsibility: one that should, and can, unite us all with a collective cause.” As our newest Board member, Marla’s energy is focused on ensuring Wilderness boundaries are respected by winter adventurers of all kinds and raising awareness of recreational impact through our forest planning and winter travel management work.

onX Backcountry is a GPS navigation app that offers access to 650,000+ miles of trails and 1,500+ adventures with offline ski maps, guidebook-quality ski tour descriptions, elevation profiles, the ability to easily share information with your friends, and identify your next experience. You can access saved maps from anywhere and locate yourself in the wild. The GPS in your mobile device works perfectly offline, even when the network is nonexistent. View the landscape in 3D or use satellite imagery, topographic maps, or our Hybrid Basemap that combines the two. See public land boundaries, trail data, recreation points, and more. Check the forecast within the App, and drop custom Waypoints at places you want to explore, places you want to share, or just places you never want to forget.

A Winter Wildlands Alliance membership not only get access to this benefit (plus more!), but also directly supports wildland conservation, nature-based climate solutions, sustainable recreation advocacy, and experiential education programs for more than 35,000 kids nationwide each winter. When you become a member, you become a major part of those efforts. We’ll keep you in-the-know about issues affecting the places you care about and share opportunities to take action when it matters.

Become a Winter Wildlands Alliance member by December 15, 2023, to receive access to your 50% off code.

Questions about membership or your membership status? Email Kate Thorpe, WWA Membership Director, at kthorpe@winterwildlands.org.