Pro skiers Izzy Lynch and Tessa Treadway navigate parenthood, grief and healing while raising kids in the mountains of British Columbia.
Photography by Zoya Lynch
With young kids at home, it’s not always realistic for Tessa Treadway and Izzy Lynch to drop everything and ski bell to bell on a powder day, and that’s okay. It’s the little moments on the hill that keep them going; an hour here, a few hours there. Skiing is skiing, no matter how long you’re out.
In the final episode of Motherload, a four-part series that follows Tessa and Izzy along their journey of raising kids in the mountains, we get an inside look into the craftiness and organization it takes to carve out time for themselves on skis.
Izzy says that while it can feel like a big production to get everything lined up for a few hours on the ski hill, the effort is always well worth it. “There’s a lot of logistics involved and sometimes it seems like a lot of work,” she says. “But for me skiing is my thing that I do to recharge, so I will do what it takes to get up there. I know I can go for a couple hours and come back feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and be a better parent.”
Those odd hours on the ski hill—Monday and Tuesday mornings for Tessa—have a way of bringing both women back to center, something we can all relate to, whether we’re raising kids, or dealing with stress at work. “I was joking this past winter about starting a ski therapy clinic, but really it’s true!” says Tessa. “It has become such a healthy form of a reset and stress relief.”
While it’s rare that Izzy and Tessa’s schedules line up for them to get out together, they cherish the turns they get to make together, knowing what they’ve both been through and how despite all the challenges, skiing has remained a constant. “I have learned so much from Tessa,” says Izzy. “She has this beautiful, down to earth way of dealing with chaos, always seeing the light between the cracks when things are hard.” Whether it’s a full-on powder day or a high-pressure day ripping groomers, arcing turns downhill never gets old.
Tessa says that learning to let go of the ability to get out and ski whenever she wants has helped her appreciate skiing more than she did before, bringing her back to that original, first love of skiing she developed as a kid. “Since I was a baby, skiing has been such a central part of my life and how my family connected, then how I met my husband, and continued on to how we raised our kids,” she shares. “I hope it continues to bring me what it always has until I’m old and grey!”
