For professional skier Amie Engerbretson, RVing is a way to connect. It allows her to immerse herself in the landscapes that fuel her passions as a skier and media creator, while also honoring family traditions that began with her father and grandfather. This family legacy is one related to the mountains and waterways of the Eastern Sierras.
A Legacy of Outdoor Adventures
For Engerbretson, her love of the outdoors started from an early age. Camping adventures centered around skiing and fly fishing. Her father, Jeff Engerbretson, was a professional skier in the 1990s. But, the family outdoor legacy didn’t start there. Engerbretson’s grandfather was a notable fly fisherman, who hosted a television show, took ex-presidents on fishing excursions, and built personalized bamboo rods.
When Engerbretson holds the bamboo fishing rod passed down to her from her father, she is connected to this ancestry in a concrete way. She states, “The rod I use has a grip custom-made for my dad's hand when he was a teenager, and it fits my adult hands perfectly. It’s special to use these family heirlooms in the water instead of letting them sit on a wall.”
This legacy won’t end with Engerbretson, as she looks forward to passing it on to her own children sometime: “I envision a future where I take my kids fishing with the same rods, maintaining that family connection forever.”
From past to present to future, a love of the outdoors can serve as a connection, from memories already made to all those that await in the future, with endless adventures yet to unfold.
Turning Passion into Profession
While some are happy to simply spend time outdoors as a hobby, for Engerbretson, this passion became a career. She followed in her father’s footsteps, becoming a professional skier and media creator, which she says is “practically a family business.”
From her early memories, everything has revolved around skiing. Now, she continues the tradition, hoping to inspire others:
“I see my job as more of an artist than an athlete. I spend my winters filming skiing, shooting photos, and capturing the essence of being in the mountains and pushing oneself. I create content to share with others, hoping to inspire them to push their limits and achieve something they can be proud of,” Engerbretson states.
Engerbretson went on to earn a degree in Media Management from Columbia College, putting it to use as a producer and podcast host. She shares images, videos, and stories from the slopes, both in front of the camera and behind the lens, earning many major sponsorships along the way.
From Slopes to Serenity: RVing Retreats
After busy winters shredding the snow, Engerbretson returns to nature in more relaxed ways, thanks to the RV lifestyle. Her Class B camper van takes her to beloved spots on the slopes and waterways of the Eastern Sierras, which she says is like “stepping away from it all and back in time.”
RVing with family allows Engerbretson to continue the traditions, as she and her father continue their outdoor adventures together. She says, “The way my dad raised me allows us to live an incredible life, filled with amazing experiences and beautiful places. My dad is still young, so we share the same pace, and I feel fortunate that we have many years of adventure ahead.”
For Engerbretson, the mountains are both a canvas and a playground, where each descent is a blend of creativity and athleticism. Whether you are camping or RVing with kids, you never know what passions you could inspire, from a simple love of a landscape to a professional career connected to these passions, just as it did for Engerbretson. The RV life can open up endless possibilities.
