Lynsey Dyer has her hands full, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. The legendary freeride skier who grew up ski racing in Sun Valley has long been cemented as one of the best big mountain skiers in the world for over a decade. Her other accolades include being the first female skier to ski some legendary cliffs in the side country at Jackson Hole, as well as be the first female on the cover of Freeskier Magazine and has been awarded Female Skier of the Year by Powder and Freeskier Magazine multiple times. As it plays out, Lynsey has always been looking for new challenges, and we were able to catch up with her about one of her biggest achievements yet: Motherhood.
Did you always wanted to be a mom?
Lynsey: I wasn't sure. There were definitely times where I was like, I'm not gonna let a baby hold me back. I’m so glad that I am a mom now, but I’m also happy I did a bunch of other things first.
In your ski career and being in this industry, did you have any reservations wondering if you could keep your career and also be a mother?
Lynsey: Oh yeah. I had all these beliefs that I would need to choose between the two. A few years ago, I was standing on top of the steepest line I'd ever seen, and I thought, “Could this be the last one?” You have thoughts like, once I have a kid, is putting myself in these scenarios too selfish? Can either of these decisions satisfy me? I was thinking all this based on the belief that you had to pick between skiing or being a mother. Now I realize I need both to be the best version of myself.
Was there anybody in your industry that you reached out to or looked to for guidance in trying to balance a career and motherhood in the ski industry?
Lynsey: Just knowing that people like Ingrid Backstrom existed, and seeing all this marketing around her and other girls that rode for Burton that weren't just dropped because they wanted to have kids, and that they were actually celebrated in their motherhood was great to see.
How has your skillset that you’ve acquired through skiing translated to motherhood?
Lynsey: The cool thing that ski racing gave me was technique. I think for longevity, that's really important. I owe so much to the discipline that I was taught through growing up on the mountain and training. I wasn't super passionate about ski racing, but the practices have absolutely been a foundation for life. Basically having the ability to do very hard things, and do them right, has helped me.
Is that something that you want to instill in your baby the same way? Or how have you thought about her growing up?
Lynsey: I think she'll do her own thing. I would not wish her this specific kind of life - it’s so insecure and uncertain. I want her to choose something with a foundation of discipline. She's definitely a little athlete already. She was walking at eight months and I took her skiing at nine months. I didn't push her to do that, she's just really here. I think there's a whole generation of these kids that are just so ready to be here and already know the deal.
The kids in this world of action sports are so unique. There’s so much passion and athleticism.
Lynsey: It is insane. One of my biggest concerns for that generation is safety. When I was young, I was so unaware of how important it is to keep your head safe. I've had too many concussions and so have my friends. When I’m mentoring kids and their families, skiing with them, that’s something I really bring up.
There's a lot of kids who have goals of wanting to be a pro skier. That was never a goal of mine, it was just a very organic path. I just loved skiing and kept doing it as much as possible. Now, there's definitely a pathway that parents see and so do the kids, so they look for mentorship. I'm definitely happy to help out and be honest and drill in real technique.
What would you want to say to pro athletes that are thinking they might want to have a child, but are worried about pursuing that at the potential “expense” of their careers?
Lynsey: Society tells you that you're supposed to be done once you're a mom. They tell you that you’re not going to have any more time. They say your hair's going to fall out, you're going to have horrible depression, you're going to be suicidal, your skin’s going to change, your body might not ever come back, your feet are gonna get bigger, your boobs are going to get huge and then they're going to be saggy. You're going to be invisible. I just had to just face all that with a lot of unknowns and jump in.
Truth is, I’ve become a better athlete through motherhood and pregnancy besides hearing all these things. I don't know if it's because my brain finally understands what I’m doing after all these years, but now I can do things with my skiing that used to terrify me, and I don’t know exactly how that happened, but it’s so cool.
I started doing this training protocol developed by Dr. Edyth Heus, who has 50 years of clinical research with athletes in a program that she put together. It's a very gentle movement pattern that is developed by a woman. It's the first time I've ever trained in a totally new way. I mean, six months after giving birth, I jumped off of bigger cliffs than I ever have before.
What are some of the challenges you’ve had to face with this change in your life?
Lynsey: I definitely had to level up. I do not get to sleep in, I wake up at 5:45am every day with my baby and I have three hours a day to myself while she’s asleep. It’s not easy, but I am so much more fulfilled. I've had to grow on every level and I'm proud of it. It’s been 10x better than I ever expected. I feel like we're fed these ideas like your life is over once you have kids, and that hasn’t been the case at all for me, so I’m really grateful for the experience I’m having now.
This winter, what kind of projects were you working on and how did being a mother make those things feel more fulfilled? How was it different?
Lynsey: My ski sponsor, Fischer Ski and I have a three part video project that we've been working on. The first part will be a career review and then the second part will be pregnancy and then the third is motherhood. I still represented my sponsors during pregnancy, but I lost my main clothing sponsor once I started talking about wanting to get pregnant, which was also really difficult to accept. I had thought because I'd seen all these girls ahead of me be really embraced by their sponsors once they told them, it kind of shocked me when that happened to me.
Fischer stuck with me and saw value in telling my story on becoming a mother. I'm really grateful for that. I also was a part of Sarah Robbins’ new project this winter, Advice for Girls, which I’m super impressed with and excited about.
What do you think your biggest piece of advice would be to an athlete that is thinking about becoming a mother?
Lynsey: As much as society tells us you're done and that you're supposed to be done and all these bad things are gonna happen after you have a kid, you might actually get better. I can tell you that there are blessings that come with being a mother and bringing life into this planet that you're also kind of not told about. It's the greatest gift you can give to the world by creating life and providing a supportive place for a life to be here and do good and learn. If you can protect a soul coming into this world and help share healthy values with them, that’s really special.
telefreewasatch
May 21st, 2023
No mention of a father with this child. Selfish as ever.