Ingrid Backstrom (born August 21, 1978) is an internationally ranked professional
skier
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
from
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, United States. Backstrom graduated from
Highline High School
Highline High School is a public high school in Burien, Washington, United States, located about 3.5 miles from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. Highline High School, the flagship high school of the Highline Public Schools district, opene ...
in
Burien, Washington
Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which ...
as a straight-A student, three-sport varsity athlete, and co-
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
. In 2000, Backstrom graduated from
Whitman College
Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Whitman was the first college in the Pacifi ...
in
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in
Geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...
. Her brother,
Arne Backstrom, died in a skiing accident in 2010 at the age of 29.
Backstrom established herself on the
freeskiing
Freeskiing, or new school skiing, is a specific type of alpine skiing, which involves tricks, jumps, and terrain park features, such as rails, boxes, jibs, or other obstacles. This form of skiing resulted from the growth of snowboarding combi ...
scene through her performances in
Matchstick Production's
Matchstick Productions, also known as MSP Films, is a film production company based in Crested Butte, Colorado that specializes in content creation and expert cinematography. Steve Winter and Murray Wais founded the company in 1992. According t ...
2004 ''Yearbook'' and 2005 ''The Hit List''. Since then she has been featured in several other ski films, including
Warren Miller's ''Impact'' (2004),
Mark Obenhaus's
Steep (2007) Matchstick Production's ''Seven Sunny Days'' (2007), ''Claim'' (2008), ''In Deep'' (2009), ''The Way I See It'' (2010), ''G.N.A.R. (2011)'', ''Attack of La Nina'' (2011), and ''Superheroes of Stoke'' (2012).
Backstrom was the only female to be featured as one of Powder Magazine's ''Future Big Mountain Heroes'' in 2002. She has gone on to win several other awards for her performances in ski films, including "Best Female Performance" and "Breakthrough Performance" at the 2005 Powder Magazine Video Awards.
References
External links
ingridbackstrom.com*
Whitman College alumni
American female freestyle skiers
Skiers from Seattle
1978 births
Living people
American freeskiers
Highline High School alumni
21st-century American women
{{US-freestyle-skiing-bio-stub