ANGEL COLLINSON
Growing up in Snowbird, UT’s employee housing and the daughter of an avalanche forecaster, Angel Collinson’s atmospheric leap from competitive athlete to full-feature Teton Gravity Research fame has been nothing short of incredible—and not free of tragedy. Strength, grace and Pixie Stix with skiing’s newest all-star.
Words: Megan Michelson
Angel Collinson was in the tram-line at Snowbird, UT on a powder day last March when her phone rang. It was Teton Gravity Research producer Greg Epstein.
“Hey, Pixie Stick,” he said (Collinson’s candy-eating habit on big trips had earned her the new, regrettable nickname). “There’s this spot on a trip to Alaska. Can you make it?”
The tramline kept moving, but Collinson stood still, frozen in disbelief. “I felt like I won the universe’s lottery or some online sweepstakes,” Collinson remembers. “‘Congratulations! You’ve been selected for a trip to Alaska with legends Seth Morrison, Dana Flahr and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa! Click for details!’ Filming with TGR is something I’ve fantasized about since I was about 10 years old. But I never thought it would actually play out…”