The Story of Caroline Gleich - Women in the Mountains

Caroline on the Devil's Face Traverse at Snowbird.  Photo Credit: Leslie Hittmeier 

It was dark when we started driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon this morning, so when the sun finally started to creep along the big rock walls that towered on either side of me, I felt my excitement level elevate.  As we wound higher and higher up the mountain road, I thought about how lucky I was to be there in that moment, with two very talented photographers who invited me along to meet and photograph one of my biggest outdoor adventure idols.  

The first time I met Caroline, we scrambled along this ridge at Snowbird ski resort.  Photo Credit:  Leslie Hittmeier 

When we pulled up to Caroline Gleich's silver Rav 4 I was completely hidden behind a towering stack of camera bags in the back seat of our tiny rental car.  My friend riding shotgun turned around and winked at me, "Leslie, you should ride the rest of the way with Caroline, you are way too crowded back there!"  I gladly hopped into the front seat of her car as she shuffled coats, packs, and climbing gear that were piled on the seat, 

She smiled big and looked up at me, "Sorry, I basically live in here!" she said.  

"Believe me, I get it," I said, telling her about my own overflowing vehicle. I learned a lot about Caroline that day and her incredible journey is one that will continue to inspire me in all my mountain pursuits. 

Caroline on the summit of Mt. Whitney after climbing the east buttress.  Photo Credit: Jeff Beckstrand

Caroline was 15 years old when she found out her half-brother, Martin, perished in an avalanche while skiing the Utah backcountry. And when her parents decided to move to Salt Lake City to be closer to Martin's newly widowed wife and unborn child, her world changed radically.  She went from playing ice hockey in the frigid flatlands of Minnesota to being surrounded by the huge peaks of the Wasatch.  Caroline and Martin were 22 years apart in age, but they were kindred spirits. He loved climbing, skiing, and the outdoors, and taught her to love them, too. "In a way, he brought me to the mountains," she said.

In Utah, she finally had the chance to pursue her dream of being a pro skier.  She skipped class and skied every single weekend and once she graduated from high school, she went to the University of Utah where she took every spring semester off to ski.  She wanted to be professional skier, and nothing could stop her.  Caroline took it upon herself to call up professional photographers and ask them to shoot her skiing, worked with Alta and Snowbird, and was able to build a reputation skiing locally.  

Caroline on the cover of the 2008 Ski Utah brocher. Photo Credit: Lee Cohen

Being constantly inspired by more technical mountains, Caroline started to look higher than just pow shots and inbounds skiing.  "I kept a copy of the Chuting Gallery, Andrew McLean’s book that outlines all the hairiest and most extreme lines in Utah and the Wasatch Range and looked at it often—I always wanted to be a ski mountaineer, I just needed the confidence, gear, and experience."  She said. In 2010, she became sponsored by Patagonia, and a year later she had a career changing trip with the late Liz Daley in Chile. 

"A big turning point for me was teaming up with Liz in Chile for a Patagonia shoot. She was doing all this rad stuff that I’d always wanted to do. I was immediately motivated to build my experience to match hers. She was strong and fit and she knew so much. Liz was a huge mentor and inspiration. She was capable. I want to be an equal to her," Caroline said.

Caroline and Liz. 

Liz gave Caroline the confidence she needed to follow her dreams and she ran with it. In 2013, she skied all twelve 3-star lines in The Chuting Gallery. She had multiple first ski descents in the Wasatch, and skied major lines in the Tetons, like the complete Southwest Couloir on the Middle Teton, the East face of Buck Mountain, the Hourglass Couloir on Nez Perce, and the North face of Albright Peak. She summited and skied the three highest mountains in Ecuador in one week, and she skied 10 major mountaineering lines in Chamonix. And the list goes on. 

In a recent conversation with Caroline, she talked about the death of her friend Liz Daley.  Liz died in an avalanche in Patagonia in October, and once again, Caroline suffered another huge loss to the mountains.  "One of my goals lately is to bring the energy we shared to the world, and I have been trying to focus on the positive, keep dancing, and know that life’s too awesome to be sad," she said.    

Caroline and Liz Daley (downhill) ascending the northeast couloir of the Petit Mont Blanc in Chamonix.  

Caroline will continue to achieve her goals and push the limits of what a tiny, 5’2, 100-pound woman can do.  This season she plans to keep working on her local goal to ski all the lines in the Chuting Gallery, and I'm certain she will surprise us with more amazing ski descents in the biggest mountains in the world.

“When I’m in a mountainous area, I’m captivated by it. I want to go and explore all the great ranges of the world. I have learned to love the ascent as much as the descent.  I’ve never had a ton of money and I am an environmentalist, so most of my achievements have been human-powered. I want to climb in all the major mountain ranges and explore and connect with people. I love traveling with a goal of climbing. I think the urge to get to the top of a mountain resonates in all of us, whether it’s your backyard hill or the highest peak in the Himalayas, and I want to inspire people to achieve their goals and protect the places they love.”

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About The Author

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stash member Leslie Hittmeier

Leslie is a freelance writer and photographer. Storytelling is her focus and she spends her time following badass skiers and climbers around in their natural habitats. As an obsessed skier and climber herself, she plays and trains in the Tetons.