HANAH Heroes
HANAH Heroes
HANAH supports some of the world’s most inspiring athletes, adventurers, wellness experts and entrepreneurs. In an effort to inspire, motivate and help us all maximize our own potential, they share ideas, recipes, training techniques and even a look into how they start their day.
Jimmy Chin
World-renowned climber, mountaineer, skier, filmmaker and photographer, Jimmy Chin inspires both behind the lens of a camera and in front. He leads breakthrough explorations around the globe, working with the best adventurers, climbers, snowboarders and skiers on their most challenging expeditions. As a filmmaker, his documentary "Meru" chronicled the first ascent of Shark's Fin in the Garwhal Himalayas—winning the prestigious Audience Award at Sundance. He has climbed Everest twice and was one of the first Americans, alongside Kit and Rob Deslauriers, to ski from its summit. Whether on the road or at home, Jimmy incorporates HANAH into his daily routine.
Ian Walsh
Maui native and surf icon Ian Walsh is one of the most passionate and dedicated big wave surfers in the world. He first surfed the legendary wave Jaws at age 16, not long before graduating high school as valedictorian of his class. After competing successfully on the World Surf League circuit for years, he decided to focus on finding the best and biggest waves on the planet. With a deep passion for his community, he launched the annual Ian Walsh Menehune Mayhem surf contest in 2003 to create a platform for kids to express sporting ability, academics and the arts. He also co-founded Paia Bowls açaí café with his brother Luke. Ian’s recent film "Distance Between Dreams" captures the most historic winter of his lifetime, if not the most historic big wave season ever.
Angel Collinson
Angel Collinson grew up skiing in the heart of the Wasatch Range in Utah, living out of a van before it was the cool thing to do and playing in the mountains with her brother and parents. She ski raced and competed internationally until big mountain skiing stole her heart. Now she competes on the Freeskiing World Tour and studies environmental law. In the summer she maximizes her love of nature, rock climbing, river rafting and kayaking. Angel is a true ambassador for protecting the planet, and we’re proud she takes HANAH with her on her epic journeys.
Travis Rice
Travis Rice’s snowboard exploits are second-to-none. From
Winter X Games gold medals to legendary performances in dozens of snowboard
movies such as "The Art of Flight" and "The Fourth Phase", Travis has spun
and
flipped himself into one of the most influential snowboarders of all time.
He is also extremely health conscious and believes in looking at food as
medicine.
We’re stoked to work with him and to see the amazing places he takes HANAH
ONE, like on his boat in Tahiti.
Jeremy Jones
Widely regarded as one of the most legendary big mountain riders and explorers of all time, Jeremy Jones has spent a lifetime in front of the camera inspiring a generation of snowboarders. He has starred in over 50 snowboard movies worldwide, was named a 2013 National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” and was voted “Best Big Mountain Rider of the Year” by Snowboarder Magazine 11 times. In 2007, Jeremy founded the nonprofit Protect Our Winters (POW), the leading global cause uniting the winter sports community against climate change. HANAH is proud to help keep him at the top of his game while on this increasingly important crusade.
Kit DesLauriers
Champion skier, accomplished ski mountaineer, published author, and frequent history maker, Kit DesLauriers’ roster of accolades are awe inspiring. She is the first person to ski from all the Seven Summits—the highest mountain on each of the seven continents—after climbing them first. She also made several first ski descents in the Brooks Range of Alaska and is the first woman to win two consecutive world freeskiing championship titles. You can see why she was National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year in 2015 and one of Outside Magazine’s Top 25 Athletes of the Year. Living in the Teton Range of Wyoming with her husband Rob and two daughters, she continues to balance an athletic career, epic ski expeditions, raising a family, and advocating for the environment.
Bibi McGill
An internationally renowned guitarist, Bibi McGill is not your typical rock star. The Denver-raised musician, who spent 8 years as lead guitarist and musical director of Beyoncé’s band, is also an acclaimed yoga teacher, wellness educator and health food entrepreneur. Bibi swears by HANAH’s super food powers to support mental clarity, focus and clean energy.
Mark Abma
Hailing from British Columbia, Canada, Mark Abma is a professional big mountain skier known for his smooth, aggressive style and outgoing personality. He has filmed with Matchstick Productions every year since 2003, as well as appearing in several Warren Miller and Poor Boyz films. Quite the departure from his early days as a competitive mogul skier. Today you’ll find Mark on the slopes, in the park or skinning until the sun goes down, taking HANAH along to fuel his adventures.
Otto Flores
Otto Flores resides wherever the waves are good. While he technically calls Puerto Rico home, he’s been known to drop everything to chase big barrels. An accomplished rider from a young age, he left competitive surfing so he could travel the world to seek out the most challenging waves. He also co-founded Granito de Arena, a surf and environmental nonprofit that works with youth in low-income communities. Now, after many magazine covers and still a lot left in the tank, Otto has found the benefits of HANAH keep his energy levels up while jet setting around the world.
Mark Carter
Mark Carter is a third-generation rancher and outdoorsman who happens to be a pretty damn good snowboarder too. He’s been riding professionally and traveling the world the last 10 years thanks to his gracefully gritty style and sponsors like The North Face and Arbor Snowboards. In the offseason, he spends his days at his family ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, herding cattle and helping his brother RC run Carter Country Meats. He uses HANAH daily to maintain his edge on big days and stay healthy.
Kalle Carranza
A Mexican/Finn who was born in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Kalle Carranza grew up surfing the coastlines of Riviera Nayarit. He became a successful pro surfer at a young age—he was named one of the top 100 young surfers in the world by "Surfer Magazine", won a national title, traveled the world with sponsorship deals, and appeared on the cover of 10 international magazines. In 2008, he shifted gears and moved to Finland to get a university degree. While there, he realized his true passion was dissecting the complex sport of surfing and teaching it to others. He spent the next few years creating a thoughtful step-by-step surf instructing program. He currently runs a company called I Love Waves in Sayulita, teaches, surfs, and commentates for surf contests.
Willie McMillon
A legend in the snowboard industry and the underground mayor of Jackson, Wyoming, Willie McMillon has never done business the traditional way. He started his company Bluebird Wax in 1996 in his kitchen with a homemade recipe and some muffin tins. Bluebird’s tagline, “Snowboarding… it was better when you hated us,” gives an idea of how OG it is, not to mention their roster of riders includes some of the best in the world. Knowing Willie lives only for what he loves and does only what he believes in keeps us on our toes and truthful to our mission—we’re stoked he was one of our first HANAH Heroes.
Forrest Shearer
Brought up surfing in Southern California and now based in Utah, Forrest Shearer has become one of the most prominent big mountain snowboarders in the world. His splitboard adventures around the globe have brought him to the forefront of self-powered backcountry freeriding—he believes the turns you earn offer a more lasting reward. Forrest is also a passionate advocate for the environment and works to raise awareness on climate change and preserve the wilderness through organizations like Protect Our Winters (POW), The Wilderness Society and Winter Wildlands Alliance.
Kristen Ulmer
A former pro extreme skier, Kristen Ulmer is a thought leader and master facilitator on the topic of fear and its management. She has radically challenging the existing norms of this deeply misunderstood emotion. She draws from 12-year tenure as the best female big mountain extreme skier in the world as well as her mastery of other dangerous sports that include paragliding, ice and rock climbing, kiteboarding and adventure mountain biking. Kristen's 15 years studying with a Zen Master led to facilitating thousands of clients on the subjects of fear and flow states. Her groundbreaking work has been featured in NPR, The New York Times, Forbes and Wall Street Journal. She is the author of “The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won’t Work and What to Do Instead.”
Michelle Parker
One of the industry’s most versatile and dominant skiers today, Michelle got her start as a ski racer at her home resort of Squaw Valley, California. She has appeared in over a dozen ski films and she won Best Female Performance for her segment in Matchstick Productions’ “Superheroes of Stoke” at the Powder Video Awards and the International Freeski Film Festival. Michelle is on the board of the High Fives Foundation, which helps injured athletes, and she helped launched a women’s avalanche safety clinic, SAFE-AS (Skiers Advocating and Fostering Education for Avalanche and Snow Safety). She also never leaves home without her ukulele.
DK + Shaun Walsh
“The Twins,” as they’re known in Hawaii, are legendary brothers, surfers and water safety experts DK and Shaun Walsh. They have made a name for themselves as the best in big wave water safety and rescue, with a specialty in being big brother and world-renowned surfer Ian Walsh’s guardians. DK and Shaun are both accomplished surfers in their own right, but on the biggest days, you will find them in the line-up on jet skis ready to help anyone who gets in over their head. HANAH helps these two stay on top of their game when it matters most.
Kevin Pearce
Former professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce is an educational speaker and co-founder of the Love Your Brain Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for people affected by a brain injury and to promote a brain-healthy lifestyle. Kevin catapulted onto the professional snowboarding stage at the age of 18 and suffered a traumatic brain injury while training for the Olympic trials. His determination and drive to overcome the catastrophe through vigorous rehabilitation, training and giving back to others continues to be a huge source of inspiration to his family, friends and fans. Kevin established The Kevin Pearce Fund to support non-profit organizations that assist those affected by brain injuries and Down syndrome.
Alex Yoder
Alex Yoder is a professional snowboarder, filmmaker, environmentalist, health advocate, writer and world traveler based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After a series of injuries Alex chose to try a new and more focused approach to boarding inspired by Japanese snowboard shaper and rider Taro Tamai. He sought a more subtle and spiritual approach to the sport, focused on finding the cleanest line down the mountain and mastering the core essence of riding. Alex spends most of his winters on his snowboard exploring mountains around the world.
Taro Tamai
A snowboard designer, surfer, and photographer, Taro Tamai splits his time between the ocean and the snow. He founded Gentemstick, a unique powder-specific snowboard design that pioneered the snowsurfing movement and the short board revolution. From his home base in Niseko, Japan, Taro continues to be a catalyst in both snow and surf while traveling the world seeking steep mountains and secret breaks.
Rip Zinger
Rip Zinger is the consummate ambassador and a true adventurer. Born in Tokyo, he is the liaison for many who come to Japan to skate or in search of the famous winter pow. He’s also a legendary skateboarder and photographer, traveling the world seeking adventure and creative experiences. Wherever he is, he brings HANAH ONE with him as his daily superfood.
Jason Walsh
Jason is one of the most sought after and respected fitness trainers in the world. Based in Los Angeles, his strength and conditioning expertise has earned him an incredible client list that includes Emma Stone, Jennifer Aniston, Emily Blunt, Brie Larson, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper and John Krasinski. He has also become a pioneer in the industry by creating a new cardio climbing exercise through his fitness studio Rise Nation, which focuses on achieving results through efficient 30-minute full body workouts. For Jason, HANAH represents an ethical company he knows he can trust, promoting the right kind of herbs and supplements from the very best sources.
Cate Stillman
Cate Stillman is an innovative teacher, author and leader in the fields of Ayurveda, peak performance, yoga philosophy, habit evolution and dharma. She founded Yogahealer.com, a global online community of in-depth wellness resources and courses, in 2001, and launched her podcast “The Yogahealer Show” and Yoga Health Coaching for wellness professionals in 2012. Her books include “Body Thrive” and “Master of You.” She focuses on how to apply wisdom from ancient traditions of Ayurvedic Medicine and yoga philosophy to optimize our body and lives. Cate is an avid paddleboard surfer, skier and mountain biker, who splits time with her family in Teton Valley, Wyoming, and Punta Mita, Mexico.
Ramon Navarro
Ramon learned to dive and swim as a child from his fisherman father. His passion for surfing quickly became his life and he was competing in national competitions as a child. In 2001, Ramón became the first professional surfer in the U.S to have sponsors. In 2006 he won the Punta de Lobos Ceremonial which opened the doors to achieve his greatest dream: participate in the Eddie Aikau Contest in Hawaii, where he placed fifth and the achievement for surfing the biggest wave. Later in 2014 he surfed the most important wave of his career in Fiji and repeated the achievement by surfing Cloudbreak on one of the biggest barrels of a lifetime.
Orange Man
Orange Man is a professional snow surfer who was born in Hokkaido, Japan, where he currently lives. He enjoys yoga and traveling the world in search of waves in the summer and snow in the winter. He started his yoga practice to further enhance his snow surf skills, which took him to India and on a pilgrimage around the world. During his journey he found himself devoted to the color orange, where he picked up the moniker “Orange Man.” He believes healthy food is the key to improving both our physical bodies and personalities. He works with Gentemstick, Volcom and Hestra, among other prominent brands.
Shin Biyajima
Hailing from Nagano, Japan, Shin is a professional snowboarder known for his humble demeanor and dominant approach to big mountain riding. When not exploring new terrain in the famous powder-filled mountains of Hakuba in the Japanese Alps, he’s off making a name for himself in places like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the Alaskan backcountry. Shin appeared in “The Fourth Phase” and is the subject of Travis Rice and Justin Smith’s short film, “Ikigai: The Shin Biyajima Story,” an intimate portrait that explores the process and motivation behind growing up and riding in the land of the rising sun and bottomless snow.
Nicole Duke
Nicole Duke crushes at sports. For over 20 years, she has been a sponsored pro athlete, beginning her career competing at the World Cup and national levels in mountain biking, and most recently being crowned the Masters Cyclocross Champion. In between her two cycling careers, she paused to have a family, and spent a brief and successful stint competing in whitewater stand-up paddle boarding. She continues to mentor, inspire and help others achieve their dreams.
Lexi duPont
Lexi duPont is a professional skier, adventurer and outdoor enthusiast. The Sun Valley native takes on the world of big-mountain skiing. Her career has been marked with notable first descents in the Arctic Circle’s Northernmost Tip of Svalbard Norway and across Southeast Alaska, as well as starring roles in ski films. Lexi is an advocate for Mother Earth, a humanitarian activist and a role model for women in sports.
Annie Boulanger
From big backcountry lines on remote mountains, to breathtaking swells in picturesque places, Annie Boulanger divides her time as a pro snowboarder and avid surfer. Continuously bouncing between tropical, surf-laden locales and snowy backcountry destinations, the Whistler-based snowboarder is living a life enviable by anyone with a shared love of the mountains and ocean. HANAH is honored to be fueling Annie through her adventures and long travel days.
HANAH Organization Heroes
