Amy Jane David’s story is one of resilience, courage, and a deep-rooted connection to the mountains.
Raised in Pinedale, Wyoming—a small town tucked at the base of the untamed Wind River Mountains—her life has always revolved around the wilderness. From infancy, she explored the rugged backcountry with her parents. Her family’s horse-packing business instilled in her a sense of adventure and a profound respect for the land.
Life on her family’s ten-acre ranch was anything but easy. Days were spent caring for horses, feeding livestock, and preparing for Wyoming’s famously brutal winters. But for Amy, the snow wasn’t a hardship—it was a gift. At the nearby White Pine Ski Area, she strapped on skis as soon as she could walk. What started as childhood fun turned into a calling. Today, Amy is a professional big-mountain and backcountry skier, blazing her own trail in a sport often dominated by men.
Amy’s path feels inevitable, shaped by her family’s legacy in the mountains. Her ancestors arrived in the early 1900s as homesteaders, traveling with their possessions in an ox cart. Her great-grandmother delivered mail on horseback, while other family members worked as ranchers, trappers, hunting guides, teachers, and doctors. Survival in such an unforgiving landscape demanded grit, a trait passed down through generations.
“Growing up here teaches you a Western grit that becomes part of your soul,”
Amy says. “Life will knock you down, but you have to get back up. If you don’t, you—or the people counting on you—might not make it.”
That resilience has defined Amy’s journey. By age 33, she’d endured multiple knee injuries requiring surgery, cutting short her 2010, 2011, and 2023 ski seasons. But it was a harrowing period in 2016 that truly tested her strength. Within months of each other, her boyfriend died in a cliff-jumping accident, and Amy suffered life-threatening injuries during the Freeskiing World Tour Finals. Her recovery was grueling, both physically and emotionally.
Amy turned to the mountains for healing. She began guiding women’s groups into the wilderness she knew so well, using these journeys to rediscover herself and share the restorative power of nature. “I realized I needed to spend more time in my mountains to heal my soul,” she says. “I also needed community. Women, in particular, are incredibly supportive and nurturing, which was exactly what I needed.”
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Her love of the backcountry led to a groundbreaking project with Teton Gravity Research, a renowned media company specializing in adventure films. Together, they created what may be the first-ever packhorse ski trip. Amy, along with professional skier Tatum Monod, snowboarder Emilé Zanobia, and two horse-packing guides, used horses to venture deep into Wyoming’s remote backcountry. Over six days, they skied and snowboarded untouched terrain, capturing their journey in the film The Way Back.
The film is a celebration of resilience and joy. “We were in awe of the beauty surrounding us,” Amy says. The project reflects her belief in the power of perseverance and the importance of lifting others along the way.
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This winter, Amy will continue pushing boundaries, skiing remote lines and guiding snowmobile trips. She also plans to create more films and expand her work in photography and storytelling. One of her dreams is to lead guided, multi-day packhorse ski trips, sharing the unique experience with others. No matter the endeavor, her mission remains clear: to inspire others to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles. “Just find a reason to smile and keep chasing your dreams.”
Amy Jane David, @amyjanedavid
Watch The Way Back:
