Ingrid Backstrom (born August 21, 1978) is an internationally ranked professional

skier Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...

from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 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, op ...

Burien, Washington Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which is a 56.3% increase since incorporation in 1993, making it the 25th ...

as a straight-A student, three-sport varsity athlete, and co-

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

. 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. Founded as a seminary by a territorial l ...

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

. 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 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 sportswomen {{US-freestyle-skiing-bio-stub