Kimmy Fasani's Winter Speaker Series: "Outside Ourselves"

We don't quite have the words to express the magic that was Kimmy Fasani's Winter Speaker Series, but we do know where we want to start — with gratitude. Kimmy we can't thank you enough for sharing your story with us; for your bravery, vulnerability, joyous laughter, and passion for your sport and life. By inviting us into your life, you have made us stronger, as a community and individually, and feel less alone. You have given us the opportunity to grow and learn, connect, and be vulnerable ourselves. And not to mention, inspired us immensely!

The show started with Kimmy asking us all to take a collective breath, in honor of the hard nature of some of the topics she would be covering. From the start, the room was united and on a journey together. She then brought us into her life — from growing up in Truckee and some of her normal/not-so-normal experiences as an outdoor adventure kid, to losing both of her parents to cancer, to her adventures (and BIG lines) as she grew in her snowboarding profession, to starting her own family and navigating that with her career, to her stage three breast cancer diagnosis, and ultimate recovery. She was real, raw, and honest; showing her tomahawks on the mountains and in life, as much as her greatest achievements.

With her biggest fans and supporters in the front row - her husband Chris Benchetler, and two sons - Kimmy shared some of their most recent experiences in life and how they have navigated them together. In the middle of the show, she played a video that brought us into her home, cancer diagnosis, and life with cancer. Her ultimate message? Well there were a few we took away; we are all stronger than we will ever imagine we are, nature is a source of teaching, healing, and connecting, and maybe most importantly, strength comes from numbers and in support, community, and love. In case you missed her show, you can still watch it on our YouTube channel

A huge shoutout to this community for coming out and filling the room with that special Tahoe buzz! At every event, there is a moment in which we are reminded why we do what we do and why we live here. Last night it wasn't a single moment, but rather a feeling that vibrated throughout the room all night long thanks to each and everyone one of you.

And the nonprofit beneficiary, the Tahoe Waterman Foundation, was a massive part of that! Their passion for getting people of all ages and different abilities onto the lake to experience the healing powers of water is palpable, and the opportunity to connect with some of their adaptive athletes and hear firsthand the impact of these programs was awe inspiring. We are so honored to be able to support their organization.

Through bar and giveaway ticket (online and in-person) sales, we raised xxx for the Tahoe Waterman Foundation! Combined with the $350,000 raised through the Donor Party so far, this event raised over $75,000 for their incredible organization.

Thank you to all of our sponsors, and namely our title sponsor, The North Tahoe Chamber, for believing in and helping us bring the power of adventure storytelling to our community. We aren't able to do this without you!