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Guest Q&A: Christi Moot Read Time: 5 mins  Christi Moot is a highly successful business woman, a non-stop world traveling adventurer, and a straight up bad-ass single mom of a young up-and-coming ripper, Rowen (age 7). Christi's been a friend of HPM for years and clearly leads by example! We were (barely) able to track her down for a few minutes between her busy schedule to ask a few questions and learn how she continues to win at life!  Q: It's clear that outdoor adventuring is in your DNA ... where did that come from? A: I feel ridiculously lucky to have grown up with parents who were an absolute blast (they still are). They didn’t spend liberally on high-priced fun, which means they were the coolest and best models of human-powered play. I got to spend my childhood roaming our backyard woods and creeks, camping at a nearby lake all summer, and the second I turned 14 I started working as a camp counselor in the mountains of Virginia. One thing that blows my mind about my parents, particularly as I relate to the culture of hustle out in San Francisco, is how uncomplicated they made life, play, and fun. Go outside, laugh a lot, use that imagination of ours - it’s as easy as that.  Q: As a former college athlete, what lessons and skills translate to your "non-traditional" sport pursuits? A: I played D1 volleyball for a pretty singular reason - the game was FUN. I loved it. That’s my guiding principle for sports, adventures, outdoor action - the purpose, for me, is a constant pursuit of fun. How rad is it that we have healthy bodies that can go play outside - pedal up mountains, paddle across lakes, find jumps and berms and new challenges on the trails? Treadmills are for grinding (I just can’t..), the mountains are for play (yes). One of my fave books is The Power of Fun, by Catherine Price - so much science around why we all gotta have more fun.  Q: You're always riding, backpacking, paddleboarding, skiing ... If you could only pick one ... whatcha got and why? A: I love the water and I love the snow, but I have to pick my mountain bike, hands down. You get so see SO MUCH more of the mountains than you would on foot. And finding fun downhill singletrack is the ultimate form of play. It’s super social - how jazzed do you get when you and friends (including just-met on the trail friends) experience that adrenaline and dopamine rush TOGETHER? It’s the best. Playing is a universal human behavior, and MTB gives us shared space to have a blast with others.  Q: Why is getting outside so important in your life? A: I sometimes describe my “religion” as being an earth-worshiper. There is nothing that makes me feel more awed, humbled, and part of something way, way bigger than myself than when I’m in the wilderness. This world is painfully beautiful, an absolute stroke of genius, and the most extraordinary work of art - spending as much time as I can finding and loving and adventuring on this playground of an earth fuels me, energizes me, inspires me. Mary Oliver’s poetry nails this earth-worshiping religion…if you haven’t read her work, run don’t walk. She’s incredible.  Q: From early on, you've very intentionally included Rowen in all of these outdoor adventures ... why is that so important to you? A: I think one of the biggest limiting beliefs of parenthood is that your entire life is now all about your little one. Rowen is my favorite person on this planet and my greatest adventure ever, AND, I believe that one of the coolest parts of being a parent is bringing your kid along for all the things that light you up. Being active in the outdoors is what keeps me, me. How cool that I get to raise Rowen to know and love this earth, to be fearless, to be challenged, to understand how ridiculously fun this world of ours can be? And along the way, he gets to know me - not just as his momma, but as me.  Q: Bringing a kid on outdoor adventures can be challenging ... How do you do it? A: Just go for it. Make modifications as needed, but send it. :) When Rowen was a newborn, we walked for miles along the sea. The second he got old enough to put into a bike seat, we went for long rides, and he got to chill in the back with the wind and the views and so much storytelling. He learned how to bike when he was 2, based purely on continuous at-bats. We also made it fun - I took him to rad bike parks where he got to check-out cool jumps by other kids, and we told stories relentlessly on our rides (what a cool view into his imagination I’ve been able to get through these ride stories, SUCH A GIFT). I bought a towwhee (the best $35 I’ve ever spent, it totally changes the game on what your kid can ride) so we could tackle bigger and more exciting mountains, and he wouldn’t be limited by big climbs. He’s been camping with me his entire life, and paddleboarding (he sits on the front with a lifevest). I try to make adventures as simple as possible - granola bars, apples, PB&JS, light equipment that's already all together, let's go. There are a ton of ways to overcomplicate outdoor adventures, so keeping us nimble and light and knowing I have the necessities makes getting out the door every time feel easy peasy.
 Q: What lifelong lessons do these experiences bring you, and do you hope for Rowen? A: So many. The outdoors keeps you on a never-ending growth edge - it’s the best lifelong classroom. A few of my favorite lessons:
 Q: What's next for you? A: We’re staying sendy over here. :) From a play standpoint, we just finished up a helluva winter here in California (SO MUCH SNOW), so Rowen and I spent tons of time skiing. I got to witness the coolest breakthrough for him - he went from strugglefest to a total shredder over the course of a very patient weekend with my partner and a red harness at Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort, and now he can’t get enough. Also, I recently got a backcountry set-up and dove into a new winter adventure, far from the crowds - such a challenge and such magic. Every summer for the last 3 years I’ve taken Rowen on a big camping road trip, with our bikes and tents and paddleboard and ample PB&J materials all packed into the Subaru. We’ll spend a few weeks this summer adventuring through Oregon and Washington, which has become the most ridiculously special time for us.  For all you readers - if you’re planning any west coast adventures, reach out! (EMAIL or InstaG) I do a ton of research and mapping and planning to find the best rides, sites, adventures, coffee, food, and logistics, and it’s all pretty perfectly documented. Please leverage if it’s helpful to you! And happy, happy, happy adventuring to you and your families. Send it!  Journal - Raising a Ripper with Christi MootComments are closed.
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