Heather Mooney

First off, just tell us a little bit about yourself — where you’re from and how you came to be in Bozeman, what you do in town, fun + goofy quirks if we came into your house, etc. Go with it and say whatever you'd like. 

Until moving to Bozeman, (nordic) ski racing and calling small town Vermont home were the main defining points of my life. I grew up in southern VT where our elementary school bus had ski racks on it and we skied for gym class all winter; in high school I began to take year round training seriously, lived for ski practice and earned my first international race starts. I skied/studied architecture at Middlebury College (in VT) before racing professionally for a team based in Craftsbury, VT. After two years of full time skiing, I lost touch with my sense of purpose, subsequently feeling burnt out, and answered the urge to move to the Wild West. Here I am! 

I came to Bozeman because it was the center of my Venn diagram of bikeable towns with winter and places with architecture grad school programs. Many of my high school and college friends (and my younger brother) had also migrated out here, so Bozeman was quick to feel like home.  In the time since I moved here, I ended up ski racing for another two seasons, have yet to start school, and have begun to enjoy the outdoors for the sake of it again, without a training plan. This past winter was my first since I was 6 not spent ski racing, so I went big and got my first ever lift-serve seasons pass (Bridger naturally) and enjoyed lots of not-uphill skiing and yoga :) 

I yearn to one day say I do one thing for work...but for now, I write for an architecture magazine (Western Home Journal), co-run a tutoring company (Peak Potential), do some ski coaching, website and graphic design, and started working at Nova before COVID hit. That said, I'm most enthralled by how our external (and internal) environments shape our physical and emotional wellbeing, and am excited to dive into that in a structured way, planning to start a graduate program in the fall in Design for Human Health.

In an imaginary, alternate universe where Bozeman has shut down completely and you have only one more day to eat at TMP’s favorite bakery (read: addiction), Wild Crumb — WHAT DO YOU ORDER?!

pain au raisin 

What outdoor activity really brings a big ole grin to your face? 

a primo classic day on xc skis 

On the other side of things, what other kinds of hobbies or creative projects fill you up? 

Now that I'm a "recreational" athlete I think I get to call exercising a hobby! Mostly running, Mountain Project, yoga, and all forms of skiing. I enjoy making colorful cards out of collage using paint color samples, finding all the secret watering holes to go swimming in and hammocking. Oh and hugs. 

Word association game - very first thing that comes to mind! GO.

TMP —  the mural!
Pit Vipers — brochachos 
Pastries — wild crumb obviously
Bridger Bowl — post-season PK laps

You get the last word. Anything else you’d like to add? It can be a joke, a saying you try and live by, something new you’ve realized or learned about yourself and values during these crazy times, your favorite food you couldn’t live without, etc. Whatever you’d like, if there is something. 

"There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" -Leonard Cohen, as an invitation that our flaws, the things we have shame for, are what make us human and beautiful and can offer deep connection and be some of our most amazing gifts. 

I'm so grateful for the community that the Mountain Project fosters! A wonderful balance of no-nonsense sufferfest workouts but also so much FUN. I'm missing you all in real life right now and am super grateful for zoom class to keep me honest and connected in the interim.