Mama On Board: Snowboarding Pregnant

By Jill Hallquist

Rewind to June 2023

I’m sitting with my surgeon, discussing the details of my eventual double mastectomy for the first time. Near the end of the appointment, she says to me, “And we’re referring you to a fertility clinic to discuss your options.” I asked her why, and she told me that chemo was going to wipe out my ovaries.

Gut punch.
I started bawling.

I was single and without children at this moment, but deep down I knew that I wanted to be a mom one day. I did not want this option to be taken from me because of a breast cancer diagnosis at 35 years old.

Fast Forward to August 2024

[insert image of me staring at two pink lines on an at-home pregnancy test in my bathroom]. It felt like the wind got knocked out of me. I wasn’t trying to get pregnant. I didn’t know my body could even handle it at this point. I had just completed my final round of immunotherapy injections one month earlier.

I have guilt for not being super excited during this moment—mainly because people close to me, that I know and love, are currently struggling with getting pregnant. But I need to be honest. One of my very first thoughts was:

“Fuck! I’m going to miss winter AGAIN?!”

(I missed a lot of the previous winter season because of my double mastectomy and other cancer-related surgeries.)

Immediately, I walked to the calendar in my kitchen and started counting the weeks: 20 weeks at the beginning of December. Then I started Googling “snowboarding while pregnant” and other related searches. The general consensus on the internet—especially during your second trimester—was that it’s not recommended.

Resort Riding

At four months pregnant, I went to opening weekend at Mount Rose. I hit a few tiny jumps in the mini terrain park, and I was pretty terrified of falling. I was also pretty terrified of getting hit.

A couple of weekends later, still early in the season, I went to Heavenly on a Sunday. In hindsight, that was a dumb call. I got to the top of the Gunbarrel lift and got fully taken out by a guy who was completely out of control before I had even strapped in for the day.

Luckily, I kicked my unstrapped foot out and fell on my left butt cheek. Since I had already started packing on the pounds, there was some cushion there. All in all, it wasn’t cool.

After that, I decided it was backcountry-only for me that season. I hung up the pass (got a refund) and started Googling again. The general consensus around backcountry skiing/splitboarding was pretty similar to my previous results: it’s not recommended.

And then I found this blog, and felt relieved.

Splitboarding

I decided I was going to keep it very mellow.
Low-angle terrain only. No high avy danger. Powder days only.

There was one day when I was eight months pregnant where I went out on choppy terrain. I had FOMO on a fun afternoon with my TitsDeep crew at Sunrise Bowl. I took it really slow, and it was a great day with the gals.

Here’s a photo of my good friend, Alana, carrying my board for me that day.
~8.5 months pregnant.
Good friends are so special.

I went around Carson Pass a lot. There is a ton of fun, low-angle terrain around the Red Lake parking area.

6 months pregnant around Carson Pass
(Third from the right in the blue hat)
I was starting to feel more out of breath, but still good.

7 months pregnant on Stephens Peak, pictured with my partner, Leo.
I’m typically 145–150 lbs, and I was about 200 lbs in this photo. Skinning uphill was feeling harder, but the powder turns with good friends were worth it.

It might get harder to breathe. Squatting to pee will be a little more challenging. You might need to ask your friends to help with tightening your bindings.

Listen to your body and your instincts.
You know your body best. <3

Tips

• I bought larger snow pants off Facebook Marketplace and didn’t zip them, but used suspenders to hold them up (instead of spending a bunch of money on maternity snow pants).
• I recommend bringing a water bladder with a hose so you can continuously sip and stay hydrated. It’s annoying to have to pee all the time, but it’s worse to be dehydrated.
• Drink electrolytes!
• Low-angle terrain only. Don’t push it. Your body needs you. 🙂

The experiences shared here are personal, not medical advice. Every body and every pregnancy is different. Please consult your healthcare provider before beginning or continuing any physical activity while pregnant. We encourage you to listen to your body and do what feels right for you.