Balancing Creativity and Adventure with Jaki Portolese

When I touched base with skier and photographer Jaki Portolese, she had just returned from a ski trip up north to Whistler and was buzzing with excitement for the forecasted mid-week powder dump in the PNW. Like the rest of the Teton Bros USA team, Jaki's passion for the snow cannot be denied. While Jaki grew up in Washington and learned to ski at Steven's Pass, just a few hours from Seattle, she didn't fall in love with skiing until later in life. While skiing always interested her, the pandemic finally drove Jaki to prioritize skiing and the outdoors. It started with a chance meeting with a now close friend who shared a similar desire to get into the mountains and evolved into the formation of a new group of friends who prioritize the mountains and venturing into the backcountry as much as possible, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when ski resorts were closed.

One of the most challenging aspects of Jaki's journey was stepping into the backcountry for the first time. Going from being a confident downhill skier to trying to master the basics of going uphill was difficult, to say the least. Many tears were shed throughout the process, and frustration occasionally won the day. Still, ultimately, the forced trauma bonding that is trying to ascend mountains with your friends led to the deepening of now close relationships.

As Jaki's passion for skiing blossomed, she began to imagine a life for herself dictated by snowfall in the pursuit of her passions, which led her to chase another dream— working as a photographer. Jaki was all in on photography from an early age, learning to shoot in high school and landing gigs shooting senior portraits. As Jaki moved into the corporate world, she kindled her love for photography with various side hustles until she eventually left the corporate world in favor of a more creative path. Jaki shares that "photography [] was my solace, and where I felt in control of my career. I was always a very different, much better person when I was behind the camera than when I was behind the computer." When Jaki's employers wanted her to return to the office, she couldn't imagine giving up chasing powder and her flexibility to travel, so she went all in on photography. Photographing weddings in the PNW allows Jaki to primarily work in the summer and spend her winters chasing snow.

Looking back at her travels, Jaki gets almost emotional when she talks about her experience skiing in Japan. "Everything I dreamed of that trip being, it was everything and more." Earlier this season, Jaki and her crew scored a surreal powder day in Grand Targhee. Recently, Jaki and her group of friends got the unique opportunity to explore Bald Face Lodge, one of Canada's and the world's premier guided powder destinations. Typically reserved for snowboarders, Jaki and her crew got the opportunity to explore the Canadian backcountry by snowmobile, helicopter, and on foot with the team at Bald Face.

Looking back at her development as a skier, Jaki credits the Alpental at Summit and Snoqualmie for pushing her beyond her limits and then some. Navigating the rugged terrain in Alepental's back bowls in various snow conditions allowed Jaki to evolve into the skier she is today. "Part of why you grow up so quickly back there is because you can get cliffed out so fast, and you don't have a choice. It kind of forces you to learn how to ski in the worst of the worst. Even when the snow is good, the most non-ideal things can happen. Like, the snow [can be] good, and then, [suddenly] I'm in this narrow chute, but I have to do it. Otherwise, [I] gotta hike out."

Jaki has dedicated her career to documenting people's happiest moments. In her free time, she documents her own, chronicling her adventures in the backcountry with her friends without missing a beat. Storytelling is what drives Jaki to continue to create and explore. You can follow along on Jaki's journey through her Instagram page, where she documents her travels, ski progression, and creativity.