As I drive to Caroline Gleich’s home, I think about what I know about her, most of which I’ve gleaned from being one of her many Instagram followers. She was the first woman to ski all 90 lines in the Wasatch Mountains’ ski mountaineering bible, The Chuting Gallery; she’s been featured in multiple skiing magazines and films; she’s twice testified before Congress on behalf of the environment; she climbed and skied Cho Oyu, the sixth-highest mountain in the world; and she also climbed Mount Everest—with a torn ACL, no less. Ahead, learn more about who Gleich is outside of Instagram, and how she plans to tackle her latest goal—becoming a US senator.

PARK CITY MAGAZINE: Where are you from and when did you move to Utah?
CAROLINE GLEICH: I grew up in Minnesota but spent many vacations in Utah visiting family and skiing in Park City and the Cottonwoods. In 2001, when I was 15, my older half-brother, Martin Gleich, who was living in Salt Lake City and was working as a pulmonologist at University of Utah Hospital at the time, was killed in an avalanche while backcountry skiing. After his death, my parents, who are also both doctors, decided to relocate our family to Utah. 

PCM: Sounds like you come from an academically focused family. How did it go over when you decided to become a professional ski mountaineer, particularly in the wake of your brother’s death?
CG: When Martin died, I took on a lot of my parents’ grief. To watch my dad, in particular, go through that was just heartbreaking. And so, I decided I just couldn’t do that to them again. Not surprisingly, my parents forbid me from going into the backcountry, and so I took my time and made sure I had the skills and education and was over-prepared before venturing into that realm. Even then, I was very conservative and turned away from many lines, many times during the Chuting Gallery project. 

PCM: Climate protection and gender equality are both a big part of your personal brand. How did you decide to use your pro-skier platform to advocate for these two issues?
CG: Skiers have an inherently intimate connection to the environment, and I believe that if you have the resources and privilege to be able to go skiing, you should be able to make sure future generations can enjoy it too. A big reason why every ski day is so precious to me is because, as a young woman, skiing gave me a sense of power and helped me learn how to make my voice heard. I want to help other women feel that power. I’ve been lucky to have many inspiring women in my life, including my mom, who was one of the few women in her medical school graduating class; Kristen Ulmer, former pro-skier and current fear and anxiety expert, is another. She taught me that being a pro skier is not about being the best skier, but about how much value you can provide to help people reach their goals. Those skills have been invaluable to everything I do to this day, whether it’s running my small business, Big Mountain Dreams, or in my campaign for the US Senate.

PCM: Speaking of, what inspired you to throw your hat into the ring and run for Mitt Romney’s Senate seat?
CG: Many people through my education and career led to my decision to run, including Tim Chambless, a professor I had while earning my degree at the University of Utah; Ted Wilson, who I did an internship with through the Hinckley Institute; and New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, who I worked with to help pass the Inflation Reduction Act, to name just a few. And then last spring I participated in candidate training through the Hinckley Institute called Utah Women Run. There I met Gabi Finlayson, one of the founders of Elevate Strategies, an organization devoted to electing more Democrats in every level of government across Utah. Two days before the filing deadline, Gabi called to ask if I would file my candidacy for Romney’s seat. I wasn’t sure I was going to go through with it right up to the morning of the filing deadline. But I did because I want more young people to run for office. I’m also excited to use my candidacy to energize young voters from across the state. It will be worth the sacrifice if I can bring a ton of young people to the table and turn them into lifelong voters. To me, that alone would be a win.

PCM: Your website, carolineforutah.com, lists about 12 issues your campaign is focused on. What would you say are the top three? 
CG: Families, freedom, and future. As the world’s wealthiest country, we need to do more to have federally mandated paid parental leave and subsidized childcare. It’s essential for both healthier families and a healthier society, as well as a healthier planet. You can’t care about the climate if you don’t have a roof over your head because you lost your job as a result of being pregnant. Freedom refers to reproductive freedom. I despise that women’s reproductive care has become an issue that politicians weaponize for their own gain. It shouldn’t be part of the political conversation. Those are private decisions that should be made between a woman and her doctor. Period. Freedom is also about preserving voting rights and the ability to engage with government regardless of political affiliation, wealth, or religion. I’m really against measures that make it harder for citizens to engage in the public process, like the political gerrymandering we’ve seen in Utah. And, the future, of course, is about making sure the Great Salt Lake gets enough water and accelerating Utah’s transition to clean, renewable energy while at the same time supporting legacy energy-producing communities to ensure they have jobs and opportunities. 

PCM: Romney has been very vocal about how difficult it became for him to work within his own Republican Party. How do you plan to surmount those challenges as a Democrat if you’re elected?
CG: I don’t think that challenge is different from every challenge I’ve gone through in every stage of my career. Everyone has always given me a ton of reasons why not to do something I want to do, and I do it anyway. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what other people say as long as I can look at myself in the mirror and feel like I did the best I could.