Hi, I’m Izzy. I’m in my mid-twenties, originally from the north of England, and currently living in Golden, British Columbia, with my boyfriend, Chris. I thought this first post should be a proper introduction to us, how we ended up here and why we started Chasing Izzy.
Growing up, I always loved sport, particularly dance and netball. I was lucky enough to go on ski holidays as a child, but otherwise outdoor adventure wasn’t a huge part of my life. I certainly didn’t imagine I’d end up living in Canada and exploring in a campervan.
At 18, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I took a ski season job in Les Gets, France, thinking a gap year would give me time to figure things out. I hadn’t expected it to change what I wanted from life quite so much.
Living in the mountains opened my eyes to a different way of life, and I fell in love with skiing. One season became another, this time in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Before long, I wanted to hike, climb, travel and try pretty much any outdoor sport I could.
My first real taste of off-piste skiing in Crans Montana
Then came the uncertainty around Brexit, and I wasn’t sure how I’d continue doing European ski seasons. I’d always been interested in working in healthcare, so I decided to study a healthcare profession at university. It felt like a career I could really enjoy, and the possibility of using my degree to work abroad excited me too.
That was also when Chris came into the picture. We were best friends before becoming a couple, and he introduced me to even more things. We’d go wakeboarding, spend time on his boat, camp, surf and climb. I was having so much fun, and the list of things I wanted to try kept growing.
Chris and his Facebook Marketplace boat that broke down…
Together, we started dreaming about travelling and exploring the world once I’d finished university.
After qualifying, I worked in the NHS. I loved the job, the people and the fulfilment it gave me, but the lifestyle didn’t quite suit me. I wanted more time outdoors and the chance to live somewhere we could do the things we loved more often.
Eventually, we made the move to Canada.
We’re now based in Golden, working at a ski and mountain bike lodge up on the mountain. Outside work, we spend winter skiing and summer mountain biking, hiking and seeing what else we can get ourselves into. Our campervan, Bluebird, lets us head off and explore further whenever we can.
Our beloved campervan ‘Bluebird’
There’s still work and normal life to fit in, but having the mountains so close makes a huge difference.
Chasing Izzy grew out of our love for watching other outdoor YouTubers. Their videos inspired us to visit places and try things ourselves. With Chris’s photography and videography skills, we decided to start sharing our own adventures too.
We wanted to show what learning something new outdoors actually feels like. The excitement when something finally clicks, along with the nerves, frustration and days when your confidence isn’t there. I’m still learning plenty myself, especially on a mountain bike, and I want to share that honestly.
I’d love someone to watch a video and think, “I’d like to give that a go.” Starting small and seeing where it takes you is how a lot of this happened for me.
Chasing Izzy is now our focus for the foreseeable future, and this blog gives me somewhere to share more of the stories and things we’ve learnt along the way.
I went to France at 18 hoping a gap year would help me work out what I wanted to do. I’m still figuring parts of that out, but I’m very glad it led me here.
Thanks for following along.
Izzy x
