Community

Make your own tracks, Walk your own path

Click on the profiles below to learn more about the women we’ve aligned with and the stories they have to tell.

ATHLETES

Zoe Kalapos

Halfpipe Snowboarder

Rankings: USA #3; International: #21

“What I love about snowboarding is the creativity and freedom it gives me. Whenever I am boarding, nothing else matters. Snowboarding lets you put your own style and twist on your riding... I love escaping to the mountain and riding my snowboard however I want.”

When Zoe isn’t throwing a Fakie or a Poptart, or competing on the DEW Tour (where she finished 4th at the Women’s modified half pipe) you can find her hiking and adventuring through the mountains in Salt Lake City. A self-described fun, flirty and festive rider (the 3 F’s), Zoe spends her winters training out at Avon, Colorado & listening to Future, Migos and Travis Scott while riding.

Like many snowboarders Zoe started skiing at 2 but switched to snowboarding at the age of 5 when she begged her Dad to teach her. Being the only snowboarder on their home mountain Zoe would watch her Dad in awe and luckily her pestering paid off as she made the switch – safe to say she has not looked back. (A special thanks to Zoe’s Dad for being such a legend!)

After a ride you can catch Zoe sipping on a chai latte with extra cinnamon or a hot chocolate, stretching, eating lots of yummy healthy food, reading and cuddling her 13-year-old Labradoodle. FYI this poochie has some serious street cred as he joins Zoe at training days and pipe competitions.

No doubt Zoe is one to watch and is making some serious noise on the pipe. She supports animal welfare and environmental social causes and is a beautiful human inside and out! We know Zoe is just scratching the surface of her potential and we are so proud to have her on the ROJO team.

Zoe's favorite styles:

“It is one of the warmest, most comfortable winter coats I have ever owned! God bless ROJO for that.”

Kat Paul

Emily Champion

Australian XC skier

Australian Open Age Ranking: 5th; 1st U20 Female in Sprint events Australia; 2nd U20 Female in Distance events Australia

“I love how cross-country skiing combines my passion for skiing with endurance sport. It is a sport that can look so graceful, yet it is so challenging. You have to be mentally tough and extremely fit. I love the feeling of crossing the finish line and collapsing on the ground in exhaustion, knowing I have given it my best shot. I also love that I get to spend hours outdoors, particularly in the alpine environment. I have a slight obsession with sunrises and sunsets – there’s nothing like skiing with a pink sky, fresh snow and some tunes.”

Emily began Alpine skiing when she was just 4, thanks to her beautiful mum’s passion for the mountains. At the age of 12 her best friend asked her to compete in the school’s relay team but when she put on her cross-country skis for the first time she spent most of the day on the ground absolutely defeated. However, she kept at it and learnt to love the sport! Just two years later she qualified as the youngest member on the Australian junior cross-country team and has been training 6 days a week year-round ever since.

Emily’s favourite event at the moment is a skate sprint. A skate sprint is where individuals do a time trial as fast as possible around a 1.2km-1.8km racecourse and then progress into head to head heats. Each race takes around 3-4 minutes and is exhausting and exhilarating.

A powerful, tactic and speedy skier Emily is based at Perisher, NSW and Davos, Switzerland for her winter/winter lifestyle. Lucky for Emily, Davos is her winter paradise; “It is breathtakingly beautiful and has hours of trails through valleys and forests to ski. The town lights up at night with all the cute traditional houses in the mountains and has the most beautiful sunsets.”

Emily is also studying a Bachelor of Health Science at the Australian National University and is a proud advocate for climate change and the role winter sports can play in this conversation; “I support Protect Our Winters (POW), a climate advocacy group for the winter sports and outdoor community. They act against climate change to ensure the protection of our precious alpine playgrounds!” What an absolute gem!

Emily's favorite styles:

“I am obsessed with my black Maggie Boots. They’re so pretty, warm and perfect for winter whether you’re walking through a winter town or trudging through some deep fresh snow.

I’m so grateful to have ROJO’s support. I love that the brand represents a strong group of women who all get out there in our beautiful outdoor environment. I feel so lucky to be a part of this community.”

Amber Arazny

AMBASSADORS

Sophie Piearcey

Notes of a Northerner

New Zealand explorer and snowboarder

“I love the freedom, the chance to explore new terrain otherwise inaccessible without a board. I love the rush of completing a run, hitting some fresh off piste pow and I LOVE the snowboard community and stoke here in NZ.”

Admitting to buying all the gear and having no idea, Sophie completed her first snow season in Queenstown 5 years ago when she had absolutely zero snow experience. However, from the moment that she first strapped in she was hooked and is now about to complete her 7^th snow season.

A self-described fun, free and chill rider, Sophie explains; “I'm not into the park or tricks as such, I just love snowboarding the runs and off piste and exploring the club fields here in NZ. The three mountains we ride here in New Zealand have incredible terrain and an awesome touring map so jet getting on the lift and exploring wherever we fancy is my main game when out on the hill.”

Sophie's greatest achievement in life (so far) is completing the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal.

When she isn’t riding you will catch her hiking, chilling, reading, shooting (Soph is a photographer by trade) and running her online social media business. Oh, and she will be doing all of that with a Soy Flat White in hand or a cuppa tea (she is British after all).

When asked what social causes she supports, Sophie replied; “Mental Health foundation New Zealand. I am a huge advocate for mental health, and I will continue to use my platform and voice to be a safe place for those who need it. I also share my own journey with mental health and how I have used positive change in my life to overcome what I thought was the worst of it.”