In the world of skiing, it might have seemed as if Karine Falck-Pedersen had reached a summit that was hard to top by the time she graduated from the University of Denver last year.
In four seasons on the DU ski team — including the NCAA champion ski teams of 2005 and 2008, and serving as captain of the women’s ski team in her junior and senior years — the Norwegian native had a fantastic run. But for Falck-Pedersen (BA marketing ’08), her ride was just beginning. When ski-film legend Warren Miller’s newest winter production, Dynasty, plays in Denver Nov. 11–15, she’ll be up there on the big screen.
Falck-Pedersen — who went by the nickname “C.K.” at DU — didn’t let her skis collect dust after graduation. Instead, she headed to Squaw Valley, Calif. And when the snow fell, she went to work on the slopes, far from the groomed race courses, focusing instead on extreme terrain.
“As the competitive person I am, I wanted to continue competing,” she says. “I entered a qualifier for the U.S. Freeskiing World Tour in Telluride and qualified for all stops the rest of the season.”
With a successful tour behind her, Falck-Pedersen signed with Helly Hansen outdoor gear and Kaestle skis as sponsors, which led her to a Kaestle Adventure Tour trip to Norway. One thing led to another, and she found herself working with Miller’s film crew.
“Before I knew it, I was on board with this amazing crew, heading to Norway,” she says. “We went there in May and filmed way up north in the Lyngen Alps. It was absolutely fantastic. We were ski touring all day, up to 15 hours in our boots, and we got to ski until 9 p.m. because the sun doesn’t really ever set when summer is coming around. We had a helicopter drop us off at some epic peaks and we skied all the way down to the ocean.”
The film segment featuring Falck-Pedersen is titled “Summit to Sea.”
After filming, Falk-Pedersen took off to Bali for a month of certification courses in yoga, earning her Ashtanga yoga certificate.
Andy LeRoy, head coach of DU’s ski team, remembers “C.K.” as a dedicated skier who provided team leadership and showed a great work ethic.
“We don’t practice on the weekends, and she would just take off when she could and head out to wherever there was great snow. She’d be out there weekend after weekend skiing in deep powder, then come back and be even faster on the course,” LeRoy says. “She has a real love of skiing, and she always did her best as team captain to take care of everyone. She definitely made her impact.”
After she finishes a European tour supporting Dynasty, Falck-Pedersen says she’s looking forward to more skiing and competition and — she hopes — more films.
“I hope to improve my skiing in what’s a pretty different scene compared to ski racing. I’ve just got to get out there all day, every day, working hard,” she says. “I moved back to Norway in June, but I’m already not home that much. I’m wherever the wind blows me.”