Natalie Davis Miller - Reaching New Heights. The Kelly Clark Story

U.S. Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark watched as the monstrous avalanche moved down the hill, gaining speed and force. Inside that powdery mass of uncontrollable snow was her friend and fellow snowboarder. Kelly unstrapped her boots from her snowboard and ran shouting and praying to the area where her friend would most likely be deposited. Kelly had gone down the mountain first, and she was the first person on the scene. Thoughts raced through her brain: Dig her out, resuscitate her bring her back from the dead, if necessary. Kelly had to move quickly. When the snow swallows a body whole, only a few seconds separate life from death.

Kelly thought of the science behind an avalanche. The melting, refreezing, and new fallen snow create layers that are unable to bond together, so they move and slide over each other. Snow on the side of a mountain can become an avalanche from the addition of one simple factor: a person moving down the snow.

You can prepare as much as you can, you can be as smart as you can, and you can be educated and take as many safety courses as possible; but when it comes to backcountry snowboarding, sometimes that isnt enough, said Kelly. You are out there in nature, and you cant control everything.

Kelly and her friend were backcountry snowboarding in New Zealand. Together with their guide, theyd flown to the location by helicopter and been dropped off on the mountaintop. Kelly was the first one down, navigating trees, rocks, crevasses, and cliffs all the rugged features youd expect to find on a snow-covered mountain.

Before their run, theyd flown over the area by helicopter and checked the zone from the air. They took photos, looked at the lines they wanted to run, and carefully planned where they wanted to go. They planned well; and in doing so, they also planned for the possibility of things going badly.

You think about everything, and this area looked to be the safest of the day, said Kelly. While she admits shes done some sketchy stuff in the past with crevasses and ice cliffs where bad things definitely could have happened, the area they chose that day seemed pretty mellow.

Kelly rode her line to the bottom and waited for her friend to do her run. Im watching her, and basically the unimaginable happens. Something goes wrong at the very top, which is the worst thing because you have nowhere to go but down, said Kelly. She had a few cliffs to get over that if youre not on your feet, theyre very scary.

The event happening right before her eyes looked like something youd see on a TV show, and Kelly felt like one of the actors. A bellowing cloud of snow moved down the mountain, and the whole time Kelly watched for her friend to see exactly where she landed and, ultimately, where to start digging. But as Kelly watched, her friend simply disappeared.

Kelly unstrapped her boots and ran. I just started running. And all of a sudden, as the snow is settling at the bottom, and Im [still] running, the thing just spits her out. She gets spit out at the bottom of this huge avalanche, and she is completely fine.

Watching her friend travel down the mountainside in an avalanche was by far the scariest thing Kelly Clark had ever experienced while snowboarding. Yet, even in those seconds while it was occurring, Kelly knew she could call on Jesus. Im glad no one was around me because I just started yelling and praying as soon as it happened. They would have thought I was nuts. Im watching it, and without even realizing it, Im praying and running at the same time.

People may think shes a crazy snowboarder, and Kelly admits to being a calculated risk taker. Yet Kelly explained, I do it at my own level and in my own comfort zone. Its a fine line to walk.

Kelly Clark is a two-time Olympic medalist, winning a gold medal for the womens halfpipe in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a bronze medal for the same event at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. In 2006, she missed the podium by just one spot, coming in fourth in the womens halfpipe at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

As the winningest female snowboarder, Kelly recently laid down a streak of sixteen wins going back to 2011. Her winning streak ended when she came in second at the Burton U.S. Open in March 2012. The competition was held in her home state of Vermont, where she has a huge fan base. If she was going to break a streak, home was as good a place as any, according to Kelly. At least in Vermont she would be loved, win or lose.

But more important than all of the medals shes earned and there have been many Kelly Clark counts herself a Christian. Just like it happened with snowboarding, she didnt start out that way but its where she finds herself today. And shes happy to be there.