Amy Jane David & "The Way Back"

Amy Jane David has been a top-performing Icelantic athlete for 10 years. For the past 5 years that I’ve worked for the company, I’ve come to know Amy as a close friend. Watching her career evolve and grow through her dedication and commitment has been nothing short of amazing.

Amy co-produced the TGR film “The Way Back”, which released in November. The Way Back honors western heritage, connection to the land, the healing power of nature, and follows the adventure of three women horse packing into the Wyoming Range to ski three alpine peaks.

Their route follows the history of Amy’s family, who homesteaded in the foothills of these mountains in the early 1900’s, and built their own skis and rode horses as a utilitarian means of work and winter survival. While retracing the history of Amy’s family roots and connection to the land, Tatum Monod and Emilé Zynobia share their unique stories and experiences.

I chatted with Amy to talk about her experience with creating the film, the highs and lows, and everything in between.

[[ WATCH THE FILM HERE ]] 

HW: Amy! You’ve been growing your athlete career consistently over the past few years, which has been incredibly fun to watch. In the past two seasons, you’ve gotten to film with TGR — what has that experience been like? 

AJD: My first year filming with TGR for the film “Magic Hour” was a childhood dream come true! Filming the sled ski segment in Cooke City, MT is certainly a highlight of my career. In 2023, I was invited to film for TGR’s film “Legend Has It” in the Wyoming backcountry. After the first week of filming, I unfortunately tore my ACL during the Kings and Queens of Corbets competition which required a reconstructive knee surgery and a long year of recovery. After working really hard to build physical strength back, I was blown away to have the opportunity to create a short film with TGR featuring my personal journey and family history alongside two incredible women - Tatum Monod and Emilé Zynobia. Telling a deeper story about connection with nature, animals, and family roots through a horse packing ski adventure felt like my sense of purpose really came to fruition. Doing this a year after a huge injury made it that much sweeter.

HW: What were the conversations leading to this somewhat-solo project coming together?

AJD: I’ve had variations of the concept to combine horses, skiing, and western heritage floating around in my mind for years. I reread a college essay I wrote in 2012 that outlined my dream of creating a film with TGR that juxtaposed riding horses and skiing with family history, so to have made that a reality 12 years later feels wild! I’ve been in conversations with TGR for the past few years about creating a short film with women traversing the Wyoming Range, but funding it was a challenge. Last November the producer called me saying Wrangler wanted to fund a film, and that’s when we dialed in the specifics for “The Way Back” going on a horse pack trip to ski and weaving in a few deeper story lines about my personal life. I took on a bigger role as co-producer for this project planning the route, organizing logistics with the outfitters, ranch base camp, story development, and through the entire editing process. I certainly learned a lot through the full experience.

HW: You have a family history deeply rooted in western heritage. What was it like bringing your family into this story?

AJD: It was really special to bring my family into the story. They’re the main reason I feel so connected to western lifestyle and the mountains, so I couldn’t see this project happening without them. Everyone has a story to tell and passing down stories is a big part of western heritage. I felt like honoring the past generations was a unique and important part of my journey. They homesteaded in these mountains in the early 1900’s, lived off the land, built their own skis as a mode of winter transportation and relied on horses for daily work. I was very adamant about being involved in the editing process to ensure their story was told correctly and am grateful for the women who edited the film weaving the storyline together in a beautiful way. The night before we left on the trip, my dad cooked a big dinner for the entire production crew at the ranch he grew up on and over the fire like his dad used to. That was a perfect send off!

HW: Let’s talk about the actual skiing. You’ve skied massive lines and jumped off crazy cliffs — but have you ever accessed skiing via horse before?

AJD: I’ve competed in ski joring events for fun where the horse races down a track pulling the skier over jumps, but this was the first time I’ve accessed ski lines with horses in the backcountry. To plan the route and logistics for this trip, I spent a lot of time snowmobiling in the winter to scout good lines, mapping the route options and taking photos. As the snow started to melt at lower elevations I tracked the snow levels to find the sweet spot of having enough snow to ski up high, but enough melted to ride the horses through the mountains. When I got connected with Tre Hiener of Jackson Hole Outfitters, all the puzzle pieces started to come together. He has spent endless amounts of time riding horses through the terrain we wanted to access and has a herd of very strong capable mountain horses. His first words to me when I pitched him the idea to help us pack horses in was, “Let’s do it! Anything is possible!”
The ski lines were so much fun. It was pure spring skiing with warm t-shirt weather hikes to the summit and corn skiing all the way down. Because the trip was in mid-June, the snow was covered in big sun cups which made for some rough high speed descents. I can’t wait to go back and ski the same lines with soft snow!

HW: What were some of the ups and downs of the trip? Scary moments? Belly-laugh moments?

AJD: One of my favorite moments was the first night we camped out in the mountains. I packed a soft ball and convinced the crew to play a few rounds as the sun was setting. We found a big stick for a bat and logs for bases. It was hilarious watching each other try to run in cowboy boots. As a group of people who had only met a few days prior, this was the first moment we were all relaxed, laughing, and just enjoying the moment. One of the most suspenseful parts of the trip was the final horse ride up the south face of Prater Peak. We decided to ride horses up the backside of the mountain where the snow had mostly melted out and ski down the north facing couloirs. We rode off trail bushwhacking through tight trees, across a few snow fields, and there were some steep drop offs on the sides of the trail at times. Knowing that we trusted Tre’s judgment, we were able to put our trust in the horses who flawlessly carried us up the mountain. Reaching the top was a moment I’ll carry with me forever.

HW: How did you and the other two ladies featured in the film (Tatum Monod and Emilé Zenobia) come together for this project?

AJD: I had never met Tatum or Emilé before they arrived in Wyoming. When choosing partners for this trip, we needed to find people who were strong backcountry skiers and had experience riding horses. I immediately thought of Tatum for her powerful skiing, experience on multi-day winter camping expeditions, and knew she had done hunting trips on horseback. Turns out she also grew up riding horses and competed in eventing which is where you race horses through a cross country course over jumps. One of the TGR producers, Drew Holt, sent me an article written by Emilé about her experience being part of cowboy culture in Jackson Hole. I was impressed by her beautiful writing and introspective thoughts. She moved to Wyoming when she was about 13 and worked on a modest ranch learning to ride horses. She’s also a strong snowboarder. Over the course of the trip the three of us become good friends. It’s amazing how going on a wild adventure can bring people together.

HW: I think my favorite part about this film is that it’s “not just another ski movie” — and that seems like a bit of a trend many creatives are aiming for these days. What was this film truly about, for you?

AJD: This film is much more than a ski movie and I’m so happy it comes across that way! To me this film is about the deep internal connection we have with nature, animals, and appreciating the full human experience. I see the horses as a beautiful symbolism for how women can be in the mountains. Strong and capable while simultaneously being intuitive and emotionally aware. By honoring the past generations we can feel more gratitude for what we have in modern life. There is a timelessness of western lifestyle, appreciation for slowing down, and the joy of having a sense of adventure. By being vulnerable about some of the hard moments in my personal life, I hope people know they are not alone in their pain, there’s healing power in nature, and by shifting perspective we can create so much happiness in our lives.