Nadia Samer, a Whistler lady with intentions as pure as gold. She’s building a legacy much bigger than the mountains that form her epicenter and this is what we admire most about her. Overcoming injuries, maintaining a career as a professional athlete and in the midst of pursuing a medical degree, she somehow manages to donate much of her time to encouraging females to get involved in the outdoors and participate in the Whistler community full heartedly. Oh and just to clarify, when we say professional athlete, it’s not just in one discipline – she’s a professional skier, snowmobiler, speed flyer, and avid downhill mountain biker. No doubt here, Nadia Samer is most definitely a Character of Whistler.

NADIA SAMER ON “WHY WHISTLER?”

Connected to the heartbeat of Whistler from a young age, Nadia is smitten by this place. “The people that the mountains bring here is a group of like-minded people who care about the environment, they care about health, they want to be happy.” It’s the atmosphere that creates the community in Whistler that makes this place so great, Nadia explains, “we all want that rush, that happiness, that feeling of being out there.” Truth be told, there are not many places where you can logistically be a professional skier, snowmobiler, speed flier, and downhill biker. Her passions were clearly born from the place she calls home – “the best of all worlds” as Nadia puts it. These different pursuits have exposed her to many sides of Whistler making her versed in the community and an incredible asset to planning events and breaking down barriers with her excellent communication skills.

Originally hailing from Campbell River, Nadia’s parents had a place in Whistler and she learned to ski at Whistler Blackcomb when she was two years old. A frequent visitor until age thirteen when she made the move to Whistler full time with her dad. She quickly embraced all of the new opportunity as a ski-obsessed teen transplanted into a ski focused town. It wasn’t long before she was training and competing with the Alpine Ski Racing team, Ski Cross team and then onto the provincial team – this girl learned how to crush goals from an early age.

Nadia Samer skiing Blackcomb. Captured by Andrew Strain.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND LEARNING BY EXAMPLE

With some perspective on life, Nadia acknowledges that there is often a big disconnect from the idea of being in the outdoors and becoming one with the outdoors. Social media often provides inspiration for getting out there but then becomes the biggest barrier for actually submerging yourself once you’re out there. She is passionate about sharing the message of loving yourself, your body and the experiences that it lets you have regardless of what shape or size it comes in. Media trends come and go, but the experiences you feel when you’re finally in the outdoors is unforgettable, so who cares how you look doing it, just get out there, do it and be authenticly present.

“I hope to aspire others to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, to live with integrity, to stand up for what they believe in, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. I hope I can inspire other women to demand more from themselves, push both their limits and comfort zone and in doing so, realize that they are more than their physical appearance- that it is possible to build an athletic career that isn’t intricately tied to their body, appearance or sex appeal. I hope that by telling my story, others who are struggling realize that you can overcome adversity, whether it’s an injury, setbacks, or whatever obstacles life throws in your way. There is a tendency to view people as one dimensional, however, this isn’t an accurate depiction of reality. There is no reason why you can’t tackle both academic dreams and athletics concurrently, you can do both, you don’t have to limit yourself in life.”

A powerful intention from a powerful human. Practicing what she preaches is evident upon meeting this graceful, strong, polite and inspiring lady. Nadia Samer isn’t afraid to let loose with the guys or the girls because she’s comfortable in her own skin. You can’t help but feel at ease with her and feel yourself grow stronger as an individual in her presence, she truly encompasses the definition of being a “Characters of Whistler” by bettering the people, the town and the sports that define Whistler.

Nadia Samer by Abby Cooper

Read about the other Characters of Whistler here.

Abby Cooper

A lover of all things outdoors, Abby Cooper is a splitboarder, hiker, adventurer, year-round snow seeker, photographer and writer.