Kimmy Fasani is a pioneering professional snowboarder, entrepreneur, and advocate whose journey goes far beyond the mountain. Born and raised in Truckee, California, she exploded onto the snowboarding scene with daring feats, including becoming one of the first women to land a double backflip, and has consistently pushed boundaries in her sport.
Her feature documentary, Butterfly in a Blizzard, filmed over five years, offers an intimate portrayal of her life as she navigates motherhood, identity, trauma, and a cancer diagnosis. The film explores “matrescence,” the profound transformation into motherhood, while also chronicling a brave battle with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer just months after giving birth to her second son.
After her diagnosis in late 2021, Fasani underwent intensive treatment and miraculously bounced back. Rather than stepping back, she returned to snowboarding and in 2023 earned a podium finish at one of her sport’s most demanding events, the Natural Selection Tour.
Off the snow, Fasani has used her voice and platform to effect change. Early in her career, she successfully lobbied for sponsor contracts to include maternity clauses, championing the rights of athlete mothers. She is also a co-founder of the Benchetler Fasani Foundation (with her husband, skier Chris Benchetler), which supports people facing hardship by reconnecting them with nature’s healing power.
By telling her truth with honesty and courage, Kimmy Fasani has become a role model for athletes, parents, and anyone facing life’s toughest mountains.