Kimmy Fasani grew up in Truckee, California, took her first snowboard lesson in 1993 and felt, in her own words, like she had just stepped into a superpower. What followed was one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the sport, and one of the most remarkable lives you will find anywhere in the outdoor community.
She became one of the first women to land a double backflip. She built her name not in competition but in the backcountry, riding vast, uncharted terrain with a fearlessness that set her apart from everyone else on the mountain. It was out there, in those wide open spaces, that she found her path. As she told us herself, when she started spending time in the backcountry in the mid 2000s she realised she had found what she was most passionate about pursuing, and knew it could be a long term career.
Then in late 2021, just months after giving birth to her second son, she was diagnosed with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer. She went through intensive treatment, came out the other side, and in 2023 earned a podium finish at the Natural Selection Tour, one of snowboarding’s most demanding and prestigious events. That is not a comeback story. That is just Kimmy.
Off the snow she has been equally relentless. Early in her career she successfully lobbied for maternity clauses to be included in sponsor contracts, fighting for something that should have always existed and winning. She co-founded the Benchetler Fasani Foundation with her husband, professional skier Chris Benchetler, an organisation that supports people facing hardship by reconnecting them with the healing power of nature. She has spent years using her platform to advocate for women, mothers and survivors in and beyond the snow sports world.
When we asked what the next chapter looks like, she was characteristically grounded. She is spending more time with family and leaning into mentorship and advocacy. The ambition has not gone anywhere. It has just found new mountains to climb.
On what she wants to see change for women and girls in snow sports, she put it simply: opportunity is the window into the sport. Equal sponsorships, equal events, equal access to backcountry experiences. More visibility creates more participation. The industry is moving in the right direction, but there is more to do.
Butterfly in a Blizzard
Over five years, Kimmy let the cameras in. All the way in.
Butterfly in a Blizzard is her documentary, directed by Rose Corr and Tyler Hamlet, and it is unlike anything else to come out of snowboarding. It is not a highlight reel. It is an honest, intimate portrait of a woman navigating motherhood, identity, childhood trauma, a cancer diagnosis and a professional career, all at once, all while trying to figure out who she is becoming in the process.
The film explores matrescence, the profound psychological and emotional transformation of becoming a mother, a subject that leading maternal health experts featured in the film have described as the biggest story never told. Over five years of candid, behind-the-scenes footage, it captures Fasani as she works to maintain her place in snowboarding while striving to become the mother she aspires to be.
“Motherhood is so much more of a transformation than I ever expected,” Kimmy has said of the film. “I hope this film resonates with anyone who has struggled to find balance while chasing their dreams, and helps start a much-needed conversation about matrescence.”
Co-director Rose Corr put it simply: “Kimmy’s willingness to let us into her world, to show both her vulnerability and strength, is a testament to her character.”
The film premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and is distributed by Gravitas Ventures. It is available to watch now on digital platforms. Watch the official trailer below.
See Kimmy at Snowbound Expo 2026
Butterfly in a Blizzard will be screened at Snowbound Expo 2026, and Kimmy will be taking to the Inspiration Stage at Mohegan Sun on November 14th and 15th.
This is a rare opportunity to hear her speak in person, not just about snowboarding, but about everything it has taken to get here. About resilience, about motherhood, about what it means to keep showing up when life throws its worst at you.
As Kimmy told us when we asked what she would want audiences to take from the film: “We are all stronger and more resilient than we think we are. Challenges are a way to cultivate growth and expansion. There will always be a silver lining after the storms of life pass by.”