Shaun started working at White Pine Touring in the summer to complement her freeride career — a move that eventually led to a full-time guiding position. “It was very much like kismet,” Shaun explains. “I was 26 at the time. I started realizing that I wanted to do more. I wanted to give back more.”
She shifted her focus to avalanche education and began teaching courses for White Pine. Around that time, she was offered a job at Park City Powder Cats and started a decade-long career as a snowcat guide.
During an interview for a program manager position back at her previous employer, White Pine Touring, she faced a crossroads and was inspired to finally start her own guide company, Inspired Summit Adventures.
“I sat at an interview, and they offered me the job. I suddenly realized that I could put all this energy into them. Or it could be my moment to start putting energy into myself,” she remembers.
The decision to start Inspired Summit Adventures fulfilled one of Shaun’s longtime dreams. “It’s been part of my DNA since I was a kid. I always knew I was going to have a guide service,” she says.
Her approach in founding Inspired Summit Adventures mirrors her perspective on relationships. “I’m a big proponent of community, and I really feel a lot of allegiance to organizations that have helped me,” she explains. In turn, Inspired Summit Adventures collaborates with local guiding companies. “I believe that a rising tide raises all ships. That a healthy community is a thriving community,” she states.