Growing up in British Columbia, Canada, the mountains were always home.
Kirsten Van Horne spent her childhood skiing, riding and trying just about every sport she could get her hands on. Mountain biking wasn't the plan. It was simply the one thing she kept coming back to.
"My happy place is definitely in the mountains."
Being surrounded by endless forests gave her a sense of perspective. It's still the place where she feels most like herself.
Learning to believe it
Kirsten describes herself as a quiet kid. Not the one chasing the spotlight, but the one quietly wondering if she was actually good enough to be there.
As her riding progressed, people started telling her she could make it as a professional mountain biker. She heard it. She just wasn't ready to believe it herself.
"I didn't really want to repeat that back out loud."
Because saying it meant it could fail.
For a long time, every new opportunity came with the same question:
Do I deserve this, or did I just get lucky?
The moment everything changed
The biggest turning point in Kirsten's career didn't happen on a bike. While ski touring with her mentor, Kristen finally admitted something she'd been keeping to herself.
She wanted to become a professional mountain biker.The answer from her mentor couldn't have been simpler.
"If you're thinking about it, just go for it. You won't know if you don't try."
That conversation stayed with her.From then on, she stopped waiting until she felt ready. Instead, she started saying yes to opportunities that pushed her outside her comfort zone and trusted herself to figure the rest out along the way.
Because that's where the good stuff happens.
Exactly where she's meant to be
Today, Kirsten is lining up at some of the biggest freeride events in the world. Red Bull Rampage. Red Bull Natural Selection. Swatch Nines. Red Bull Hardline. A few years ago, she never imagined she'd be riding on live broadcasts alongside the sport's biggest names.Even now, it still feels a little surreal.
"I still haven't fully caught up with the fact that I went to Rampage."
But somewhere between those start gates, long hike-ups and big mountain lines, something changed.
The doubt slowly disappeared. Not because someone else believed in her. Because she finally believed in herself.
Keep chasing it
Today, Kirsten rides her GHOST POACHA with the same mindset that got her here: keep showing up, keep pushing yourself and don't let uncertainty decide where your riding ends.
The mountains are still her happy place.
Only now, they just happen to come with a start gate.
