THE ANIMA COLLECTIVE:
VALERIE FESTAVAN
A KIND SOUL WITH PURE INTENTIONS:
There are few people you meet in life like Val — an incredible multi-disciplined athlete across skiing, skating, snowboarding, and biking. Most importantly, a kind soul with pure intentions and a general passion for uplifting those around.
Val joining The ANIMA Collective is a signal we're all here for the right reasons ... building a community of individuals who can confidently come together by being themselves, listen to other's perspectives, and gain tools to honor the person we are.
Although Val is currently out healing a broken collarbone, earned at I-Street in Salt Lake City, Utah, we were able to meet with Val, dig into who she is as a person, and learn how she intertwines sport & hobbies to be her complete self.
YOU SKI, SKATE, SNOWBOARD, & BIKE, ALL AT A HIGH-LEVEL. HOW DOES THAT COME TO BE?
Well, first off I’m flattered that I’m recognized for that. Since I’m moving away from competing in skiing and haven’t done super well in competitions in my opinion, sometimes I feel like a jack of all trades and a master of none. But, I also tend to compare myself to some of the best in the world, so that could be part of it.
I feel like there are multiple aspects to it. First I surround myself with people who are better than me. Or being around people that also want to push themselves and stretch their comfort zone. That energy is very contagious and it gets me inspired and fired up.
I feel that everything I do can be traced back to a few core principals which is how I like to show up in life. And the main one is trying my best. Ever since I was a little gromlette I gave everything I had to whatever I was doing. Whether it was the races around the school in P.E. (that legitimately had no significance whatsoever) or being extremely competitive in my dry-land training for skiing and beating the boys to the top despite them being on their nice 27-29 inch and brand new bikes and me on my janky, heavy little 24 inch wack bike I got from who knows where. Whether it was “important” in the eyes of others or not, it’s important to me to put my best foot forward.
I also trace it back to my competitive nature, at first with others, and now more so my high standards I have with myself that push me to be better in every aspect of life. I get bored with being stagnant and want to continue to push my internal and external boundaries.
Also, all these sports end up complementing each other. Pumping the bowl on a skateboard is the same as pumping a bike on a trail. Doing a 360 on skis is the same on a snowboard, you just have a different plank attached to your feet and your sideways instead. All the fundamentals are so similar and correlate so closely, I’ve just learned how to be intune with my body and focus on the micro-movements that help me get the result and feeling I’m looking for.
Ultimately, the most important thing is your mindset. My dad used to tell me that if I ever want to do something just say and repeat “I think I can, I think I can ''. I used to say that to myself all the time. Now my self-talk has shifted a bit in the words I say, but the principal is the same. What you say about yourself, to yourself is KEY to accomplishing things well and overcoming obstacles in life.
AUTHENTICITY IS A HOT TOPIC TODAY. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE IT THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES?
Authenticity to me is similar to the first thought that pops into your mind. It’s the free flowing, unfiltered, wild and untamed beast inside of us all. It’s the version of yourself in your head that either you wish you could show up as or the version of you that you already are in bursts or maybe you are that version of yourself a lot of the time.
It’s a muscle that I’ve had to practice over the course of my life. As a young girl I was very shy and introverted. Even up until highschool and young adult-hood. Lately I’ve kinda just been saying the random stuff that comes to mind in a conversation when I used to hold everything in and analyze it and wonder how it would be interpreted. I was filtering myself. And even though these random thoughts and things might not be a direct reflection of us and who we are, I think it opens the door of possibility and welcomes others to be free and not think so much about how we will be perceived. Similar to flow-state and the more you practice it, the more it will naturally just flow. It’s not a thing that can be forced. At the end of the day, most people are so focused on their own lives and every little thing you do is most likely being scrutinized more by you then it is by them.
I also believe that every little thing we do has an effect on the people and the environment around us. We have the ability to inspire, create an ambiance wherever we go in the world. In a work environment, in our athletic communities, on social media, and even as simple as the grocery store. Hence my handle “Val The Vibe Creator” on social media. Originally, it came from someone else, but it has been a part of my realization that indeed I am a powerful force with the ability to uplift and create the vibe I want to see in the world. We are all creators and have the potential to be authentic expressions of whatever it is we CHOOSE to put out into the world.
WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST INTRODUCTION TO THE BIKE SCENE?
Something some might not know about me is I’m pretty fresh to this whole biking scene. I grew up riding bikes but it was more so just riding Flying Dog out behind my house with my dad and trying to keep up with 40 year olds in good shape on nice bikes on my tiny, sparkly light green, 7 speed we got from Walmart. I haven’t even owned a bike since my junior year in highschool, I’m 23 so that’s 8 years!! I haven’t even done that math till now! That’s so wild honestly.
I got away with stealing my mom’s without her permission and taking it out on the occasional trail ride. But honestly that’s where skateboarding and other hobbies really came from.
My reintroduction to biking came from starting to date a World Cup rider, which I didn’t even know about at the time. Many people in the bike community know him well; Dillon Flinders, who I knew for a long time but even I didn’t even know he was THAT good at biking. I started coaching for the Outlaw Team last year and riding with and coaching the groms on the come up is what pushed my growth a ton in biking. Everything is still pretty new to me, and I don’t even know if I really consider myself a “biker” even though I ride bikes… But my identity with it is relatively unimportant as long as I enjoy doing it is really what matters most to me.
WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT JOINING ANIMA MERX AS AN ATHLETE BRAND AMBASSADOR?
Well I’ll start from my first impression of the brand about a year ago now. Initially, I felt very drawn and attracted to the quality of the material, the fine details, craftsmanship and the aesthetic and simplistic aspects of the design. I appreciate things that are made with intention and care. It really means a lot to me and it changes how I experience something. Some might say that a T-Shirt is just a T-Shirt. But when I wear it, it has a different ~feeling~ to it. For example, there’s a huge difference between a cup of coffee made with love and one of those cute little designs on top served in a handmade mug that took time and precision to craft. Compared to a bland drip coffee from the gas station in styrofoam. Yes, it’s still coffee, it will get the job done. But one is a cherished delicacy and the other feels a bit empty, lacking a zesty life force energy, if you know what I mean. I’m not even a huge coffee gal so when I do drink coffee, I like it crafted with care or it’s not even worth drinking in my opinion.
When I think about Anima, and as I’ve learned more about the intentions and direction behind the brand, I feel deeply aligned with the values and intent behind the brand that goes much further than just liking the clothing. I’m really excited to work with purpose driven people that enjoy putting thought and care behind what they do. In the end that’s what differentiates Anima Merx and its community from “just another clothing company”. Which might even be a super successful brand from a monetary perspective… but lacks culture, soul, and creative expression. Usually, it’s the brands that have a purpose and message behind it that end up being impactful rather than a momentary shining star. I’m super grateful and stoked to be a part of The ANIMA Collective.
WHAT PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE LINED UP IN 2024?
So… Originally, I had plans to coach and travel and do some Downhill races with Outlaw Bike Team based here in Utah. It’s a super rad community of kids that I get to coach and inspire as they grow into the next generation of world class riders. We have riders all over the world, from UCI Downhill World Cup down to the young groms that are learning the fundamentals of biking.
Well, that was going fine and dandy for a couple weeks in the early transition from winter to spring until I overshot a hip at I street and snapped my clavicle in half. My direction has pivoted since. Still taking it day by day, focusing on healing and other areas of my life that have been neglected a bit from traveling, filming, and skiing all winter long. Really taking the time to reflect and enjoy my home and get super strong physically and mentally. I’m hoping to be able to ride some gnarlier things later in the summer and potentially film some things or just help out some of my homies that are on a tear get some clips.
I recently switched to the spandex side of biking (which… personally I never saw this coming). Nothing against road bikers, I just never really understood why road bikers would ride on the road, especially in a place like Utah where we have access to so many good trails. But also, I had only ever ridden little sections of road on a mountain bike. It’s a wayyyyy different jumping on a road bike and feeling like a time traveling speed demon who’s bending the laws of space and time and biking through shape shifting landscapes all while movin’ and groovin’ to some tunes. All that to say… yeah.. It’s pretty rad.
I feel like I’m exploring a new side of biking, enjoying the speed and the cardio high whereas last season I was exploring the gnarly, unforgiving, adrenaline chasing aspects of Downhill riding and quite honestly I started to get pretty lazy about pedaling uphill. We took it as far as Tandem E-biking (something we made up) involves tying a rope from an e-bike to a regular bike and zooming up the hill for laps. It was a really good time. Kinda when you first get into something and you just become a crackhead for it and dive super far in for a while, and now I’m able to step back and take it in with some more balance moving forward. That being said, I’m super stoked to get back on some trails and take some bus laps with the crew once I’m back to a hunnid p.
“WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT YOURSELF, TO YOURSELF, IS KEY TO ACCOMPLISHING THINGS WELL & OVERCOMING LIFE'S OBSTACLES."
