Q&A with Stephen Koch

GU ATHLETE: Stephen Koch
SPORT: Snowboard mountaineering
BIRTHPLACE: San Diego, California, 1968
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
WEBSITE: www.stephenkoch.com

Proudest athletic accomplishment?
Climbing Light Traveler, one of the most difficult routes on Denali (McKinley), the first new route climbed in a single push, without bivouac gear, in 48 hours.

What characteristics do you most respect in your competitors?
Honesty.

If you were not a pro athlete, what would you do professionally?
Real Estate, which I do!

How do you reward yourself when you reach a key goal?
Champagne consumption with my wife.

If you were a flavor of GU, what would you be?
Rocky Road.

If you were a contestant on Survivor, what would be your one comfort item from home?
A nail file.

What’s the most creative way you’ve ever carried your GU?
Under my bike shorts to keep them warm and handy!

Personal causes you’re involved in?
The Avalanche Awareness Foundation, which teaches kids about the dangers of avalanches, how to avoid being caught and what to do if caught.

Three things people don’t know about you?
I am missing my right pectoral muscle. I want to write a book. I have a fear of fish.