There’s a certain rhythm to life in Lake Tahoe. The weather sets the tone. Snowfall totals matter more than calendar dates. Mornings can start with icy windshields and end with alpenglow lighting up the peaks. It’s not fast-paced — it’s intentional. And that rhythm has shaped both my motherhood and my business in ways I never expected.
I’ve lived in Tahoe for over 15 years. I was raised in Palm Springs, but the Sierra Nevada is where I built my adult life — where I met my husband Mason, where we’re raising our daughter Remi, and where SNO Apparel was born. What started as conversations at our kitchen table slowly turned into something bigger: a family-owned brand rooted in mountain culture and real life.
Balancing motherhood, mountain life, and building a business isn’t polished. It doesn’t look like perfect routines or neatly separated roles. It looks like school drop-offs in snow boots, answering emails in the in-between moments, packing orders after bedtime, and brainstorming designs while dinner cooks. It looks like Mason and me folding hoodies together at night while Remi colors at the table. It’s layered and busy and beautiful — just like mountain life itself.
When we created SNO — Sierra Nevada Onding — it wasn’t about chasing trends. It was about capturing a feeling. That energy before a storm rolls in. The calm after a powder day. The pride of living in a small mountain town where community matters and people recognize each other at the coffee shop. We wanted to design pieces that feel like Tahoe — elevated but relaxed, durable enough for real life, comfortable enough to live in.
Motherhood shifted everything for me. Before Remi, ambition felt personal. After her, it became purposeful. I don’t want to build a brand at the expense of my family. I want to build it with them.
One of the biggest lessons mountain life has taught me is that you don’t need to change your life once you have kids — you bring your kids into the life you love. You take them on the hikes. You strap them into ski boots. You let them sit at the table while you work on your dreams. You show them what it looks like to live fully instead of shrinking your world.
Remi has grown up watching snowstorms roll in, tagging along to community events, seeing boxes of sweatshirts stacked in our house before a drop. She’s part of the adventure. And that’s the point.
Too often, women feel like they have to choose: slow down or chase more. Stay small or think big. But what if the real answer is integration? What if balance isn’t splitting your life into perfect sections — but weaving it all together?
Building SNO has followed the same rhythm as raising a child: slow growth, learning as we go, adjusting with the seasons. We keep our drops small — only 50 pieces per color and design — because we care more about intention than mass production. We care about quality. We care about community. We care about building something that feels aligned with how we actually live.
There are days when it feels like a lot. When the to-do list is long and the laundry is longer. But then I see someone wearing SNO in town. Or I hear Remi proudly tell someone, “My mom has a clothing brand.” Or Mason and I look at each other after a long week and realize we’re building something meaningful — together.
SNO isn’t just Lake Tahoe apparel. It’s our family story stitched into fabric. It’s proof that you can raise your kids in the mountains, chase powder days, build a business from your kitchen table, and refuse to water down your life.
You don’t have to choose between motherhood and ambition.
You don’t have to shrink your adventures once you have kids.
You just take them with you.
From our family to yours — welcome to Sierra Nevada Onding.
Live the rad life.