Meet the team

Hi, I’m Cass—a snowboarder, first generation queer, and Director of Strategy & External Affairs at Chatter.

I been snowboarding for about 4yrs now and starting a winter sport as an adult wasn't easy to find a group of friends that were also learning or riding. My Chatter story started before I ever joined the team. The first event I attended I walked away feeling completely recharged and seen. I made friendships that I cherish till this day. So when Sof asked if I could help out with a few simple tasks at meetups, it was an easy yes. Naturally, “a few meetups” turned into events, partnerships, strategy, and somehow a much bigger community than any of us expected.

Today, I focus on Chatter’s strategy and external affairs, through partnership engagement, compliance oversight and finding new ways to grow our impact. For me, Chatter is about making the mountain more inclusive and accessible while creating a space where the LGBTQIA+ community and allies can connect, ride, and have a genuinely good time.

One of my favorite things about this collective effort is that you don’t have to be an expert to belong here. Whether you’ve been riding for years or have never clipped into a snowboard or clicked into skis before, we want you there. Chatter is about creating a space where people can try something new, meet their people, and have a damn good time doing it. I’ve even gotten my partner to try BOTH snowboarding and skiing for the first time because of Chatter and that's a major win.

When I’m not doing Chatter things, you’ll usually find me somewhere in the environmental world, organizing around clean air, clean water, and environmental justice—or completely switching gears and rock climbing, working on a car project, wandering around a museum, playing with my fur babies, or getting ice cream with my fiancé.

Hi, I’m Rickie—a skier, software engineer, and one of Chatter’s token skiers, as Sofie likes to say.

Chatter and I have grown alongside each other. We both got serious about the sport and the LGBTQ+ ski and snowboard community around the same time. When Chatter held its first event, I had no gear of my own and knew very few queer people in the ski and snowboard community. By the end of that event, I had made connections and friendships that helped me become a better skier—and somehow walked away with a brand-new Burton jacket.

I got involved with Chatter in late 2025, initially helping with social media and eventually supporting event planning. Today, I focus on building the technology and operational infrastructure behind Chatter—from our website and internal systems to an operations portal that helps us stay organized, manage our programs, and scale as the organization grows.

For me, Chatter is about more than just getting on the mountain. It’s about the people you meet, the friendships you make, and finding a community that makes you want to keep showing up—on and off the mountain.

And yes, I’m still one of the token skiers… for now.

I'm Sofie, but most friends call me Sof. I've been in the snowboarding world for 5 years and riding for 4. Learning to ride as an adult has been hard work that I enjoy every second of. I fell in love quickly when I linked my first turns at Big Snow, my home mountain/mall.

Chatter was born from my frustration with the homophobia I kept seeing on many mountain pride posts, and the homophobic slurs I'd heard on hill. So in 2024 with the help of my friends and Park Affair, we brought the idea to life. The goal was simple: bring together the queer community and ease the barrier of entry.

When I'm not putting on Chatter events you can usually find me volunteering on snow with Hoods to Wood, We're All Mental, and Black Boarders of CT. Or helping coach beginner park with Park Affair and East Coast Lady Boarders.

When I'm off snow, you can find me playing saxophone, surfing, drawing, rock climbing, playing d&d or reading a comic. And that's the beauty of Chatter! I've made friends on snow that I can share my off snow hobbies with too.

I hope if you're reading this and you're not sure what to do or where to start, just show up to an event. I promise you won't walk away without a new friend and maybe a new to you item!