About Mountain Momma

Et voila, c'est moi

Welcome to my world. I’m Melissa Siig, a 38-year old mother of three. I live in Lake Tahoe – well, not actually in the lake but right near it. My house sits at about 6,700 feet and is covered in snow for half the year.  When I’m not taking my 6 and 4 year-old to the park or watching endless Scooby-Doo reruns or nursing my six month old, I am a freelance writer who covers everything from the ski world to community issues to travel and the economy. I used to teach political science at the local community college, but when I realized that the old cliche about how teachers are underpaid was true, I quit. I’m trying to embrace my inner Domestic Diva – no matter how much it kills me – and started learning to cook a few years ago. It’s not quite as bad as I thought. Sleep is not one of the gifts God handed out to me when he made me – if I sleep for six straight hours I’m lucky. Ambien is my friend.

I am married to a zany mountain man who likes to ski down giant peaks in Alaska and ride really fast on his snowmobile, and constantly keeps me entertained. I live in a tight-knit community where massive snow storms are to be celebrated, extreme sports are a way of life and recreation is required. I do my part by hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, skate skiing and yoga-ing (that should most definitely be a word).

If 10 years ago anyone would have told me I would end up in Tahoe and work as a journalist, I would have told them to put down the crack pipe. I barely even knew how to ski. It’s also because, once upon a time, I thought I would live in Washington, D.C. forever – I wanted to be secretary of state and find peace in the Middle East. My interest in that happy region of the world stems from my Israeli father and yearly trips to the Holy Land. Later, I got my masters in Middle East Politics and studied Arabic, traveled around the region, almost worked at the CIA, NSA and DEA but couldn’t pass the background check (that’s another story) and was working for a Pentagon consulting firm when I decided it was time to put lifestyle before career and get out of stuffy, uptight D.C. and back to the West Coast, where I’m from.

And that’s how I ended up in the mountains, a place I never thought I would be, living a life I never thought I would have. But it’s wonderful.

Oh, and I can’t live without three things: dark chocolate, bananas and a little me-time.

My Mountain Man - Siigo

My Mountain Kids - Kaya and Kaiden