Posted by: Julie Block
Get to know our 2025 Mountain Games Athlete Team! In the lead-up to the 2025 GoPro Mountain Games, we will introduce you to each of our nine Mountain Games-sponsored athletes. This vibrant team embodies our core values: a passion for human-powered mountain sports, an active outdoor lifestyle, eco-consciousness, and a spirit of adventure.
Meet Brayden Kirby-Billingsley. He’s a 20-year-old from Fort Collins, Colorado, who embodies the true spirit of adventure. Living out of his car, Brayden is constantly on the move, seeking out new thrills and experiences. His passions are whitewater sports and photography, and he’s dedicated to inspiring the younger generation to embrace the outdoors and find activities they love.
Q: What is your favorite mountain moment?
A: My favorite mountain moment has got to be when I learned how to do my first backflip on skis. I was at Monarch Mountain and a bunch of my friends peer pressured me into doing a flip. I didn’t land it the first time, I landed right on my stomach. It really hurt. I went back up, did it again, and landed it perfect.
Q: If you could take any three items with you on a mountain adventure, what would they be?
A: If I could take three items with me on a mountain adventure, it would have to be easily my GoPro, my dog, and probably a rope just because it would be fun to have something to swing off of and make a little rope swing.
Q: What is your secret skill or talent?
A: I’d have to say I’m pretty good at putting traction on surfboards. I’m pretty good at lining it up, so I’ve been told. It’s not the best skill to have, but I can do it.
Q: What is your go-to mountain snack?
A: My go-to mountain snack would have to be — this is going to sound really boujee — leftover steak that I had cooked the night before. Sometimes I can’t eat all of it and I’ll have a leftover piece and I’ll bring that with me. It’s pretty nice — pretty gross, but pretty good.
Q: Who is your ultimate mountain hero?
A: My ultimate mountain hero has got to be Andrew Muse of Tiny Home Adventure. I’ve looked up to him for years now. He’s always doing cool new adventures. I watch him traveling around, him and his dog, and it’s really amazing to see his experiences and his passion for photography similar to mine, and how he just has a “go-get-it-done” attitude and is always getting out there.
Q: If you weren’t doing your go-to sport, what would you be doing instead?
A: If I wasn’t doing whitewater events or biking, I would probably try to get into skydiving. I don’t really know why. I just think it would be super cool to be, like, flying, but not. That and base-jumping. Don’t tell my mom though. She would absolutely freak if she heard that I wanted to try to get into that.
Q: What is the most epic thing you’ve done in the mountains so far?
A: The most epic thing I’ve done in the mountains so far was probably my sand dunes trip where we went skiing and surfing down the sand dunes, and then stayed up all night to take astrophotography photos of the Milky Way. They turned out absolutely amazing, got some really cool stuff. It was awesome.
Q: If you could give advice to someone new to your sport, what would it be?
A: If I could give advice to someone for rafting or SUPing or kayaking, I would say make sure to wear a PFD (personal flotation device). Make sure you’re wearing a helmet too. Stay safe. And go with someone who knows what they’re doing and has more experience. Experience is key in an outdoor setting and you don’t want to be out there and putting yourself in dangerous situations. But don’t be afraid to ask, don’t be afraid to learn. The river is such a fun place to be in. It’s an amazing playground, and you’ve got to be out there safely and responsibly. But it’s such a good time, so get out there!
Q: What is your favorite way to unwind after a big event?
A: My favorite way to unwind after a race has got to be just going home, hanging out with my dog on the couch and watching a movie.
Q: What would your dream mountain adventure look like?
A: My dream mountain adventure. Gosh. There’s so many things I want to do. But I would say the number one is I want to live in a van, like most people who are in this outdoors world. But I want to live in a van and travel all over the country. I want to travel up to the Pacific Northwest. I want to go up to Canada. I want to ski all over Canada, ski in Whistler, spend a lot of time in Utah, Montana, just getting out there and seeing everything the world has to offer in the comforts of my little tiny van.
Q: What made you fall in love with your sport?
A: You know, I’d have to say, I actually didn’t like my sport at first. I used to be terrified of the river. I was always scared to go on a raft with my dad and it was really hard to get out there. But then I decided to become a raft guide. I had been in the river multiple times before that, and years before that I went river surfing and it was super fun, I loved the water, but the rapids always scared me. I wasn’t super thrilled about putting myself in that area. But when I saw other people doing it, I have a really high competitive drive to try to beat people and win, so I saw there were competitions in it and I just said, screw it, I’m going to go do my thing! So I just went out there and I wanted to be competitive with people. I have a very competitive spirit and I wanted to win, so I just wanted to figure out a way to do that. I still haven’t won yet, though.
Q: What make the Mountain Games so special?
A: To me, it’s the community and the friends that I’ve met. Some of my best friends I met at the Mountain Games in the parking lot and at the riverway. It’s just so fun to meet people in different sports than you, too. So I think that’s super cool. I met one of my best friends at the rock climbing wall there.
Q: What are you looking forward to at this year’s Mountain Games?
A: I’m looking forward to winning! I’m coming to win. I’ve been training. I’ve been going to the gym. I’ve been working out, trying to get ready endurance-wise and mentally. I’m excited to compete, and this is one of the biggest competitions of the summer for all these different sports, so I’m excited to give it my all. It’s a great community, a great family, and I’m excited to see all my friends and meet new people, but I’m going to have a competitive drive.
Q: If you had a tagline for yourself, what would it be?
A: If I had a tagline, it would be “Adrenaline is my guide and the wilderness is my playground.”
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