Brooke Walles learned to ski in jeans on snow-covered landfills in Iowa and Illinois. While growing up outside Chicago in the town of Wheaton, Illinois, he played football and wrestled. He attended the University of Kansas, where he studied psychology and played on the school’s rugby team. After graduating college in 1995, Brooke moved west to Jackson, Wyoming, but he never planned to stay. He came to ski and he worked in a hotel to cover his rent, but he figured he’d leave eventually since he had plans to attend law school.
One year led to two, then three, and so on. Ski towns have a way of drawing people in for good. Now, Brooke and his wife, Mackenzie, are raising their two kids in Jackson, which has become their forever home. After playing rugby for 24 years, he now spends his free time fly fishing, skiing, hiking, and camping with his family throughout the Tetons and beyond.
One year led to two, then three, and so on. Ski towns have a way of drawing people in for good. Now, Brooke and his wife, Mackenzie, are raising their two kids in Jackson, which has become their forever home. After playing rugby for 24 years, he now spends his free time fly fishing, skiing, hiking, and camping with his family throughout the Tetons and beyond.