CHRISTINA MAVINIC

About Me

Christina is excited to be joined by her partner Erik on this years fundraising trek to Everest Base camp! Christina is a 30-year-old registered Nurse working in the Emergency Department at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. She also works with a travel nursing agency that takes her around BC, the Yukon and North America (and hopefully the world) to travel and work. Christina has found the nursing she has done in remote First Nations Communities to be very rewarding and looks forward to further adventures in Northern BC, the Yukon and the Eastern Kootneys. She has also recently done some volunteer disaster relief nursing in Haiti. She has spent the past 11 years alternating between schooling, traveling and working, having settled into Nursing after much soul searching and trial and error. She has spent time working as a waitress/bartender, telemark ski instructor, backpacking guide, and store staff at Mountain Equipment Co-op. Her travels have taken her all over Canada, B.C. and the western United States, the majority of Western Europe and parts of Eastern Europe, along with Great Britain, Ireland, Russia, Africa and South America. This will be Christina’s 5th Summits of Hope adventure. Christina grew up in North Vancouver, and thanks to her family and Girl Guides of Canada, was introduced to the outdoor lifestyle at a young age. She enjoys all varieties of outdoor activities, with a special passion for paddling, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, and all other sports related to the mountains (especially mountaineering.) In 1998 she had the opportunity to work at an international Girl Guide Chalet in Switzerland where she was responsible for helping to run the outdoor adventure program. In her spare time here in Vancouver, Christina volunteers with Lions Bay Search and Rescue and Girl Guides of Canada. In the past, she has also spent time volunteering with the Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit that operates out of Eagle Harbour in West Vancouver. She also helps out around the community with seasonal events such at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, and the Vancouver Telemark Festival. 2008/09 has proven to be a challenging year for this climber. She has lost 4 people very close to her, one in a tragic drowning at the age of 19. The long road of the past two years adds to the passion and determination behind her fundraising and climbing aspirations with Summits of Hope. Further, the Summits of Hope team strikes a special chord for Christina because of an inspiring young girl she met through Guiding who has been battling Leukemia for many years. Due to her experiences in life, the unbelievable experiences she has had with Summits of Hope, her passion for the outdoors, and the positive effect Summits of Hope is having on the community Christina is excited to see what this years adventure will bring!