Idaho State University Magazine

Today, the Idaho State University alumnus is world-renowned in the sports of ski mountaineering (a grueling sport that involves nordic and alpine skiing, with a bit of technical cliff climbing and endurance) and ultramarathoning, logging thousands of miles skiing and running over mountains on four continents.

For the past three years, he has stood on the medal podium at the National Ski Mountaineering championships — in 2012 he won and in 2013 he placed third. In both of his sports, he boasts sponsors — names such as Patagonia, La Sportiva, Ultraspire and First Endurance.

It's been a wild ride since he first began the sport six years ago, when he said he was "hanging out with the wrong friends, other ski mountaineering competitors."

"I wanted to see how I stacked up against the mutants. It turned out, I was one of them," he said.

It was the same in his running career. He was working at Scott's Ski and Sports in Pocatello, without air conditioning on a hot August day. He and a co-worker were both hot, tired and a little delirious, Nelson said.

"He looked over to me and said, 'I bet you can't run the Pocatello marathon,'" he said.

Nelson went on one 3-mile training run. Two weeks later, he ran the Pocatello marathon, and placed third in his age group. He was hooked. Today, he runs several races each year with courses 50 miles or longer, and is the director for the annual Pocatello 50, a 50-mile race that sends ultramarathoners on a scenic trip up and down the mountains of Southeast Idaho.

When he isn't in the air to his next destination, or climbing up a mountain, Nelson is a physician assistant at Idaho Sport and Spine in Pocatello, a job he loves. He also volunteers for the National Ski Patrol and does design work for Patagonia and Ultraspire, a company that specializes in equipment for ultra runners.

A Blackfoot native, he first chose Idaho State University because it was close to home. He soon realized, however, that the University offered Nelson a way to combine his interests into a rewarding career. He was one of the first graduates of the Outdoor Education program in 2006, pairing it with a bachelor's degree in Spanish. He worked as a river and ski guide for a few years, then returned to Idaho State University, earning his Physician Assistant degree.

"It is a fantastic program," he said. "We're lucky to have it here."

In recent years, Nelson has been able to combine his love of traveling, his interest in Latino culture and his medical expertise as president of the board of directors for the Idaho Condor Humanitarian Services program. Each year, a large group of Idaho medical care providers teams up with students from many disciplines to travel to Peru and provide care.

This spring, Nelson helped gather a group of 72 people, including 37 ISU students, for a humanitarian medical mission to villages in Peru.

The experience, especially for students, is life-changing and could even be career-changing, Nelson said. In fact, 98 percent of students in pre-professional programs were accepted into their chosen professional health program, he said.

It's just one of the many great opportunities that ISU students have, Nelson said.

"I tell people all the time, 'be proud of the education you get at ISU,'" he said. "You are getting as good of an education as you will get anywhere. If anything, you have a leg up."

With humanitarian missions, world ski mountaineering championships, 100-mile races, a wife and two young children, Nelson says one of his biggest struggles is maintaining balance. His passport only has three pages left unstamped.

Often, he can be found well after dark climbing mountains and skiing back down them, or taking long training runs at 4 a.m.

Unlike many who struggle to get in a morning workout, for Nelson, it is less of a burden and more like a "sanctuary."

"It really boils down to a love of the outdoors, of being outside," he said. "I spend a lot of time out running and skiing in the dark."

For his family, it means vacations that are connected to race trips — not a bad thing considering the beautiful spots where races tend to be. His oldest daughter, Brynlee, 6, asked to go to Zion National Park for her birthday after a fun race trip to the area. The whole family, including his wife Tanae and youngest daughter Chloe, 2, has become close with other families who they only see at races each year, and all are always happy to cheer Nelson on in his pursuits. He is incredibly grateful.

"They recognize it's important to me," he said. "They are saints for how much they support me."