Tina Valles is a California native who grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a teenager, her uncle—a passionate rock climber—introduced her to the mountain lifestyle in Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite National Park, California.

During those formative years, Tina often said, “When I grow up, I want to live in the mountains.” That dream became reality when, in 2005, she returned to the United States with her Danish husband and their two children to make So...