Nikki Smith’s Ode to Lone Peak

Nikki Smith is a climber, photographer, illustrator, and outdoor storyteller who’s spent more than 30 years immersed in wild places—and just as long advocating for their protection. A member of the POW Athlete Alliance, Nikki uses her art to spark connection and action, blending creativity with a deep love for the landscapes that inspire it. 

Her new POW Collab tee, Lone Peak, pays tribute to one of her favorite places just above her home in Salt Lake City—a striking alpine cirque that’s as demanding as it is beautiful. Through this design, Nikki invites others to feel that sunrise magic and stand up for the places that move us.

We caught up with Nikki to learn more about the tee and her creative process.

To start off, can you introduce yourself?

I’m a climber with more than 30 years of experience and have been working in the outdoor industry and climbing world since 1998. My photography has been featured in many outdoor publications, and I’m a National Geographic Adventure photo contributor. I’ve authored five climbing guidebooks to date and have written many feature articles for major climbing magazines, including Rock and Ice, Alpinist, Deadpoint, and Urban Climber. I’ve completed over 200 roped first ascents of sport, trad, mixed, and ice climbs from 30’ to 1,600’ throughout Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, and have another 200+ bouldering first ascents. I’m also an illustrator and painter.

Why did you get involved with POW?

I’ve been working with many different land advocacy organizations since the 1990s. Our outdoor spaces are vital and necessary for us all. As someone who spends a lot of time in these places climbing, running, skiing, hiking, foraging, fishing, hunting, and creating art, I want to make sure I’m giving back however I can to protect these spaces and the communities that depend on them.

How does your connection with the outdoors influence your art?

It’s all interconnected. I feel the most at home when moving outside. Even if a photo project, artwork, or story isn’t based on the outdoors, I likely had the idea for the project and worked through it while doing something outside. Being outside helps me connect with myself, and then allows me to connect and share my art with others.

Is there a place that inspires you the most when creating art?

There isn’t any one particular place. One of the reasons I live in Salt Lake City is its geographic diversity. We have alpine cirques, beautiful pine and aspen forests, stunning red rock deserts, and everything in between. I’ve found that being connected to a mix of environments is so important to me. Each has its own beauty and draw that keeps me coming back.

Tell us about Lone Peak and why it inspired your artwork for the POW collab tee.

Lone Peak is a beautiful alpine cirque in the Wasatch Range, just above Salt Lake City. It’s a challenging Wasatch 11’er (11,000+ foot peak) for hikers, an alpine granite climbing gem, and a difficult ski tour. It’s around 8 miles one-way to reach the cirque, and there isn’t much water or cover on the hike up (in the summer months), so I often start early in the morning before sunrise and hike when it’s cool and arrive in the cirque at sunrise to climb for the day. There is something magical about arriving in the cirque after hiking in the dark and watching the sun paint the sky with beautiful colors as the sun rises, making the climbing even more special.

Tell us about your creative process for the design. How did the art on this tee take shape?

The artwork depicts the wall in morning shade with a pre-dawn sky above it, a view I never get tired of seeing…well, I’m usually tired from the hike, but you know what I mean. Ha! Lone Peak is such a special place for so many outdoor folks along the Wasatch Front, so I felt it would resonate with a wide group of people who want to help protect our outdoor spaces.

Your art takes on many different forms and mediums. How does that creative process change from writing to photography to illustration?

It all stems from the idea of art as storytelling. The medium changes, and sometimes the audience, but overall, I feel like each helps me express myself in a way that one alone cannot.

Photography, for me, is more about capturing a moment or feeling. I can be creative with it, but I’m not typically creating something completely new; I just interpret what I see. Drawing, painting, and illustration allow me additional creative license. What I put onto paper is never exactly what I see in front of me. I have a lot of license to interpret colors, feelings, and emotions differently and play a bit more. It’s also something that roots me in place for a longer period of time, focusing on one scene. With photography, I can move around a lot and capture many different images in a location, but to draw or paint, I’m usually focused on one spot and can stay there for hours. Writing can fill in all the details. While I can and do try to capture emotion and tell a story with other mediums, writing is a more direct path to what I feel in a particular place. They all manifest differently, but overlap in so many ways. I feel fortunate to be able to tap into multiple forms of creativity.

How do you think art can help inspire action for the climate?

I think art can affect people in many different ways. For some, art is a window into a place they haven’t visited. It can help provide context or connection to a place. For others who have been there, it can strengthen a connection to a place that holds meaning for them. There is so much going on in our day-to-day lives that needs our attention, and art can help grab folks’ attention when they are going about their day and remind them of the importance of protecting these beautiful outdoor spaces.