It’s the kind of tragedy that could break someone. But when Sequoia Schmidt’s father and brother were killed in an avalanche while attempting to become the first father-son duo to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world, their deaths spurred Sequoia’s interest in extreme sports.
That has included travelling to Pakistan to attempt to retrieve the remains of her loved ones, a solo cycle ride across New Zealand and, for the past eight years, base-jumping, the high-risk sport of jumping off bridges, mountains and buildings.
The plucky 33-year-old, who was born in Napier to American parents but has been based in the US since she was a teenager, also started a publishing company when she was still in high school and successfully nursed her husband, professional base-jumper John McAvoy, through brain cancer and heart surgery.
Sequoia believes her need for extreme sports is partly a way to process her trauma.
“Dealing with scary situations is a way of understanding my own emotions,” she shares.
“Whether that’s jumping out of a plane or running a company responsible for the livelihood of numerous people, fear is a key part of the human experience. Exploring that is what draws me to extreme challenges.”
Sequoia, who splits her time between Los Angeles and Idaho, is once again pushing the boundaries with her third book, Dreams Of Flying, about her relationship with what’s been called the most dangerous sport in the world.
“It’s not just about base-jumping, it’s about where it’s taken me over the years. For example, finding the love of my life and living in constant fear that he will die while base-jumping. Although, ironically, John almost died from a brain tumour, which had nothing to do with this sport!”
Being a daredevil isn’t new to Sequoia. Her earliest memory is walking up Hawke’s Bay’s Te Mata Peak when she was three.
“My father was a mountain guide, so adventure was part of our lives growing up,” she recalls. “We’d go skiing and camping most weekends.”
When she was 16, Sequoia moved to Texas to live with her grandfather. She launched Di Angelo Publications a year later.
“I started the company because I’ve always been interested in storytelling and never wanted to work for someone else.”
Today, Sequoia has 10 employees split across two offices. She publishes around 25 books a year from authors globally, including one by Outrageous Fortune actress Claire Chitham.
But it wasn’t until the tragic death of her dad Marty and older brother Denali that Sequoia decided to write her own book.
“I’d seen a Facebook post about human remains on K2. I thought it could be my family, so I flew there to try to recover their bodies.”
Although it turned out the remains weren’t those of her loved ones, Sequoia kept a diary of her 16-day trek. It became the subject of her first book, Journey Of Heart: A Sojourn To K2, published in 2015.
Shortly after that visit, Sequoia set up the Denali Foundation, in memory of her brother. The foundation donates art supplies to low-income schools, refuges and orphanages.
She returned to Aotearoa in 2016 after a decade’s absence, not only for a book tour but also to face her demons.
“I realised I shouldn’t be afraid to go back to New Zealand and face the memories of the past, now that my father and brother were no longer with me. It was time to work through them.”
In typical Sequoia style, instead of driving to each stop on her book tour, she opted to do a solo cycle trip across the country.
“The physical exertion of cycling appealed to me,” she tells. “I wanted a challenge. Although I must’ve looked like a crazy person, cycling and crying as I worked though stuff, it was hugely cathartic.”
That 28-day solo trip spawned Changing Gears: Ups And Downs On The New Zealand Road.
With such a busy work schedule and authors scattered all over the world, Sequoia is often away from home 20 days of each month. She recently started a year-long global leadership course at Yale University. Impressively, she’s the youngest person the prestigious programme has ever accepted.
She has somehow managed to find a couple of weeks in her packed schedule to head Down Under for the launch of her third book.
“Aotearoa is my home and it’s always been the plan to have some kind of base here. One day I’ll move back.”
For now, though, this dynamo is hoping others follow her lead of leaving their comfort zones.
“That’s when some of the best things happen! Even doing something small each day that’s a little uncomfortable or different can have huge results.”
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