Kim Kircher's husband's illness wasn't something she could blow up as she had done countless times on the ski slopes during avalanche control. Instead, Kim faced the biggest double black diamond ski run of her life as she listened to the doctors put her husband on the transplant list while he fought bile duct cancer.

The Next 15 Minutes is Kim's high octane story of how she drew strength from her life among the ski slopes and of the daring world that showed her how to survive and fight back.

Kim Kircher has been an EMT with avalanche control at Crystal Mountain, Washington, for twenty years.

The NAJSA (North American Snowsports Journalism Association) honored Kim Kircher at their Annual Conference in Mammoth Mountain with The Harold Hirsch Award in the Book Category for excellence in journalism. The book category is only given every three years. Judges are chosen based on their expertise in the field, and are not members of the organization. The award is named for Harold Hirsch, a long-time ski journalist, and member of the NASJA Board.