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Madison Family Photographer | Winter Bliss

Woman pulls sled behind her as husky and young girl walk in front of her in the snow

While this winter has been extreme, even by Wisconsin standards, Pam Schwarzbach and Troy Kattreh and their nine-year-old daughter Isabel share a reaction:

Bring on the snow!

Not only does this outdoors-loving family wait all year for the chilly months, but they also own Hive, active lifestyle boutique on the near-west-side of Madison that they opened in late 2017.

Pam offers a glimpse into their adventurous, winter-embracing life.

How did your and Troy’s love of the outdoors begin? And is it true that the two of you met working at Fontana Sports?

We both grew up skiing, biking and camping but took it much further as a couple. Once upon a time, we used to mountain bike and Nordic ski race. Now we just spend most of our free time biking, skiing, hiking, paddling, just being outside. And we try to camp when we can.

And, yes, we did meet at Fontana. He was my boss when I worked there in college. He wouldn’t date a coworker, so I quit. We started dating the next day!

Family of three: mom, dad, young daughter, walk through the snowy woods with their husky. Top down shot of husky in the snow. The husky is making eye contact with the camera, has one blue and one brown eye, and his nose is covered in snow.

 

 

 

How have you tried to cultivate an appreciation for the outdoors in your daughter? 

It is so much a part of what we do, that I don’t think she has ever questioned it. Isabel is a “-ing” kid, always wanting to be doing something. She loves to swim, paddle board, mountain bike, cross-country ski and sled. And she may love the snow even more than our Siberian Husky Luke — if you could hear her squeals when she looks out the window in the morning to see fresh snow has fallen overnight!

Her birthday is on New Year’s Eve and her birthday party request every year is a family cross-country get away with friends.

What’s your approach to winter? How do you enjoy (or endure) it?

We truly love winter! Especially snowy winter. But there is so much beauty to winter: The crisp air that makes sound and scent so much more clear and distinct. The feel of speed of flying across the ice on skates. The endless conversation of the owls on the cold nights. The beauty of big fat snowflakes floating down.

There are no mosquitoes, and unlike when you are too hot in summer and you just can’t cool down, in winter, you can always wear more layers to warm up.

And when not outside, we love to cook together, and Isabel and I love to create, doing lots of sewing and knitting projects.

 

Girl walks on a fallen log--arms out for balance--while her parents walk beside her. They are in a snowy forest. Mom and daughter pull dad on a sled in the middle of a snowstorm. madison family photographer Girl holds arms out while riding on a sled. Dad pulling sled and looks behind at daughter. madison family photographer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any advice for those who have a harder time embracing winter?

Start with the basics — be sure to wear warm clothes and always a hat and scarf. Nothing can ruin a perfect winter day faster than a cold and grumpy child (or adult)! Especially with kids, be sure to provide them warm dry clothes to wear.

And find a fun activity that involves moving around that everyone will enjoy. Sledding is a great one — fast and fun and you have to hike back up the hill. Guaranteed to warm anyone up.

Why do you choose to live and raise a family in Wisconsin, and in Madison in particular?

Oh, so many reasons. The great people in this community. The access to the outdoors. The real seasons, all four of them. The ease to travel to cities or to the woods. And the water. We tried moving to the mountains, but we really missed the lakes and rivers.

young girl looks to the right and smiles while standing in knee-high snow. madison family photographer Family of three runs in the snow while pulling a red sled. madison family photographer Girl rides sled with outstretched arms as if riding a surf board. Her father is pulling the sled and her mother is behind them. madison family photographer

 

As an outdoorsy family, what are some of your favorite Wisconsin places to explore? 

We try to find adventures close to home to do weekly: Frautschi Point and Picnic Point, Blackhawk Ski Club, Indian Lake and Lake Wingra. And when we can get away: Winter Park in Minocqua (we’ve only missed one birthday there in her nine years), the Hayward area, Door County, Devil’s Lake and Boulder Junction.

Why did you decide to open Hive?

By accident – ha! Troy and I have been sales representatives in the outdoor industry selling products like we sell at Hive to shops all over the Midwest for the last twenty-plus years. We had initially thought that the location would be perfect for some of our existing accounts to add a new location. No one was interested at the time. The more we thought about it, the more we realized that we should do it ourselves. Our other job requires a ton of travel, and we saw this as a way to start to transition to more time closer to home. And having lived in and around the Monroe Street neighborhood for the last twenty-five years, we knew that this would be the only place in town we would want to open a business.

Madison has many great shops, but we really felt that there was a need for a local boutique that focuses on the lifestyle so many Madisonians live — active and casual and multifunctional.

We wanted to make sure that Hive was more than just a store, but more importantly a part of the community. A place to come to to find out more about the area. A place to get to know our staff and learn more about what our community has to offer. It’s as much about sharing experiences as it is about selling things.

Purposeful out of focus shot of snow falling in the woods with dad and daughter pulling/riding a red sled in the distance. madison family photographer Snowy forest walk. Dad pulls red sled while Husky walks ahead and leads the walk off leash. Madison family photographer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What has Hive meant for your entire family?

Well, we have come a long way from the period where Isabel was leaving me “I hate Hive” notes around the house …

Troy and I have always worked together, and thankfully it is something we do pretty well. The first few months were truly a juggling act, but lately it feels like, while the balls are still in the air, we aren’t dropping as many as we used to.

And Isabel has really come to love the shop. She loves to come to work with me and help dress mannequins and design windows.

While it took a lot to get through the first year, I think in the long run, this is a great direction for our family. Everyone has their areas of expertise and interest, and we are doing our best to make sure we are letting those shine

Mom, Dad, and young Daughter walk in snowy forest and chat together. Madison WI photographer

 

 

What is your family most looking forward to in this new year?

Well, had you asked us in November, the answer would have been SNOW and ICE! Needless to say, we have gotten plenty of that.

Honestly, our hopes are modest. We want to be healthy and happy, and to have our family and friends be healthy and happy too!

Oh, and taking my (very – years!) early fiftieth birthday gift of a VW Campervan on some great adventures this summer!

– Katie Vaughn 

 

This interview was originally for Northerly. All photographs by Jen Lucas Photography.

 

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