A chat with Hilary Engisch-Klein, 2018 inductee to the US Ski Hall of Fame
Before Donna Weinbrecht won the first gold medal in freestyle skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics, there was Hilary Engisch-Klein. (You can read my 2012 interview with Donna here.) Hilary is being inducted into the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame this year for good reason: she completely dominated the World Cup mogul series……
A chat with Christy Mahon, record-breaking ski mountaineer.
Sometimes you run across someone whose accomplishments are so extraordinary that it’s hard to believe one person could’ve done them all. Yet with Christy Mahon, I’ve found exactly that. Christy exhibits a combination of fearlessness, athleticism, and tenacity that’s hard to match. In 2010, she became the first woman to ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot……
A chat about fear with fear expert Mermer Blakeslee.
For many of us, skiing is a head game. Get past the fear, and suddenly things become a lot easier. So who better to talk to about this than Mermer Blakeslee, the ski industry’s recognized fear expert and author of In the Yikes! Zone: A Conversation With Fear . The post A chat about fear with…
A chat with Laura Davies, or how to ski 15 countries in one year
How many countries have you skied in? One? Two? Maybe, just maybe three or four? What would you say if I told you I’ve come across someone who’s skied in fifteen countries in just one year? Incredible, right? But that’s just what 27-year old Laura Davies did. In August, 2016, Laura did what most of us only dream about: she…
A chat with Kelly Pawlak, new president of the National Ski Areas Association
There’s nothing unusual about female ski instructors. And women in resort human resources, marketing, communications, and sales? Common as dirt. But women general managers are a somewhat rarer breed. According to statistics from the National Ski Areas Association [NSAA], there are only about 20 to 30 nationwide. It’s more or less a boys’ club. All this is…
Nutrition Tips for Skiers: Eat Smart, Ski More
We all know that food can make a huge difference in the way you feel. Eat crap and you feel like, well, crap. So it stands to reason that this would carry over to skiing. We may own the best gear and hit the hottest slopes, but if we haven’t fueled up the right way before,…
A Chat with Rachel Pohl, where Skiing and Art Intersect
When Montana Tourism contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in talking to Montana born-and-raised Rachel Pohl, a 24 year old skier and artist who resides in Bozeman, I said of course. Rachel is a ripping skier who finds inspiration in the Montana backcountry. The post A Chat with Rachel Pohl, where Skiing and Art Intersect…
How a Community Saved a Small Ski Area: Mount Ascutney, Vermont
Whenever you drive around ski country, no matter what the state, you can’t help but encounter a defunct ski area or two. This is no surprise. Since the 1980’s, roughly 33% of ski areas in the US have gone out of business, and few have any hope of ever coming back. Sad, I know. Many…
Focus on a Woman Entrepreneur: Sara Segall of Orsden
Companies in the ski industry that were founded by women are few and far between. Sure, there’s Title Nine and WinterWomen, retailers who specialize in women’s activewear and ski apparel. There’s Outdoor Divas, which sells both women’s ski apparel and women-specific ski gear. And there’s Coalition Snow, the only ski company that designs and builds…
A Peek at the Women in Snowsports Exhibit at the US Ski Hall of Fame
Plan to be passing through Ishpeming, Michigan, soon? In case you didn’t know, that’s the location of the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Yeah, I agree; the Upper Peninsula of Michigan seems an unlikely spot to me, too. You’d imagine the Hall of Fame would be someplace like Aspen or Vail. The post A Peek at…
