Building a relationship with fear with Kristen Ulmer
Next Level Skiing
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Today’s guest is Kristen Ulmer, who is one of the most accomplished big mountain skiers ever. She is now a fear and anxiety expert, helping her clients overcome disabling confusion or chaos. After studying Zen concepts for more than a decade, she authored “” as a guidebook for improved mindfulness. Her three-day Fear Ski Camps at Alta are renowned for helping skiers improve their athletic performance and bury the fear and anxiety that can hinder, not just skiing, but living. Take her on her website. ...
info_outline
Keep it Fun With Your Hands up with Kim Beekman
Next Level Skiing
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis! A few years ago I got to join Kim Beekman on a ski trip to the San Juans. We skied at and around Telluride and all over Red Mountain Pass. I don’t think she ever wondered why everyone always wanted to ski those backcountry lines before her. It was because we all wanted to get down and watch her ski. Few ski with more grace, ease, and power than Kim. She is a flawless skier. And an incredible writer. As the editor at Skiing and a longtime ski journalist, she has shepherded years of ski...
info_outline
This is My Purpose with Aaron Blunck
Next Level Skiing
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. I love watching Aaron Blunck ski the pipe. The Crested Butte native has spent 26 of his 27 years on skis and it shows, with amazing airs and unrivaled style. Earlier this season I got to see Aaron ski in the Copper pipe and he was throwing this ridiculously cool pipe-grinding, snow-spraying slash in the middle of his run, and the crowd loved it. This is a fun chat with the three-time Olympian who grew up dreaming of competing in the X Games, which he won in 2017. He spent his younger years...
info_outline
Reggie Crist is The Stoke Broker
Next Level Skiing
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Reggie Crist keeps turning the page on one skiing’s most illustrious careers. A decade on the U.S. Ski Team. Pioneer in the Olympic spot of Ski Cross. One of the first to helicopter skiers into Alaska’s Chugachs. And now a globe-trotting ski guide whose Stellar Adventure brings skiers to Japan, South America, Alaska and the backcountry of Idaho. Tune in as Reggie tells us where he would take us if we win the lottery and want to spend an entire year crushing powder. Topics: ...
info_outline
Master The Smooth with Scot Schmidt
Next Level Skiing
It’s difficult to overstate the role of Scot Schmidt in big-mountain freeskiing. He pretty much invented the niche with his explosive, airborne exploits. His signature tucked-knees hop turn and high-speed hip-check smear on 223 downhill skis defined a style that changed skiing. Scot’s style inspired untold hordes of skiers in the 80s and early 90s, before skis got wide and rockered. His breakout role in Greg Stump’s seminal “Blizzard of Ahhs” ushered in a now 30-year-old era of ski porn. Scot at age 62 is still skiing 100 days a year on big, stiff skis, spending his winters...
info_outline
Feel It All with Drew Petersen
Next Level Skiing
There are a lot of great ski movies out there. But only one ranks as the most important. In a year when U.S. suicides reached record highs and many mountain towns are reporting the highest suicide rates in the country, Drew Peterson’s “Ups + Downs” exposes the professional skier’s anguished struggle with suicidal thoughts. Mental health is at a critical crossroads in mountain valleys and Peterson’s willingness to step up and reveal his own battles with overwhelming darkness is one of the most consequential moves in the history of ski movies. Skiing is awesome. It can help...
info_outline
Gamifying skiing with Ted Ligety
Next Level Skiing
Today on the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis, Jason chats with American gold-medal Olympic ski racer Ted Ligety. In 2011, Ted Ligety put the FIS on blast for the governing body’s new mandates for ski lengths, saying the rules would “will eventually ruin this sport.” The following seasons, as he skied longer GS boards, he earned the nickname “Mr. GS,” winning six World Cup races in 2013 and three in 2014 on his way to his second Olympic gold at the Sochi Games. Ligety is a renowned technician on skis with highly angulated hips, knees, and...
info_outline
Anticipation and Innovation with Dan English
Next Level Skiing
Dan English was making waves in the world of high-tech when he veered into a new career focused on one of the oldest fabrics in the world. Today, the founder, president, and CEO of Colorado-based has infused the foundational principles of the technology industry into a clothing company that is changing how we think about wool and overhauling stagnant domestic manufacturing. On this episode of Next Level Skiing, Dan riffs on how the precepts of technological innovation can be applied to textiles and clothing, the best way to layer for an active day on snow, and how Voormi is moving on its...
info_outline
Kim Grant: Just Breathe
Next Level Skiing
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. If you’ve ever crowded into the snowy, frigid lift line at the base of Silverton Mountain in the morning as groups are divided by skill level, you’ve likely heard requests for Kim Grant. “Is Kim working?” “Where’s Kim’s group?” The 25-year ski guide who moves between the rowdy San Juans and the Chugachs in Alaska knows how to settle skier jitters like no other. Her relaxed vibe in stout terrain has led countless skiers to their best day ever. She has...
info_outline
Adrian Ballinger: Putting Work Into Fun
Next Level Skiing
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Adrian Ballinger is one of the most knowledgable people out on the mountains today. He is a triple threat: lifelong skier, veteran on technical rock, and a master at high altitude descent. He is one of the world’s top ski mountaineer. He has many accomplishments under his belt. He has summited Everest and K2 without supplemental oxygen, was the first to ski descent of Manaslu (8th tallest peak in world) from the summit, founded Alpenglow Expeditions (which now takes 6000+ people a year skiing, climbing and...
info_outlineWelcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. On today’s episode, I have the pleasure of talking with California badass, Michelle Parker. Michelle is an amazing skier with excellent form. If you have the chance to watch her ski, watch how she shreds with her feet; she is amazing. There are few skiers out there who have the speed and footwork of Michelle.
Michelle shares some great lessons and messages including the importance of visualization and how to develop your inner warrior. She also emphasizes how important it is to be aware of your surroundings, mapping the mountain, and trusting your intuition.
California native Michelle Parker started skiing in her home resort of Squaw Valley Ski Resort. Since then, she’s competed in the US Freeskiing open, X-Games, and the Red Bull Cold Rush. She’s also one of the founders of Skiers Advocating and Fostering Education for Avalanche and Snow Safety (S.A.F.E.A.S.), whose goal is to advocate for snow safety and avalanche awareness.
Topics:
[02:00] Michelle’s footwork on the snow
[03:00] How Michelle started skiing
[05:25] Michelle’s first experiences with freeskiing
[07:57] Skills that she transferred from racing to freeskiing
[10:45] Moving to the big mountains
[12:15] Avalanche education
[17:40] What Michelle thinks of when she’s up top and waiting her turn
[18:30] How to tap into your inner warrior
[23:50] The importance of realizing legitimate fears and being confident in your intuition
[27:50] How to develop a strong intuition
[29:50] Advice that still resonates with Michelle
[31:40] Surrounding yourself with incredible athletes (on the screen and in real life)
Resources: