Adrian Ballinger: Putting Work Into Fun

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 reviews, charting the evolution of ski design for decades. She’s raised an amazing daughter who rips and has all sorts of insights into making the most of our time on snow. Tune in and learn from a master.   Thanks for listening to Next Level Skiing. Topics:  3:40 Growing up chasing her older brother  2:50 The secret sauce of being a good skier: having a ripping older sibling  3:55 Honing her writing chops at the Jackson Hole Guide in the 1990s  6:36 What makes a good ski story?  7:50 Her new children’s book about Hilaree Nelson  11:10 The emergence of rocker and shape in skis  18:30 Her favorite ski designs  21:50 Raising young rippers. Candy bribery.  26:00 When ski skills spill over into life  30:30 Hands up!    Resources:  Kimberly Beekman  Wagner Custom Skis 

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 chasing his older brother Nolan around the steeps of Crested Butte Mtn Resort, where he honed his aerial prowess in gnarly cliffs and trees.  Listen and learn from one of Colorado’s best as Aaron shares insights into bouncing back from injuries, the relentless pursuit of new challenges in skiing, celebrating every turn, and embracing gratitude on snow. Thanks for listening to Next Level Skiing.  Topics:  2:00 - Copper performance  4:49 - Skiing at 18 months  5:24 - Chasing his older brother  7:21 - Unlocking a new wave of younger rippers at Crested Butte  9:10 - Big mountain laps with pipe and terrain park to finish  11:00 - Still living the dream  13:40 - Not just skiing: hockey, baseball, soccer  17:25 - Pay to play: injuries and recovery  22:00 - Mind over matter to bounce back from injuries  24:24 - Overcoming the life-changing injury  26:00 - Why not go skiing?  28:00 - This is my purpose  30:00 - Never stop learning new things  32:00 - Little-kid cruising and embracing gratitude  Resources:  Aaron Blunck Instagram  Wagner Custom Skis 

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:  2:30 - Raised in California and Idaho  3:30 - Earning a PhD in skiing on the U.S. Ski Team  5:10 - Ski Cross and a second ski racing career  6:20 - Ski Cross is more intense than downhill racing Kitzbuhel  7:00 - Stellar Adventure  11:00 - Bringing ski racing technique to the big mountains of Alaska  12:30 - A year in powder  16:49 - Best way to prepare for a month in Alaska  18:30 - Alaska off the couch  22:32 - Catching the Santa Rosa storm in the Andes  26:50 - The rewards of helping people find their best ski day  29:30 - Follow your passion and be a stoke broker    Resources:  Stella Adventure Travel  Wagner Custom Skis 

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 in Montana as an ambassador for the Yellowstone Club. In this episode of Next Level Skiing, the legend himself shares insights into his longevity, his ski style, starring in a movie that captured entire generations of skiers, and “flowing like water” on skis.  Topics:  2:00 - Growing up in Montana City, Montana  4:30 - Moving to Squaw Valley, melding with ski racers and speed skiers  9:30 - Idolizing Ingemar Stenmark  11:00 - About that smear turn  14:40 - Put your turns in the sweet spot  19:30 - Still riding a 195 115mm-underfoot Stockli  23:40 - Never been smoother than now  25:30 - The impact of “Blizzard of Ahhs”  28:50 - Keep it smooth and flow like water    Resources:  Master the Smooth with Scot Schmidt  Wagner Custom Skis 

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 people learn how to be mindful and present. It can recharge weary souls. But it cannot heal mental illness. Drew’s turn toward therapy and the hard work required to deflect demons is a guiding light for people who can’t escape the darkness. Drew’s upcoming movie details his turn toward 100-mile ultramarathons as he continues his journey.  This is a special Next Level Skiing podcast where Colorado-born Drew shares how skiing is only one tool for rebuilding a life. If you or anyone you know is in need of immediate help, call 988 to reach trained crisis workers at the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or text HOME to 741741.   Topics:  2:00 - The 20-year overnight success story  6:40 - Ski the Wild West  11:00 - Raw expose with “Ups + Downs”  12:30 - The falling rock that “changed the track of my life.”  18:00 - Skiing can’t be the only thing  20:40 - Let skiing just be skiing and find childhood joy  21:40 - The destination fallacy  24:45 - Finding mindfulness and presence on skis  28:05 - Shining the light in a darker corner of mountain culture  33:35 - Ski and enjoy    Resources:  Ups + Downs  If you or anyone you know is in need of immediate help, call 988 to reach trained crisis workers at the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or text HOME to 741741.   Wagner Custom Skis 

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 ankles. His seen-everywhere images of his hips skimming smooth snow at ungodly speeds are inspiring.  For this chapter of Next Level Skiing, Ligety talks about how he adapted to longer skis, founding Shred Optics, and what he’s learned most recently from the “ski coach in his boots.”  Topics:  1:40 - Ted’s background and journey to the slopes  6:31 - Scrapping with FIS over new rules for ski lengths  8:11 - Libertarian ski rules  09:30 - Perfect storm of ski design and technique  11:00 - Summer testing with 70 pairs of new GS skis in New Zealand  13:40 - Weight training leading into the best season ever  14:15 - Starting Shred Optics  20:35 - The Carv footbed coach gamifies skiing  23:20 - Angling edges at the top of the turn and shins parallel  25:30 - A coach in your ski boots  30:00 - Hamstring curls on the inside leg of your ski turn    Resources:  Ted Ligety  Wagner Custom Skis 

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 Voormi 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 mission to change the narrative around our clothing. Topics: 2:00 - A lifetime in tech in Seattle 7:20 - R&D testing at Wolf Creek ski area 8:50 - Core construction and Voormi’s technology 10:20 - Domestic manufacturing for Voormi doubled in 2023 and will double again in 2024 13:00 - Applying technology rules to textiles and clothing 16:00 - New tech coming from Voormi will reduce the water needed for coloring and dyeing 19:20 - Making clothing adaptive for each user 25:30 - Layering and the right clothing for outdoor adventure in winter Resources: Voormi Wagner Custom Skis  

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 all kinds of strategies for helping skiers find inner strengths and push themselves into the steepest and deepest. And it all starts with breathing.     Topics:  2:43 - College in Georgia, summers in Colorado  5:14 - Telluride ski patrol to Silverton Mountain  6:52 - Facets of the San Juans, the most dangerous snowpack   10:55 - Slow down and take breaths  11:22 - Shed layers  13:32 - One turn at a time  15:52 - Yoga and breathing for focus during the fight-or-flight response  25:45 - The most amazing tool for centering, focusing on fun  29:15 - Big changes for Silverton Mountain  31:30 - Look where you want to go    Resources:  Moves Silverton  Silverton Mountain  Wagner Custom Skis   

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 mountaineering), and has had seventeen summits of 8000-meter peaks. In May of 2022, he became the first person to ski from Makalu (in the Mahalangur Himalayas) which is the fifth highest peak in the world. I had the pleasure of chatting with Adrian about his three attempts on Makalu, his risk tolerance now that he’s a new father, and how to make sure the first turn is perfect. Topics: [01:36] Adrian’s introduction [03:17] How Adrian got started and a snapshot of his career  [12:50] Skiing Makalu [20:40] Risk tolerance [25:10] The mental and physical limitations of being so high up    [32:15] The idea that it’s okay to back off   [34:00] Practice everything  [37:00] Switching mindsets and cherishing the mundane [42:30] Conclusion       Resources: Adrian Ballinger Wagner Custom Skis  

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Today I’m talking with rock star Mark Morris. He talks about the connection between his music and the mountains. He teaches us how he tries to be a good ambassador for life. Mark talks about trail running, how he comes up with his songs, and how he improved as a skier and as a musician. There are many ways that music and skiing overlap. Between connecting in a spiritual way to the importance of practice, Mark shares how his passions intersect throughout his life. Topics: [01:41] Mark’s introduction [03:41] How Mark got started on skis [09:15] Learning how to improve skills with exposure  [11:44] Getting into music [16:05] How music and skiing overlap [31:00] Trail running techniques    [33:00] On the “runner’s high” [36:15] How music and skiing have enriched Mark’s life [40:48] Conclusion   Resources: Mark Morris’ Website Wagner Custom Skis