EPISODE 379: JAKE HOPFINGER

EPISODE 379: JAKE HOPFINGER

Jake Hopfinger created a name for himself in skiing at the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s in Jackson Hole. The double backflip he threw there for a 3rd instantly made his name known worldwide. While the dollars and travel budgets are now coming in, Jake was once an aspiring D1 East Coast ski racer who could never finish a race. Then he quit racing, moved to Montana, and learned to ski powder. The rest is history in the making. Parkin Costain and Jonnie Merrill ask the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 378: JESSICA SOBOLOWSKI-QUINN

EPISODE 378: JESSICA SOBOLOWSKI-QUINN

Jessica Sobolowski-Quinn is a lifer in the ski industry. She’s skied more powder than almost anyone on the planet over the past 20 years, which is what you’d expect from the owner of one of Alaska’s premiere heli operations, Points North. But Jess didn’t grow up chasing powder in helicopters; she was a D1 ski racer who made her way to Palisades after college. From there, she met famous friends, started skiing rowdy lines, lined up sponsors, and traveled the world to film for a decade and eventually reeled it all in to manage the family business she runs with her husband, Kevin Quinn. Ingrid Backstrom asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 377: COLTER HINCHLIFFE

EPISODE 377: COLTER HINCHLIFFE

owing up near Aspen, dropping out of college to shred, moving to Alta, and returning to Aspen, he made the right contacts to make the dream come true. He was tending bar in Aspen, making handfuls of cash, allowing him to travel anywhere in the world at a minute's notice...That lifestyle put him in AK and eventually in a helicopter with the TGR crew when he was 25 years old, and that, combined with an unexpected Powder Magazine cover, helped Colter graduate from ski bum to pro skier pretty late in the game. It's a real-life Aspen Extreme Ski Bum Story.

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EPISODE 376: MCCONKEY PMS 2024 RECAP

EPISODE 376: MCCONKEY PMS 2024 RECAP

The Pain McShlonkey Classic is arguably the most important event in all of skiing. The coveted Golden Saucer is up for grabs, and this year, 60 ski bladers had KT early ups on a Saturday pow day. The weekend's goal is to raise money in the name of our time's most important skiers and personalities. While Shane McConkey didn't look like an elite level athlete, he was way more than that: the funniest guy everyone knew, the most inclusive, the most awesome, and McShlonkey weekend is a way to celebrate his life and times with his friends at his home of Palisades. I put out a yearly podcast recapping the event and digging up old McConkey stories for your entertainment. This year, while you don't know all the names, the McConkey stories do not disappoint.

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EPISOE 375: ELYSE SAUGSTAD

EPISOE 375: ELYSE SAUGSTAD

Elyse Saugstad is not only a Powder Award-winning skier known for her impressive movie segments over the years, but she’s also a woman who’s put her career on the line to better the treatment of women in big mountain ski competitions. Throughout Elyse’s career, people have said no to her, but she’s never taken no as the final answer. On the podcast, we talk about growing up in Alaska, ski racing, college in New Mexico, ski bumming turning into a pro career, and a whole lot about gender and equality. It’s a good one, and Jackie Paaso asks the Inappropriate Questions

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EPISODE 373: MAGGIE VOISIN

EPISODE 373: MAGGIE VOISIN

Maggie Voisin’s life has been defined by skiing, family, and the highs and lows that come with both. A three-time Olympian and 7-time X Games medalist, Maggie knows what it’s like to achieve her goals and experience the highest of highs. But, between losing a brother to suicide, untimely injuries, and countless knee surgeries, she’s also experienced the lowest of lows. Throughout it all, Maggie innovated, inspired, and spent a lot of time on podiums. Inappropriate Questions asked by Ashley Battersby and Parkin Costain

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EPISODE 369: GREG STUMP

EPISODE 369: GREG STUMP

Greg Stump, the legendary filmmaker behind ski classics like Blizzard of Aahhh’s, The Maltese Flamingo, Groove Requiem in the Key of Ski, and Legend of Aahhh’s, is back on the podcast. Stumpy is promoting his March Residence at the Isis Theatre in Aspen this March, where he is screening the incredible films mentioned above. On the podcast, we discuss stories from each movie and talk about many players, including Glen Plake, Scot Schmidt, Mike Hattrup, Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Christian Hosoi, Lance Mountain, Laird Hamilton, Craig Kelly, Hunter S. Thompson, and more. On top of that, there’s twice the number of Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 368: NICK MCNUTT

EPISODE 368: NICK MCNUTT

Nick McNutt’s ski bum story is one of the best. After ten years of dirtbagging it, Nick became a big-name pro skier and one of the faces of TGR movies. When Nick moved to Whistler at 17, he quickly became the skier other skiers were talking about because of his huge switch landings…something that wasn’t too common back in the day. While he filmed with smaller production companies, TGR’s 100K Collab contest was the thing that changed his life…and he didn’t even win. On the podcast, we talk about his journey to pro skierdom, getting buried in an avalanche with a faulty beacon, the aftermath, and much more. One of Nick’s oldest, loose-cannon friends asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 366: LOGAN PEHOTA

EPISODE 366: LOGAN PEHOTA

Logan Pehota comes from ski royalty bloodlines. His dad, Eric Pehota, is a ski mountaineering pioneer, a badass in the big mountains. Logan's journey to ski stardom took him from racing to slope-style to the Freeride World Tour to where he is today, dropping the biggest cliffs and huge tricks in the backcountry. If you've seen a Matchstick Productions film lately, you know how giant Logan goes. On the podcast, we talk about his dad, high-risk logging, contests, how money dictates his contest lines, and so much more. Colby Stevenson asks the Inappropriate Questions. 

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EPISODE 365: COLBY WEST

EPISODE 365: COLBY WEST

Colby West was one of the biggest personalities in skiing for almost a decade but didn’t start skiing until he was a teenager. When most people were getting into the sport, Colby lived an isolated life where he spent his free time mimicking different voices and spending the rest of his time in the woods…And then, he found skiing through a school program. Colby went all in on the sport, working all year to pay for High North Ski Camp. When he got there, he found a mentor in Shane Szocs, who opened so many doors for him in the pro ski world. On the podcast, we talk about dropping out of college to live in his car to make the ski dream happen, medaling at X games and other events, his vocal talents, and so much more. Jossi Wells asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 364: PARKIN COSTAIN

EPISODE 364: PARKIN COSTAIN

Parkin Costain is a child prodigy born to pro-level athlete parents; Parkin was in the backcountry before he could walk. He was learning to read lines, manage risk, and enjoy adventure at a young age and then, at the ripe age of 7, started competing in big mountain contests…Those evolved into film contests, sponsors, and a career filming with TGR. We talk about it all and more on the podcast. Jake Hopfinger asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 361: INGRID BACKSTROM, PT. 2

EPISODE 361: INGRID BACKSTROM, PT. 2

Part 2 with Ingrid Backstrom is a much heavier episode. Ingrid and others were changing the face of big mountain skiing, and when you take that kind of risk, there’s bound to be consequences. This week, Ingrid and I talk about working in a male-dominated industry, gender differences in the mountains, risk, losing people in the mountains, and a lot more. Elyse Saugstad asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 360: INGRID BACKSTROM

EPISODE 360: INGRID BACKSTROM

Ingrid Backstrom ushered in a new era of women’s big mountain skiing when her award-winning segment in Matchstick Productions’ “Yearbook” set the ski world on fire. While she was her high school valediction, Ingrid parlayed her academic scholarship into a life-changing time on the Whitman ski team. Then she graduated, dropped out of the real world, moved to Palisades, and became one of the faces of skiing in the 2000’s. It’s part 1 of an incredible story, and Jessica Sobolowski-Quinn asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 359: TODD JONES PT. 2

EPISODE 359: TODD JONES PT. 2

Todd Jones has defined what action sports looks like to the masses and, more importantly, to the core of these sports in the most authentic way. He’s been doing it for 30 years, and his baby, Teton Gravity Research, continues to reinvent itself with new product categories, a network of retail stores, the community they’ve built online since ’96, and their movies featuring the greatest athletes. In Part 2 of the podcast, we pick up where we left off and talk about the movies, the athletes, and the stories. Greg Stump asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 358: TODD JONES

EPISODE 358: TODD JONES

Todd Jones and the company he helped found Teton Gravity Research, has had a huge impact on Skiing and Snowboarding. This private school-educated kid from Cape Cod became passionate about sliding on snow at Stowe, then became a certified Deadhead in high school, and college was all about leaving private college life to become a dish dog in Jackson Hole. The rest is history. Part 1 of the podcast we talk about The Dead, the early Jackson days, battles with ski patrol, pioneering Alaska with Coombs, and founding TGR. Ian Macintosh asks the Inappropriate Questions

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EPISODE 357: NICK GOEPPER/STEVE STEPP

EPISODE 357: NICK GOEPPER/STEVE STEPP

Nick Goepper won three Olympic medals in slopestyle, then called it a career and retired. Fast forward a year, and Nick is out of retirement, and he has his goals set: rebranding himself and making the Olympic Halfpipe team. On the podcast, we talk about how hard that will be, all things Goepper, and then I do a mini-podcast with the man behind the scenes of Nick’s rebrand, controversial pro skier Steve Stepp. This one’s a little different; think two guys, one mic.

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EPISODE 356: AJ KITT

EPISODE 356: AJ KITT

AJ Kitt is a US Ski Team Legend and was the face of US Downhill at a time when the US Skiing’s image desperately needed a re-fresh from the Bill Johnson era. AJ’s a 4X Olympian, which is incredible, but also the most screwed-over athlete ever by FIS, which is unfortunate. On the podcast, we talk about going fast, understanding sponsorship early, Bill Johnson, the World Cup at 18, the Olympics, and so much more. US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Famer Chad Fleischer asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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EPISODE 354: DAVE MOE

EPISODE 354: DAVE MOE

Dave Moe is the most unique, eclectic guest I’ve had on the podcast, and he and his brother may have had more of an impact on the sport of skiing than anyone else I’ve had on the show. The Moe’s started Powder Magazine, and Dave Moe was the gonzo journalist who traveled the world in the name of Powder. On the podcast, we talk about early Seattle skiing, his “Screw Loose” alter egos, founding Powder Magazine, sales, marketing, travel, and general weirdness. Jake Moe makes a couple of appearances to clear some things up on this history lesson of an episode.

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EPISODE 353: TANNER HALL

EPISODE 353: TANNER HALL

Tanner Hall is arguably the greatest all-around skier of our time. He’s a rare athlete who’s found success in the moguls, in the streets, in the parks, in the X Games, in the backcountry, in the movies, and on the Freeride World Tour. It doesn’t get more complete than that, and the crazy thing is that now, at 40, he’s skiing better than he ever has. While that’s a bold statement, when the new edit, XL drops this week, you’ll know what I’m talking about. On the podcast, we discuss his relationship, his injury list, XL, what the future holds, and much more. Wiley Miller asks the Inappropriate Questions. 

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EPISODE 351: COLBY STEVENSON PT. 2

EPISODE 351: COLBY STEVENSON PT. 2

While Colby Stevenson won’t be remembered for the car accident that broke his skull into over 40 pieces, it sure had an impact in steering his life from a middle-of-the-pack pro athlete to absolute dominance. In part two of Colby’s podcast, we talk Olympic Silver in the Covid year, X Games double gold as a rookie, learning lessons during injuries, sponsors, money, filming with everyone, and more. Olympian Lyman Currier asks the Inappropriate Questions.

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