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 374: JESS KIMURA

EPISODE 374: JESS KIMURA

Jess Kimura’s life has never been easy. Yeah, she’s a pro snowboarder who travels the world to ride, which sounds like a dream - But, hearing about the path that led Jess to snowboard superstardom, I doubt many people would trade places with her. What she has achieved is incredible. On the podcast, we talk about life lessons of the skatepark, leaving home at 16, being broke, snowboarding, mental health issues, losing snowboarding, love, losing love; oh, there is so much in this must-listen episode. Marie-France Roy 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 372: KAITLYN FARRINGTON

EPISODE 372: KAITLYN FARRINGTON

Kaitlyn Farrington grew up on a cattle ranch in Bellevue, Idaho. Life growing up was all about hard work, rodeoing, and, if there was fresh snow, skipping school to head to her home mountain of Sun Valley.  Eventually, she switched from skiing to snowboarding, earned a scholarship for the Sun Valley Team, and things happened quickly. She went from being nobody to the World Cup to being named to the stacked US Team in a matter of years- she was always the underdog. But, in her biggest moment, she rode away with Olympic gold…and an injury took it all away. On the podcast, we talk about ranch life, making the US Team at 14, becoming a privateer, winning, a new reality, becoming an astronaut, and more.

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EPISODE 371: MARK MACKAY

EPISODE 371: MARK MACKAY

Mark Mackay is a country music star in the making, but his background as a ski rep makes him the perfect new business episode. His road to Nashville included stints with Rossignol, Dynastar, and Atomic, all by the time he was 20. He was the head sales rep in California when Atomic started exploding, he had a dream job, he was young, and he left it all for the lucrative world of medical sales. Soon after, he had a life-changing epiphany on a paddleboard and, within an hour, quit his job, broke his lease, and went all in on being a country music star, and so far, it’s been working.

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EPISODE 370: ANDY HETZEL

EPISODE  370: ANDY HETZEL

Andy Hetzel is the Rick Kane of snowboarding. Hailing from Arizona, Andy’s first love was skateboarding, then punk rock. This eventually led to Andy finding snowboarding and moving his life to Breckenridge. He competed early and often and achieved pro status, but Hetzel won’t be remembered for contests, well maybe as the reigning World Mogul Champion. But, outside of that bump title, Andy and the skate-influenced crew he rode with, you know, the Palmer and Ranquet types, helped create the derelict culture of the sport when it wasn’t considered a sport, it was a lifestyle. It’s a fun history lesson, and Utah legend Benny Pelligrino asks the Inappropriate Questions. 

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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 367: ROSS REID

EPISODE 367: ROSS REID

Ross Reid is known these days as the Nerdy About Nature guy, a modern-day Bill Nye, helping educate the digital world about what's happening in nature. But Ross isn't just an internet influencer; he's an award-winning filmmaker who spent 20 years in the ski industry, working with the best athletes in the world. On the podcast, we talk about growing up at White Pass, his brand Rime Knits, his time with Poor Boyz Productions, K2, his Tamashii project, Nerdy About Nature, and much more. The Inappropriate Questions are off the record and all-time!

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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 363: GERRY LOPEZ

EPISODE 363: GERRY LOPEZ

erry Lopez may be the most legendary guest I’ve ever had on the podcast, so it’s fitting that I kick off Season 8 with Gerry. This OG surf god single-handedly invented what relaxed style looks like, and it was all inspired by his other passion, yoga. Gerry is famous for so many things, but his legacy will be remembered most for pioneering Pipeline on a board shorter than ever seen before and then leaving it all for Oregon and snowboarding. On the podcast, we talk about Hawaii, localism, counterculture, Hollywood, and a lot more.

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EPISODE 362: CHRIS KING & GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN

EPISODE 362: CHRIS KING & GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN

Chris King and Graham Zimmerman are two of the power players over at Outdoor Research. Chris is OR's VP of Brand, and we discuss his career that took him from behind the lens to behind the curtain. Graham is OR's Athlete Team Captain, the Athlete Director at Protect Our Winters, and one of the most accomplished climbers of the 21st century. On the podcast, we talk about his new book "A Fine Line," his journey to the mountains, and so much more. This one's a business and athlete episode.

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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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