A: My grandfather got me into mountaineering and skiing at a young age. He grew up skiing and mountaineering in the alps, and he wanted to make sure that family tradition lived on. I fell in love with the sport and have since worked as a ski guide, worked as a ski coach, gone on ski expeditions, and made countless lifelong memories from my ski adventures. I’ve skied in Alaska, the Alps, and many places in between, but the Tetons are now home because I love skiing here so much. It is hard to beat the combination of snowfall amount, quality, access and incredible terrain variety that the Tetons offer.
A: In 2013 I was preparing for an expedition to Denali. I’m quite a bit larger than most skiers (6’ 4”, 225 lbs), and I was looking for a light ski that could handle my size and skiing style without being a wet noodle. That’s when I was introduced to Mike McCabe. He had been on the ski team at the University of Colorado before I started coaching there. We chatted about the expedition, and the next thing you know, I was shredding Denali on a pair of Folsoms that I nicknamed “The Longships”. Once I realized how much different a quality custom made ski was compared to a mass produced ski, especially for someone like me, I was hooked.
A: My favorite place to ski is the Tetons. They’re home, so they are familiar. I can organically run into my ski buddies at The Ghee or on a tour somewhere in Teton canyon. But the Tetons are also big and wild, so I’m always discovering new things or planning new adventures in them. The snowfall is consistent. The terrain is amazing. The community is close knit and fun. Plus, there’s nothing quite like casually having “another best day ever” when you woke up in your own bed and went to sleep in your own bed.
A: I ski a lot at the resort and in the backcountry. Skiing the resort makes me a better skier – no doubt about it. The consistency of getting lots of laps and practice at the resort pays huge dividends when backcountry skiing. Resort skiing gives me the ability to confidently ski bigger and bolder backcountry lines.
A: The Cash 117s have been my go-to skis for quite a while. For my general skiing style, I love the wide platform of the Cash 117s. They seem to be able to handle anything from pow, to chop, to crud extremely smoothly. I don’t ski groomers very often. So, on a bell-to-bell resort day you’ll typically find me ripping around through the trees, trying to find soft landings off cliff bands, or taking high speed laps through chop.
Fun fact: This year I won the Chinese Downhill at the Ghee on my Cash 117s. Stable at high speeds through lots of varying snow quality. (Pictures maybe coming later…)
A: It is hard to choose…but I have to go with my ski expedition to Denali in 2014. We skied the Orient Express (most of it), the Rescue Gully, and the Messner Couloir. Climbing and skiing from the top of one of the “7 Summits” had been on my life goals list since I made it as a 7 year old in Cub Scouts. My grandfather often talked about mountaineering adventures on the 7 Summits, so getting to tell him stories of my adventure was certainly an added bonus, too. My ski of choice was the Primary 95 (formally known as the Trigger II).
A: I tore most of my ACL in early January of 2023, so a lot of ski plans got put on the backburner last season. Next season there is a LOT that I want to accomplish, so I’m training hard to get my knee and body ready. Lots of bike riding. Lots of weight lifting. Lots of activity.
A: (1) Make sure the training you do doesn’t simply feel like a grind. Make sure your training incorporates some sort of fun, otherwise you won’t be consistent with it. I enjoy biking, so it is a great way for me to get my knee back in shape this off season. Otherwise, if I was only doing physical therapy to get my knee strength, I probably wouldn’t be doing a very good job of it. (2) Write down your goals. (3) Research. Study where you want to go, what you want to do, what gear you need, what skills you need, etc. In June the ski season seems a long way off, but if you start putting in the research now, your goals will be much easier to achieve later.
