Alta locals Tristen Lilly and Piper Kunst know. This year, they took home King and Queen of Corbet’s, earning their place on one of skiing’s biggest stages.

In the Last Chair Season 7 finale, they sit down with Tom Kelly to talk about their paths to big mountain skiing, meeting in a lift line at Alta, and what goes through your head when you’re staring into that 20-foot drop.

From Piper’s first win with no sponsors to Tristen’s viral 720 entry, this is the story of two skiers building a life in the Wasatch and pushing what’s possible.

Listen now.

Last Chair guest Meg Wandishin grew up skiing the slopes of Shawnee Peak (now Pleasant Mountain), a Maine ski area that dates back to 1938, and then moved up to Sunday River. Today, she serves as recruiting manager for Deer Valley Resort, where, among her tasks, is overseeing the resort’s popular J-1 visa program for international workers. Wandishin’s pathway into recruiting came by chance, tending bar in Maine when a customer saw in her the traits of a charismatic recruiter. After a few years in recruitment for tech companies, she decided to take time to work remotely in Utah. Three months later, she decided to stay – connecting with Deer Valley in 2023. Today, she plays a major role in recruiting more than 3,000 seasonal employees for the resort, with an enthusiastic personality and a pride in helping create the Deer Valley Difference. 

A Connecticut native, as a young girl, she loved making photographs with her mother’s Ricoh point-and-shoot camera. Soon, she combined her burgeoning love for photography with that of skiing. And at some point, she joined friends in moving west – first to Jackson Hole. But along the way, a big powder season in Utah and the offer of a futon lured her to the Wasatch, where for two decades she has been photographing the Greatest Snow on Earth.

Re Wikstrom personifies happiness – something that rubs off on her subjects. As a photographer, she has a knack for managing light and capturing images. But a big part of that is the personality she exudes and the relationships she develops with her subjects.

Hands down, Wikstrom is one of the best photographers shooting in the Wasatch. But her work with women is what has elevated her to a special place in her field. It’s her mission!

“Part of my personal mission is to put more visuals of women athletes out into the world the way I want to see them portrayed,” she says.

In her Last Chair interview, Wikstrom takes us back to her childhood and finding a love for photography. She reminsces on negotiating with her mother, who convinced her to finish school before becoming a ski bum. And she proudly walks us through some of her favorite images.

This episode will take you high up into the Cottonwoods, early morning on a powder day, as Re Wikstrom chronicles her life as a ski photographer.

In this episode of Last Chair, Ski Utah sits down with Sundance President and General Manager Chad Linebaugh for an intimate conversation at the heart of the Inn. Linebaugh reflects on Redford’s legacy, the resort’s deep connection to nature, and how the new Inn, along with new lifts and terrain, enhances the Sundance experience while staying true to its roots beneath Mount Timpanogos.

A story of place, history, and the canyon that continues to draw people back to Sundance.

The 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games left a legacy of venues across Utah. But they also left a culture that motivates kids to get into sport. Each winter, the Youth Sports Alliance in Park City leads thousands of boys and girls into winter sport. And today, YSA is bringing its expertise to Ski Utah’s popular 4th Grade School Program. Last Chair sat down with YSA Executive Director Emily Fisher in the High West Studio to talk about the culture of winter sport in Utah, and how more kids than ever before are finding their way into skiing and snowboarding.

Today, nearly a quarter century after the 2002 Games, new generations of Utah youth are finding excitement in winter sport – from speed skating to luge to skiing and snowboarding. Sure, it’s the fun and excitement of sport. But it’s also about the life lessons that sport teaches.

“Really, it's the smiles and seeing how excited they are about skiing, about the culture, about being active in winter sport,” said Fisher. “I think if you're not exposed to it, it is easy to sit inside in the winter and to see these kids so excited to get outside, even when it's snowing, even when it's really cold, they're excited. They want to be part of this program, and their families want them to be part of this program. But just the smiles and the laughter make everything, all the hustle all year, worth it.”

YSA’s longstanding Get Out & Play program introduces kids to myriad different sports. It’s a sampling program to give kids a sense of what they like to do. From there, they can pick a sport and engage in a local club. You never know where it might lead. At the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, local Utah athlete Casey Dawson will challenge for a speed skating gold, while Ashley Farquharson is a favorite in luge. 

This season YSA is taking on a new role, managing Ski Utah’s 4th Grade School Program. In its 30 years, the Ski Utah program has introduced over 100,000 Utah kids to skiing and snowboarding.

Skis, speed, and charging horses collide in Skijoring, a winter sport rooted in Scandinavian tradition and reborn in the American West. In this episode, lifelong friends and Utah cowboys Joe Loveridge and Brian Gardner share how they turned their passions for skiing, horses, and ranching into Pro Skijor, a new pro tour spanning Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Recorded at the High West Whiskey Library, the conversation dives into Western heritage, big-time energy, and why skijoring has captured crowds across the Mountain West.

In this episode of Last Chair by Ski Utah, Colin shares how Utah planned for Olympic legacy long before 2002, why its venues are now four times busier than during the Games, and how that vision is shaping the road to the 2034 Winter Games. Recorded at the High West Whiskey Library.

Listen now. Subscribe for more stories from the people shaping Utah’s ski and sport culture.

In this episode of Last Chair by Ski Utah, Chase explains the science behind the Greatest Snow on Earth including snowflakes, storms and Utah’s wild lake effect magic. Recorded at the High West Whiskey Library.

Recorded at the Whiskey Library at High West Distillery in Park City, this episode dives into the evolution of Ski Utah, its 16 world-class resorts, and the people who built the state’s ski culture. From Deer Valley to Snowbird, hear why Utah’s mountains deliver The Greatest Snow on Earth.

In this episode of Last Chair presented by High West, we ride high atop Bald Mountain at Snowshoe Tommy’s Cabin with:
- Steve Graff, VP of Mountain Operations, Deer Valley Resort
- Garrett Lang, Deer Valley Mountain Operations
- Shawn Marquardt, Doppelmayr Ski Lifts

Hear how the new East Village Express gondola links Park Peak via Big Dutch, get insider details on cutting-edge lift technology, and find out which new Deer Valley runs should be on your hit list this winter.

Miller grew up in Oklahoma – not exactly ski destination. But his parents were Colorado skiers, so the family often hit small hills in New Mexico with a few trips north to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. His passion for brewing first played out when he volunteered to help out at Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales. His brewery journey took him to North Carolina and then Dallas. While in Texas, his boss was in Utah, and the lure of the Wasatch – both the brewery and the mountains – brought him to Salt Lake City just a few years ago. He sees the mountains as a great place to raise a family, and his young kids are already ripping around Solitude.

But as much as he loves brewing, his real passion is being a steward of the planet on which we live. It’s ingrained in Miller’s life, from the lessons he teaches his young kids to the practices he puts in place at Wasatch Squatters.

“Sustainability does not always come easy – it's not just a flip of a switch,” said Miller. “So if we're able to do something more efficient and more sustainable, even though it may be really hard to do, we're going to take that challenge on.” 

It’s mid-day at the Wasatch Squatter’s taproom as guests slide up to the bar for a lunchtime brew. Meanwhile, Miller is diving deeper into the myriad ways Wasatch Squatters is creating ways to innovate its operation to be more sustainable.

It’s about finding an effective way to recycle cans that are kicked off the bottling line. Or reusing water used to cool hot tanks during the process. Or finding a new home for the tons of grain used during brewing – which makes for some happy cattle on Utah ranches. Wasatch Squatters also substitutes nitrogen for carbon dioxide.

“I couldn't imagine being part of an industry that didn't care about this,” said Miller.

The conversation often swings back to his kids, who have learned early the importance of loading up the truck with cans to take to recycling. 

“I have two boys and just instilling sustainability practices in them is really important to my wife and I. And they’re already taking note of it – throwing their banana peels in the compost pile.”

Those practices carry over to their day-to-day life, including their time on snow up in the Cottonwoods.

“Every time I’m on the slopes with my family, I know I have to take care of this place. I pick up that piece of trash or recycle that piece of cardboard. And that carries through our business. And we know we’ve got a lot of people who get up on the mountain who have the same mindset – which is great.”

Beer is a part of the culture of skiing. This episode of Last Chair takes you inside the brewery to learn about how Wasatch Squatters keeps sustainability a key priority. And while the sustainability practices at the brewery are on a high level, Miller easily relates them to things each of us can do ourselves. So grab a Wasatch Last One Down and enjoy this conversation with David Miller.

Many of us think about backcountry avalanche safety. Clark himself, when he was young, had the Utah Avalanche Center phone number posted on the family’s home phone. But it’s doubtful many of us think a lot about avalanches as we travel mountain highways every winter. We think about the plows that clear the roadway for us. But what’s up above might be largely out of our minds as we wind up State Route 210 for eight miles towards Snowbird and Alta.

In those eight miles from the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon up to Alta, there are 64 identified, named avalanche paths that can impact the highway. While the ski resorts all manage avalanche safety in their boundaries, it’s up to UDOT to mitigate the danger on the highway. From howitzers to hand charges, UDOT avalanche safety teams work to keep all highways in the state safe for drivers and residents.

For around 75 years military howitzers have played a pivotal role, lobbing shells across valleys to dislodge snowpack before it poses a danger to the highway. In 2007, UDOT began to look at alternatives to lobbing shells through the air. Today, howitzers are being phased out. As an example, in 2023 Alta retired its 105-mm cannon that had fired thousands of rounds of shells since being introduced in the 1950s by avalanche safety legend Monty Atwater.

Replacing the howitzers is an array of remotely triggered devices installed on mountainside towers throughout the canyon. Towers from Wyssen Avalanche Control can be remotely activated to drop charges into the snow. Installations from GAZEX™ create a controlled explosion from which the concussive force triggers a slide. UDOT is using both systems, with new installations around Mount Superior will be in operation this season. There are now nearly 90 remotely-activated avalanche mitigation installations in the canyon between UDOT and the ski resorts. 

The new systems provide yet another level of public safety, eliminating the need to fire shells across the valley or to have avalanche safety workers conduct high-risk operations. In addition, UDOT employs a sophisticated array of avalanche sensors to analyze the snowpack and provide valuable feedback and updates.

This episode of Last Chair provides some fascinating insights into the work done behind the scenes to keep us safe as we travel the Cottonwood Canyons to ski and ride. A well-known figure in the Utah snow safety community, Steven Clark is a great example of the dedication of the UDOT team that helps keep us safe.

In this episode of Last Chair, we head to the Mobility Garage of the University of Utah’s Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, speaking with Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth, along with program director of TRAILS Adaptive Tanja Kari, a six-time Paralympic champion cross country skier who was one of the heroes of the 2002 Paralympic Winter Games in Utah.

TetraSki is truly a revolutionary mobility tool in sport. It features a customized chair attached to a pair of Rossignol skis. The engineering brains of TetraSki allow the operator to control the skis through a simple joystick. And if the skier doesn’t have the body functionality to manipulate the joystick, there’s a breathing tube – blow in or suck out, and the skis respond. A new innovation can also be attached to a functioning muscle, where muscular reflects are converted into ski movement.

Yes, this is real! And there are now around two dozen TetraSkis around the world, providing mobility opportunities to those who might never have conceived that they might ski.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Rosenbluth would always look for opportunities to get up to Utah for skiing. Wanting to spend his career in spinal cord injury medicine, when he saw a job opportunity in Salt Lake City he jumped at it.

“After the first couple of years of getting settled here, it was obvious that we had this really tight, enthusiastic campus – people with engineering backgrounds and clinical backgrounds, other scientific backgrounds, and then the access to the outdoors is just unprecedented,” he recalled. “I don't think there's another academic center that has this. So there was just an obviousness to where we were heading and getting people excited about building new devices and getting out there and trying new programs – that was an easy sell.”

Early in his tenure, he created TRAILS Adaptive – an acronym combining technology, recreation, access, independence, lifestyle, sports. TRAILS provided the first pathway to provide wellness programs and real opportunities for individuals. 

Kari was a young Finnish cross country skier when she visited Utah for the first time at the 2002 Winter Games. What stood out to her was that the same organizing committee managed both the Olympics and Paralympics – the first time ever! “We felt the difference in the Games for that,” she said, “in the level of expertise and perfectionism. It was just unbelievable for us.” Three years later, she found her way back and has now made Utah her home.

She found a home at TRAILS Adaptive for very similar reasons. “As a Paralympian and being involved in this world for a long time in different roles, the fact that we have this mentality and space in the rehabilitation hospital – being able to meet those patients right when they're here with us and sharing the methods of active living – is really important to me.”

It’s easy to geek out at the engineering in TetraSki today. However, the brilliance behind it goes back 20 years as Dr. Rosenbluth began mapping out the vision he brought from med school. “It was just this recognition that you couldn't just open up shop with just sports,” he said. “You had to really think about advocacy. You had to think about sports deeper than just participation – how could you be as independent at that sport as possible? And what if you didn't have transportation? You'd never be able to come and do the sport.

“I thought at first we were really more of a think tank, going through all the different ways we could take folks, especially with more complex disabilities, and get them to participate more frequently to create life sports for some of our complex patients – and then do it at the highest level of independence and performance.”

Ski Utah’s Last Chair podcast with Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth and Tanja Kari takes you inside one of the most innovative labs in the sport. It’s a fascinating – and emotional – journey showcasing the work being done at the University of Utah to provide the gift of skiing to those who can’t click into their bindings the same way that we do. 

Back in season one of Last Chair, we talked with High West founder David Perkins, who told the unique story of how Utah became its home. Today, High West is a must-visit stop in either its Park City or its Wanship locations, and is one of America’s most innovative distilleries. The High West brand represents the spirit of the west.

So imagine this. When Ritual co-founder Anna Seear came to town, she started envisioning what it would be like to soak cacao nibs in used High West barrels. The distillery was also intrigued. Anna gets used High West barrels and create distinctive Ritual Bourbon Barrel bars. Then she gives the barrels back, and High West uses the chocolatey wooden kegs to create a unique Barrel Select – whiskey up front with a hint of chocolate aroma and taste in the back.

There’s a lot to learn in this entertaining episode of Last Chair, including a user’s guide to enjoying some of the world’s most notable whiskey and chocolate.

LAST CHAIR GUESTS

Holly Booth

Beverage Manager, High West

Holly Booth defines her role at High West as a creator and facilitator of memories that revolve around whiskey, cocktails, and adventure, celebrating the spirit of the American West. You can find Holly on the mountain, but she’s most at home with a fly rod on Utah’s lakes and streams.

Anna Seear

President & Co-Founder, Ritual Chocolate

Anna Seear and her partner Robbie Stout didn’t know much about chocolate, but they loved it! They started their company in Denver, moving to Utah for a lifestyle change – to be closer to the mountains. You can find Anna and her family skinning up Pine Canyon Road from their Midway home.

Cayla Gaseau

Sensory Manager, High West

What’s a sensory manager? Well, Cayla Gaseau has one of those dream jobs! Her role is to help with tasting each barrel and working with the High West team on whiskeys that might have up to 25 different blends, like Midwinter Night’s Dram. You can find her hiking places like Mt. Superior in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

WHAT GOES INTO A HIGH WEST COCKTAIL?

Holly Booth: “Our job is really to highlight the whiskey – to highlight the beauty of what we distill. Things that we can highlight are already existing within that particular whiskey. And then we kind of build around that.”

HOW DO YOU BLEND BOURBON INTO CHOCOLATE?

Anna Seear: “We soak our cacao nibs in the bourbon barrels for a few months and got in all those lovely kind of oaky cherry notes,” said Seear. “Then we take the the nibs and make the chocolate, add the sugar and produce our Bourbon Barrel Bar, which has been very popular.”

DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF DISTILLING WHISKEY WITH CHOCOLATE.

Cayla Gaseau: “This is one of our Barrel Selects – a single barrel. We took the Ritual chocolate barrel and put in a unique blend of straight bourbon whiskeys between four and nine years old. The majority, though, is around seven years old. We really wanted to highlight the element that cacao complements in bourbon, which is a lot of the vanilla caramel and that deep sweetness. We finished it in this barrel for nine months and then dumped it and went directly to bottle – didn't proof down. I believe it's right around 102 or 103 proof – so a little spicy, but really delicious on the palate.”

WHAT’S THE ORIGIN OF THE RITUAL NAME?

Anna Seear: “It's a call back to the history of cacao and how it was used in the rituals and ceremonies by the Mayans and the Aztecs and how it was it was truly held in high regard and respected. Chocolate should be appreciated like a fine food.”

PULL QUOTE

“The synergy between our companies and what we've done in Utah, bears that pioneering spirit that's inherent within Utah.” - Holly Booth 

HIGH WEST CAMPFIRE OLD FASHIONED

2 oz High West Campfire Whiskey

.25 oz Simple Syrup (Holly likes sugar in the raw or demerara sugar)

2-3 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Orange & Lemon peel garnish or orange peel & Luxardo cherry garnish

Enjoy with a Ritual S’mores bar

SUGGESTED WHISKEY-CHOCOLATE PAIRINGS

Cask Series Distillery Select B#35195 - Bourbon Barrel Bar (created in the barrel)

Midwinter's Night Dram Act 12 - The Après Chocolate Bar (sparkling white wine and dried raspberries)

Campfire Whiskey - S'Mores Bar (just like sitting around the campfire)

With all of the 2002 Olympic venues still in place and operating, the 2034 edition will require no permanent venue construction. The IOC welcomed this sustainable approach. In 2034, around a dozen venues will be used—all within an hour’s drive of the Athlete Village on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City.

The caretaker of many of the venues is the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. President and CEO Colin Hilton talks about the Utah Olympic Park, with its bobsled, skeleton, and luge sliding track, as well as the towering ski jumps. Hilton also oversaw the assembling of all venues for the 2034 bid and will give an overview of what we can expect.

One of the most popular Olympic sports today is biathlon – an unusual combination of cross country skiing and marksmanship. Utah native Vincent Bonacci, a member of the U.S. Biathlon Team, will talk about the sport, its uniqueness and why the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center is such a vital venue.

We’ll then head to the sliding track at the Utah Olympic Park – known as one of the fastest in the world. Utah native Kaysha Love will talk about how she went from a top-tier high school and collegiate sprinter to becoming one of the best bobsledders in the world in just a few years.

Finally, we’ll talk about winning Olympic gold with 500m long-track speedskating star Erin Jackson. A Florida native, Jackson talks about her transition from inline skating to ice, tells the story about her improbable journey to Beijing to win gold, and relates (with a smile) her weekend ski experience at Deer Valley Resort.

Born into a fruit-farming family in Provo, he was 11 when he received skis as a present. He soon found his passion. His life chronicles the history of skiing in Utah, from working with Ray Stewart at Timp Haven to his mentorship under the legendary Alf Engen and spending the summer of 1971 designing the runs at Snowbird for visionary Ted Johnson.

Under the guidance of Alf Engen in the 1940s and ‘50s, Bounous learned how to convey the love of skiing to others. He became transformative as a snowsports educator, helping to standardize teaching in an era where European instructors brought differing ideologies to education. Few have introduced more individuals to the joys of skiing than Junior Bounous. And it was Junior who helped introduce the world to powder skiing.

There’s a buzz in the tram line when Junior makes his appearance. Knowledgable Snowbird skiers recognize him instantly. And he’s quick to strike up a conversation.

Atop Hidden Peak, he pauses by the memorial bench dedicated to his ski mate and wife of over 70 years, Maxine. He still soaks in the panoramic view from Mt. Superior across the valley the the terrifying crease of the Pipeline Couloir on Twin Peaks, which he skied with his friend Jim McConkey.

While recording Last Chair in Bounous room at the Lodge at Snowbird, it was mesmerizing to soak in the memorabilia on the walls. One framed article from SKI Magazine stood out from an early-’60s photo shoot by the legendary Fred Lindholm of Junior, Maxine (she’s the one way out front in the key photo), and friends skiing a massive powder bowl on the flanks of Utah’s Mount Timpanogos. Junior vividly recalls the helicopter dropping them off and then going back to Salt Lake City, leaving them a five-mile hike out after what was a glorious descent.

Skiing has brought immense happiness to the son of a fruit farmer from Provo. That joy has manifested itself in sharing the sport with others. As we skied down Chip’s Run, Junior had no issue taking the steeper drops versus cat tracks, simply checking surface conditions first. He happily posed for pictures. At one point, a ski patroller jokingly told him to slow down. It’s been 53 years since he built these trails, but you could still see the pride in his eyes. And he never stopped smiling all the way down.

Linking turns for Ski Utah photographer Chris Pearson, you could hear him singing with the rhythmic, melodic tones of his signature ba-dump … ba-dump … ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump with each pole plant.

If you want to bring some simple joy to your own skiing, listen to this episode of Last Chair. This is why we started skiing in the first place.

Here’s a sampling of skiing according to Junior:

The Origins of Powder Skiing

“Powder skiing really did start at Alta. However, we saw in European films as skiers going through powder in the early days, and most of it was a straight line and very little turning. Alta became known for skiing waist-deep powder and making turns. Now, the evolution took time because we were on stiff, narrow skis. Today, there are thousands of skiers with powder snow skis that were not in existence then.”

How Junior Was Tabbed to Design Snowbird

“Ted Johnson and I were friends from Alta's early beginning. He had asked me if I wanted to invest with him, and I said, ‘No, I don't have $20,000.’ I was in the national gelande contest at Alta, and Ted was there. And he said, ‘By the way, Junior, could we get you to come up and get the mountain ready to open for Snowbird?’ I knew it was going in, and I thought about it a little bit and I said, ‘Yes, I've got time. What do you want me to do?’ And he said, ‘I want you to handle the crews and get all of the runs designed and marked off and ready to open’. And so I went home and talked to Maxine. I called him, and I said, ‘Yes, when? When do I start?’ ‘Tomorrow,’ he said. I was taking this job for the summer only. But I started with topo maps in the architect's office and looked at the terrain. I had skied this terrain in the past from Alta. Coming across a Peruvian side was easy skiing. We had open runs; the Gad Valley side had thick pines and aspens and big willow trees that were 15 feet high. But anyway, first topo map, then heli-skiing and figuring out the runs. And then, after I was able to put all this on paper, we still had ten feet of snow.”

History of Ba Dump

“Ba dump entered into my teaching system. Number one is relaxing a student. Number two is rhythm. Rhythm is so important because skiing becomes a movement, not a left turn and a right turn. But it's linked together in a flow, we'll say. The rhythm building is taking the mind off of the student and giving them something to target or think about instead of what they're worrying about. And it's relaxing, as I say, and movement. But ba dump was more of a joke. However, it worked the same because the cadence of left right, left right did not work as well as ba dump, ba dump, because they were really mystified by why would you use words like that?”

Domeda Duncan and Mark Giles are two transplants to Utah. Domeda skied as a child in Detroit. The closest Mark came to the sport was on a jet ski in Florida. But as new Utahns, they both wanted to explore winter in the mountains on skis. After all, wasn’t that what Utah was about?

Ski Utah’s Discover Winter program provided that opportunity.

Born out of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Discover Winter is now in its third season. Ski Utah made a unique decision to focus its diversity program on adults. Domeda and Mark are prime examples of how it has worked. 

If you’re a longtime skier or rider, chances are that as much as you love the sport, there are aspects that you take for granted. Hang out with the OurSundays gang, and they’ll remind you that, at its core, skiing and snowboarding are about social engagement. It’s the sizzle of the bacon alongside the buttermilk pancakes in the Brighton parking lot as the first rays of sun glint off Milly. Or it’s karaoke after a joyous day on the slopes. As Domeda says, it brings out the best in all of us.

The new OurSundays club is now a part of the National Brotherhood of Snowsports, a nationwide organization of Black ski clubs that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Formed by Hall of Famers Ben Finley and Art Clay, it blossomed over the years with its Black Summit, widely known as the most fun week in skiing. Domeda’s own roots in the sport trace back to the Jim Dandy Ski Club, one of the founding programs of NBS.

Industry leaders, like Ski Utah, have long grappled with how to make the sport more inviting for people of color. We could all learn a few things from OurSundays. Listen in to this Last Chair conversation with Mark Giles and Domeda Duncan. It’s an enlightening look at why we all love the culture of skiing and snowboarding. 

And if you run into Domeda on the slopes, ask her for that buttermilk pancake recipe. Now settle in for this episode of Last Chair.

One of the key assets of Utah’s candidacy is its robust winter environment as home to the Greatest Snow on Earth™. Every venue from 2002, across all sports, has been in continual use. Resorts, including Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort, and Snowbasin Resort, are expected back again.

Through its candidacy, Utah has enjoyed strong public support – over 80%! Elected officials from small venue communities, up through the state legislature and governor, have forged a strong partnership to bring the Games back, with the accompanying benefits of bringing communities together.

Both Governor Cox and Mayor Mendenhall have been visionaries who are looking to the benefits to their state and community. Governor Cox grew up on a farm in Fairview, Utah, and talks about the small ski hill near his home. Mayor Mendenhall reflects back on her memories of growing up near Little Cottonwood Canyon and working the switchboard at Snowbird. Both are now outdoor enthusiasts who embody the spirit of the state.

With a background in air quality and environment advocacy work, the mayor started as an activist and learned quickly that she could be more impactful as an elected official. After six years on the City Council, she ran for mayor and won. She was just inaugurated for a second term. “Being the mayor is just the greatest gig – especially in Salt Lake City in the state of Utah at this time. We have so much good happening. And the Olympics in 2034 is one of those big things.”

Now in the third year of his first term, Governor Cox has announced he’ll run again in 2024. “It's been a wild ride from the farm to the governor's mansion in Salt Lake City. But we feel very fortunate to be able to serve the state.”

Catherine Raney Norman is a four-time Olympic speed skater who still holds some U.S. records. She grew up in Wisconsin, but has long lived in Utah. She and her family are enthusiastic skiers. In her role as board chair, she has brought a distinct athlete vision to her leadership.

Here’s a sampling from a riveting conversation on Last Chair with Utah leaders about the benefits of the Games and how they view the importance to the state and its communities.

Governor Cox, thank you for the invitation to the mansion. Tell us a bit about it?

This is the Kearns mansion – Thomas Kearns was a young man who came out here to seek his fortune. He hit the motherlode – a silver mine in Park City. He came down with his amazing wife, he married a seamstress from Park City, and they built the first orphanage in Utah, which is amazing – St. Ann's orphanage, same architect, beautiful building. Then, he helped build the Cathedral of the Madeleine. They were so generous. This house was built in 1902.

Catherine, you not only competed as an Olympic athlete, but you also rose up early on as a leader amongst your peers.

I've spent a lot of my pre-post and athletic career advocating for athletes across the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and have been so fortunate to stay involved in sport in many different ways, from coaching to administration to fundraising, and to now being able to help serve our community and our people here in Utah as the chair of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games.

Mayor, there are 11 Utah ski resorts within an hour’s drive of downtown Salt Lake City. What do you see as the assets of your city as a ski town?

I think it's something you have to experience. People come here to ski, and they end up not leaving. They say, ‘we're going to come spend four months or six months, get some great experience on the mountain, then go back wherever we came from.’ They don't leave. And it's because you can actually call it a ski town. We’re the capital city of the fastest-growing state in the nation, the state has the strongest economy. I'm giving the governor's talking points now, but more than 16 years running, we're doubling our downtown population. We have incredible sports, culture, recreation, and amenities. You can walk out of this Governor's Mansion and be on a foothill trail in the wilderness up in City Creek Canyon, or other places in ten minutes. The proximity to the ski resorts and to year-round recreation is just phenomenal. So we are both an urban capital, a growing city, a strong economy, lots of cultures celebrating our diversity, and a ski town.

Governor, what importance does the Olympic and Paralympic Movement bring to you?

I love the idea of hope at a time when institutions are being torn apart, really important institutions, politically and otherwise, not just here, but all across the world. And as we start to become a little more selfish as human beings and focus internally, this reminds us of the best of us and that there are other people of different backgrounds, and it brings us together. It's one institution that has survived some of the worst parts of history. I just watched Boys in the Boat and the Olympics in Germany at that time and, the impact that those Games had on the world as we were heading into a World War and all of these difficulties that had post 9-11 when Utah was at the forefront. So I love that idea of hope and kind of unifying, bringing people together.

Mayor, how does the city feel about the possibility of another Winter Games to your community?

What we experienced in 2002 is still with us every single day. As Salt Lakers, as Utahns, we have a growing population. We've added 20% more people to Salt Lake City proper since we hosted the Games last, and we still have over 80% support in the state of Utah for hosting a future Games. What that says is that even people who've come here who maybe hadn't been born yet (in 2002) feel and they get the Olympic spirit, it's in our DNA as Utahns. And that ability to bring the global community together – we will ensure that it does have a long-standing daily positive impact for generations to come after 2034.

Governor, how has Utah’s penchant for service and volunteerism helped?

One of the things that that Cat, the mayor and I love to talk about is how the volunteers came out of the woodwork for that Olympics the first time – the Olympic movement had never seen anything like that. had to turn volunteers away. It's ingrained in people. We lead the nation in volunteerism and giving back. That combination of us participating together, not just something we watched or saw, but we experienced – that makes a big difference and has really helped us to unify.

Mayor, you had the honor of dedicating a brand new airport in the past few years?

Our New SLC is one of the busiest airports in the Americas in the Delta system. We have 26-million passengers a year. When this airport is completed, we'll be able to host 34-million passengers a year through Salt Lake City. The amount of direct and connecting flights is ever-increasing, and it's the newest airport in a couple of decades. It's an incredible, beautiful space, and we're proud of it. It's just minutes away from the...

Just three years into his forecaster career with the Utah Avalanche Center, skier Craig Gordon was deeply troubled by what he had seen. The victims simply didn’t know that their playground for the day, just above the Aspen Grove trailhead, was in a massive avalanche run out. So he decided to do something about it, creating the now ubiquitous educational program Know Before You Go.

What Gordon and others realized was that we all live amidst snow-filled mountains, but there was no way to get the message of snow safety to youth and teens. In its first season, Know Before You Go reached over 10,000 students in local middle and high schools across Utah. Today, it’s the staple introductory snow safety program not just in Utah but across the nation and even the world.

It’s just one of the many programs Utah Avalanche Center manages to help keep us safe. Whether you’re an avid backcountry enthusiast or limit yourself to in-bounds action, UAC has education and information to help keep you safe.

A New Jersey native who found his way out to Utah to attend college and soon found himself working in snow safety at Brighton and as a heli-ski guide. He joined UAC in 2000. Today, he’s part of a deeply experienced team and is known around the state as the guy who makes avalanche safety education fun.

This episode of Last Chair is quintessential Craig Gordon – complete with stories, humor and emotion. Dig in … it’s a fun one! Here’s just a sampling.

Craig, how do you view the services that Utah Avalanche Center offers?

We're best known for our forecasting – we're your one-stop shop, Utah Avalanche Center.org. But forecasting is just a segment of education. And to me, really, the forecasts are an educational tool. Any time I have the opportunity to share knowledge and to throw an anecdote or two and maybe throw some institutional knowledge and wisdom in, along with some tongue-in-cheek humor, yeah, now, this is sort of where the rubber hits the road. To me, it's all about education. And the more well-informed our user public is, the more they can get out of the Utah Avalanche Center forecast. The forecast is really designed in sort of a tiered approach, from beginner to intermediate, novice to expert to uber expert. You can gain something out of reading the forecast day-to-day and reading it each day. You get to know the characters in the snowpack. And you know, the last thing you want to do is open up the middle of this book, this novel and try to figure out who the characters are. So I always advise people, even on the days that you're not planning on going out, definitely take heed, check out the forecast, and see what the snow is doing. And then, when you do get a day off, or you're making your travel plans, you'll be that much better informed. So, really, to me, education is where the rubber hits the road. For us, that's the big ticket item. And that is not only in our forecasts, that is in our outreach and our classes, our backcountry 101, our basic avalanche classes, our rescue classes. It all revolves around education.

The Christmas storm of 2003 brought snow, but it also brought tragedy.

Yeah, oh my gosh, that time frame right around Christmas of 2003 brought an epic storm by all standards – historic storm rolls bigger than last year. As a matter of fact, this the Christmas storm of 2003 has its own Wikipedia reference. The storm rolls in right before Christmas and just blasts the Salt Lake Valley, Provo, Ogden. There are 30 inches of snow in downtown Salt Lake, several hundred thousand people are without power. I remember it's all I can do to get to the foothills to go skiing. It is complete mayhem just to go a mile or two. So there were three groups that had been riding at Sundance inside the ski resort boundary. The resort closes down, and these three individual groups – they don't even know each other – they ride up the road, and they're at the Aspen Grove trailhead, which is underneath one of the largest avalanche paths in Utah that funnels off Mount Timpanogos. Of course, you're going to go hike for the freshies, right? And no one's wearing avalanche transceivers, no shovels, no probes, none of the appropriate rescue gear. And as three separate groups are hiking up, one natural avalanche peels off from about 3,000 plus vertical feet above off the ridge in the clouds. So everything is just is just chaos as one slide, then sympathetically triggers two others. And now, instead of having just one football field, you have several football fields of snow crashing down from up above. 

I know even 20 years later, it’s still emotional. But you chose to do something about it?

It was so glaringly apparent how dangerous the conditions were. And again, just trying to move around in the valley, it's like it's all I can do to get to the mountains. So I'm going to the mountains on its terms, and it doesn't even want me there, you know. So this is not, you know, kind of a soft, fuzzy kind of place to be right now. It's very harsh. It's very wicked. That night, I looked my wife in the eye, and I said, ‘I am going to do everything in my power that not another family, not another partner, not another parent has to experience the tragedy of what could be a preventable avalanche accident.’I said, ‘Well, I am going to create a program where we go talk to kids in schools and middle schools and high schools.’ (My boss Bruce Tremper) says, ‘You put it together, you find the money, and it's yours.’ And I thought, ‘Man, you just challenged a go-getter overachiever who grew up in New Jersey. Man, I got this. At the time, nothing like this existed. There was nothing that was fun, that had energy to it, and that could resonate with teens.

What was the reception like when you launched Know Before You Go into Utah schools?

One of our very first talks was in front of 1,600 kids. And it was remarkable. It wasn't like some soft rollout. It was like you hit the ground running with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones, and here we go, you know? And man, for that kind of crowd you had to have a touchpoint with everybody in the audience. And that meant giving out a thousand times the energy that was coming back. That was the secret of the success of the program. 

Did you reach a lot of kids with KBYG?

In our first year, I thought, man, if we could reach 5,000 kids, that would be remarkable. And the first year the thing took off like a rocket. We talked to 12,000 kids, and in the second year, we talked to 18,000 kids. By the start of the third year, we were able to get Know Before You Go embedded as an elective in health and phys ed in middle schools. And then everybody started coming on board. The Park City schools were awesome to get us embedded early on. The snowbelt community schools knew that this was very important.

The tools we have today to forecast weather are quite remarkable. The data availability and the scientific knowledge to analyze it are stunning. And that’s what Thayer does every morning, beginning at 4:00 a.m., crunching numbers, studying maps and putting out a meaningful forecast by the time we’re packing the SUV with skis at 7:00 a.m.

Thayer is making his third appearance on Last Chair here in season 5. He was the episode 3 guest in the debut season of the podcast back in December 2019.

In this episode, Thayer dives back into his past, growing up with a passion for weather going to CU-Boulder to study and ski, and finding his way to the Greatest Snow on Earth here in Utah.

It’s an insightful episode that explores his past and the popular weather app OpenSnow.

Well, Evan, how was your birthday at Alta?

Every early season I like to do a little staycation in Little Cottonwood Canyon. So I had a little birthday staycation at Gold Miner's Daughter. I knew there was a big storm coming. I knew I could get a room for a reasonable rate. And rather than deal with getting up early and getting up the canyon, it's kind of nice to wake up to fresh snow up there in Little Cottonwood Canyon, roll out of bed, get some breakfast, and just trundle out to the lifts.

Were you a weather nerd as a kid?

I was always a weather nerd. I was the kid who, back in the days prior to having internet, would set a cooking timer so I could run inside from playing with my friends and see the local on the eights on the old Weather Channel because that's when you could see the local radar.

You were in the early group of forecasters when OpenSnow was formed. How has it evolved?

It's grown a lot. It started as mostly three regions, and now we have, I don't know, 15 to 20 forecasters around the world writing daily snow forecasts. We've grown the product itself to have all sorts of different maps and overlays and different features you can use. Last year we launched Forecast Anywhere, which was a huge undertaking, but it allows a user to click on any point in the world and get the same quality forecast that you would get for, say, Park City or Alta. For any point in the world. You can see an hour-by-hour forecast for the next ten days.

How has that expanded the usage?

We have evolved as an app where I think traditionally it was all about powder – it was all about skiing. And if you ask me what I care about, what's the most important to me? I'll still say powder and skiing. But people are using the app now for all sorts of different things in the summer. They're using it for their hiking trips. We have trail estimated trail conditions that tell them whether it's a muddy trail, a snowpacked trail, or a dry trail. So if you're planning biking trips, hiking trips or backpacking trips, you can use it for that. We have smoke overlays. So in wildfire season, and how that's going to affect the air quality. We are working to forecast that to make sure you have, again, all the information you need to get out and enjoy nature.

OK, what about the whale?

That's a great question. The whale is unknowable. All I know is that they installed that on April 1st, 2022, after that moment, it started snowing and it felt like it never stopped. So I can't explain it. So I'm not going to question it. I'm just going to accept that there's a higher power in that whale and just go with it.

How can you take advantage of modern forecasting along with the depth of knowledge of weather gurus like Evan Thayer? Take a listen to this episode of Last Chair.

Beginning at Snow Summit and Big Bear in southern California, Gunnarson quickly became a leader in the sport from building snow terrain for the X-Games beginning in year one, to crafting private training venues that sent athletes like Shaun White on to olympic gold. Along the way, he built a reputation as a leader in progression with his company Snow Park Technologies and a capable partner with resorts, ultimately helping the world’s greatest athletes achieve pinnacles of success in their career.

And while his career has been marked by relationships with the greatest athletes, Gunnarson is quick to point out that what’s central to his own mission is to bring that experience to enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels. Today, he leads Woodward on a global journey to provide fun and progression for all.

As a boy growing up in SoCal in the ‘60s and ‘70s, he was immersed in the cultural revolution of action sports. His life was centered around skateboarding and a little surfing. But when he discovered snowboarding at 13, he used every angle to get up to the mountains and ride on snow.

Here’s teaser of Gunny’s Last Chair interview, which takes you back into the origin years of the culture of snowboarding and tracks you through the impact Woodward is making with people of all ages.

Let’s go back to the beginning – YOUR beginning!

Oh man, how I got involved in sport. I mean, I think I was around five when I got on a surfboard. I know I was seven when I got on a skateboard and I had a bike like every other kid in the neighborhood. And I heard about snowboarding when I was 13. In fact, for my 13th birthday, my dad took us up. I lived in San Diego, so I grew up in the southern California hotbed of board sports. And it was funny. My mom and dad were like, oh, snowboarding? You know, we used to ski before you were born and I didn't even know what skiing was, really. And so we get up to the local mountain and they were like, ‘no snowboarding allowed.’ We had rented some boards from the local surf shop. I rented a Chuck Barfoot board and they were like, ‘no snowboards allowed.’ My dad got so angry and he's like, ‘I used to ski here all the time. What do you mean no snowboards allowed?’ And so we ended up just … we had rented a cabin with a couple of my buddies for my 13th birthday to go snowboarding, trying to figure it out, you know, falling a lot just on this back hill. And I knew right then and there, like, I have got to figure out a way to do this for the rest of my life. And somehow I lucked out.

So you must have had some good skateboarding roots in SoCal?

Well, it was kind of all I knew. And, you know, sort of in my high school teen years, I was living up in the outskirts of LA, so I was skating swimming pools. There was a big earthquake in Northridge, and there were lots of empty swimming pools. We had maps of pools from condemned buildings and houses. And so we'd show up with buckets, mops, and we would skate all these different pools. I think we skated Tom Petty's pool at one point. It was like a condemned house that he'd owned or something like that. But that was my whole life and culture was skating and a little bit of surfing, but mostly skateboarding and trying to find as many pathways to get up to the mountains as possible.

Were your business wheels turning yet in your mind?

Honestly, not even a little bit. At that point, it was just living life, having fun and trying to skate as much as possible.

What was your first job in the industry?

I've had a lot of jobs in my lifetime, but my first job in the industry was at Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake. I was fresh out of high school, and I was going to try and make it as a pro snowboarder, get whatever job I could on the mountain, and, funny enough, I got a job with the patrol at Snow Summit at the time. Being based right in Southern California obviously was right in the middle of what I'll call boardsport Mecca, except they weren't quite there yet. And so I get this job as a snowboarder, but on patrol, thinking, ‘oh, I'm just going to, you know, snowboard a lot.’ But I actually ended up really loving patrol and really loving resort operations – becoming a sponge and learning everything I could. They were a very progressive thinking resort ski resort, and they were just starting to launch terrain parks, and none of the other patrol guys wanted to deal with the terrain parks.

Was there a turning point for you when you saw your career as a terrain park developer come to light?

Over time, that was a real paradigm shift. The terrain park movement, which really was born out of Big Bear, also was a paradigm shift in the entire world of winter sports in the sense that right there in Southern California, it was meeting a market need. But as it became a broader national interest of how do we deal with these rowdy snowboarders and contain them? And now there's freestyle skiers that want to do the same kind of stuff – like we should just give them their own venue to do that kind of stuff and keep them in a little contained area so they don't screw with the rest of the mountain operations. But who knows how to do this kind of stuff? And that is actually when I saw a business opportunity.

Gunny, what was it that motivated you to bring your lifelong action sports skills and knowledge to Woodward, now serving as global president?

I've known of Woodward virtually my entire career – I mean, you can't be in this in the action sports universe without knowing what Woodward is. You know, it's got a 53-year legacy. I was super intrigued when I learned that Powdr, a ski resort company, had bought Woodward because, you know, everybody knew Woodward as a camp out in Pennsylvania. And it was the Holy Land. Like, if you were going to be a competing skateboarder, BMX athlete, that's where you went. And so when Powdr bought Woodward, I was certainly paying attention from afar. But to answer your question – there I was, life was good, I owned my own company, I had my own TV show. And the folks at Powdr came and said, ‘hey, we want to talk to you about you coming in and helping us figure out how to best propel Woodward from where it currently is.’ And I left it all. I moved to Park City, Utah from Truckee.

Talk about progression and why it’s important to Woodward?

Humans want to fly. They want to move. They want to move their bodies. They want to challenge themselves. All the way from the youngest ages – you can hear the kid right behind me. He's jumping on the trampoline. He's figuring out how to move his body in the air, whether he's doing a backflip or just monkeying around. We have zone coaches. We have an entire array of different types of programming, from casual, easy, fun all the way to very focused clinics and training so that people can get better. It's human nature to want to get better, whether you're a golfer or a swimmer or whatever yo...

Schlopy was born to athletic parents. His mother, Holly Flanders, was a U.S. Ski Team downhill star. His father, Todd Schlopy, played in the National Football League. His uncle, Erik Schlopy, was a Hall of Fame U.S. Alpine Ski Team star.

In the mid to late ‘00s, Utah was the epicenter of the burgeoning new sport of freeskiing. Schlopy caught the buzz from his buddy Joss Christensen. They idolized stars like Tanner Hall and Simon Dumont. At just 17, Schlopy went to the Dumont Cup in Maine, outlasting over 100 amateurs just like him who wanted a shot into the event. He got it, launching a switch right double cork 1440, and soon found himself on the podium with his buddy Joss and future legend Tom Wallisch.

The next season he cranked out win after win and found himself on top of the world in a new sport that was to make its Olympic debut in 2014. Then it all came crashing down.

This interview is deep and emotional, coming full circle to the joy of skiing. Here’s a teaser:

You're still having fun skiing?

Oh, yeah. More fun than ever.

Going back to your youth, what role did gymnastics play in your skiing success?

Gymnastics has helped me throughout my whole entire life. And I think for any kid out there, having a baseline in gymnastics is huge. Just knowing how to use your body, learning how to flip and do all those things safely.

What triggered your interest in freeskiing?

When I transitioned into middle school, I met Joss Christensen and we started hanging out just as friends. He started showing me all these freeski movies with, you know, Tanner Hall, Jon Olsson, Simon Dumont. And I was like, what is this? I saw ski racing. I've seen moguls and aerials and I loved all that stuff, but this was the one that really clicked. It was artistic expression on skis. And I thought that was really cool.

What role does Park City, Utah play in winter sport?

I mean, this is the Mecca for that in my eyes. There's just so many kids out here learning how to do whatever winter sport they want and then having the facilities and the programs to push it as far as they want. And it's just a beautiful community.

After the stunning 2011 season, what path did your career take?

After winning those three events, X Games, World Championships, Dew Tour and then kind of stepping into that pro realm, big contracts started to come up and I kind of lost my drive to win. And I think that was my biggest problem. I hadn't really built the best work ethic. I had used a lot of natural talent my whole life, you know, and having overcome some of those injuries that really helped out. I didn't have to work as hard to get back, but it came to bite me after I did win, because I started to coast and I started partaking more in the party side of the sport. I was still doing okay. You know, I was able to stay top five, top ten, but I wasn't winning. And what it took for me to refocus was the announcement that the sport that we were getting into the Olympics for Sochi and I had a lot of ground to make up.

In 2014, you missed that last spot on the Olympic team to your buddy Joss Christensen, who went on to win gold. 

It was a really beautiful yet bittersweet experience because Joss is one of the best people I've ever met in my life. He's incredible. I thought he was the best skier. He just couldn't put it down when it counted until that point. And he went and did it. So it was really cool. But behind the scenes, I was starting to struggle after that and watching him in the Olympics and my friends – it was like all that work I had just put in and I'd really changed my life quite a bit to make that happen and get that close. It shut off pretty quick and I started falling.

You’re a few years past rehab and drug court. How did it help you get your life back?

It's life changing.They always say, you know, addiction is like a broken brain and that means a broken person. So, how do you rebuild that? I mean, it's like your best chance because you can't rebuild everything in a short period of time. So there's something really beautiful about the recovery process.

What's the sickest ski run that you've ever taken in Utah? 

Tiger Tail at Snowbird – lapping that last winter. It was endless smiles and joy.

There’s plenty more from Ski Utah athlete ambassador Alex Schlopy! Buckle up for this episode of Last Chair as he takes us through the highs and lows of his career, finding sobriety and the sheer joy he feels today when he’s up on the mountain all for himself. <link>

The U.S. Ski Team moved to Park City in 1974, initially setting up shop in the old Silver King mine buildings at the base of what is now the Bonanza six-pack at Park City Mountain. Today, the team is based at the USANA Center of Excellence with elite skiers and riders from across America making their training home in Utah. The centerpiece training center is just a short distance from sport training facilities including Soldier Hollow, the Utah Olympic Park and a host of ski resorts.

Goldschmidt came to the team in 2021, just prior to the Beijing 2022 Olympics. A modern sport leader, she honed her management skills working for global retailer adidas, helping grow the NBC in Europe and Africa and running the World Surf League.

Today, oversees one of the largest and most complex of the 50+ Olympic organizations in America with programs touching on XX different ski and snowboard sports programs – and now also included Paralympic sport.

Last Chair covered myriad topics with Goldschmidt from her global experience to funding a team with no government support and, of course, the stars of skiing and snowboarding. 

Stio was founded in 2011 by Mountain West native Stephen Sullivan, who had previously started the Cloudveil brand. Stio quickly became known for its focus on core technical apparel, fun colorways and direct-to-consumer sales. Today, the company has its own Stio Mountain Studios at major resorts across the west, including Utah on Park City’s historic Main Street.

Flint grew up in the Northeast, skiing around New England and taking family trips out west. “It was the mountains I loved – being able to hike, raft and ski.” He went to college in Colorado, then moved to Utah, teaching skiing at Solitude. With a degree in engineering and a background in art, he found his way into a graduate program studying fiber science and apparel design at Cornell. The combination of those technical skills with his passion for art landed him at Stio.

What you quickly learn in talking to Flint is his passion for sustainability, and knowledge of how to find that pathway. Most of all, you learn that he’s not alone, working at a company focused on the future. Today, preferred materials comprise 48% of Stio's collection and the brand has a goal to meet 75% by 2025.

We also learn that sustainability is about more than just raw materials. It’s an accounting of everything the company does from travel to manufacturing to shipping to recycling. Everyone in the company is accountable!

In this episode of Last Chair, Flint dives deep into the science and history of membranes and other materials. One of the most notable transitions is the evolution from the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-based Gore-Tex of the past to environmentally-friendly ePE membrane that is per- and poly-fluorinated chemical (PFC) free.

It’s just 13 miles up Little Cottonwood to Alta, 20 through Big Cottonwood to Brighton. But it’s some of the toughest snow terrain in the world. Little Cottonwood Canyon alone has nearly 70 notable avalanche paths which can easily take out a car or plow truck (yes, it has happened).

When you walk into the plow shed tucked away in Cottonwood Heights, you are immediately struck by the enormity of the equipment. A fleet of 10 Mack trucks is complemented by two graders, two enormous snow blowers (and not the kind you use on your driveway), a couple snowcats and a handful of huge pickup trucks. Plus, there is an assortment of blades including a pull-behind that can add huge plow power behind the 35-ton Mack trucks. 

Brown got his start simply applying to a newspaper ad for plow drivers 22 years ago. He was working I-15 for UDOT when after work on a Friday he was told to report to the Cottonwood Canyons two days later to take over a new role. “My first day here was a storm and I got baptized by fire on what it would be like in the Cottonwood Canyons and never looked back,” he recalled. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Shawn Wright is a Utah native who loves what he does. On a leisurely pre-dawn run up Big Cottonwood, he talks about his love for the state and its recreational resources. He chuckles as he talks about all he and his family do out in nature – “everything but skiing or snowboarding.”

Jake and Shawn are typical of the men and women behind the plows. It takes a certain passion to report to the plow shed at 4:00 a.m. to open a road for skiers and snowboarders to get up the canyons.

In this episode of Last Chair, you’ll learn about the challenges and the dangers. You’ll hear about trucks getting swept off the road by massive avalanches coming down from thousands of feet above. And you’ll hopefully gain an appreciation for what these crews do for us.

If you’ve ever driven up Big or Little Cottonwood Canyon in a snowstorm, this podcast is for you. And even if you’ve dreamed about it! Listen in as Last Chair takes you behind the scenes with the UDOT Cottonwoods Plow Team. <<LINK TO PODCAST>>

Here are a few snippets to get you started:

Jake, what is it that you and your team do?

Our role is to orchestrate and schedule the plows up and down the canyon and also take care of the freeway and all the roads leading to the canyons, basically all the state routes. So our responsibility is to make sure that we have enough people for the heavy equipment and the plows and to make sure that we have enough salt and and make sure that everybody's up and and going and need where they need to be and take on the storm. So we become a weatherman and a kind of a jack of all trades.

As a plow driver, what have you seen change in the canyons?

Well, we have a canyon road and we have great resorts and we have the Greatest Snow on Earth. And a lot of people like to come to Utah for that reason. And besides minor changes, we really haven't done anything to the road in the last 10 to 20 years. And so we were getting higher traffic volumes. More people wanted to come ski, the resorts were getting more people that wanted to ski their terrain. And so we had to change with it. We had to adapt some of our ways. We did things where we plowed, some of the traffic safety devices, different things such as islands, high-T intersections. We had to install them to make sure that people could flow out of the canyon and people didn't get stuck in traffic because we do have such a high avalanche area in the Cottonwoods.

How dangerous is Little Cottonwood Canyon?

There are 62 slide paths that can hit the road at any time in Little Cottonwood Canyon. And we've seen a lot of those run. I was actually buried in an avalanche with our communications manager in our pickup truck at Seven Turns. We were up there hauling a snow cat getting ready for avalanche control work that morning. And an avalanche came down and buried our truck completely. So at any time you can be hit by an avalanche. 

How about Big Cottonwood?

Big Cottonwood Canyon? We deal with more what we call bluffs, you know, small little avalanches that come off the road. They can take up to a lane, and about five, 10-feet deep – enough to stop the road, enough to stop a car. We do have some bigger slide paths in Big Cottonwood Canyon, and those are monitored by an avalanche crew. Those haven't gone down and hit the road. But if they do, they will block the road in a major fashion. They are big slide areas and can go very big.

What’s it like on a big snow day at 4:15 a.m.?

So right around about 4:15, 4:20, the plows will enter the mouth of the canyon and start making their first plow up. Pretty amazing to see. They will have the front plow deployed with also two wings and heading up the canyon and pushing back as much as they can to get the road open. So they have a big responsibility to get all the way to the top of the mountain.

Biggest storm that you can remember in your time here?

Biggest storm? I think the biggest storm was probably the one that we got buried with the avalanche two years ago. It snowed over a foot in the valley and it kept snowing and snowing in the canyons. And I think we had almost 15 to 18 avalanches on the road. And some of those were 15 to 30 feet deep and some 50 yards wide. So it was a massive cleanup effort.

How Can we Help?

While there is roadside parking in some areas, pay attention to restrictions and always park to the right of the white line. Think about a plow truck with front and side wing blades coming through. Are you blocking the road? Will you be digging out later in the day?

Get Traction

Know the Utah traction laws and make sure that your vehicle is in compliance before you head up into the Cottonwoods. Don’t be that person who is in the canyon unprepared!

Give ‘em Room

If you see a plow truck, give them some space. Don’t worry, they’re not looking to beat you to Milly Express. By the nature of what they do, plow trucks scrape snow, rocks and dirt. You don’t want that in your windshield!

Park Prudently

While there is roadside parking in some areas, pay attention to restrictions and park prudently. Think about a plow truck with front and side wing blades coming through. Is your car safe? Will you be digging out later in the day?

Say Thank You

The UDOT Cottonwoods Plow Team is a collection of men and women just like you – except they don’t ski. They spend their hours keeping the road safe for you. Give them a wave or flash your lights in appreciation. It’s a tough job.

An Alaskan native who started skiing when she was two, Skiles had a long fascination with snow. She chose the University of Utah for college because of the snow-covered Wasatch. And when she learned there was a course of study in snow hydrology, she was hooked. She also discovered the Utah backcountry, bought a split board, and ultimately decided this was the place to stay.

Today, as an assistant professor in the U’s Geography Department, her passion is the study of snow – its water content, factors that influence the actual melt and how that water makes it’s way through creeks and rivers down to life-giving reservoirs. 

Her research facility is a short skin up the lower flanks of Cardiff Peak across from Alta to the Atwater Study Plot, named for Monty Atwater, the father of avalanche safety. The study area is cordoned off from passing skiers and snow shoers to preserve the natural snowfall. A meteorological tower contains an array of instruments. And measuring devices in the snow weigh the snow pillow to gauge water content.

Once a week or more, Skiles and student assistants head up the trail to dig a snow pit, taking a variety of measurements of snow cores and evaluating dark layers of dust in the snow white walls. The information is carefully analyzed on site and back at their University of Utah lab.

The thought of melting snow is something we all hope is many months out. But this episode of Last Chair provides some fascinating insights into how our snowfall turns into water and fuels our lives here in the mountain west. Here’s a sampling of the interview. Listen in to Last Chair to learn more. <<LINK TO PODCAST>>

McKenzie, what is the Atwater Study Plot?

Atwater is a snow energy balance study plot where we are measuring how the snow accumulates and how it melts out and what is controlling the rates of those processes.

What do you do as a snow hydrologist?

I am really interested in snow after it falls to the ground and I want to be able to assess how much water is held to snow in the mountains. And, very importantly, when that is going to be available as water downstream. So when and how fast will that snow melt? And that's really critical here in Utah and over the whole Western us, because up to 80% of our surface water comes from snow annually. So it's a really critical component of the water cycle in the west.

How did you get into the field?

I was interested in studying climate and the impacts of climate on snow cover in particular. But I didn't really know that snow hydrology and studying snow was a career path you could have until I went to school at the University of Utah. My graduate advisor who was a snow hydrologist, and as soon as I figured out that was a job you could have, I didn't really ever look back.

How do you evaluate the particulates on the snow?

Actually you can see a dust layer in this snow pit, it's pretty varied. So we're weighing the total amount of dust that's in the snow pack. We get multiple dust events through the winter and then they get buried by snowfall. And so there are these individual dark layers within the snow pit. So we can track those individual dust layers, but then they don't get carried away in the meltwater they combine at the surface as snow melts. And that is a compounding effect where each layer sort of comes to the surface, the surface just gets darker and darker, accelerating absorption of sunlight and snow melt.

What’s a good melting pattern in the spring?

The ideal scenario is that as days get longer and sunlight gets more intense in the spring and into the summer, that we get a gradual melt. We want snow to come out slowly. And what that allows us to do is to capture it downstream. It allows it to infiltrate into the soils and it avoids flooding. And if you have some sort of event like a big dust deposition event or sort of multiple really warm days in a row or something like a rain on snow event, you can have really rapid melt. And when you get really rapid melt, it can lead to flooding downstream – so too much of a good thing at once.

Are others working in unison with you?

There are very talented and dedicated scientists that work here in Utah looking at this issue spanning institutions: Utah State, University of Utah, BYU. It's sort of an all hands on deck situation. The recharge for the Great Salt Lake is coming from the mountains that are right next door. So we have a unique opportunity here to study this, as a system, but then also understand solutions for other areas, because this is not the only place where a saline lake is shrinking and disappearing. So we have the opportunity here to provide solutions not just for us, but for other people in other locations as well.

Dr. McKenzie Skiles has a personal passion for snow, be that split boarding down a backcountry line or spending hours in the field researching snow melt.

The first thing that strikes you when you meet Rivers is not that he is black, but the importance of family and his passion for skiing that comes through quickly in a conversation. Before they married, he told fiancé Karen that he would be skiing six months a year. Without hesitation, she learned to ski and is always at his side. And it became the same for their triplets, who have long been a part of their family ski trips to the mountains!

Since he found that old pair of wooden skis with leather thongs when he was 10, skiing has been a part of his life. He long ago discovered NBS and passionately engaged in the organization’s mission to put a black skier onto the U.S. Ski Team. It was pretty natural for the outgoing Rivers to take on the presidency of NBS in early March, 2020. What was not natural was the pandemic that swept the world a few weeks later, or the Black Lives Matter uprising that came that May.

Within NBS, he held the organization together through the pandemic. Outside of NBS, he became one of the most sought-out leaders in the sport as ski industry executives from every corner reached out to him for help navigating the diversity waters.

This month he will preside over the 50th anniversary of the National Brotherhood of Skiers when it comes together for Black Summit.

But what he’s most proud of is the undying support NBS has provided towards its mission of advancing Black athletes in the sport. He speaks proudly of athletes of the past, and with eagerness when he talks about today’s Team NBS. And he’s set lofty fundraising goals for the organization to support the cause.

“We're always hoping that people can see the value of what we do and donate to our cause,” said Rivers. “So once we decided or once they decided to come up with that mission. That's when we got a different drive. You know, we went from just partying and having fun on the hill to gathering funds to support young athletes of color so that we could promote them and get them to training, develop them into elite racers.”

This is a conversation that blends the passion for skiing we all share, along with a special message of diversity. Take a listen to this episode of Last Chair featuring Henri Rivers: Bringing Diversity to the Mountain. <<LINK TO PODCAST>>

How did you discover skiing yourself?

I grew up in Jamaica, Queens, in New York. Around ten years old, my parents moved us up to upstate New York – a little town called Big Indian in the Catskills, about six miles from Belleayre Mountain and 10 miles from Phoenicia Ski Center. By Thanksgiving, you had three feet of snow outside. Either you stayed inside from Thanksgiving to March or you found a way to make all that snow out there your friend. I found a pair of skis in the attic of my parents' hotel – skis, boots and poles. I tried them on and they all fit.

But how did you learn?

I had no clue what I was doing. I figured out how to lace up the boots and strap in. They were cable bindings. I would put them on and I would just push off and go straight down the hill until there was an obstacle. And whenever a tree popped up, I would just tip over and fall. 

As a skier in the Catskills back then, you probably were the only person of color on the mountain. How was that?

That was part of life. That's part of the American society. In most areas, if you're outside of an urban community, you're usually one of the only persons of color. Now you ratchet that up a little bit more when you're in a mountain community. You're definitely one of the only people of color. I was fortunate there was a guy a couple of years ahead of me in high school. He was such a phenomenal skier. And I'm telling you as a kid, my eyes would be wide open. You ask how it felt. It really didn't have any different feeling because that was society at that time. That was the community you were in. So just because we're skiing now, it's still the same community. If you were the only person of color, you will look at it a little differently, of course. You develop a thick skin because just living life was hard enough. Now you're into the ski world, into their environment. And it was the same thing. So you dealt with it the same way.

This year we’re celebrating 50 years of the National Brotherhood of Skiers. It’s quite an amazing history.

You know, that is something that I think about often going back to 1973, 1972. These two gentlemen (Art Clay and Ben Finley) decided to get together, form a bond and bring as many Black ski clubs as they could across the United States and gather them and get them to ski together. They wanted to ski together for several reasons. Camaraderie and definitely security. Getting together with a group of people that enjoy the same thing you do, and that look the same as you do, tends to give you a little bit higher safety factor. And then you wouldn't have to worry about some of the rhetoric or some of the things that were said in your direction because they wouldn't be said when you were there in numbers. So as a result of coming together and enjoying the sport and finding that many Black skiers were proficient skiers, it wasn't like a bunch of people skiing down, bumbling and falling. And, you know, they were quite proficient. And after the ski community saw that, I think they accepted it more and more.

Henri, what role did NBS play in the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020?

Everything stopped. May 25th, George Floyd gets murdered in the street, and we all see this. My phone rang off the hook every single day from the ski industry. We had large resorts, large manufacturers write letters in support of Black Lives Matter. So they were looking to the National Brotherhood of Skiers for guidance on how should they move forward in supporting human equality and to try to stop the racist system that exists.

Henri, one of the things I’ve learned from you is that sometimes racism isn’t very overt. Can you give an example.

The first thing that comes to me is this. You have a black skier or a group of black skiers that will come to a ski area. White skiers will come to them and, you know, be a little bit too overly helpful. ‘Oh, let me show you how to put on your boots. Oh, your boot goes here into these little black things called bindings.’ And, don't get me wrong, if you've never been on skis, you do need some guidance. But just because they're just coming up onto the hill doesn't mean they've never skied before. So you get people that want to help them or direct them. And sometimes it's a little bit too much. And that can be thought of as microaggressions that are unnecessary.

You’ve been a big supporter of Ski Utah’s Discover Winter program. What makes it unique?

They've done their homework and the program is going well. I was fortunate that Raelene Davis reached out and invited this out to watch the program and to be involved with one of the weekends. What they're doing is hitting a different demographic. The other winter outreach programs, they're l...

A seasoned avalanche safety veteran, Hardesty was a gracious backcountry guide, offering insights into the weather and how to prepare yourself to be safe.

Our outing was a simple one, heading up from the Guardsman Pass Road trailhead at the upper reaches of Big Cottonwood Canyon, climbing through magical aspen trees up a low angle ridgeline on the western flank of 10420. Finding a clearing amidst the snow-laden evergreens, Hardesty skillfully dug a nearly six-foot deep snow pit.

The conversation covered a broad range of avalanche safety topics, with insightful analysis into the layering created by each successive snowfall, and the weak layers of sugary snow between each – potentially a hazard when the snow facets don’t bond and the new snow breaks.

Hardesty is part of a dedicated team of professionals at the Utah Avalanche Center, providing daily insights and forecasts, as well as education, to help keep backcountry skiers and riders safe.

Listen in to learn more. Here’s a sample of Last Chair’s episode 8: Conversation in a Snow Pit with Drew Hardesty of the Utah Avalanche Center.

Drew, set the stage for us on the avalanche problem we’re facing.

Early season we had quite a bit of snowfall in October. It continued into early November and it really started to stack up. But then the storm shut down there for a couple of weeks. And as I like to say, the weather does the devil's work. And by that I meant that snow sitting on the ground started to get weak, sugary, less cohesion at the surface. And that has become our weak layer for these subsequent storms.

In your experience, what is one of the biggest red flags here in Utah?

I did a study a few years ago looking at all of our avalanche accidents in the modern era going back to 1941 – almost 130 avalanche fatalities since then. And we have way more higher proportion of fatalities from people accessing the backcountry from the ski areas and the lifts than any other state. Easily 20% of our fatalities have been people going and accessing the backcountry from the ski areas.

What goes into forecasting by Utah Avalanche Center?

Our forecasts are predicated upon the field work of not just our avalanche forecasters, but whole platoons of what we call professional observers. And again, just that great communication that we have with all of our snow safety brothers and sisters and again with Utah Department of Transportation, the guides out there, it's really fundamental to be out in the snow like we are today, to look and see what's going on with the snowpack, what's going on with the weather. 

Drew, as you look at this snow pit wall, what are the important points?

As we're looking here, we have about two feet of our slab here. And the slab is nothing more than what we'd call a cohesive plate of snow, something that's cohesive and strong, that's sitting on something weak – sugary snow. It's just very crystalline and weak. 

What’s the heritage of snow safety here in Utah?

Utah is the birthplace of avalanche science and avalanche mitigation in North America, upper Little Cottonwood Canyon in the late ‘30s and ‘40s. These grandfathers, Monte Atwater and Ed LaChapelle, really built avalanche science and avalanche forecasting that has set the benchmark for anyone else in North America. So it's an honor to be part of that lineage here.

Do you have a favorite backcountry place in Utah?

It's the Provo Mountains. The Provo mountains are some of the most radical and extreme and beautiful part of our Wasatch – seldom traveled. And it's very dangerous terrain in there. And you have to be right. You have to pay attention. And I'd have to say that the Provo area mountains are my favorite part of the Wasatch Range.

Drew in one word can you sum up what it means to be in this beautiful Utah backcountry?

Boy, I just can't Tom. But It's a good life. It's a good life.

Deep powder is nothing new in Utah. But the 2022-23 season kicked off with a bang, starting in late October and continuing incessantly up to the Christmas holiday. A mid-December storm that was forecast to drop 25-30 inches tapped out closer to 70+ inches!

Was it La Niña? Was it lake effect from the Great Salt Lake? Or was it the Ninth & Ninth Whale?

Listen in to learn more. Here’s a sample of Last Chair’s episode 7 with Evan Thayer and Jim Steenburgh.

Jim, what do you point to as you look back on the season so far?

Jim Steenburgh: There were two critical periods that gave us the incredible situation we have right now. One was in early November. We got an incredibly high density wet storm that just coated everything and gave a great base in the mid upper elevations. And then now, you know, from about December 11th to the 15th, we had this really prolonged, very low density snowfall event. Alta got over seven inches of snow with a water content of 4%, which is like all time for skiing. I just think it's been a great start to the season.

Evan, as a forecaster, where do you get your intel?

Evan Thayer: It is people like Jim. It's the people in academia and doing the research who are building these tools, and they allow people like me to access the tools. And then I contextualize it into a forecast that's useful for skiers and snowboarders or, you know, any type of recreation analyst.

Jim, what did you most like about how the early season snow set up for the season?

Jim Steenburgh: That period from December 11th to 15th was really good. Early in the season, I don't care about quality. The only thing I want is quantity. The best start to the ski season is to have early snow that starts maybe in early November. You know, this year it came a little earlier in October. But I want really high density snow to build base to start the season. And we got that in early November.

Evan, how important was that?

Evan Thayer: Last week was the perfect setup because it came in a little bit on the warm side, so a little bit higher density snow late Sunday night. So on Monday, you were skiing snow that was more typical of Utah. That was like 8% water content. But then for Tuesday, Wednesday and into Thursday, it was so fluffy. But you had that denser bottom there. So even if you did sink neck deep in, as Jim said, you're going to feel the body way underneath that keeps you from hitting crust or any bumps like that. So it takes already deep snow and makes it feel just like completely bottomless. So it was the ideal setup for powder skiing.

Wyatt, who grew up in Oregon where he ran the Portland International Airport and the city’s maritime port, thought he was retiring in 2017. But a few days later, he took a recruiter’s call and landed in Salt Lake City. Taking over the construction project, he saw it to conclusion then shepherded the airport through the pandemic, ultimately saving two years and hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings through an ingenious plan that took advantage of low passenger counts in 2020.

Our Last Chair interview with Wyatt took place in the airport’s bustling Central Plaza, just inside security and in the midst of Utah restaurants such as Market Street Grill and Roosters. The affable Wyatt was quite at home, excitedly talking about the airport and the role it plays welcoming thousands of visitors each day.

Here’s a sample of Last Chair’s episode 6 with airport leader Bill Wyatt. Listen in to learn more in what was a fun conversation that showcases the welcoming atmosphere at the new SLC.

Bill, to start, give us a sense of perspective of the Salt Lake City Airport?

We're 20th largest in the country and that is largely because we're a Delta hub – 70% of their traffic connects through Salt Lake. Without being a connecting hub, we would probably have 45 or so nonstop flights. Today, I think we have about 95. During the pandemic, obviously not something any of us ever anticipated, Salt Lake was one of the fastest to return to service. And today I think we stand as the most recovered airport in the country in terms of airplane seats in the market. And that has a lot to do with why we're here talking. During the pandemic, there was a point at which people just said, ‘you know what, I'm getting out of my basement. I'm going to go somewhere.’ They weren't going to go to New York City. They weren't going to Disneyland. But they did come to Salt Lake because they could go skiing or they could go to the national parks or up into the desert. And we're continuing to see very strong volumes for all of that.

On that note, just how did the pandemic impact traffic at SLC?

I always look at how many people are going to arrive at the front door, because that's where you really have to pay attention. And a big day for us is 30,000 people. And that February (2020), I think we had two or three of those days. In late March (2020), I remember standing on the sky bridge to my office, which was above Terminal A, for 10 minutes and not seeing a single passenger. And we were at that point about five months from opening (the new airport). So it was obviously concerning. Tom Kelly: [00:09:19] We're going to talk a little bit more about the plan. And I know we'll dive back into some of the benefits that pandemic actually brought to your construction. But just to talk a little bit about the airport itself and maybe if you could elaborate on what your specific role is. I know that you oversee the whole thing, but what are some of the areas that are really big focal points for you in managing the Salt Lake City International Airport?

Going back in time, why did Salt Lake City decide to invest in a new airport?

The old airport was designed to handle about 10 million annual passengers and in its last full year of operation did just a little over 28. The old airport really couldn't handle much more. It certainly couldn't handle any more aircraft. It was old. It was not designed as a hub. I always hold up my hand when I talk about the old airport because that's what it looked like. You know, you had these five fingers or five concourses that were connected. And if there was a single aircraft movement in between any two of those fingers, everything else came to a stop. And so this airport is designed as a 21st century hub airport where no aircraft ever has to wait for another one to get out of its way, which has, by the way, enormous positive environmental benefits, because the old airport caused a lot of jet fuel to be burned unnecessarily because of that design feature.

On that point, how important was sustainability in the new airport plan?

The decision was made to go for gold LEED standard. The way that this was accomplished was a tremendous focus on energy efficiency. The little bag tugs that take the bags back and forth from the planes -- they're all electric now. They're not actually allowed to have internal combustion engines in the bag halls or underneath the building at all. Natural light harvesting – a tremendous amount of environmental automation that goes with the building we use today, less electricity in this building than we did in the old airport, which I think is a sign of the effort that was undertaken. Little things like free flowing dual taxi lanes in all directions means that planes are taxiing less on the ground and getting out of here quicker, which means a huge amount of carbon savings. So the day the new airport opened, I like to say, was probably the best day for air quality in this valley in a very, very long time.

What are the key milestones coming up over the next few years?

So the milestones that are in front of us, we recently completed one milestone, which is to allow for aircraft to taxi over the top of what we call the central tunnel. The next big milestone will occur in May when the first four gates on A Concourse East, which is currently under construction, open. The following November, all of the A concourse opens. And then the following fall, the central tunnel will open.  And it will significantly improve the customer experience. I am confident that we will begin construction of a 16 gate expansion (on Concourse B), something that was not really anticipated for several years, which will conclude in 2027. And that means in the space of seven years, Salt Lake will have gone from an airport that had 52 jet bridges to one with 94 jet bridges. And that growth is really a mirror reflection of what's been happening in the economy of this value, this valley to the ski industry, the tourism industry, just the tremendous growth that we all can see with our own eyes.

What are some unique elements for skiers?

The ski industry had a lot to do with various design elements of the airport. The bag belts where the agent puts your bag is a full foot wider than a conventional bag belt, and that is to accommodate oversized bags like skis, snowboards, golf clubs. When you are an arriving passenger, you go out into the bag hall to grab your bags and your ski bag is on a vertical carousel. So it's a lot easier to pick off. And I might say for those skiers who've had their four or five days of skiing and then are going home, we've we're making some adjustments here that I think are going to be tremendously well received. One, if you take a shuttle down from Park City, for example, and arrive at level one, which is the ground floor, you can get off there and go directly in and check in and then move through the checkpoint from level one itself. You don't have to go up three stories to do that. The other thing that Delta is going to do this season – I'm very excited for this – they're working with the resorts to allow customers to check their overs...

In today’s world of polarized politics, Hawkes stands out as a leader who works across the aisles. He laughs as he describes himself as a conservative who advocates for natural resources. In fact, if there is any one issue in Utah that truly unites politicians, it’s saving the Great Salt Lake.

Hawkes grew up in Brigham City, Utah, learning to love the outdoors as a young boy, hiking, fishing, hunting, cutting school to go skiing. He followed his passion into law, becoming a water rights attorney with a thriving career in Washington, D.C. Over time, he missed the Utah outdoors and moved back to his home state, working first with Trout Unlimited protecting waterways.

Today, Hawkes is a leading advocate saving the Great Salt Lake, working closely with his fellow legislators to seek real solutions. In his day job, he serves as legal counsel for the Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp Cooperative.

How real is the problem? For our podcast interview, we drove across the causeway to Antelope Island. What used to be a roadway surrounded by water, now has only a few small pools. Birds that used to flock along the highway are now relegated to small patches of water. To find water along the shore of the island, in some places you would need to travel a mile.

Can the lake be saved? Hawkes thinks so. He’s a positive, forward-looking leader focused on solutions.

Here’s a sample of Last Chair’s episode 5 of season 4 with Utah state representative Tim Hawkes on how Utah is working together to save the Great Salt Lake.

What is it about being out in nature that's so compelling to all of us?

There's something deeply human that appeals to us about wild things and wild places. And I think it's important for our mental health, for our spirituality, sense of well-being and connectedness, just presence. 

The Great Salt Lake is an amazing place, but often taken for granted in the past.

It's easy to see the lake as kind of an oddity. I grew up in Utah and you see it as out of sight, out of mind. It's been interesting as an adult to get to know it better, to understand the ecology. That's part of my job – to learn about it. But just to get out to Antelope Island and see the amazing wildlife that's out here, it feels otherworldly.

The Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake – what does that mean?

A terminal Lake is basically a lake that sits at the bottom of a watershed and it doesn't have an outlet. So there are rivers flowing in. There are no rivers flowing out. And so the only way that water is lost is through evaporation. That tends to concentrate salt and other minerals in that system. And that's where you get these unique systems where you need uniquely adapted critters that can survive in them because the conditions are very harsh salt, salt content very high.

Why has the lake attracted so much attention recently?

For those that have been engaged in protecting the lake and trying to conserve the lake, we've all been astonished by just how much interest has kicked in over the lake in recent years. And I think that has everything to do with these low lake levels. So the low lake levels have driven concerns about how that can affect the state and can affect the ecosystem that's driven media attention. And that largely then accounts for the public starting to gain more and more awareness of, ‘oh my gosh, the lake does touch us in ways, really important ways that we didn't fully realize we've got to do something to protect it.’ 

Is this an issue with Mother Nature, climate change, population growth?

It's really human caused. And one of the interesting data points that I don't think people realize, is they assume because we're in the middle of a very significant drought, that it's just we're getting a lot less precipitation and the science actually doesn't back that up. If you take Salt Lake Valley or Cache Valley, important watersheds that feed into the Great Salt Lake, and you just measure them over time, you just look how much rain and snow is falling and you plot it out – it's largely flat. It hasn't changed. It's hard to make the argument that we're getting less precipitation. So the only thing that can account for these dramatically low levels are really two things. One is that our climate is getting warmer. And as it gets warmer, then it takes more water to keep crops up or keep your lawns green or whatever. So we use more water. But the second way that it affects us is that we are just altering this ecosystem. The best available science suggests that we have contributed about 11 feet of elevation loss. If you took that 11 feet and you put it back into Great Salt Lake today, the lake would be right close to its historic average. 

What are the key water usages impacting the lake?

Agriculture is a big use and then everybody points the finger at agriculture. It is interesting though, because when largely the areas around Great Salt Lake were in agriculture, the lake was fairly healthy. What's changed is a lot of urban and suburban development and that changes flow patterns as well. We all have grass where before there was just sagebrush and we try to keep that grass green even in the middle of the summer, even in the heat of summer. And so we call it municipal and industrial, but basically water that's used for homes and businesses. And the last one I would say is industry. We have a very important mineral industry out on the Great Salt Lake and the way that they get the minerals out of the water is forced evaporation, so they contribute to lake declines, as well. So I sort of say it's agriculture, it's homes and businesses and then it's industry.

If water usage by humans is the problem, how can the legislature act and act quickly?

The pace of change has been nothing short of extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it. It's hard to change water law. But, I'd say in the last two to three years, we've probably seen six to eight major pieces of legislation that have direct effects on Great Salt Lake – really extraordinary bills that provide greater legal recognition for environmental uses of water, that provide greater flexibility in terms of how we share water, and that fundamentally call out Great Salt Lake and try to create legal tools to help fix this enormous problem.

You’ve been in public office for eight years and are now retiring from that service. What motivated you to serve?

Well, I'm one of those crazy idealists that really do try to ask myself, ‘what have I done to make the world a better place?’ That's really what got me interested in public policy. And I was working outside of the legislature on these policy questions. I had sort of written off the idea of running for office, but my wife was the one that actually suggested to me, ‘Hey, Tim, you get really excited when it comes to politics and policy, have you thought about running?’ And so I made kind of a wild haired decision to run. It's been immensely rewarding and gratifying. I'm so grateful for my colleagues at the legislature – many o...

As a community, Park City dates back to the late 19th century when silver mining made it a boom town. Throughout the early to mid 20th century, miners used skis to get around, often crossing the ridgeline into Big Cottonwood Canyon and back. The present-day Park City Mountain came alive in 1963 with the opening of a full resort, complete with a gondola. Known previously as Snow Park and Frog Hollow, Deer Valley sprang to life in 1981.

Park City’s historic Main Street, nestled between the two resorts, still boasts a 19th century mining town feel with hundreds of restaurants and shops, all within minutes to the two resorts. 

Deer Valley’s new leader Todd Bennett grew up in Saranac Lake, N.Y. outside of Lake Placid, learning to ski at tiny Mount Pisgah. He worked a ski job in Colorado for three seasons before heading to an 18-year career with Walt Disney in southern California, looking for any opportunity he could to take ski trips with his family and friends. When the opportunity came up to move to Utah, he took advantage, settling into his new mountain home last summer.

Walsh is a native of St. Louis who came to Park City 18 years ago, learned to snowboard and rose up to a senior leadership role at Park City Mountain overseeing on-mountain dining. She left to run a California resort for a few years but returned home last spring. She brings pride in her company and a great depth of experience on the mountain.

Bennett and Walsh talk about the uniqueness of their resorts, and also that of the community. There are really no other similar models of two separate but adjoining resorts based around a central community core.

Here’s a sample of Last Chair’s episode 4 of season 4 with Park City’s Deirdra Walsh and Deer Valley’s Todd Bennett.

Todd, what was your pathway into skiing as a young boy?

We had a town run hill called Mount Pisgah – one run to the left of a tee bar and one run to the right of a tee bar and 500 vertical feet. That's where I learned to ski, I think at age four. I've always loved skiing. It was just one of those things that honestly was probably a little bit cooler than I was as a kid, and I just loved being around it.

Deirdra, your story is a bit different, right?

Yes. I grew up in the Midwest – I'm from Saint Louis. Our family vacation time was spent camping and always outside so I grew up with this love of the outdoors. In the summers I think my mom would literally send us out the door, lock it behind us, and we couldn't come home until she rang a bell. 

Deirdra, what was your first introduction to skiing?

My husband had grown up skiing Stevens Pass, and he said, ‘let's move to Park City together.’ So I had almost no skiing experience until I came out here. He was a snowboarder, so I thought I'd be a cool girlfriend and learn to snowboard as well. My very first lesson was actually right at Park City Mountain in my mid-20s. I fell in love with the sport itself a little bit later in life. And it's been amazing to be a part of the community here and now have my kids grow up with skiing and riding as part of their every day.

Todd, what motivated you to get back into the ski industry? .

It was just kind of fortuitous. I saw the opening for Deer Valley come up and I immediately reached out to a number of folks that I knew in the industry. Park City had always been on our list, and I've just always been a passionate skier. So it was something that I wanted. And when that opportunity came up, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to come work at Deer Valley.

Deirdra, how important is the community’s historic mining heritage?

When I think about Park City and that history, the word that always comes to mind is just how authentic this community is around the history that we have, the storytelling, the feeling that when you're on Main Street that these buildings and these neighborhoods and you look up the hill and you see all of these homes, you can't miss the history of this community. And it's really something that I think makes Park City so unique and so special. 

Todd, how does Deer Valley Resort see its role in the community?

Community is the right term and it's something that we've talked a lot about with my senior leadership team. We're all here. We're all local. We live in the greater Park City area. And I think not only the history of mining, but the history and the connection with the town and the community is very important to us. And I think that's the responsibility that we have. We are a big employer in Park City. We have a responsibility to be integrated with the community, to listen to the community, to understand the texture because it has changed. It started as a mining community. It has changed more towards travel and tourism. And even now it's continuing to evolve. So I think it's really important for myself and the team to be very in tune. And the best way to do that is to be local and to be engaged as members of the community ourselves.

The community of Park City is unique, with both Vail Resorts and Alterra ski areas. What are the distinguishing characteristics of your respective parent companies?

Deirdra: Being part of Vail Resorts for me has been an exceptional personal experience. It's a company that is really focused on employees first. You know, we talk about, you know, the employees don't work for Vail Resorts – they ARE Vail Resorts. And so I think having that point of view has really guided not just me, but I think all of the resort leaders to think about that in decision making, being able to make investments like $175 Million and the employee experience is pretty exceptional. What is really impressive when I think about our company is our point of view on accessibility. We have 41 resorts that make up all of the network. And by way of that, we are able to be in communities that are outside of urban areas like St Louis where I grew up, outside of Chicago, outside of Detroit, that really are creating lifelong skiers in some areas that perhaps they didn't have that accessibility and then now have accessibility into the greater network. 

Todd: I'm 90 days into working for Alterra and Deer Valley. But what I’ve noticed already is that Alterra puts a lot of emphasis on the local community and giving the site leaders, such as myself, the flexibility to change and adapt what is needed in our community. So in particular for Deer Valley, number one is very similar to Park City Mountain and Vail Resorts. It's the employee experience. We have to be great employers. We have to create a great place for people to work. Number two is the community and the engagement with the community and how we continue to be great partners and very transparent in the way that we go after that. The third p...

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest (Snoqualmie), Landsman became infatuated with lifts early. “Immediately, I loved to ski – I think I was about four years old when I first started. Very quickly with the skiing, I realized the lifts were also really interesting machines. Ever since then I've had an interest in both the skiing and the lifts and tried to get to as many ski areas and lifts as I can.”

As a lift supervisor at Jackson Hole, Landsman works long shifts three to four days a week, then heads to the airport to fly around the USA, hopscotching to ski resorts in a rental car winter and summer to ride lifts, hike to lifts and photograph them from every conceivable angle.

In 2015 he started a small blog (liftblog.com) documenting his travels and indexing ski lifts. It was slow at first but with some love and car on social media, it took off.

There is probably no individual in America who is so knowledgeable about, literally, every ski lift in the country. He can rattle off stats and show you photos on his phone.

Here’s a sample of Last Chair’s episode 3 of season 4 with Peter Landsman.

How old were you when you began an infatuation with ski lifts?

One of the earlier memories I have of a ski trip was to Sun Valley. I was five or six and asking my parents if I could stay late and watch them turn off the ski lift and like, somehow that would be interesting. They probably thought it was kind of a funny thing to ask, but they let me stay and watch and I ended up talking to the lift operators and I still do that kind of thing today.

You’ve been to nearly 500 resorts. You must have some interesting stories?

The ski industry is incredibly broad. I have been to a ski resort that's inside. There are ski resorts run by schools. There are ski resorts that are run by the US military. There are ski resorts that are run by nonprofits. So they come in all shapes and sizes. And it's really remarkable how many different types of lifts and ski resorts I've been to.

How do you plan?

I study the map. Usually I have an idea in my head of what the ski area is like from my prior research. But the night before, I review the map, figure out what I think is going to be the most efficient and fastest way to go up and down every lift. It really varies on the resort, how many runs you have to do for each lift to really photograph them properly and ride them and then get between the different lifts. 

Do you have a pipeline to the lift manufacturers to learn about new lifts?

I do have a good sense of what lifts are coming online. It actually mostly comes from the U.S. Forest Service in Utah and a lot of other places. Many resorts are on public lands, so they have to go through a permit process through the Forest Service before they can even build the lift. And then a lot of times resorts will tell me that they have an announcement coming up and keep me in the loop.

Have you seen some unusual lifts?

Every one is different. One that comes to mind is in New Jersey, an actual lift that was built here in Salt Lake City but sent over to New Jersey. It's inside this new indoor ski resort in a shopping mall called Big Snow. They have a quad chairlift that instead of coming out of the ground it actually hangs from the ceiling. So as you ride up, the lift towers are coming down from the roof. And that's a pretty unique lift. And then another one that comes to mind is a single chair up in Alaska. Cordova, Alaska, has a single chairlift still operating. It's actually from Sun Valley that got sent up there after they were done with it in Idaho.

Do you also try to track the lineage of lifts, like where they started and ended up?

I do. So some of them have moved two or three or four times. As an example, Deer Valley's old Homestake Lift went to my home mountain in Washington – Crystal Mountain, where it's now operating again. So if lifts are not that old and being removed, there's a good chance that they will end up at another ski area down the line.

I’ve always wondered, how do the ends of lift cables get attached to each other?

It's called a splice, and it's a very technical marriage of two ends of a haul rope. There are specialized specialists whose only job is to go around the country and splice these ropes. So they basically unwind both ends of a cable and weave the strands together, make some cuts, do some pounding with hammers. And at the end, you've got a nice smooth loop of rope. And nobody, unless you're a real technical guy like me, nobody really knows where the marriage even is.

Any technical innovations on the horizon?

Some of it's behind the scenes technical aspects that we deal with as lift employees that the public may not see. The big one of those is called direct drive. For example, Alta's new Sunnyside lift is going to have a direct drive. It's a new kind of motor for ski lifts that directly operates on the bull wheel. So it takes out a whole lot of components of the drive system of a lift that could fail.

We have a handful of six-packs in Utah, with some eights planned. What’s the limit?

I think eight is probably the limit as far as how many skiers you can line up in a row, have them sit down and then be able to get off and not crash.

Peter has a lot more to say about his favorite lifts and unusual ones he’s seen around America. Listen in to the full episode of Last Chair with liftblog founder Peter Landsman on his adventure to visit every lift in America.

By the Numbers

2,381 lifts in USA

480 resorts

46 states

773,091 miles (thank you Delta)

Liftblog’s Five Game Changing Lifts in Utah

Tram - Snowbird - Kicking off a second half-century

Collins - Alta - Two lifts in one

Quicksilver - Park City Mountain - Connecting two resorts together

John Paul - Snowbasin - Third most chairlift vertical in USA

Paradise - Powder Mountain - Classic fixed grip quad serving vast terrain

New Utah Lifts for 2022-23

Alta - Detachable six replacing Sunnyside

Deer Valley - Detachable quad replacing Burns

Snowbird - New tram cabins and drive system

Sundance - New fixed grip quad opening new terrain off Jake’s

Utah Olympic Park - Detachable quad serving new West Peak

Sargent grew up on skis near Stowe, Vt., cross country skiing to school, ripping alpine turns on Mount Mansfield and talking his dad into buying him a Burton Backhill as a kid before snowboards were a thing. In college, he built a passion for the western mountains ski racing for Western State in Colorado.

His career path took him right into the ski industry, serving as one of the original ski technicians at Park City’s Rennstall, which led him to a few years of ski tuning for Dynastar/Lange on the World Cup before landing a job with Salomon and later Burton, where his savvy approach to marketing brought brands to life.

When he took on leadership of SIA in 2015, he oversaw its transformation from a trade show company to an organization developing a roadmap for the sport’s future. Topics turned to climate – how can the industry mitigate the number of winter days it was losing each season. Sustainability – what steps can be taken to recycle products. And diversity – how can skiing and snowboarding become more inclusive.

The catalyst for much of that change was a board-directed move of SIA to Utah from its previous home outside Washington, D.C. Instantly, the organization became more connected to its sport.

In this episode of Last Chair, shares fun and insightful stories from his days tuning skis in Park City to his yearlong persistence that led to his tenure with Dynastar and how he developed one of the most successful hospitality houses for Salomon at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Utah.

What fostered your love for outdoor sport?

My mom encouraged us to stay outside as much as possible. And we were just having the time of our lives playing in the snow and the woods and the farm fields. It was a real Tom Sawyer type of upbringing. That's what it was all about … just having fun. Winter is long and the more fun you could have – a winter was more enjoyable and you almost were disappointed when spring came around because you wanted to keep keep riding and skiing and sledding and having fun with your buddies in the snow.

How did you initially make your way to Utah after college?

I had a friend and a ski coach of mine for a little while, Will Goldsmith, and he was living in Crested Butte. He invited me to come work at a new ski shop that he and another colleague, Brian Burnett, were starting, called Rennstall in the early 90s. I came to Park City and couldn't believe the lights and the people and the buildings. I thought it was the right place for me at that time. And that was really the golden ticket –  learn how to tune skis at a world class level, get exposure to a lot of different athletes from around the world and also get a lot of exposure to the ski companies.

What motivated SIA to move to Utah in 2016?

(The board said} ‘we want you to move the organization to Utah. And we think Park City would be the best location. All roads come through Utah in the winter sport business. And there's a number of member companies that belong to SIA. It would be great for us to be closer to our business, closer to the sport, and put us in a place where we're going to be front and center.’

What has made Utah a good home for the winter sports industry?

Since around 2002, Utah had a mandate to attract winter sport brands to the state. It’s why Rossignol is here … Amer, Salomon, Atomic, Descente and Black Diamond, they've been here for a long time, Scott Bikes and so on. It's just one of the best environments for a company, specifically if you are an outdoor or a winter sport brand, it has all that you need from the snow perspective, from an outdoor perspective, from a biking, hiking, hunting perspective, you know, whatever your sport is, Utah has it. But I would say, you know, one of the appealing factors for myself and moving SIA here was the proximity to the airport, the proximity to Salt Lake City, the proximity to the Cottonwoods. Snowbasin, Powder Mountain.

How does SIA approach climate?

Climate change is the largest threat to the winter sport business. (The winter sport industry) drives an engine for this state and the community. We need climate. So, you know, We started an initiative called Climate United. It's a way that we can gather our members, the suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and the resorts to start to pay attention to climate. And we've lost 35 days of winter in the last 30 years. They're working with different groups around the country and addressing climate and raising awareness of the effects of climate. We're working hard with the Biden administration and the Inflation Reduction Act, which was just passed. I'm really proud of the work that the team has done here to help push that across the line.

And how do you approach sustainability?
A lot of people will say climate and sustainability are the same thing. But sustainability is how we work with clean manufacturing and really doing the right things for your company and your business that set yourselves apart. Whether you're reducing your carbon emissions, your greenhouse gas output, whether you are putting in solar panels, having gardens, mandating that your product is manufactured in a clean and reducing your waste – those are elements that really come into play and we have a long way to go. We have a lot of leaders out there. Burton Snowboards is doing a great job. Rossignol is doing a great job. Patagonia -- the news about giving their company to climate. I mean, that's the ultimate!

How important is diversity to sport growth?

It's beyond a moral imperative. It is a business imperative. The funnel of winter sport participants is getting narrow. We had a huge boom in the sixties and seventies and eighties and the baby boomers had carried this forward. But unfortunately, it's been a wealthy white man's game. It's our job to change that. It's our destiny to open open up the outdoors to a more diverse audience and get more people comfortable in snow no matter what color you are or your gender or your sexual preference or things that don't matter. All that matters is that you're getting outside and having fun.

On the equipment side, how have skiing and snowboarding innovated together?

The shaped ski made it easier for beginners and intermediate to pick up the sport and learn how to turn their skis so much that snowboards have adapted shape as well to make it easier for people to ride and get comfortable when they're on snow. The other one was twin tips. That inspiration came from snowboarding and giving people the ability to go backwards or forwards, not only on snowboard, but also skis. They were feeding off each other and the designs were very simple and easy to execute.

You’ve been living in Utah now at times over a span of 30 years. Favorite run?

I'm a little reluctant to share it with everyone. But it's no secret. When you're at Alta on the Supreme Lift and you go far, far out there to Last Chance, those woods out there, yo...

After 50 years, the old red and blue cabins are being replaced with new floor-to-ceiling windowed cabins. To celebrate its debut, Last Chair hung out in the new tram 350-feet over the valley floor above the Cirque to chat with Snowbird President and General Manager Dave Fields and Mountain Manager Jake Treadwell about the evolution of the iconic tram and what the new cabins will bring for skiers and riders..

When you dream about skiing at iconic resorts around the world, odds are you dream of trams. They are the classic signatures of some of the world’s greatest ski resorts – Snowbird included.

The dream of Snowbird visionary Ted Johnson, he and Dick Bass collaborated to bring a tram to the resort from day one. Swiss workers moved to Little Cottonwood Canyon, working long, hard hours in the summer of 1971 to make it a reality.

Following a retirement party last spring, the resort went to work retooling the tram machinery and cabins. Both new cars will be online in early December for the start of the season.

For Fields and Treadwell, along with their entire Snowbird team, it was a project close to their hearts – rekindling historic memories of the original tram’s debut in 1971, and the countless stories in the memories of skiers and riders who have whisked their way to the top of Hidden Peak in just minutes.

Here’s a preview of the conversations. Listen to the full Last Chair podcast to learn more. <<LINK>>

How did the concept of the original tram come to fruition?

Dave Fields: The idea for the tram came from Ted Johnson, who worked at Alta in the ‘60s and started buying up mining claims at Snowbird. And when he met Dick Bass in 1969 at a party in Vail, he started sharing his dream. Dick originally signed on to help him find investors and quickly he became the investor. And one of Ted's dreams was to have a tram going from the Snowbird Center all the way to the top of Hidden Peak. Dick and Ted traveled all over to get ideas of how to build the tram and what it should look like. Dick and Ted opened the place on December 23rd, 1971, with the tram on opening day. And it was amazing from day one. And it's been really the icon of this resort. The tram IS Snowbird, and Snowbird IS the tram ever since.

As mountain manager, what does the tram mean to you and Snowbird operations?

Jake Treadwell: So this truly is a unique lift as far as its operation and what it does for us. The tram is the center of the universe for the resort, for our guests and for our employees. This to me it's the best commute to work in the morning that anybody gets. We get to ride this first thing in the morning. We get to see what's going on. But this really is again, it's unique. It's a jig back tram. So as one car comes up, the next car comes down and they're tied together through a haul rope that runs the entire up and down of the system.

What research went into the design of the new tram system at Snowbird?

Dave Fields: We rode them all over. Some of my favorites were the smaller tramway systems that are actually used for residential passage through the mountains and hauling groceries. We rode one in Davos that had that old time feel to it. I really liked the Zugspitze. Things are happening in Europe with tramways that is just incredible. It's proving to be a great way to get through the mountains. 

We started brainstorming about not just the tram, but how we could make it a really exciting event for people when they come up the mountain. So floor to ceiling, glass glass, three panels of floor glass in each cabin in the summertime. And then the real kicker was the balcony (summer). People thought we were crazy, but there actually are some resorts in Europe that do that. So you'll climb up a stairwell from inside the cabin and you'll ride up on the roof of the tram as it passes through the Cirque, 350 feet off the ground. So it will be very exciting to take that ride. We'll have the balconies next summer and I can't wait to take that ride. It's going to be really good.

What was replaced in the system for the new Snowbird tram?

Dave Fields: We opted to replace cabins, track rope, haul rope, almost everything, including the drive system, the motors, the bull wheels – everything other than the towers has been replaced on ours.

Jake Treadwell: So this was basically a complete reset of the tram, the machine room that you can see when you come into Snowbird Center, when you look down, almost all those components were removed this spring, completely pulled out. And we did that in a matter of about a week. And then, slowly but surely, we started replacing the electronic drive, the electric motor, the entire braking system, the drive wheel with a hydrostatic motor down there and a drive. All of these systems meld together in a modern tramway, and it gives us a lot more flexibility and a lot more safety factor, which is always what we're looking for. If we were to lose power at this resort, we can still run a backup generator, an electric motor to get this tramway moving. If we were to lose that system, we have a hydrostatic drive that bolts into the bull wheel and we can drive the machine that way. So we have all these backup systems to make sure that this machine is always ready to move.

What’s your favorite run on the mountain?

Jake Treadwell: I’m a Baldy guy.  You’ve got to go out to hike Baldy and ski Fields of Glory and make it the whole way down. It's the place to be great!

Dave Fields: Well, Jake stole my answer. I really enjoy Northwest Baldy. There are a few zones in there that are really special. I'd love to go out there with my wife and have the hike. You just get such an amazing view down canyon and get to see the whole resort. You get to look over at Mount Superior and then you have the best skiing non-stop fall line all the way to the bottom.

Before Ruby was born, Melody, her husband Vic, and three children weren’t exactly outdoor enthusiasts. But upon learning her soon-to-be-born Ruby would have Down syndrome, the family felt they would lose the future possibility for outdoor recreation. So with Melody pregnant, the family took off into mother nature, visiting parks, hiking and exploring Utah’s mountains and deserts.

When Ruby was born a few months later, they never stopped. Today, they’re often tabbed as Utah’s ‘Adventure Family,’ on a mission to explore every national park in America and finding a passion for outdoor adventure around Ruby.

Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition that impacts an estimated one in 700 newborns in America. Our genes are responsible for inherited traits, which are carried in chromosomes. Normally, each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. Those with Down syndrome have a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. The impact of that varies from individual to individual.

At first blush, you might think Down syndrome would be limiting. But when you meet Ruby you quickly learn that she is a young girl on a mission! At just six, she navigates the rental shop with ease and knows exactly where she wants to stand in the bus to get the best view. One can only imagine what she’ll experience when she works her way up to the Snowbird tram!

Ruby’s genesis to snow was a product of the newfound active lifestyle of her family, led by Melody. But it also came to fruition through Wasatch Adaptive Sports at Snowbird, a program that has been introducing aspiring outdoor enthusiasts since 1977. According to program director Eileen May-West, children with Down syndrome are regular participants in the program.

What’s so heartwarming about Ruby’s tale is that it isn’t just HER story. It’s the story of an entire family and about the love they have been spreading to motivate others. What Melody thought would be a story of limitations, actually turned out to be a story of possibilities and access. It’s a story about the opportunities we all have as humans to enjoy our world.

When you see the smile on Ruby’s face as she comes tearing down Chickadee, you are reminded of the joy that sliding on snow brings to all of us.

Here’s a preview of the conversations. Listen in to the full Last Chair podcast to learn more. 

Eileen May-West, Wasatch Adaptive Sports

You really cover a wide gamut here at Wasatch Adaptive Sports, don’t you?

Our youngest student since I've been here was two and our oldest is 98. Yah, we serve anyone with an adaptive need. A lot of times that is physical mobility, requiring adaptive equipment. But a lot of times it's someone with Down's syndrome or autism who just needs some specialized instruction or a big bag of tricks from their instructor to have them find success in skiing. We have a lot of students with Down syndrome and people of all abilities, ages and really scenarios that we teach to ski. Ruby is one of our family here and we're happy to have her.

With that wide range of individuals, what are the common motivators?

I think the number one tool any instructor, especially in adaptive, can have is fun and being able to know your student. So it’s getting to know Ruby - what she likes, whether it's Frozen or whatever characters are fun things that motivate her. And at the end of the day, just making sure whatever she did, whether it was straight gliding down the magic carpet that she wants to come back and do more, and over time it might take longer, but we can really usually get anyone there.

How important a role do parents play?

A lot of times parents are involved, just like Melody is, especially with kids. You know, no one knows that kid better than their parents do. So we definitely lean on them to help us, give us tips that they've already figured out over six and seven years. But, at the end of the day, the biggest feedback is smiling. And if we're moving away from smiling, we go back to where we can find it.

“At the end of the day, the biggest feedback is smiling.”

- Eileen May-West, Wasatch Adaptive Sports

What motivates you and your instructors?

It's the joy we all feel on the mountain. Everyone on our staff and within our organization feels that joy. It's added so much to my life and everyone should have the opportunity to access that. And that's really the biggest piece of meaning for me is every single person should be able to enjoy why people live in Utah.

Melody Forsyth, Ruby’s mom

So, Ruby looks like she’s pretty comfortable on skis?

Yeah, she's been doing awesome. This is her second season with Wasatch Adaptive and she's been doing just awesome and blossoming into a little skier.

What was your perception when you heard that your unborn child had Down syndrome?

I didn't know anybody with Down syndrome. Our perception was that we wouldn't be able to do anything as a family. I thought that Down syndrome would prevent us from doing anything fun or going anywhere, that we would be stuck at home with a child that had a disability. Obviously, you know, everything has changed for us. It changed our whole outlook on life. It changed our whole lifestyle. It changed the way we live, the way we plan family activities, the way we spend time as a family. It was just completely a total mind shift for us.

How does Down syndrome impact Ruby?

Everyone with Down syndrome is different. Somebody once said, ‘if you know somebody with Down syndrome, you know, one person with Down syndrome because there's just a wide difference in their abilities. Ruby is still non-verbal at this time, meaning she makes noises, she can make sounds. She has a couple of words. Luckily, one of her words is mom. So she will say mom, but really doesn't communicate any other way except through a communication device that she will use. She can point to pictures. As a family, we kind of just know what she wants. We know she'll go get it, but she can't actually communicate.

How did she get started skiing?

I just saw that there were programs like Wasatch Adaptive for people with disabilities and we'd already started doing other activities where we were surprised by what she was able to do. So it was kind of like, ‘well, why stop there?’ Let's try this out just because we'd heard really good things from other people that had been involved or had been teachers here involved with the program at one point in their life. And they're like, It's such an amazing program. And they just really get the kids. They work with them so well that it was like, well, let's give it a try. Let's see how she does.

With your family’s newfound love of the outdoors, Utah is a pretty great place to be, isn’t it?

We travel all over the state ...

SOS Outreach was formed nearly 30 years ago and has operated in Utah since 2015. Its mission is to bring together underserved youth under a mentorship program and get them on snow, with supporting partnerships for equipment and lifts. And while the program introduces youth to the joy of the sport, it also brings life lessons of character and values.

Central to its cause is inclusivity - ensuring that underserved youth in resort towns have a pathway to the sport. It’s especially important for the LatinX community where their parents and most of their peers have little or no past engagement in the sport.

SOS Outreach event manager Abbey Eddy recalls a story of a 12 year old Mexican boy who was driving with his father and admiring the mountains. “‘Those mountains, they’re not for us, son,’” said Eddy of the father’s reply. “You just hear that and you realize that there's a whole population moving here for a different reason than most people think. And traditionally, like myself, it's white people that move here to ski. But there's a large population. It's about 20 percent of our Park City community that moves, not necessarily to ski, but to work and for other opportunities that primarily is our LatinX population.” 

On the March Saturday, Last Chair visited an SOS Outreach program at Park City Mountain, it was an industry day where representatives of the mountain and other businesses were there to introduce youth to potential career opportunities in the sport they loved. Earlier in the season, Olympians Steven Nyman and Brita Sigourney were a big hit with SOS participants.

At the base of the First Time lift, the group of around 100 skiers, riders and mentors gathered for a briefing. Some of it was the logistics of the day. But more was focused on life skills and leadership as program manager Palmer Daniels deftly brought the group together with volunteer mentors to talk about values.

This episode of Last Chair takes us inside a segment of our population that is a vital part of our resort communities. Listen in to learn more about SOS Outreach from leader Abbey Eddy, and especially mentor Justin and program participant E. And as you listen, imagine the big smiles on their faces as they headed up the mountain.

Here’s a sample of the conversations. Listen in to the full Last Chair podcast to learn more. <<LINK>>

Abbey Eddy, Individual Giving & Events Manager 

We ski because it’s fun. But SOS Outreach brings more than fun, doesn’t it?

It's really an incredible organization that we can have this national reach with the same mission across the board to make sure that we're increasing diversity in our snowsports communities, increasing access and also being really intentional with our programming and our curriculum so that we're helping kids to transition the life skills that they naturally learn from being on the mountain into using them into their everyday lives and strengthening our mountain communities as a result.

What’s fascinating to me is that SOS Outreach works in both mountain communities and metro areas.

It's an incredible scene. We have these more rural mountain community programs, but then our urban locations are powerful and impactful. It's really a different challenge. In mountain communities, kids are looking at the mountains every day but might not be able to access them. And then in a place like Detroit, you're working with kids that have never seen skis before. And so opening their eyes to even the sport of skiing and snowboarding, it's opening their world into something totally new, different, exciting and impactful.

How is this population different within the community?

For a lot of our Latinx families that have moved here - their parents don't ski. Then you don't have that same comfort level with the sport of walking through the village. How do you carry your skis and what equipment do you need? There's a lot that goes into skiing. It's more than just having a lift ticket, but having to have all the right clothes and the right boots and socks and. And again, this clunky gear and how you're managing all of those different pieces just to get to the base of the lift can be challenging. And when your parents aren't helping you with that process of getting from the parking lot to the lift because they haven't done it before. We're really intentional with making sure that our mentors and adults and volunteers from the community are helping provide that kind of coaching and assistance to the youth so that they feel more comfortable and confident when they are putting their skis on at the base of the lift there.

One word to describe what SOS Outreach means to the community?

That's a really hard one, can I use three words? One phrase: spread the love. We say it at every ride day. It really encompasses what we do and the impact that we have.

Justin, SOS Outreach alumni and current member

Justin is a first generation college student in his family, attending the University of Utah majoring in biology. He’s been skiing for a decade and now serves as a mentor for youth.

What was the thing you first loved about skiing?

I enjoyed the speed mostly. I'm a little speedster. I like to go down the slopes - I'm obviously careful with other people around me - but I like to go fast.

What does it mean to you to be a first generation skier in your family?

It's a privilege to have the opportunity to ski. It just gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. It relieves stress from your work, house and school. It's awesome.

What motivated you to become a mentor?

I became a mentor because I wanted to have an impactful meaning to my community. Mostly, my Latin American friends, I just want to show them that you can totally have fun. And I know life might be stressful for your parents and yourself, but it's good to go outside and enjoy.

What does skiing bring to you?

It's my only sport that I really love and enjoy. And that brings me happiness and joy. It's fun to hang out with your friends when you're skiing, too.

E, SOS Outreach Skier

E is a junior at Park City High School who has been skiing since fifth grade. Her big smile and joyous approach to skiing is contagious within the group.

E, how did you get started skiing?

SOS was one of the ways, back then when I was in fifth grade. I didn't have the opportunity or enough money to actually go into skiing. But SOS helped with that and it's been affordable. I have been able to go out and ski even more than I would have had.

Did your family ski?

I am the first person in my family to ski. They kind of find it cool, like they kind of want to try it out now because they see how much I...

After stewarding Sundance for over a half-century, film legend Robert Redford sold his interest in December 2020 after carefully curating potential buyers to ensure his legacy would remain. The new investors included Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners. But what was most important for skiers and riders was the inclusion of Jensen as a partner.

While he didn’t discover skiing until he was 19 in southern California, Jensen quickly grew passionate about the sport, starting his career at Mammoth Mountain as a liftie. In the decades since then he’s hopscotched around in leadership roles from Vail to Whistler to Telluride and Intrawest. In 2019, he was inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

In his new role, he fell in love with Sundance the day he hiked up to the top of Ray’s Lift and then up to Mandan Summit. His vision came clear in an instant when he soaked in the view of Mt. Timpanogos from Mandan.

This winter skiers were treated to a host of positive upgrades:

• The new high-speed Outlaw Express taking skiers from base to Mandan Summit in just seven minutes.
• New beginner and intermediate terrain off Mandan offering stunning new views and options. Check out Broadway!
• A new beginner area with three magic carpets. 
• A new return lift, Stairway, from the back mountain along with a new run allowing Bear Claw to base skiing or riding.
• The new Lookout restaurant with stunning views of Timp from the base.
• New snow guns as part of an upgraded snowmaking system, including a water holding pond.

While he’s been the top executive of the biggest ski resort companies in North America, he remains a true mountain guy always anxious to take visitors up on the mountain. Here are a few teasers from the interview. Check out the full conversation on Last Chair, available through all podcast platforms.

Bill, you had a bit of a non-traditional introduction to skiing.

Unfortunately, later than most people I know. Born in Hawaii and grew up in Southern California. When I was 19, for some reason I walked into a Sports Ltd. store in Woodland hills. They were showing the K2 Performers video. I saw skiing for the first time and was fascinated. I just went, ‘wow, this is incredible.’ So I went skiing that winter one day, and that was it.

I’ll bet you were pretty excited to get a job as a liftie?

It just connects you to people, and, candidly, it was fun! So that's where it all started. It was all happenstance. I had no idea that a ski area was even a business. I just saw it as some great recreational fun pursuit. And I just - I fell in love. You know, I always say, I love skiing, but I became passionate about the ski industry and the business and that's where things unfolded.

You’ve lived in some great ski towns: Mammoth, Sun Valley, Whistler, Vail, Breckenridge. What has attracted you to those towns?

In small towns, you get to know a lot of people. And I also like the fact that people depend on each other, whether it was helping them split their firewood or snow removal or whatever. You built relationships and,in ski towns, there's a common denominator that everybody loves snow and they love sliding on snow, whether they snowboard or ski now. But, you know, I just felt very comfortable in that environment. Living in a ski town, to me, just fit my ... who I was and my persona. I really like small mountain communities.

What did it mean to be honored in the Hall of Fame?

It's touching. It's gratifying. It wasn't something that you aspire to. I really believe in the sport. I believe that the skier is important and I've worked hard over my career to mentor people and bring new people into the business and see their careers grow. And that has been the most fulfilling part of my career.

When you visited Sundance in 2020, what stood out to you?

You know the word, and I don't want it to be overused, but just the sense of arrival and walking through the base - there's something magical about this resort and part of it is the environment it sits in, Mount Timp and the views. It is truly one of very few unique ski areas that have this setting. And because it was Robert Redford's business, it really was a family business, is what I would call it. And you can sense that in the culture, the staff and the people who are here. My sense is everyone feels a bit of a sense of ownership of Sundance and how it's played a role in their lives.

What was the vision for the new alignment of Outlaw Express to Mandan Summit?

When you're on the top of Mandan, it feels like you can just reach out and touch it (Timpanogos). It made a lot of sense for us to actually implement that lift alignment and put it all together. It was a bit more expensive than just putting something back in the place of Ray's lift. But I think for the long term and summer and everything else, it was the right decision. I think the view of Timp from the top of Mandan is probably the signature view!

As a resort leader over many years, any memorable powder stories?

So, Whistler Blackcomb in 2010 at the Olympics. One of the sayings in the ski industry is if you want it to snow, hold it downhill. It snowed to beat the band and the downhill was canceled. And up on the high alpine, I'm not exaggerating, there was 30 plus inches of fresh snow. And because the Olympic Committee was controlling access, there were very few people there.

And as the head of Whistler-Blackcomb at the time, you can be sure he was there!

Bill Jensen may be new to Utah, but he does have a favorite Utah craft beer! Learn about that and more in a fascinating discussion with one of America’s visionary ski leaders about his newfound passion working with the team at Sundance. And while he’s going to leave it to the Sundance staff to announce future plans, he at least gives us a few hints. Take a listen!

Chad Linebaugh: Blending Art, Nature and Skiing at Sundance Mountain Resort

Learn more about Sundance in this earlier episode from 2020 with President Chad Linebaugh.

When you look at Sundance Mountain Resort, you need to view it as much more than a ski area. Today, Robert Redford’s Sundance is a wonderful blend of art, nature and skiing. Sundance may be a small ski area, but it skis big. President and General Manager Chad Linebaugh will take you on a tour of his favorite Sundance runs in his conversation with host Tom Kelly, plus some little known facts about the famous actor.

Dowdall is a snow-loving outdoor enthusiast who actively seeks out the Greatest Snow on Earth in every corner of the state. But her skiing career got off to a rocky start. At her first lesson as a little girl, she became frightened of a yeti-like skier with a snow-encrusted beard. So she watched Sleeping Beauty in the lodge at Solitude instead. Not so today as she crushes the powder every chance she can - all with a big smile on her face.

The artist in her came from her grandmother, a sculptor and painter in Sedona. She says today, “Art is in my nature. But I spent a long time ignoring that fact.” Her grandmother focused her art on her surroundings, the towering vermillion monoliths in Sedona. So Lexi looked around herself at the Utah ski resorts she loved and decided to make that her palette.

In 2019, she took a rudimentary watercolor kit along on a rafting trip through the Gates of Lodore. A year later, she used the platform of COVID to start focusing on painting Utah’s ski areas. Looking out to the street one day, she saw her boyfriend’s pickup truck bed filled with fresh Alta snowfall he had trucked down to the valley after a huge snowstorm. And the idea struck her - why not blend her watercolor paints using snowmelt from each resort.

And the Paint by Powder Project was launched!

This episode of Last Chair is a really fun podcast with an exuberant powder-loving artist, Lexi Dowdall. She’ll win your heart with her stories of her continual discovery of the outdoor world around her, and how she’s sharing it with others.

She also personifies the ‘support a cause’ energy that is ingrained in all of us as skiers and snowboarders. And, she’s doing something about it. She is a passionate volunteer with Wasatch Adaptive Sports at Snowbird, and she’s donating proceeds of the Paint by Powder Project to Protect Our Winters.

In her day job, she’s the director of freeride for the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association (IFSA), helping young freeride skiers overseeing event series’.

Here’s a little teaser of the Last Chair episode with Lexi Dowdall.

<<ADD LINKS TO PODCAST WHEN LINK AVAILABLE>>

Lexi, how did skiing get in your blood?

I'm a fourth or fifth generation Utahn. I grew up here. My parents were big skiers. My dad was a ski bum who came here after college and never really left. So my mom always says we never had a choice and being skiers, it was that worked out so well.

What has inspired you growing up in Utah?

I come from a very creative family and we're always doing stuff yet scrapbooking or making terrariums, or we were just crafting all the time. And I may be biased, but I think Utah is the most beautiful state. We have just such an amazing diversity of landscapes and vistas and state parks and national parks. It's hard not to be inspired by the vistas that we're surrounded by out here.

Why watercolors?

It's an enigma. It's very simple, but it's difficult to master. And I would say I'm very much a type A kind of control freak kind of person. So watercolor has helped me to be a lot more open to outcome. You literally have to go with the flow. So that's a neat thing about watercolor is you can have an idea of what you want to accomplish. But in the end, the water and the paint are going to force your destiny and you don't have as much control over it as the acrylic or oil.

And why mountains?

I just knew I wanted to paint mountains - that's where I'm happiest, that's where my soul is alive. So it's funny. I still feel like I don't really know how to paint mountains or snow, but you know, I'm practicing as much as I can, and it's just going to be a work in progress.

And why snow?

Snow is water. I thought I could incorporate snow from each mountain into my watercolor painting, and you know, I'm really working on my technique with painting mountains. I thought, ‘oh, maybe this snow will make the painting a little bit better, and I can channel the energy of the mountain as I paint with its snow.’ So that was kind of how it got started.

When you collect snow in milk jugs at resorts, do people look at you strangely?

I had this very awkward interaction with a Powder Mountain patroller. I tried to explain what I was doing, and he was just very confused. But I will say the fastest response time was Deer Valley. They were on the scene in probably 34 seconds. ‘Ma'am, are you OK? Do you need assistance?’ I was fine. But again, I needed to explain what the heck I'm doing, and it was just all pretty comical.

Like many of us, you’ve also been moved by Protect Our Winters.

Yeah, if we don't start to make some pretty massive changes, we're not going to have a ski industry. The gauntlet of this fact is what kind of spurred me to action because I was just the thought of not being able to ski here in the winter was truly sobering. So I'm just hoping to galvanize folks around here. We need to vote. We need to change the legislation. There are lots of things we can do on an individual level that will help our air quality and contribute, in small ways, to the overconsumption that our society subscribes to. But the most important thing we need to do is change the legislation and vote climate. Protect Our Winters provides a ton of resources about that and ways to get involved and panels and discussions with legislators.

We had a lot of fun with Lexi on Last Chair. Regular listeners will know that we often talk about our sponsor, High West. Lexi took that one step further. And, she also explains the concept of ‘interlodge’ to us and how it can work to a skier’s advantage when you’re stuck up Little Cottonwood for a few days. Tune in to learn more …

Kapowder Ink

Lexi Dowdall’s watercolor paintings offer a unique look at Utah’s 15 ski resorts from the viewpoint of a passionate skier. Her colors bring out the vibrancy of the sport, with snowmelt from each individual resort making its way back onto the canvas of the resorts we all love. You can learn more about Lexi’s Paint by Powder Project, and acquire a print yourself, at her Kapowder Ink website. You’ll have a wonderful and unique look at Utah ski resorts, and you’ll be helping to support Protect Our Winters, a cause important to skiers and snowboarders.

Along the way, he started thinking about skiing out west. A friend brought back a trail map from Aspen Highlands. Then in eighth grade, he went with a friend’s family to Austria, skiing from village to village in Kitzbühel and experiencing his first powder day at Kaprun. A few years later, it was off to the Rockies, poaching slopeside lodging in tents and snow caves as he and buddies traveled around the west, eventually visiting Utah. He was hooked.

In the early 1980s, Cohen got a camera and just started shooting his buddies. They traveled the west chasing powder. He still recalls vividly the record-setting winter of 1983-84. Photography was different then. There were no iPhones, digital cameras or autofocus lenses. It was all film, so you never really knew what you had until the film was processed. But he worked hard at it, figuring out his formulaic system. Soon, editors soon took notice.

Photography was fun. It was an art form. And he was getting good at it. In December 1985, he made his first commercial sale, an image of a local skier who played hooky from school to ski High Rustler after a 42-inch storm. Soon his images were adorning the covers of SKI, Powder, Freeze and more.

The next decades saw his work burgeon. His 2012 book Alta Magic captures the real spirit of the Wasatch in a magical collection of images and essays. Today, he still enjoys returning to old haunts - both in-bounds and in the backcountry - with willing ski models, including son Sam, and always looking for that new combination of sun, sky and snow to produce exhilarating images.

While both photography and skiing have evolved greatly in his 40 years in the Wasatch, Cohen still has the touch. In the Alta marketing office, he proudly shows off his recent cover of SKI. 

Here’s a sampling of our conversation with photographer Lee Cohen’s. Listen in to the full  episode of Last Chair, the Ski Utah podcast, to learn more. <LINK TO PODCAST>

As you drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon, what are some of your landmarks?

I enjoy the whole ride. I like seeing the ridge of Monte Cristo and Superior when I first start getting above White Pine. That's unbelievable to me. Then it's Snowbird on the right and then there's Alta. High Rustler is one of the all time runs to be looking at from the bottom of any ski area.

Do you recall your first trip to Utah?

I don't even remember how I first heard about Alta, but I had this whole magical powder thing like it was fully in my head even before I'd seen the place. And then we got to ski here and I was sold by. We were here for about 10 days, and by the time we left, I knew I was coming back for good as soon as I could.

<<PULL QUOTE>>

“I always think I can get a better one, even in a spot that I've gone to before that. I'm always thinking I can get the best one ever today.”

You really mapped out the perfect career for yourself, didn’t you?

I got into ski photography because I loved powder skiing. That was perfect since, here I am, at Alta - the bastion of powder skiing. But at some point along the way, I feel like I get pigeonholed as the deep powder photographer.

How do you make locations look different each time you shoot there?

I find that you can always make a place look different. You shoot it with a different millimeter lens or from a different spot. If you shift your location even just a few feet, you're making it look different. And change lenses - it's way different. Just try to change your approach and make the same old thing look different.

Any simple tips for recreational photographers?

Concentrate on following your subject. Try to set up your shots to make the odds be in your favor and and have the light working in your favor, either being side lit, front lit, backlit. If you're shooting in the storm, go out when there's a lot of snowflakes falling.

“Ski with style  - form is everything.”

What are some secrets to great powder shots?

The biggest thing that I would say to my skiers skiing powder is, don't lay it over because you want to. In Utah, it's deep enough. You don't have to fake it. Just try to ski with form and style. Don't bring your hands too high. Don't make your hands too low, no higher than like a little below your shoulders and alternating pole plants in the powder. Ski with style  - form is everything.

Nikon or Canon??

I think they're all great. I've been a Nikon person my whole life. I love my Nikon equipment. It's burly. It can take a beating. Like, I'm not like the most careful person, so I'm a little abusive of the equipment and it's done me well.

Do you ever get nostalgic for the old days of film?

Some of the best times of my life as a ski photographer, and for my skiers, were the old days. We would be over the light table at my house, just foaming at the mouth, like we crazed out of our minds. Oh, my God, I knew that one was going to be like that. Yeah, that was a very exciting time in photography for me.

Learn more about Lee Cohen's career as Utah's ski photographer in this episode of Last Chair, the Ski Utah podcast. 

And it has worked. Some, like nordic combined skier Jared Shumate and cross country skier Rosie Brennan grew up in [service name="park-city-mountain"]Park City Mountain[/service]. Others, like freeskiers Izzy and Zoe Atkin, moved to Park City because of the great sport opportunities. Some, like Olympic gold medalist aerials skiers Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis and Justin Schonenfeld, were brought together by the world-acclaimed freestyle training facility at the [service name="utah-olympic-park"]Utah Olympic Park[/service] that opened in 1993.

But while Utah takes great pride in its Olympians in Beijing, Fisher is quick to point out the broader value of sport. 

These athletes are phenomenal PR stories for us, she said. “But for me, it's really about the 1,500 kids that we get out and get active every year. It's really important for every kid. A lot of their parents work in the service industry and they don't have the opportunity to use these amazing Olympic venues, to get out, to learn how to ski, learn how to snowboard. The most important legacy of our program is that these kids can grow up and feel part of the community because they participate in things that are so important to the community.”

Jared Shumate

Now a nordic combined Olympian, Jared Shumate grew up in Park City and tried a myriad sports through the Youth Sports Alliance’s Get Out and Play program. 

“Growing up in Park City, every day on my way to school, just looking out the windows, I could see the Utah Olympic Park not knowing when I was three years old that I'd be going to the Olympics for that sport. So who knows, maybe it's been in me since I was a little kid.”

Rosie Brennan

Rosie Brennan did just about every outdoor winter sport before her mom made her choose. They had had a great time watching cross country skiing during the Olympics at Soldier Hollow during the 2002 Olympics, so that’s what she chose. Today, she’s one of the top-ranked skiers in the world and competing at her second Olympics.

“Sport has brought me, honestly, just about everything. I am so thankful for the opportunities that I've had. It's putting a challenge out there and working hard towards it. Oftentimes you come up short and have to learn how to take that shortcoming, process it, figure out what went well, what didn't go well and then work up the courage to take what you learned and apply it again.”

Brendan Newby

Halfpipe skier Brendan Newby was born in Ireland but grew up in Orem. When he was four, his father took him to Brighton. Young Bubba, as he is known to friends today, was hooked. He made his first Olympic team for Ireland in 2018 and is back again, along with countryman and fellow Irish snowboarder Seamus O’Connor, another Utah transplant.

“Utah is probably one of the most fun places to grow up. I'm a mountain biker and dirt biker as well, and I can basically go 20 minutes in any direction and have insanely good stuff to ride. If you want to be a winter sport Olympian, Utah is kind of the place to do it for literally any sport because of the 2002 Games and because the [service name="utah-olympic-legacy-foundation"]Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation[/service] has kept up all of the facilities so well.”

Izzy and Zoe Atkin

The young Atkin sisters, Izzy and Zoe, were passionate about winter sport. So a family move to Park City when they were young gave a dream playground and a strong club program to build their skills. Skiing for their mother’s homeland of Great Britain, in 2018 Izzy won Olympic bronze in slopestyle skiing. This time, she’s bring along younger sister Zoe who competes in halfpipe skiing.

“It's just a really great place to be because everyone loves just to be outside and to do what they love to do like skiing and snowboarding, being outdoors. A lot of people have that athlete mindset. I went to the Winter Sports School - a whole school of winter sports athletes. It was great to be in that community. We all pushed each other. Everyone just kind of has that drive to be outside and have fun, but also to push themselves in sport.” - Zoe Atkin

“Yeah, (PyeongChang 2018) was incredible. It was the first experience I'd ever had like that -  to have all those incredibly driven athletic people in one bubble and getting to know other people's stories, how they got to where they are today. That mindset in the village is super motivating. It was just an amazing experience for me to even go there.” - Izzy Atkin

Nick Page

Still a teen, Nick Page grew up in Park City skiing moguls with Wasatch Freestyle. In Beijing, he led Team USA finishing fifth as his family watched from home. He and friends like Olympic teammate Cole McDonald are the future of freestyle skiing - just fun-loving young athletes who love ripping around the mountain.

“I think a big part of (the Utah sport culture) comes from the Salt Lake Olympics, and all the infrastructure that's been left in place for us to keep using. At [service name="deer-valley"]Deer Valley Resort[/service], we ski on Champion, the Olympic run. We train at the Utah Olympic Park. I know the Oval down in Salt Lake gets so much action. We're able to repurpose all that from 2002 and put it all back into the community to build these current level athletes, which is really special. I don't think that's something that always happens once a city has an Olympics.”

Check out this episode of Last Chair to hear from Utah’s own Team USA athletes, and learn more about how sport is positively impacting kids in the state.

Park City Nation 

As the home of the most concentrated collection of Olympic venues in the state, the Park City Nation boasts 54 Olympians in Beijing from a half-dozen nations. Since the 2002 Olympics and Paralympics, the Youth Sports Alliance has introduced thousands of boys and girls to sport through its Get Out and Play and other programs. While every four years it gives locals a source of Olympic pride, what’s even more beneficial is the positive impact that sport has in providing life skills to kids of all ages and backgrounds.

Youth Sports Alliance

Formed following the 2002 Olympic Games, the Youth Sports Alliance introduces kids to sports and inspires them to keep moving throughout their lives. It provides a wide range of after-school programming to keep kids active through Get Out and Play and other programs, while also serving as a pipeline to winter sport clubs and competitions. One of its most valuable assets is the Stein Eriksen YSA Opportunity Endowment, a $2-million need-based scholarship fund for competitive athletes.

When now Utah Senator Mitt Romney, who headed the 2002 organizing committee, needed a right hand man, he tabbed his colleague Fraser Bullock for the job. It was a crazy adventure managing thousands of staff, tens of thousands of volunteers and global entourages of teams across more than a dozen sports.

In this episode of Last Chair, we reminisce on 2002 memories and look into the future with Salt Lake City-Utah already America’s Choice.

Before we get into the Olympics, let’s talk skiing.

My favorite sport is being on top of a mountain, looking at the beautiful views and just letting it fly down the slope. Doesn't get any better than that.

What was the key to assembling a strong team to run the 2002 Games?

When I first started, the team was 225 people and there were some really, really capable people that were there already. But we needed to grow to 50,000 at Games time, including volunteers and contractors. One of the things that I have realized during my career, it's all about the team. You have to have incredible capability. You have to have a team orientation of working well together. You have to have unity.

You went on the torch relay not that long after 9-11. What did that mean to you?

I went just a few days before Christmas and I was able to go to Philadelphia, and this was right after 9-11, and Washington, DC and then New York. All very significantly impacted by 911. And we would go down the streets and see thousands of people gathering and cheering us on, and we'd pass by a firefighter station and and and just thank them for their service. But then going to the White House and being there with President Bush. And then up to New York and having the torch run through Manhattan with tens of thousands of people is something I'll never forget.

Many say one of the keys to the success of the 2002 Games was the people of Utah.

Yeah, it really is. Our secret sauce of how our games became seen as so special is because of the people we have here, the welcoming attitude, the friendliness, the hard work. It is a state of volunteerism in helping and we just tapped into that potential and magnified it and showed it to the world.

The legacy of 2002 is still felt today. A full third of Team USA in Beijing makes Utah home!

Its legacy at its best - because the athletes are the heart of the Games. They're the top priority and we kind of live a little bit vicariously through them. But this legacy continues forward because now this next generation that is competing in Beijing. It's so exciting to read about their stories that they're the kid that grew up down the block. That's amazing. But then it also lays the foundation into a potential future Games and can we continue that legacy or even better, expand that legacy?

Where do we stand on a future Games in Utah?

We're in the midst of putting a plan together for a future Games. A lot of it's done. But we are the choice of the USOPC for a future Games. Now we just need the IOC to select us. Ideally, 2030, if we can make all the pieces come together to work for that. But regardless of which year will be pushing hard? Very much this year, and we think the second half of the year will have a lot of interesting activity.

What other international cities are you watching?

I have the philosophy of cheering on any city that's willing to step forward in this important Olympic movement. So when I hear their names, I'm saying, good for you and we wish you the very best. We want the IOC to make the best selection, and we think that we are a marvelous selection. 

Years later, Alf Engen would become intimately connected with Alta as its director of skiing. He became a figurehead for the sport and a friendly face who floated through powder on the flanks of High Rustler. He introduced thousands to the sport through his engagement with the Alta and Deseret News ski schools. He would later turn the reins over to son Alan, who succeeded him in the role.

Father and son both became iconic figures in Utah ski history, both inducted into the Intermountain and U.S. Halls of Fame. Alan became an instrumental figure in archiving the history of skiing in Utah with his books, the 1998 For the Love of Skiing, and 2002 First Tracks.

"As I was growing up, I saw my father and uncles as living day representatives of winter legends of Norse mythology. I imagined all of the Engen brothers with their great physical strength, competitive drive and love of winter as evolving into skiing icons. And in truth, they actually have." - Alan Engen

This episode of Last Chair offers fascinating insights into the legend of Alf Engen and the lore of skiing in Utah. Here are a few snippets of the interview with Alan Engen. Listen in to Last Chair to learn more. <add direct link to podcast when you have it posted>

Alan, as the son of Alf Engen I suspect you began skiing at an early age in Utah?

I'll tell you a little story that comes from my mother, not me. But my mother was always fond of telling how I came into this world. The doctor who delivered me put tongue depressors on the bottom of my feet and then proudly handed me over to my father. So, that being the case, I've added a little extra to the story by saying I came pretty close to being born on skis.

Growing up in Utah in the ‘40s and ‘50s, how did you see skiing grow?

I knew that skiing was growing. I was going up to Alta just about every chance that I had to ski and I could watch the traffic and I could see more and more cars coming up to Alta all the time. So I knew the sport was on the map, but I didn't know exactly how it was going to grow. And I think my father played a big role in helping to develop that growth through the Deseret News Ski School. Because it was a free ski school, it was a community outreach. And that brought in virtually thousands of people that got their first start of skiing through the Deseret Ski School.

Your father was a competitive athlete and later an instructor. How did that influence you?

I taught, but I taught as an amateur, not as a professional. And I grew up in competition. Dad told me at a very early age, he said, ‘Alan, you don't have to follow me in competition if you don't want to. But, I'll give you one piece of advice. If you want to be an instructor, be an instructor. If you want to be a champion skier and in athletic competition, do that. But don't try to do them both at the same time because the temperament isn't the same.

How did your father Alf Engen get connected with what was to become Alta?

Dad was hired by the Forest Service in the mid-1930s to go up and start taking a look at potential ski areas. One of the first that he talked about was Alta, because it had been around for a lot of years as a mining town. They knew it had plenty of good snow, but they wanted to see whether it would actually be good for a ski area. And dad skied up over Catherine's pass from Brighton into Alta. And stayed with a couple of miners by the name of the Jacobsen brothers. That was the only way dad could get into Alta at that time. He did it in the middle of the winter, so he had to hike in. That was a powerful skier. He had strong legs so he could go through that deep snow all the way over Catherine's Pass. He dropped into the Albion Basin. It was a great place for a ski area, but the miners had denuded all of the tree coverage that held back the avalanches and dad. He went back to the Forest Service and said, ‘You know, yes, let's go ahead and develop the area. But for gosh sakes, we've got to put new trees in there, so it'll hold back the avalanches.

How did Alta’s signature run, High Rustler, come to be attached to your father?

In the early days of Alta, in the 1940s, the run itself, the mountainside, was actually used and skiers would come up and they would hike up. They even put a little tow in there. But it eventually developed into a place that was very prominent at Alta. People would see it firsthand when they would come in. And in the 1980s, as a tribute to my father because it was such a prominent run, they renamed it Alf's High Rustler.

Did you take a lot of pride in following in his footsteps?

Well, I don't think anybody really follows in my dad's footsteps. He said some pretty deep tracks for me to follow, but I always had him as my idol. I truly felt that of all of the athletes I had the privilege of knowing in my lifetime, I thought my father was the one that I'd like to most closely emulate.

Alf Engen Ski Museum

Today’s Alf Engen Ski Museum, located at the Utah Olympic Park just off I-80 in Park City, is considered one of the finest ski museums in the world. In addition to showcasing Alf’s hundreds of trophies, it features an in-depth history of the sport, especially in the Intermountain West. The museum is free and features a host of interactive exhibits that are especially fun for kids. 

“When we were talking to dad a little bit about having a ski museum, he says. ‘you gotta make it interesting for the kids,’” said Alan Engen. “He said, ‘build it around the kids so the kids have an interest and they can see what is happening with the ski sport and they will want to become a part of it.’”

Doppelmayr, which is located not far from the Salt Lake City International Airport, has a  history in Utah going back to the 1970s. One of its predecessor companies, CTEC, was founded here. It later morphed into Garaventa, and then became a part of Doppelmayr, an Austrian company with a history going back 125 years.

Utah is a big customer itself for the company, with over a hundred lifts in the state including the Garaventa-built Snowbird tram, now over 50 years old and still one of the most iconic ski lifts in the world, and the brand new Outlaw Express high-speed quad that opened at Sundance just before Christmas.

In many ways, the future of lift technology is already here with products like Doppelmayr’s revamped detachable technology in D Line lifts, which are soon to come to Utah. Its tri-cable 3S line, featuring high-capacity, long span gondolas like the new Eiger Express in Switzerland and Whistler/Blackcomb’s Peak-to-Peak Gondola, may also find a future home in the state.

A passionate skier herself, Katharina Schmitz grew up in Austria, coming to America with her engineering degree to forge a career in the automotive and aerospace industries, before landing in Utah with Doppelmayr in 2018. 

It’s a fascinating interview that will explain current trends in uphill transportation, showcase future innovations and even take a look into the proposed Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola and how Doppelmayr’s triple-cable 3S technology could make a difference. She even speaks to the growing importance of WiFi in lift cabins!

Katharina, tell us more about Doppelmayr.

We have around 3,500 employees, about half of those are in Austria. The rest of us are scattered throughout the world across about 50 subsidiaries. The North American market is a key part of that, so we typically make up around 15 percent of the group's revenue. In really strong years, we were a little bit closer to 20 percent, so we certainly have a lot of attention from our group's headquarters and a lot of support as well.

Why is Utah a good home for a lift company like Doppelmayr?

Having a very business friendly environment certainly is a factor now. In addition to that, having several world class resorts right in our backyard is a real benefit. It helps us to collaborate closely with customers, not only in Utah but throughout the West. And having a Delta hub here is really nice to visit the rest of our customers throughout the country.

The history of aerial tramways in Utah goes back to hauling mining ore in the 1800s. How has the ski lift industry evolved from there?

Yes, it started with material transport and Doppelmayr still has a material transportation segment. But the core market for us is transporting people. We have seen a lot of evolution from the first surface lift in, I think, 1937, that Doppelmayr built in Austria that really started the company's ropeway business. Then if you look from there and how fast we came to the first detachable around 1970 or so, the innovation since then has just been mind blowing. So I think it shifted the profile as to what ropeways are used for or used in.

What’s the coolest lift installation you’ve seen in the world?

I have a personal favorite, which is the Stoosbahn in Switzerland. It is a funicular and it has barrel shaped compartments that have a leveling floor, so you always stay horizontal. It's the steepest funicular in the world and it is the most unique ride. You're going up this amazing incline and then through a little tunnel and come out on the other side. It serves as public transport, as well as access to a smaller ski area that's car free. And it's just an amazing installation, a really fun ride.

In your three seasons here in Utah, any favorite runs?

Well, I'm not as territorial since I'm not native Utahn, but I very much enjoy long runs. So I really do like some of the runs up at Snowbasin - off John Paul or Needles - that are just making for a good, long, fast run.

With the move from quads to six-packs and now to eight-packs, what are the important factors?

Terrain and alignment certainly are the big and obvious ones. Capacity is a big topic these days. And how many people do you want to move up the mountain per hour comes with a few different factors. Lift speed is certainly a factor, but also how many carriers you have. While you typically want to go up the mountain fast, you want to be really slow going through the terminal. And so we found in recent years that having slower carriers through the stations, having longer loading intervals really helps with keeping the lift running and not having any misloads as you go. So that also explains a little bit why you see lifts with, let's say, six or eight seater chairs so you can have fewer carriers, longer loading intervals, and you would still have the same capacity doing that.

So it’s not just about capacity?

In essence, with an eight seater, you would have a higher ultimate capacity. Most resorts don't strive for that per se. They're trying to get a certain capacity. And then it's a question on how comfortable you want your load interval to be. Increasing the load interval is a big topic and it ties into one of these other big factors - the level of skier that really uses that lift. If you have a beginner area, that's maybe one of the most important factors is making sure you can load them. If you have, you know, an alignment where it's all expert skiers, that's probably not your concern and you'll be looking for some other factors.

I recall the old Park City gondola being a great place to develop a relationship with a 25-minute ride. Modern lift technology has really changed that, hasn’t it?

<laughing> Yes, you have to be efficient about your conversation, that's for sure.

Her breakthrough came after an all-day drive out I-80 to California, sleeping overnight freezing in her car in a ski area parking lot, then hucking herself off a huge cliff doing a trick she had never attempted. She didn’t know it at the time, but she had found fear, embraced it and danced with fear to become one of the world’s most well known big mountain skiers and film stars, with her image beaming from the covers of ski magazines.

Today, Ulmer is a thought leader, high performance facilitator, and fear/anxiety expert who draws from her tenure as the best woman extreme skier in the world, studying Zen and from facilitating thousands of clients.

What is it about fear that oftentimes defines what we do, or don’t do? What does it take to become fearless (Ulmer says it isn’t possible, so don’t try). And how can we improve our lives, and our skiing, if we simply embrace fear?

Ulmer still lives in the Salt Lake City foothills and channels her energy into helping others. Her book, The Art of Fear, is a fascinating look into how you, as a business leader, skier or everyday human, can embrace fear. Her on-snow camps (which, by the way, sell out) counsel skiers and riders on how they, too, can embrace fear to improve their skiing.

She’s worked with the likes of free solo climber Alex Hannawald to big wave surfer Laird Hamilton. But she also loves working with everyday skiers and riders - just like you and I!

Kristen Ulmer is one of the truly fascinating figures in the landscape of Utah skiing. This episode of Last Chair is a fascinating insight into a Hall of Fame skier whose understanding of embracing fear has shaped her life and the lives of those around her.

How did you get into skiing?

I grew up in New Hampshire in a small town - Pat's Peak ski area, 700 vertical feet. I grew up in a house that was built in 1786 and it hadn't been remodeled. Now think about that for a sec. I just went skiing with my girlfriends because that's what they did. And then right around age 15, 16, I became really into skiing and I would skip out of school to go skiing during lunch breaks. And then I finally got caught my senior year. I almost didn't get to graduate because I had so many detentions from skipping school to go skiing. But I skied in jeans until I was 20 years old.

What motivated you to get into skiing as a career?

I had absolutely no goals whatsoever, and this is probably one of the strangest things about my ski career. I also was like the last person to be chosen for elementary and high school, not just soccer, but sports teams - like I was not athletic at all, and I just was obsessed with skiing when I moved to Snowbird in Utah. I started hanging out with a bunch of people that were competing in moguls, and I just wanted to hang out with them and go on road trips. So that's why I started competing.

What does it mean to be fearless?

People misunderstand people they admire who do incredibly scary things, whether it be skiing or people who run the world or, you know, businessmen and women - people that take incredible risks in any way, shape or form. We have this perception and this ideology that these people are fearless and that is not the case. Nobody's fearless. When I first became a fear expert, I Googled it and I realized that there's no other people out there that are willing to call themselves fear experts because we assume that people that are fear experts, A, are fearless and B, can teach other people how to be fearless. And I am neither of those. Nobody's fearless. It's not only impossible, but it's undesirable.

Did you feel fear when you hucked that first cliff in front of the cameras?

Well, you'd think that fear would be going through somebody's mind. It never even occurred to me to be afraid that day. And you know, it's a pretty big cliff - your first cliff. And to do a back scratcher, which you've never done, mind you, in front of a whole bunch of very famous skiers that were in all the magazines and, you know, film stars like, you'd think that I would have been a little bit afraid, but I wasn't.

Learn more about how you can embrace fear. Check out more with Kristen Ulmer on Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

As a graphical designer in the ‘90s, Niehues was looking for a change in direction. He had grown up in western Colorado, not really as a skier but someone who appreciated the sport. He had left an advertising business in Grand Junction and moved to Denver. He had followed the work of Hal Shelton and, more currently, Bill Brown and the captivating trail maps they developed. So he tracked down Brown, got a test assignment and ultimately took over as the ski map painter of the time.

As he neared retirement a few years ago, friends urged him to document his life in a book. A fundraising campaign got the project off the ground. And the result is a keepsake every skier is going to want to have.

Last Chair caught up with Niehues in his studio, finishing up on projects and trying to keep up with the fan mail his book Man Behind the Maps has generated. In the interview he details his life as an artist and walks through the dramatically detailed process of creating a trail map painting from aerial photography to projecting onto canvas, airbrushing shading and painting in every tree - starting with the shadows!

It’s a fascinating look into an unlikely sport hero who has brought so much joy to tens of millions of skiers worldwide in his career.

But as he saw his season shortened and glaciers receding, he decided to fight back. He started Protect Our Winters in 2007, uniting skiers and snowboarders in the fight against climate change. Today, POW has become a driving force for systemic change.

While Jones finds his true home in the mountains, he has become comfortable in Washington, speaking to Congress and advocating for legislation. His background in storytelling and film has led him to pushing his message out in features like the 2020 release of Purple Mountains.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn in this episode of Last Chair with Jeremy Jones.

Jeremy you’re one of the planet’s most well-known big mountain riders. How did it all begin?

My parents fell in love with the mountains later in life, and they basically started dragging my brothers and I. We grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We would go up to Vermont, where my grandfather had a house (Stowe). I think that it's probably just the creativity of it and that connection with nature and it's always changing, you know, just overtook my life and still has to this day.

What first triggered your awareness of climate change?

As a teen, I remember that we always had a newspaper at the table in the morning. I saw global warming in the paper and I was like, ‘I don't like the sounds of that.’ At that point I was snowboarding the golf courses on Cape Cod, and I'm like, ‘why doesn't it snow anymore? It always piqued my interest because I never liked the sounds of global warming.

How is Protect Our Winters making a difference?

At Protect Our Winters we only have so much energy, so we have to focus on the big levers. Large scale CO2 reduction needs to happen through policy. We're not going to recycle our way out of this climate mess is the reality. And that's why we focus our attention at Protect Our Winters on policy. It’s understanding who your elected officials are, what their stance is on climate.

Check out more with Jeremy Jones on Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

Check out these stats: 25 World Cup wins, five crystal globes, five World Championship titles and two Olympic gold medals. Not a bad career for the Utah native.

With a growing family (wife Mia and three sons) back home and his Utah-based global business, Shred, Ligety decided to retire last February. And he's anxious to make a few fun runs of his own on the slopes of Utah's Deer Valley Resort this winter.

This blockbuster season three opening episode of Last Chair will introduce you to the Park City native and take you inside his view of skiing. Here's some of what's in store on Last Chair.

• Some of his own faves for skiing in Utah.
• How an Olympic defeat in 2010 inspired him to the greatest years of his career. 
• His favorite GoPro edit. 
• From an athlete who's skied in over 50 countries, his global favorites. 
• His best date night dinner back home. 
• And, of course, his favorite High West whiskey.

How old were you when mom and dad trusted you to be on your own at the resort?
I think it was pretty young, probably like five or six years old. So I tell that to my wife, Mia, and she's like, 'No way! We're not leaving Jax to the mountain like next year or the year after. But yeah, like, I think when I was seven, maybe eight, I would take my younger brother - so pretty young age ripping around the mountains. And it was fun. I mean, it's such an awesome way to grow up and explore.

Ted, you weren't viewed as a future star as a junior racer. Did hard work make the difference?
One hundred percent! What was good about not being dominant at a young age was that I had to work harder. I had that work ethic instilled, had that hunger instilled in me. I was forced to take risks and explore and ask different questions than guys that were good. 

You're now a ski ambassador for Deer Valley, a role Stein Eriksen held for many years. What do you remember of him from growing up here?
I grew up skiing in Deer Valley and watching Stein ski, and it was funny. As a kid you would kind of make fun of Stein's style - he had a very distinct style. I skied with him on the NASTAR course once when I was probably like 14 years old. all of a sudden he was like, wham, right into amodern race stance and like beating all of us 13, 14 year olds. And he was probably in his 70s then. Stein was still a competitive guy even even later on. And, you know, he was an inspiration, for sure, growing up here.

Ted, what's the spirit that motivates you?
"I love just being out in the outdoors, being in the mountains, especially when there's snow on them. It's like a cleansing feeling being out there - this freedom to go fast, ski down a hill, the wind in your face. It's exhilarating. It's just magical being on the mountains,

Check out more with Ted Ligety on Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery and Saloon on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

Growing up in Utah, Ted Ligety was influenced by great champions like Stein Eriksen. In 2013, he matched the record of three gold medals in one World Championship, a mark held by Eriksen, Toni Sailer and Jean-Claude Killy. A pretty prestigious group of champions for the kid from Park City. (Tom Kelly)

Perry has spent his entire career on the tops of mountains, from the Canadian Rockies to Colorado. Today he serves as executive vice president, environment, social, governance for Alterra Mountain Company, with resorts around the USA and Canada, including Utah's own Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort. His passion for being a good steward of our mountain landscapes runs deep.

While Perry works for Alterra, his impact is broad. In the highly competitive world of ski resorts, one topic brings all skiers and snowboarders together - preserving our environment for the future.

When did you really develop your passion for sustainability?
I really gained an education about what environmental activism was about when I got to Colorado and realized that, you know what, we've got this pristine natural environment and we're not treating it with enough respect. And we're also, frankly, the true canaries in the coal mine. We are the people in the high mountain places that are witnessing the impacts of climate change firsthand. And that's still the case today, because we know this climate is changing. It's been really difficult to get people's attention on sustainability. But ski area operators, skiers, snowboarders, mountain lovers - they know it's happening.

How is the resort industry working together?
Our industry association - the National Ski Areas Association - has a really robust roadmap for how to tackle environmental sustainability in our industry. A lot of work's been done. Alterra is a leader, Vail Resorts is really on board as a leader, as well as POWDR Corp and Boyne. We've rallied around a set of action steps that we should all focus upon.

What is the outlook 25 years from now?
There are two possible futures. The future I like to believe is possible is us coming together within a short number of years, reducing our CO2 emissions and our carbon footprint to a degree where we can slow, stop and then even reverse climate change in the coming years and decades. That's a global effort. But we need to do our part. There's also a picture of the future that I don't like to believe that we're going to allow to happen as human beings. We have the power to clean up our environment, to reduce - get off - our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce the carbon output, reduce CO2 in our atmosphere and stabilize our climate. It's in our hands.

In this week's podcast with Alterra leader David Perry, you'll learn about sustainability, plus a lot more about Perry's fascinating connectivity with the sport, the environment and Utah.

• Who was his early mentor in the Canadian Rockies?
• How does his hobby tie together his passion for mountain landscapes.
• How did he lead a mutually beneficial effort for sustainability with a coal mine?

If you are a skier, snowboarder or just love life in the mountains, this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery is an important listen for you. You can find Last Chair on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

Areas of Sustainability Focus
The topic of sustainability is complex. What is the science? How does it impact our future? What can we do about it? David Perry identified several broad areas of engagement - for the resort industry and for each of us as skiers and snowboarders. Listen to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcastto learn more.

Energy
"Number one is energy," said Perry. How can resorts and all of us better use renewable energy? "The move to renewable energy to sustain operations, to run our lifts, our buildings, our snowmaking systems and everything on 100% renewable or create enough energy to offset your energy use. in Utah, Rocky Mountain Power is moving very aggressively to wean the power grid there off of fossil fuels, coal, natural gas fired plants and move to renewables - wind and solar primarily."

Climate Action and Advocacy
Sometimes we need to make our voices heard! "I call it climate action and advocacy," said Perry. "We as mountain enthusiasts and ski areas can use our voice to talk to others to say, 'we've experienced climate change firsthand and we're doing what we can in our town or in our environment to clean it up.'" How can skiers help? Talk to others, talk to your state and federal representatives. Talk with your action and your supporting words.

Good Stewards of Our Habitat
How do we protect our habitat? Are we good stewards of our natural resources? "It's everything from water resources to our forest health and habitat, making sure that we are operating our ski areas in our beautiful mountain places really responsibly," said Perry. Resorts watch for run off that can damage wildlife habitat, and monitor forest health for pine beetle epidemics or wildfire danger - impacts of climate change.

Recycling is a basic tenet of being a good steward. "Waste reduction, composting and recycling are really critical elements of living a sustainable lifestyle," said Perry. "But we as operators also have to provide that to make it seamless and easy to do. If you go from place to place and there's no obvious place to recycle your glass and aluminum and it all goes in the trash in the landfill, speak up saying, 'why do you not have recycling bins here?'"

Transportation
Simple as it may sound, car pooling makes a difference. So does taking the bus or advocating for cleaner fuels for buses. "People today have to burn fossil fuels to get to our ski areas, to enjoy their favorite pastime," said Perry. "Are you willing to drive less? Are you willing to look at a hybrid vehicle, an all-electric vehicle as the grid is starting to support that."

Expansion of bus service, like was done in Big Cottonwood Canyon, will reduce car traffic. "It's essential we use our mass transit or shared transit options and we have to improve them," said Perry. "That's one way to reduce our fossil fuel burning habits. It's an essential sense of social responsibility."

Engaging Together
Each of us can do our own part by being good stewards of our landscape. Banded to...

A century ago Ogden was the crossroads of the west as a vital rail junction. Today, it's revitalized as a ski town with 25th street downtown teeming with restaurants and bars, and the outdoor industry calling Ogden home. At the core of Ogden's energization is Kym Buttschardt of Rooster's Brewing Company, who lives and breathes her community.

Kym Buttschardt stands high atop Snowbasin with Strawberry in the background in a stunning alpine scene.

In the past quarter century, a renaissance has turned Ogden into a thriving ski town. Taking full advantage of the 2002 Olympic leadup, two pioneering mayors and business leaders like Buttschardt, rallied the town. New and innovative tourist-oriented businesses opened downtown. And Ogden became a calling card for leading ski and outdoor industry brands who moved their national operations to the outdoor-oriented town.

What was the catalyst for all of this? It's a community that thrives on outdoor recreation, from biking to hiking to kayaking and skiing. From the heart of downtown Ogden, you can drive to Snowbasin, Powder Mountain or Nordic Valley in about 30-35 minutes. Or, take the bus.

In this week's podcast with Ogden skier, entrepreneur and community leader Kym Buttschardt, you'll learn:

• How a World Cup parade signaled big changes in Ogden.
• Why the outdoor industry found such a home in the city.
• Which of the original Rooster's brews is still available but only on draft? (think chocolate)
• Her favorite ski run? (not for the faint of heart)

What did you find interesting about skiing when you started out as a young girl in Ogden?
Just the freedom of it - the total freedom of it. And just kind of the coolness and I still feel like that as a 50-something year old woman. I just still get such a rush from being outside and breathing the cold air or sitting in the sunshine.

How have you seen downtown Ogden evolve since you opened before the Olympics?
We were young, in our mid-20s. We were kind of one of the ones who planted our flag. And then what's happened on 25th Street since then is just beautiful to my heart. I love walking out, looking up at the mountains, looking at my neighbor restaurants and friends around there. There's something very special about it.

How did the community engineer this renaissance?
It really was a combined recruiting effort. We do a lot with a little up here in Ogden. Mayor Godfrey, at the time, had decided, with the input from residents, that the vision of our town was going to be an outdoor adventure place. The GOAL Foundation was born right after the Olympics, which is a big thing for us up here. It's a volunteer organization that can bring all those wonderful events and support them with volunteers. "We just got together with our friends and said, 'how are we going to make this happen?' And we did it together and keep doing it together today.

Join us for a beer in the ski town of Ogden in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcastpresented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

Brewmaster Steve Kirkland was employee #1 when Rooster's first opened its doors in 1995. The Chicago-area native still wears a Bears mask but has long settled down in Utah, recognized as one of the best brewers in the state. He made a nice selection of six beers for Last Chair.

• Bee's Knees Honey Wheat: A light-bodied, crisp ale, slightly sweet with a touch of honey flavor. 5% Alcohol by Volume.
• Rude Ram Red: A bold, malty, ruby red ale with notes of roasted barley and caramel, perfectly balanced with Loral hops. 7% ABV
• Snowbasin 80th Anniversary Pale Ale: A special edition beer released for Snowbasin, it's an easy-drinking, copper-colored pale ale with a hint of caramel malt and bright, hoppy finish. 5% ABV
• Ogden Double IPA: A big beer weighing in at 8% ABV, this ale is dominated by hops both bitter and aromatic with finishing notes of pine and tropical fruit.
• B Street Blackberry Cream Ale: A medium-bodied, 6% beer brewed with blackberry puree added right in the fermenter. This lends a hint of blackberry without overwhelming the palate.
• Untamed Juicy IPA: A cracker-y malt base is complimented by the citrusy New Zealand Southern Cross hop that is added both in the boil and in the fermenter for an extra punch! 7% ABV.

GOAL Foundation: Get Out and Live
One of the legacies of the 2002 Olympics and Paralympics in Ogden is the GOAL Foundation. It was designed as a catalyst for Ogden's outdoor lifestyle, galvanizing the community and volunteers to support outdoor events. Nearly two decades later, it continues to thrive.

The Bonanza Express base at Park City Mountain is a vital crossroads at the resort. Skiers glide down from the Payday and Town lifts, anxious to make their way uphill. At the same time, others are carving down from Pioneer and McConkey, all congregating at the high speed six-pack. Over a century ago, the location was a vital part of the local economy as hundreds of miners extracted nearly 500 tons of ore a day during Park City's silver boom.

For the next few hours, we'll ski back in time to the heydays of silver. Across the mountain west, it's not unusual to find old mines on ski mountains. But it's rare to find the 19th century structures so well preserved. Ski Utah's Last Chair podcast will provide you with a self-guided historical tour around the mountain. And watch for the return of the guided Silver to Slopes tour next season.

In this week's podcast with historian and ski guide Sandy Melville, you'll learn:

• Craziest question from a mountain guest
• How mining and skiing came together in the '60s
• Sandy's favorite High West whiskey brand
• What's the significance of 'apex law'?
• What role did Dr. Snow play in mining to skiing history?

Join us for a step back in time in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

Silver to Slopes Virtual Tour
It's easy to learn more about Park City Mountain's historical mining sites. Here's an easy-to-follow tour, with interpretive signs at each stop.

+View easy-to-follow tour map

Silver King Coalition Mine
Start at the Park City Mountain base on Payday Express, or downtown Park City on the Town Lift. From there, simply ski down to the Bonanza Express and you'll find yourself in the midst of the old Silver King mine, the most viewed mining site on the mountain.

The Silver King was one Park City's 'big three' mines with claims developed in the 1880s and incorporated in 1892. An aerial tramway was added in 1901 to transport ore down to the railroad. The shaft closed in 1953 as metal prices declined. In its day, it was a hugely profitable mine.

In the mid-70s the buildings of the Silver King Mine were used for several years as a training center for the U.S. Ski Team. The center didn't work out well, but the team has remained in Park City, where it still makes its home today. In 1987, the huge boarding house was moved 500 vertical feet uphill to its present location as Mid Mountain Lodge just above the Pioneer and McConkey lifts.

In a mid-60s view from the original Treasure Mountains gondola, the remnants of the Silver King mine sprawl around the area presently occupied by the Bonanza Express lift.

Silver to Slopes guide Sandy Melville displays two ore samples - one contains silver, one is, well, just a rock.

California-Comstock Mine
From the Silver King Mine, take the Bonanza Express six-pack up the mountain. Then ski down Homerun to Mid Mountain Meadows, skiing towards the historic Mid Mountain Lodge then hop onto Pioneer. From the top of Pioneer, ski down Keystone. Don't go too fast. About two-thirds of the way down, look down to the rising slope on the other side of Thaynes Canyon to see the California-Comstock Mine.

In the late 1800s, the two neighboring mines tended to have conflict on who owned what once they were underground. The Comstock Mine was incorporated in London in 1882. By 1890 it had a boardinghouse for 50 men on site. The California Mine was incorporated in 1897. By 1905, the two had merged. Unlike the Silver King, the mine location was quite a long ways away from the railroad, with travel on dirt roads. It was acquired by King Con in 1918 and then to Silver King Coalition in 1924.

Today, the remaining structure is one of the most photographed on the mountain. It's aging beams and gorgeous masonry was stabilized in recent years by Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History and Vail Resorts, as well as recovering a huge stone crusher

Thaynes Shaft 
Just a few hundred meters down the canyon is one of the most spectacular sites on the mountain, the Thaynes Shaft. To get up close, you can cut through the woods off Keystone or Thaynes Canyon just after California-Comstock.

The Thaynes complex is one of the newer of the old mines, with the shaft sunk in 1937 by Silver King Coalition to reach the Spiro Tunnel. The work was based on depression-era incentives from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was one of many mines in Thaynes Canyon that were productive, but its shaft was closed to mining in 1947.

To exit, just slide over the Thaynes lift or continue on down the canyon to either Motherlode or King Con.

The Thaynes Shaft was one of many mines in Thaynes Canyon, which connects the Jupiter, Thaynes, Motherlode and King Con lifts.

Skier Subway
One of the fascinating 'modern day' use of the Thaynes Shaft was its role in the famed Skier's Subway operated for four seasons beginning in 1965. Skiers would board mine cars at the Spiro Tunnel (at today's Silver Star base area), riding three miles into the mountain then riding the Thaynes Shaft elevator 1,700 feet up to the base of the Thaynes lift.

An innovative concept from the mining company to get skiers back to the new chairlift, it was fraught with problems and wasn't the most pleasant experience for skiers. Today you can visit the Spiro Tunnel opening at the Silver Star base and see the exit point next to the Thaynes lift.

Preserving Mining History
The preservation of mining history is an important cause in the Park City community. The silver mining heritage is an important piece of the town's history. At the Park City Museum on historic Main Street, you can relive the mining days and even see an actual Skier Subway ore car.

An offshoot of the Park City Museum, the Friends of Mountain Mining History has been a crucial advocate for preservation of the 20 historic mine structures on Park City's mountain trails. Vail Resorts and Park City Mountain have been valuable partners in the stabilization of the Thaynes conveyor, King Con counterweight, California Comstock mill, and the Jupiter ore bin among other sites.

Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History

Park City Museum

Utah's

Sullivan was born in the midwest but moved to western Colorado when he was 10. His uncle loved to explore and took him on trips to nearby Moab to explore Canyonlands, getting engaged in hiking and mountain biking - exploring the mountain west landscape. He started hanging around his uncle's girlfriend's outdoor shop, getting a complete immersion in outdoor sport.

Working in ski, bike and outdoor shops growing up, at college in Durango and later in Boulder, helped develop his pathway. He put his own stamp on the business starting Cloudveil, and later Stio.

Today, Stio has a growing footprint in Utah with a concept store on Park City's historic Main Street, a partnership with Ski Utah and a thriving direct-to-consumer brand that provides him with a flow of customer feedback that fuels product development.

His interview with Ski Utah's Last Chair podcast provides real insight into the power of the mountain west culture into a brand that is rapidly gaining popularity. Here's just a sample. Listen to Last Chair to learn more.

How did you get into the outdoor clothing business?
One of the reasons I got into the apparel business was just going through my youth, always being cold and wet and wearing some old hand me downs. But I really learned a lot about the climate. And I became really fascinated about textiles and what different textiles could do to add to your enjoyment and performance in the outdoors.

How do the desert and mountains in Utah combine to form such a special lifestyle?
The desert is one of the great powers. The mountains, the desert, the oceans - I'm still entranced by it. I've always thought it was a really powerful place and a place of unbelievable changes in climate. I've done a lot of skiing in Moab in the La Sal's. It can be just absolutely superb spring skiing down there. I truly love the desert. I feel like it is one of those powers in the world, like the mountains. One of the coolest things about Utah is you guys have this unbelievable topography - the state is so diverse. It's just amazing. And you have the Wasatch and and the unbelievable mountains up near Salt Lake and then, you know, drive a few hours. And the next thing you know, you're in red rock country.

How would you define the mountain west culture?
There's just something different about living out here. There's something different about the people. There's something different about having to deal with the elements and the time spent outside, whether that's skiing or climbing or fly fishing or whatever it might be, kayaking, river running in the mountains. There's just a different culture out here. And it's a culture that is just so ingrained in my life and in our company. It makes a huge difference in the types of people that end up in the mountains are real. You have to deal with a lot of adverse weather and a completely different kind of change in seasons constantly. It's super ingrained in our brand because all of our employees live the outdoor lifestyle. 

There's plenty more in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast.

• Sulli's favorite Utah resort.
• Craziest outdoor activity he's ever undertaken (and there have been many).
• What he does outside skiing (just about everything)
• His fave High West brand.

Take a listen today. Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

About Stio's Roots
Stio was founded to inspire connection with the outdoors through beautiful, functional products infused with mountain soul. We draw inspiration from our everyday immersion in life here in Jackson Hole: days on local rivers, trails and Teton summits. Technical performance, quality and versatility are hallmarks you'll find in every piece of apparel we make, be it intended for epic alpine pursuits or the quieter moments of the mountain life.

Where to find Stio
Stio is a direct-to-consumer brand, available at www.stio.com.

You can also visit Stio's shop on Main Street in downtown Park City, Utah.

Founded as a gymnastics camp in the hills of Pennsylvania a half century ago, today the  Woodward brand is bringing progression in sport for kids of all ages to snow-covered mountains across America. This episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast take you to the brand new  Woodward Park City  which features a mountain sports park with progressive features and a fun-packed, kid-friendly indoor action sports hub with skate ramps, trampolines and more.

My guide for the day and podcast guest was the legend himself, freestyle skater and snowboarder Jeremy Jones, whose persona and sport background is a magnet for young athletes. A Utah native, Jones grew up skating as a kid but quickly morphed into snowboarding when it got too cold in the winter. He was hooked. Jones can tell you pretty much any urban rail or feature down in the city. But now he oversees snow programs for Woodward Park City, creating the same environment he had to search out in the city as a kid - but all self contained in a fabulous new indoor and outdoor facility right on I-80 between Salt Lake City and Park City.

Since opening for the 2019-20 season, Woodward has been a hit for locals and Utah visitors alike. It offers a crazy mountain park with a well-conceived progression of features, an indoor action sports hub and a tubing park. You can buy monthly or daily passes, then just reserve a session of your choice.

What really struck me about Woodward Park City was its welcoming atmosphere. If you've never been to a Woodward facility, you'll feel comfortable from the start. A start park will greet you when you walk onto the mountain. And up top, there's a right to left progression across the hill with everything from simple rollers and snow-level rail boxes, to 50-foot jumps and big rails.

The day Jeremy and I rode at Woodward, rising star Brock Crouch was in the house. Olympic champion Red Gerard had been there two days earlier before leaving for a film shoot. "All the pros are hitting me up to ride Park City," said Jones. "And I love it - I'm just 'yes, please come, test it out, tell me what you think, how can we make it better?'"

Jones told the story of a few days earlier when Crouch high-fived a group of campers on the hill. "This one kid was just - he got juiced up and he's like, 'hey, Brock, come watch this.' And he had that moment in front of one of the best professional competitive snowboarders. There's nothing more powerful than that experience. And, you know, that's just Woodward!"

What is Woodward's approach to sport?
When you walk in, you have start parks and progression parks and you can level up before you even get on the chair. You're going over rollers and berms and getting a carpet experience up the mountain. And so you learn gravity without having to get on a chair. And whether you have a lesson or you're just showing up, you can walk in there and start snowboarding in a totally safe environment. Every single hill and pitch in that is low enough grade and mellow enough and feeding you into the hill. There's nowhere for you to go. It's not a catcher's mitt. You're actually working against gravity. And we build it so that that's in your favor.

How have you integrated the stars of the sport at Woodward?
Red Gerard and Danny Davis - they're great snowboarders, the best there is - they're different generations. Danny has Peace Park, which is a really cool product, and he's built that up himself. It was really authentic and he wanted to share that with Woodward. We also piggybacked off Red's Colorado house where he has a little rail park at the back of their family home - Red's BKYD. We brought that in because people want that element of accessible snowboarding, how you can go in the streets, you can go in your backyard, you can set things up and then come to Woodward and experience it at a really refined level.

Your kids are teens now - what do you do together for family fun?
We snowboard together and skateboard together. And play music together, they're just kind of becoming my little friends. My son has challenged me. He's been into things that I was never into - traditional sports like lacrosse, basketball, football. And so I've been so grateful for him because he's taught me to tolerate that more than I ever did. And he's taught me to actually love it because I watched him fall in love and I watched him progress and I became the student and he enjoyed that.

There's plenty more in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast.

• Jeremy's sport heroes growing up in Utah.
• How the sounds of a shopping mall inspired him as a kid.
• Of the dozens of films in which he's appeared, which is his favorite?
• Most renegade place he's ever ridden!

Take a listen today. Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

WOODWARD 411

Woodward Park City is one of a network of Woodward sport parks on mountains across America. It offers an innovative approach to sport for a new generation of ski and snowboard enthusiasts - locals and Utah visitors alike. Lessons, rental gear, food - it's all there.

What's Outside?
Beginners can kick off their experience in the magic-carpet-served Start Park. Off the Hot Laps Chairlift you'll find a right to left progression with multiple terrain parks, box and rail features, Peace Park, Red's BKYD and more. Oh, and don't forget the tubing hill!

What's Inside?
The indoor Action Sports Hub features 66,000 sq. ft. of fun with action sports concrete park, pump track, mini ramps, parkour zone, spring floor, Olympic grade trampolines and foam pits.

How to access Woodward? Visitors and locals can buy a membership or a daily pass, then reserve your session time for any of the facilities.

Where is Woodward?
Woodward Park City is located right on I-80 between Salt Lake City and Park City.

Chris is like many of us and certainly not immune to having those moments of solitude soaked up by traffic jams on SR210. But amidst a broad public discussion on mountain transportation today, Chris McCandless has a vision. His concept for a high speed 3S gondola to whisk skiers up the canyon and help alleviate traffic on the dangerous canyon road below is very real. And people are listening.

If you've ever skied in Europe, you quickly learn how mountain regions have created transportation systems that simply don't rely on cars. Lifts and tramways aren't just for skiers. They're for moving people on railways, gondolas and more.

McCandless is a skier's skier. The passion he felt as a nine-year-old in Little Cottonwood burns every bit as big today. He brought that same passion to public service, as a Sandy City councilman for 15 years and past head of the Central Wasatch Commission.

Today, he just wants to be a part of the solution for future generations.

This episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast will amaze you at how realistic the gondola project is over the next decade. Gondola? Railway? Buses? Highway? Watch for a Utah Department of Transportation decision soon! Here are a few tidbits. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Skiing is really at your core, Chris, isn't it?
(As a kid) I lived in Sandy. Me and my friend, we'd go up there every weekend and build jumps on the rope tow. We'd wear out so many pairs of gloves and make my mom crazy. We would take shovels, build great jumps, try to impress people. I don't think we impressed anybody, but we thought we did. And that was the fun part of it with our amazing prowess and ski jumping. And it just led from there and never gave up. I'm still skiing as much as I possibly can. And it's been a great experience. The hope is that we can help perpetuate this experience into the future for all of the generations yet to come.

How did you get inspired on this project back when you were on the Sandy City Council?
A lot of projects came across our desk at Sandy City at the time. It was fulfilling. I was part of the solution and I enjoyed that. I don't regret a single day of service. And that helped me formulate where we are today with trying to figure out a solution for the transportation problems that plague the south end of the valley as it relates to Little Cottonwood Canyon. Two to five hour transit transit times to get into and out of the canyon doesn't work. We're ruining our asset.

How will the gondola help mitigate traffic in the canyon?
The gondola has the capacity of about 4,000 people per hour, which is a peak hour need. If you're taking that number of people up the canyon, you eliminate 1,800 cars an hour out of that canyon. You have decreased the congestion. You've increased the enjoyment of not having to deal with the 'red snake,' as they call it, going either up or down the canyon. It's pretty brutal sometimes.

How will the system tie into the neighboring communities in the valley?
One of the parts that I really like is our trail systems going into the base station. We want to extend the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and bring trails in from Sandy and Cottonwood Heights and from our immediate neighbors and put it right through a project so people can ride their bicycle to the gondola station or just walk. It'll be an absolutely staggeringly beautiful walk just to get the gondola base station and then take that up the canyon. Quite a date night, I would say. But, you know, I'm a romantic at heart!

There's plenty more in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast.

• What does he share in common with the lead character in Jon Kraukauer's Into the Wild?
• How did he get up Little Cottonwood as a kid?
• Why did he steal his brother's bindings?
• His favorite line off the tram on a powder morning and why you want to be on first tram.
• His favorite old guy rock band?

Take a listen today. Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distilleryon your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

GONDOLA FUN FACTS

• Gondola Car: Doppelmayr 3S, 28-passengers
• Base Station: Le Caille (restaurant) with underground parking and bus interchange
• 28 minutes to Snowbird
• 35 minutes to Alta
• Flies over 64 active avalanche paths
• 57% of the nine miles of SR210 is threatened by avalanche paths
• Helps mitigate the up to 7,000 cars a day in Little Cottonwood Canyon

You instantly know you're at a unique place when random skiing guests come up to say hi to the resort owner by name. It's a midweek morning and we have, essentially, a small private ski area with friends today.

It's a story that began in 1918 when Harold Seeholzer got his first pair of skis. In 1937, he and the Mt. Logan Ski Club started pushing their way up the canyon. Together with his wife Luella, Harold pioneered Beaver Mountain, which is still today a part of the Seeholzer family.

Skiing with Travis is a real treat - a nice pace as we arced turns on the groomers and dipped into the powder fluff on the edges. We skied two hours and did five runs. Mostly we talked, standing on ridgelines, stopping alongside groves of aspen and chatting with other skiers.

Beaver Mountain may have only 1,100 acres, but it skis big. A single lift ride gives you 1,700 feet of vertical with terrain that cascades over pitches and rolls down the mountainside.

Most of all, though, you feel like part of the family when you're skiing the Beav!

This episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast is unique in its exploration of a family ski area that provides the same spirit and joy today that is at the root of what we all enjoy as skiers and snowboarders.

What's the character of Beaver Mountain as a local ski area?
I think we're pretty well loved in the community. People enjoy Beaver Mountain and feel some ownership in it - not necessarily because it's family run, but it is the local ski hill. Because it is a local family, they tend to feel more comfortable in claiming ownership.

Tell us about Harold Seeholzer, and the early days of Beaver Mountain? He was very quiet and soft spoken. He loved hunting and fishing and the winter and the snow. And I think his passion was instilling in his kids something quality that they could do to pass those years so that they didn't get in trouble. He said that more than once, something that was constructive and that they enjoyed and that they could enjoy as a family. Harold was a trapper and he knew Logan Canyon like the back of his hand. And then they kind of picked the spot. And I swear to this day, he was inspired.

Marge, what motivated your husband Ted to take the torch from his father Harold?
He loved the pride of what his parents had started. And to continue it on, I think he loved that. He was very proud of what his parents had started for us.

How would you characterize the family aspect of Beaver Mountain?
We're a pretty small community up here. And that's what I tell our employees every year. That's what makes it a really enjoyable job, as you do get to know the guests very well, because you see the same people every week. And for me, it's been year after year and, you know, a lot of history and second and third generation families that ski at Beaver.

There's plenty more in this episode of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast.

How did early skiers navigate Logan Canyon?
Beaver Creek vs. Beaver Mountain (this is a great story)
How long has Marge been selling lift tickets?
What's Travis' favorite run at Beaver Mountain?

Take a listen today. Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery and Saloon on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

BEAVER MOUNTAIN HISTORY

Beaver Mountain is truly a family affair! It's the longest continuously-run, family-owned mountain ski area in America, dating back to 1937 - all in the Seeholzer family. Present matriarch Marge, a second-generation in the Seeholzer ski area family, still runs the ticket office and always has a welcoming smile for guests who have been returning for decades. Marge and Ted's sons, Travis and Jeff, manage the resort with their families.

• 1918 - Founder Harold Seeholzer buys his first pair of skis
• 1937 - Harold and the Mt. Logan Ski Club open the road up to the nearby Utah State Forestry Training School
• 1945 - Harold Seeholzer takes over management of the club's operation at Beaver Mountain.
• 1949-50 - Rope tow and T-bars installed.
• 1961 - Beaver Face chairlift installed.
• 1968 - Founder Harold Seeholzer passes.
• 1970 - Harold's dream of a chairlift to the top of the mountain is fulfilled with opening of Harry's Dream. His son Ted takes over and his wife Marge begins her long tenure in ticket office.
• 2003 - Marge's Triple installed.
• 2013 - Ted Seeholzer passes.
• Today - The Seeholzer family welcomes guests just as it has for over 80 years.

Checkout the complete history of Beaver Mountain at skithebeav.com.

A great video capture Ted Seeholzer before he passed telling the story of Beaver Mountain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-STFo66jdE

Craft brewery visionary Greg Schirf started it all in 1985 with Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City. In this episode of Last Chair, Schirf walks through the evolution of ski town breweries sharing some laughs about his ingenious PR stunts and taking us on a tour from pale ale to IPA to Polygamy Porter.

Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Schirf knew beer - PBR, in particular. But a chance meeting with a brewing pioneer led him into a business that would change the face of ski towns across America.

And it wasn't easy! There hadn't been a brewery in Utah for over two decades. But he did it. And there was no legal pathway to brew beer at a restaurant. So he got the law changed - in Utah!

Today, every major ski resort town has a nearby brewery. And it all stems back to the pioneering efforts of Greg Schirf in Utah.

Grab a beer, your headphones and enjoy this walk through brewing history.

Greg, you were a beer enthusiast but had no business background in brewing. What motivated you to start Wasatch Brewery?
There was a poem by Robert Frost (Two Tramps in Mud Time) that I had read that said if you can combine a vocation with an avocation, you know, you'll have a happier life. That was pretty simple, but it struck me as profound. I had a passion for two things: being an entrepreneur, starting a business, and then looking for the right marriage with that business.

When you first opened Wasatch Brewery in 1985, what was your beer lineup?
The first year or two, we brewed one beer. Every craft brewery started out with a pale ale. Today, that might be an IPA, but in the old days it was a pale ale. Wasatch Premium Ale, that was the beer we made.

In the mid-80s, there were few micro breweries. Who were your early mentors?
Tom Boane of Pyramid Brewing and Kurt Widmer of Widmer Brothers.

This is a fun episode of Last Chair, complete with a tasting of six legendary Wasatch Beers. We'll also learn about the value of working with politicians to change laws and more.

• How did he learn about brewpubs (there weren't many in 1985)?
• Why is serendipity his favorite word?
• Which of Greg Schirf's legendary marketing campaigns is he most proud of?
• What was the first beer he brewed?
• How does foam work into the beer equation?
• Which genre of beers dominates the brewpub scene today?

Take a listen today. Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery and Saloon on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

BEER TASTING

Greg Schirf is one of craft brewing's true pioneers, a leader in the early days of the industry and a connoisseur still today. Last Chair had a chance to do a tasting at the original Wasatch Brew Pubwith Schirf. Listen to his podcast episode for the behind-the-scenes stories of each of these legendary Wasatch beers and the role they've played in the evolution of our beer palates the last 30 years.

Wasatch First Amendment Lager (American Lager)
A turn of the century pure malt, crisp lager. 1st Amendment Lager is made with European style hops and Munich malts. This beer has a wonderful, clean, crisp flavor certain to please all.

Wasatch Hefeweizen (Hefeweizen)
Has defining flavor notes of licorice, clove and banana. Add to this the tangy sweetness of wheat malt and flowery bitterness.

Nitro Polygamy Porter (Porter)
She's on Nitro! Meet the sister-wife of our classic brew. This nitrogenated version is as chocolatey and easy-drinkin' as the original but even softer and creamier. It's ok to love them both.

Wonderful Winter (Ale)
A rich amber-mahogany colored ale with caramel malt flavors and a large hop presence. Brewed with the finest Northwestern pale and caramel malts then generously hopped with Columbus and Amarillo hops. Expect a piney, floral character.

Snow Bank (Amber Lager)
When the snow starts to pile up, it's time to reach for the delicious malty notes of Snow Bank Amber Lager. A smooth malt backbone is balanced with heaps of hops for a crisp, clean refresher. Let it snow!

Our Share IPA (India Pale Ale)
This well-balanced, sessionable IPA brings notes of pine and berry, with a smooth malt backbone that will have you sharing this beer all year long.

This episode of Last Chair takes a look at skiing and snowboarding through the eyes and art of a Black snowboarder, Lamont Joseph White.

Growing up in New York City, Lamont became infatuated with skiing. He was mesmerized by lift tickets hanging on the jackets of his friends. But as a young Black boy in Queens, it just wasn't in his family's realm. He eventually made his way onto the slopes and has remained a lifelong snowboarder. Today, Lamont splits his time between his homes in Park City and the artist community of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

His new collection, Skiing in Color, tells a vivid story of Black skiers and snowboarders - the colors, the styles, the clothing, the attitudes all reflect the presence of Black culture in the sport, seen through different eyes.

As a skier or snowboarder, this is an important episode of Last Chair to absorb. Lamont talks about inclusion and how it's viewed by Black skiers and riders. But he also speaks about what they bring - blending their own culture into the lifestyle into the sport we all love.

What captivated you when you first came to the Utah mountains?
Oh, gosh. The snow itself, the terrain, just the whole atmosphere. When you get out to these resorts that are so full of experienced skiers - it's just such a full ski and outdoor environment in places like Park City and other resorts in Utah. It's really a whole different experience. And it hooked me. It hooked me all the way. I just fell in love with the whole atmosphere - the people, the mountains and everything just became super exciting for me.

As a Black snowboarder, how do you see inclusion? 
What comes along with that are sort of these moments of implicit bias and moments where you feel like people are wondering why you're there, like, what's your story? A little bit like I'm sort of like a mysterious guy sometimes when I show up. It's a common experience for us to have those moments, which is why feeling included becomes important. Feeling that our presence is normalized becomes important for us and that we're represented. So I know that. And a lot of times it's not spoken because we just want to go skiing.

What do black skiers bring to the sport? 
Every culture, when they show up into a space, they're going to bring some of whatever their culture is to that space. If you see me as a snowboarder who happens to be black, I'm fine with that. I don't mind if you see my color. And, by the way, we see color also. And I think that that's cool because there are things to learn from our differences, from our different cultures - whether it's food, whether it's music, whether it's style, whatever is in our lexicon. There are things to learn and enrich our lives by seeing those colors. I love the diversity and I love the representation. So let's all come together.

It's a powerful episode of Last Chair, one that every skier or snowboarder should take in. You'll learn more about a fellow snow rider who loves Utah powder just like you. You'll also find out:

• What Utah run gets him fired up to ride?
• His favorite High West whiskey?
• And his childhood hero growing up in New York.

Take a listen today. Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

Skiing in Color

Lamont Joseph White's Skiing in Color limited edition collection is available in canvas and giclee prints.
Skiing in Color - By Lamont Joseph White

For over a half century, Utah has been known to skiers and riders as the home of the Greatest Snow on Earth. But what's the science behind it? Do you know the three ingredients to creating great powder? And what role does Goldilocks play in all of this? Atmospheric science professor Jim Steenburgh is a good guy to know when you head to the mountains. He wrote the book: Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth. And he's ready to share some secrets with host Tom Kelly on Ski Utah'sLast Chair podcast.

Growing up near upstate New York's Tug Hill plateau (think Lake Ontario lake effect snow), Steenburgh was no stranger to snow. In fact, he'll tell you about his powder skiing experiences at tiny Powder Ridge there. But once he sampled Utah powder on a college trip with his father, there was no turning back. Lo and behold, a job offer to teach at the University of Utah set him up. Today, he's the guy you want in your ski group to tell you where to find the snow.

Water content, atmospheric flow, elevation, geography - it all plays a role in the Greatest Snow on Earth. Armed with extensive historical knowledge and real time meteorological data, Steenburgh's computer-like mind plots incoming storms to map out the best lines for the coming days.

And he loves to share! Well, to a point. Join Last Chair host Tom Kelly as he and Steenburgh navigate through deep powder in a fascinating and informative episode of the Ski Utah podcast.

TIPS ON THE GREATEST SNOW ON EARTH

Listen to the Last Chair podcast to learn the details.

What advice do you give Utah visitors in planning?
OpenSnow.com or UtahSkiWeather.com are good possibilities. Let the experts be the ones to guide you. Becoming an armchair forecaster, if you're not in Utah, can be challenging. It takes a while to get used to the meteorology around here. But looking at those forecasts is pretty important. If you're thinking about riding at a resort but going out of bounds, you know, you really want to be looking at what is happening with the snowpack and with avalanches on UtahAvalancheCenter.org. For me, it's one of those things where I try to look at it every day so I'm in tune with what's going on.

So, what's the analysis? Does Utah have the Greatest Snow on earth?
I often tell people there's not a scientific test for the Greatest Snow on Earth - it's in the eye of the beholder. I don't think there's any doubt, though, that that Utah has some of the Greatest Snow on Earth. There are really three kinds of key ingredients for great powder skiing or a great powder skiing climate. But Utah's climatology, especially in the Cottonwood Canyons, is really biased towards lots of pretty good powder days.

Want to know the three secrets?
Listen in to Ski Utah's Last Chair episode with Jim Steenburgh to learn more including:

• His favorite Utah ski run.
• How he became a ski racing fan.
• His secret Utah backcountry line (well, sort of).
• What tragedy was averted at the 2002 Olympic Closing Ceremony?
• The deepest powder day of his life.
• And why depth alone isn't necessarily an indicator of great powder skiing (think float).

Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery and Saloon on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

SIDEBAR CONTENT
Utah Powder Fun Facts (from Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth)

• State Record 24-hour Snowfall: Jan. 4-5, 1994, Alta, 55.5 inches of snow with water content of 5.7%
• 105-mm howitzers are among the tools used by resorts and highway crews to mitigate huge dumps of snow.
• Avalanches were commonplace in the mining era of the 1880s, claiming many lives.

Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth

Weather, climate change, and finding deep powder in Utah's Wasatch Mountains and around the world.
© 2014 by the University Press of Colorado
Published by Utah State University Press

You'll want to grab a copy of the book before your next trip to Utah. You can pick it up off Amazon, or support a local Wasatch book store including Dolly's in Park City, as well as The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City.

Powder Skiing for College Credit

Only in Utah can you go to college to learn how to find the best powder skiing. Starting this spring, you can take ATOMS1000 at the University of Utah to learn the science behind the secrets. We suspect there will be field trips.

It's pretty clear that the minds have been spinning. It's a new look at resorts from parking to passes to lunch. But what all resorts share in common is a passion for providing an opportunity for all of us to ski and ride - and to do it safely.

When you're driving up Little Cottonwood daydreaming about that ride up the tram and dropping your tips into the Cirque, the last thing you want to be thinking about is where you're going to park. Amidst the challenges of reduced capacity during COVID, Snowbird has a solution with app-based reserved parking. The Bird's Sara Sherman talks us through the simplicity of reserving your own spot. With no parking stress on your mind, you'll have more time to daydream about that first glory fun of the morning.

If you wanna ski, you gotta eat. Ski area parking lots are seeing a lot more tailgaters this year. Alta Ski Area has you covered with innovative new food trucks in both the Wildcat and Albion parking lots. Alta's Brandon Ott gave us the food truck tour with Last Chair checking out Base Camp Kitchenin the Wildcat lot. Wow, those were good burritos. Just grab one, stuff it into your pocket and dine on the Collins lift on your way up to Ballroom.

Snowbasin Resort is a big mountain, with a ton of terrain. While lodges are open to provide restrooms and food, skiers and riders need a little warmth after a couple hours of top-of-mountain runs. Taking some tips it learned from Southern Hemisphere resorts, Snowbasin has added a Yurt Village at the base of the Middle Bowl lift to provide skier's with a heated haven to warm up before heading back out for more. Snowbasin GM Davy Ratchford gave us an insider's tour as the Yurt Village was finished up in time for the holidays.

It's an innovative time for resorts. What we found was that resorts and guests are all assuming their respective COVID responsibilities and providing a truly liberating experience.

Check out this special episode of Ski Utah's Last Chair to learn more.

• What app do I download to reserve a free parking spot at Snowbird?
• What's the best burrito to tuck into your parka pocket at Alta's Base Camp Kitchen?
• Where can you dine in a snow globe?
• What's the best new spot to stay warm at Snowbasin Resort?

Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery and Saloon on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

As skiers, it's easy to take lunch for granted. But at a resort that has historically been acclaimed as a leader in food and hospitality, Rogers leads a team that innovates how to bring culinary art to the slopes every day - breakfast, lunch and dinner.

From morning oatmeal and coffee at the Deer Valley Grocery ~ Café to the taco station at Silver Lake Lodge, gooey chocolate chip cookies, and melting Swiss raclette cheese in a stone fireplace at Fireside Dining, Rogers is at the epicenter of on-mountain cuisine.

How did she get from Australia to Deer Valley? What does it take to transform snow-covered, on-mountain lodges two or three times a day? Listen to Jodie Rogers as she takes you inside food and beverage on the mountain at Deer Valley Resort.

CHATTING WITH JODIE ROGERS

Childhood memory of skiing?
We drove six hours to the ski resort. I think I was seven years old at the time. We got in the back of this truck. So two families, about ten people. We put all the mattresses in the back with all the ski gear, everything we possibly could. Pillows, blankets, heaters, dogs, I think we had in there as well. And we drove the six hours to Perrisher in New South Wales. And that was my first experience of skiing in Australia.

COVID
None of us have lived this, so it's still so real to me. Everything about this is surreal, but it is also exciting. This team here has done the safest thing in educating themselves and setting up the protocols. The ultimate goal is to get everyone back in the healthy, fresh, crisp air that we have. We have been creative and we've had to really change everything in food and beverage.

What made the difference for you coming to Deer Valley?
My love of culinary and teaching, is what it came to when I walked into the kitchen here. I felt very much at home here. Deer Valley employees that have been here a long time - it's home, it's their family. That just always resonated with me. I loved to cook. I love to teach cooking. There were plenty of people here that wanted to learn and I felt respected and loved.

What inspires you about hospitality?
Food just tells a story. You can get so creative with it. It just excites me in a way that I can look and feel what that particular product wants to be. And then I can also take what I learned from the people around me.

Listen in to Ski Utah's Last Chair episode with Jodie Rogers to learn more:

• Suggestions on the best grab-and-go items to tuck into your pocket for a chairlift picnic.
• Her favorite ski run at Deer Valley.
• Why St. Provo Girl is her favorite Utah craft beer.
• And how many gallons of turkey chili Deer Valley produces every day!
• Her COVID-management tips for visitors to Utah.

Tune in to Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast presented by High West Distillery on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to get first access to every episode.

But instead of standing on two skis to admire the view, he sits in a fiberglass monocoque called a monoski. As the term implies, below him is a single ski, firmly attached to his plastic cockpit. With a push, he's off, wind in his face, his upper body maneuvering the monoski as he puts down some of the prettiest turns in the mountain as skiers stand transfixed by the scene.

Lifelong skier and collegiate racer Chris Waddell was at the peak of his career when a skiing accident took away functionality of the lower half of his body. Just 362 days later, he was back on snow - this time in a monoski. One of the most decorated Paralympic athletes, Waddell today is an inspiration - like the rest of us, still aspiring for those deep powder Utah days near his adopted home!

Chris Waddell's story is not one of great tragedy at the age of 20, but more the inspiration he has brought as one of the world's great athletes.

A Massachusetts native, Waddell moved to Utah full time in 1999 to train for the 2002 Olympics and, like many others, to ski the greatest snow on earth. Last Chair caught up with him in his temporary Bear Lake house, still pensively waiting for renovations to his ski town home in Park City.

WITH CHRIS WADDELL

Chris how did you find your way into skiing?
I grew up in a town called Granby, Massachusetts, which was probably about 5,000 people in western Mass. We were the in-between of the Berkshires. Mount Tom was about ten minutes away - 680 feet of vertical, about half the height of the Empire State Building. And I saw the kids racing. I was six years old or something and I said, 'I want to do that.

What was your pathway as a ski racer?
I didn't go to a ski academy, I went to a prep school, which meant that we might get to train for an hour a day or something like that. And it was a much shorter season. And I felt like I'd never given myself the chance to see how good I could be as a ski racer. So going to Middlebury, in a lot of ways for me, was going to be my Olympics. It was going to be how I proved how good I could possibly be. And so I spent the whole fall really trying to somehow write a new narrative. And and so my goal every day was to push myself in dry land training to the point where I wanted to quit. Because if I quit and then moved a little bit beyond that, then it was new territory.

But that suddenly changed in an instant!
The first day of Christmas vacation, I went home. My brother and I went to Berkshire East and met up with a bunch of the buddies. We all skied with a group. It was a warm, sunny day. It was like a spring day, 20th of December, slushy snow, which was completely unheard of. And we took a couple of runs, as the coach said, and I was testing a new pair of skis - hadn't been on them yet. And we were going to run slalom and we came down and went back to the race track and he wasn't there. So we decided we'd take one more run. And it was just kind of a strange thing. You're trying to find that sense of harmony, I think, in your skiing. Right, because you hadn't really been on snow that long and just trying to find that right feeling. And that's what I was doing and came over a little little knoll and then made a turn and my ski popped off in the middle of a turn. And all I remember is my ski popping off.

How did your friends respond?
I was in shock. But my friend, a guy named Jim Schaefer who actually now owns Berkshire East, was the first one to me. My brother was there soon afterwards and I was just kind of lying on the ground and they were doing their best. It was obvious to them that I'd hurt myself pretty badly. So they were trying to keep me from moving and everything until the ski patrol could come up. I fell in the middle of the trail and didn't hit anything but the ground. It was just one of those weird falls. I probably had taken what I thought were much worse falls and had no problem. But this time, whatever I did, I did it in exactly the right or the wrong way, however you want to look at that.

What was the outcome of your accident?
I broke thoracic 10 and 11. So there are 12 thoracic bones, there are seven cervical bones. And for me, I broke and really pulverized those two vertebrae. The doctor said it looked like a bad car accident. I was probably going 20 to 30 miles an hour, which doesn't seem fast when you're skiing, but when you fall, it can be fast. So that's what I broke. It corresponds to about belly button (level) as far as sensation. And I have the muscles just below the sternum and sort of corresponding back muscles. So when I started skiing in a monoski, I was in the most disabled of the three classes because I didn't have the ability to lean over onto my legs, like I'm sitting in my wheelchair to lean on to my legs and then sit back up. I don't have the muscles to do that. So once I'm leaning on my thighs, then I really that's where I am until I push myself up with my arms.

Despite your prognosis, how did you retain your passion for skiing?
I was back on snow within the year, 362 days after the accident. I thought about skiing. I did a fair amount of mental imagery when I was training for skiing. And there was nothing I could do while I was lying in the hospital bed. And I thought over and over about skiing. I thought, OK, I'll get back. I won't be healthy for the season, but maybe I'll be able to ski like maybe forerun the Middlebury Carnival, which was always the last race of the year. That's what I initially thought. Nobody told me that I was paralyzed.

What was the catalyst to get you back on skis?
I did believe that I, as an athlete, would be able to create a miracle and recover completely. But at the same time a friend of mine asked me if I would be willing to be in a movie about adaptive skiing, a documentary movie about adaptive skiing. And he asked me about this while I was in the hospital. I said, yes, sure, I will do that. A friend of his was making that movie. And so that to me was the plan.

Had you had any contact with adaptive skiers in the past?
Tom, you knew (Olympic disabled champion) Diana Golden, right? Diana was an amazing person. I saw her at a giant slalom at Burke Mountain the year before my accident. I saw Diana at this race and my first thought was: really? There's a woman with one leg who's coming to this race. But then I watched her ski. To me, she captured what it meant to be an athlete. As ski racers, it's really easy to have all of your excuses before you go through the starting gate. She was somebody who just said, 'look, I'm not going to make any excuses. I don't have time for excuses.' She laid herself bare effectively and just said, 'I'm going to fall down, but I'm going to get back up.' In watching her, I thought, that's the best encapsulation of what it means to be an athlete. I remember thinking, I want to be like Diana, I want to do what she did.

Your pathway to success was very quick.
I actually graduated on skis from Middlebury -- full cap and gown procession. Then I hopped on a plane and flew to Durango for my first first re...

As her name implies, Nikki truly championed her own path - moving from Michigan to Colorado to attend college and quickly discovering her passion for snow. She learned about snow science, taking her zest of knowledge to Montana. Seeking mentors for her burgeoning career, she headed for Alaska. Today she summers in Alaska and Washington state as a mountain climbing guide but spends winters here in Utah where she's up and at work by 3:00-4:00 a.m. on every forecast shift.

RESOURCES

Utah Avalanche Center
utahavalanchecenter.org

Know Before You Go Online Education
kbyg.org

Utah Avalanche Awareness Week - Dec. 6-12
Watch for daily on-snow and online classes.
utahavalanchecenter.org/education/uac-kbyg-classes

CHATTING WITH NIKKI CHAMPION

Nikki, you returned to Utah in October and quickly found people heading to the backcountry. Is it looking like a busy season?
It sure seems like it. I've been out three days so far this year, and almost every single day the outer parking lot looks like the lifts are running. And we had a record showing at USAW (Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop) - close to a thousand people for each open night which is awesome.

Before we get to skiing, how did you find your way into mountain guiding?
I'm going on my sixth season with RMI. I used to work up in Alaska as a guide up there doing some ice climbing, glacier travel, things like that. And seven years ago I came down to the lower 48 and I climbed Mount Rainier for the first time. And while I was there, I saw all the guides climbing and I was like, 'that looks pretty fun, I think I could do that.' So the next season, I applied and I got the gig. I've entered the rotation in which I spend every May through October climbing primarily in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. So our normal rotation looks like a May on Rainier, a June on Denali, July and August back on Rainier and in the North Cascades and then off in September doing a lot of North Cascades work until I wrap up and head back to Utah.

In Nikki Champion's year, how many months are you touching snow?
Oh, gosh, probably 12 months a year. Sometimes I try to take October off and warm up. Previously I would try to kind of take some time off and go somewhere tropical and only wear sandals for a month or so, give my feet a break from the ski boots and the mountaineering boots. But somehow snow still seems to sneak into every month of my life.

Was the summer climbing impacted by COVID?
Yeah, the guiding industry seemed to be hit pretty hard by COVID this year. The whole climbing season got canceled on Denali for guide services as well as public climbers. So we were unable to do a season up there and I was actually unable to climb on Rainier until September this year. So a much different summer for me.

As a young girl, how did your life on snow begin?
I was pretty fortunate. I was actually born in Colorado, in between Denver and Steamboat. My parents got me on the skis when I was about like one and a half or two. They had me skiing with like a hula hoop out front of them so I could hold onto it. So I started skiing really young, which I thank my parents for. We moved to Michigan when I was about four, so pretty young. I began alpine racing really young as well, which took me all over the state of Michigan and out west as well to train. So it kind of came as no surprise to anyone that when I started looking at colleges when I was 18, I was looking for something out west, ideally Colorado or Montana - somewhere that had the mountains.

You learned snow science during college in Colorado and Montana, what led you to Alaska?
I kind of finally stumbled into finding out how that snow science was what I wanted to pursue. I started teaching avalanche classes in Montana. I began doing my own research outside of just helping field assistants. And I started working in the Sub-Zero Science and Engineering Lab in Bozeman, which is like a cold lab where you get to create snow. After I actually graduated, I wanted to start exploring more options for forecasting and even more seeking out new mentorship opportunities. The Chugach was a really unique situation in which it had three female forecasters, it was the only forecast center in the country that had that. So I wanted to go up to the Chugach. I was fortunate enough to land the internship up there.

Did that experience introduce you to new things that you hadn't encountered down in the lower 48?
It was new opportunities. I hadn't worked directly with the Forest Service on the forecasting side of things before. I had worked primarily as an avalanche educator with the Forest Service Avalanche Center as well. It was a new type of snow pack. So the Chugach, up in Alaska, is in Girdwood, an hour outside of Anchorage. It's a really unique snow climate in which it can represent all three of what we've identified as snow climates: the inner mountain, which is what we are here in Utah, Continental, which is more of what you think of Colorado, and then a coastal snow climate, which is traditionally Washington. The Chugach, year-to-year, has represented all three. So I was able to see a lot more rain than I'd ever seen before down in Montana and or in Utah or Colorado, as well as different problems like glide avalanches, and also just not seeing as much sun - that plays an impact on the snow.

What is snow science?
Snow science is a really fickle science, and something we're continuing to learn about every single day. The basics of what builds an avalanche, though, is you have a slab or a really strong layer over a weak layer on a bed surface that it can slide on. And then you need a slope steeper than 30 degrees.

What's the difference between skiing in a resort and the backcountry?
Ski resorts do an awesome job at mitigating the risk. What they do is they more or less create their own snow pack. So these layers that I just talked about, that slab and that weak layer, they use explosives, they use ski cutting, they use a multitude of different techniques to really destroy or test those weak layers and they create an artificial snow pack. They make sure that that weak layer or that whole setup doesn't exist within their ski resort. Now, as soon as you step outside a gate, you enter the backcountry from a trailhead. It's all the same. It's a natural snow pack. And at that point, there's none of that control. There's no explosive work testing the snow. There's no explosive work destroying that. We claim it's all just a natural raw snow pack. And you more than likely do have that make up of a slab and a weak layer.

As soon as you leave the gate, you are no longer in the ski resort and you need to think of it as the backcountry. There's not really anything known as the side country. As soon as you leave the gate,...

Carey grew up in the quintessential skiing family. His father, Chip, was marketing director at Sugarloaf. Skiing was a way of life for the outdoor adventuring family who lived in the remote outreaches of Maine. Then a warm, spring trip to Snowbird changed it all. With his older siblings off to college and dad weighing an opportunity to take over marketing at what would become Canyons in Park City, the family put the decision to Chip, then a young teen. It was a no brainer! They were Utah-bound.

Bryn Carey's interview on Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast is a story of passion for winter sport combined with business principles based on values. Sixteen years ago, Carey's fledgling business was one of many experimenting with rental equipment delivery. Over time, Ski Butlers stood out based on its quality of service that is a direct testament to Carey's leadership style, deep love for the sport and an innate sense of stewardship for the environment around him.

Carey's business success in the sport he loves stems from the basics of entrepreneurship he learned from his family, going all the way back to his days as a young boy brewing root beer and selling it to friends.

Over his two decades in Utah, Carey has very much become a part of the fabric of Ski Utah and life in the Wasatch Mountains. He could have taken the Ski Butlers headquarters anywhere, but his love for the Utah outdoors made it an easy call. He's channeled his passion into leadership roles within the region to protect the future of the Wasatch. His strong feelings about protecting the environment found him in France with his kids for the signing of the Paris Accord in 2015 and an active role in Al Gore's Climate Reality Project.

Most of all, though, he just loves being a part of Utah's active outdoor lifestyle. He recalls his youth in Maine fondly, and wants to recreate that for his own family in the Wasatch Mountains.

Here's just a small sampling of what you'll find in episode 2 of Last Chair presented by High West. Take a listen, there's a lot more to learn.

POWDRresort company owner John Cumming still has fond memories as a young boy of his father, Ian, scooping him up out of his bed late at night to head to their condo in Snowbird for a long weekend of family skiing. That passion he gained for the outdoors as a child formed his pathway for life as the owner of POWDR, a thriving family-owned resort company competing head-to-head with the likes of Vail Resorts and Alterra.

Today, Cumming owns Snowbird along with 10 other resorts across the country from Killington to Copper Mountain to Mt. Bachelor. His innovative Woodward Park City, a new gem amongst a host of national action sports centers under the Woodward brand, offers youth and adults alike with unparalleled action on snow.

In a rare interview to kick off Ski Utah's Last Chair podcast, Cumming talks in great detail about his childhood, his growth as a young entrepreneur, his feelings for his resort communities and the challenges brought on by the pandemic. He leaves no stone unturned, addressing the loss of Park City Mountain Resort as well as his own success in managing his life with multiple sclerosis.

His intense passion for the outdoors blends with the business acumen he learned from his father and from his own experience as one of the founders of Mountain Hardwear, a leading outdoor clothing and equipment company. His wisdom of resort operations comes from hands-on experience working at Park City Mountain Resort.

As chairman of POWDR, he oversees a unique outdoor company that is finding its way through the coronavirus pandemic with both skillful business direction and a high sense of compassion for both its employees and guests.

Want to learn more about John Cumming? Best ski run? Most challenging climbing route? Personal hobby? Favorite musician? Take a listen to season 2 - episode 1 of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast.

The pandemic pause caused an unprecedented halt to a great season.

How did it all come down? How have the resorts managed it with guests and employees? What does the future hold? Last Chair wraps up the 2019-20 season - including some great powder day stories - with leaders of the sport. 

Join Last Chair for a conversation with Ski Utah’s Nathan Rafferty, Davy Ratchford from Snowbasin and Dave Fields of Snowbird to get the inside story.

Eight years in, the third-term mayor has built a strong city by focusing on Utah’s geographical location. A century ago, Ogden’s forefathers capitalized on the Junction City’s location as a railway crossroads. Today, Caldwell has seized on its proximity to the mountains and outdoor recreation. From the 40+ outdoor brand logos with a corporate footprint in Ogden to the thousands of skiers reveling on 25th Street, Ogden truly has become one of America’s great outdoor recreation towns.

On any given day, he’ll be riding his road bike to work, taking the mountain bike up onto nearby singletrack, slipping into a climbing harness, clicking into alpine touring gear for a backcountry outing or sliding onto a chairlift for an day at nearby Snowbasin, Nordic Valley or Powder Mountain.

This week Last Chair brings you to the top floor of the elegant art deco Ogden Municipal Building, overlooking towering Mount Ogden, for a conversation with Mike Caldwell - a mayor who has eight bikes and five pairs of skis hanging in the garage. He’ll explore Ogden’s rich history and entice you up with a look at the hidden gem among Utah’s ski towns.