We are thinking Memorial Day Weekend 2022 is the year to assemble Team On The Lift Podcast. This may sound like skier blasphemy, but… Dibs on NOT skiing. You’ll see why – The race is a 93 mile relay. The mass start is the Nordic leg. The timing chip is then handed-off to the downhill skier or snowboarder. But wait – the “downhillers” start their leg uphilling. That is – climbing 900 vert feet before racing down Mt. Baker. Then 40+ miles of cycling; 8 miles of running, 18 miles of canoeing, cyclocrossing, and kayaking into the finish line. Nearly 3000 participants make the trek to Bellingham, Washington for this nearly 50 year old race. Let’s do it, listeners!

Info and Registration
Check the web: https://skitosea.com/

Super Fun Short Video
Check YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfzL7WYQv80

Richie Owen shows us the way around Mt. Hutt. Actually, he shows us the way all around the South Island of New Zealand. This is the one destination that, well, wasn’t a destination last year. The nation shut it’s borders and held them tightly during the miserable era we call COVID. And the ski industry persuaded the government to let the mountains prove they could safely do their thing and let the people ski. So Summer 2020 (US summer; NZ Winter; i.e. June, July, August) had the Kiwis on the snow.

This is the land of adrenaline. From the drive up to the mountain, to bungee jumping, jet boating, canyon swinging, zip lining, and, our beloved skiing and snowboarding, this is the kind of place you may need a vacation from your vacation.

Shhhh… Richie might have slipped and mentioned a little about New Zealand’s prize opportunity – fly fishing. We hope you enjoy your time around the Canterbury Plain and the descriptions of the drive to Queenstown.

Now go book your trip.

Valle Nevado Chile
Valle Nevado is just uphill from Santiago, Chile. Dominique Rudlof is Valle Nevado’s marketing director and she shares her enthusiasm for this amazing resort in South America. Skiing begins in June. All-inclusive options area available on the mountain. Two other resorts are accessible literally by skiing over to them from Valle Nevado. Wine and nightlife are hallmarks of this part of the world. Valle Nevado was deprived of a ski season in 2020 due to COVID. The stoke for 2021 is high and Dominique sounds ready for you.
https://vallenevado.com/en/
Valle Nevado Chile

This episode is the first of three timely productions about Southern Hemisphere skiing and snowboarding. Southern Hemi snowsports typically kick off in mid-June and last through mid-September. July and August are the heart of the season, and On The Lift Podcast listeners will never regret taking off on a ski holiday in New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and, as highlighted in this episode, Australia.
Fellow Podcaster, Rouchelle Gilmore has planted her Aussie soul in the Victoria mountains. The Southern Hemisphere season is just about to begin, and Rouchelle is On The Lift to share all about skiing in Australia. She’s chases snowfall when things dry up in her home country, splitting time in Jackson Hole, and previously in Japan’s Niseko. This Perth native shares her passion for the mountains on her very own podcast, The Mountain Cosmos.
https://themountaincosmos.com/podcast/

Explore some of Rouchelle’s favorite Australian ski destinations:
https://www.mthotham.com.au/
https://www.thredbo.com.au/

Adaptive snowsports make skiing and snowboarding available to anyone who is interested.  This is an enlightening episode for those who would like to learn more about turning disabilities into abilities through snowsports.

Contacts across the country for those interested in getting involved in adaptive sports:

https://www.moveunitedsport.org/chapters/location-map/

Benjamin Alexander is a mid-30’s racer.  He is working his tail off to qualify to represent Jamaica as a ski racer in the next Olympic games.  He’s admittedly inspired by the legendary bobsledders who preceded him.  But this badass has been skiing only 5 years, only one (yes “1”) of which has he been racing.  You’re going to love hearing about his quest for FIS points and the rigors of coming to the racing party about 30 years late.  This lively interview will take you from England to Revelstoke, from Brazil to Whistler, back to Rev, heliskiing Mica, training in Jackson Hole, on to Big Sky and Park City, and a whole bunch of places on the 2021 map of his future.

On another note, Benji may have logged 103K vert at Revelstoke, but he’s aiming for 123K at Jackson.

This former international DJ will entertain you with his rich life history.  Enjoy our conversation with Benji On The Lift.

Rich Marriott knows avalanches.  He personally planted some of the hardware that makes forecasting possible for the rest of us mere mortal skiers who take snow control for granted.  Rich has been a meteorologist with King5 News for 33 years, and left a robust history of avalanche research to take on his current career.  We may take it for granted, but we are all safer because of the expertise Rich brings to forecasting during the winter months.  With COVID concerns changing the face of skiing and snowboarding in so many ways, Lance and Mike have shared concerns for people taking to the backcountry without knowing the basics of avalanche preparedness.  You’re going to love Rich’s history in this area, and you’ll appreciate all that goes on behind the scenes to help the skiers and snowboarders like the rest of us have safe days in bounds and out.

Ka-Pow!  Rich knows explosives.  Because at the end of the day, all that’s really going on is trying to shake the mountain a bit  to see what makes things slide, or not.

Choo-Choo.  Did you know the most severe avalanche in the Pacific Northwest was in 1910 on Stevens Pass?  And a train was involved?  And a tunnel was considered for shelter – until someone remembered asphyxiation might be a real thing should there be a need (which there was) to start the engines to keep the cars warm.  And 11 FEET of snow in one day?  And some people left the train to hike in it to a semi-nearby town?

Ok – that’s enough.  Just listen to the podcast episode for the rest!

We’ve been keeping a list of some helpful thoughts for y’all.  Pocket meals to ski racks; nailing a “helicopter” to taking photos, and lots of fun stuff in between.  We’re here to help.  Thanks to those of you who sent in your tips, too.

Our man, Brian Geppert, knows how to spare the landfill of skis.  Get to know Brian and his commitment to saving skis, sparing the landfill, and creating fabulous pieces of art.  And even better, those works are available for you, our lovely podcast listeners.

Check out Brian’s page:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SkiArtistry

Check these articles out while you’re at it:

https://blog.sturtevants.com/2019/04/free-wax-friday-with-recycle-day-for-skis-and-snowboards/

https://unofficialnetworks.com/2020/01/15/upcycle-your-skis/

https://sites.google.com/view/ski-recycling

We are really enjoying our new Instagram friends.  Eric Krantz is one of them.  Join us during this fun ski conversation about Eric’s dad finding a way to fund 5 kids lift tickets by selling popcorn in the parking lot.  We also dive into several of Eric’s favorite areas near his home in Minneapolis.  Since he is a long-time ski instructor at all of these areas, he’s the perfect host for an overview of all of those local midwest ski areas.  Just because Eric and his son are headed to Jackson Hole, Big Sky, and Grand Targhee this month doesn’t mean they can’t have fun on their local hills.  Because really, if this sport is a lifestyle, isn’t that what keeping it real and in our souls is all about, skiing where you can!