Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. On today’s episode, I have the pleasure of talking with California badass, Michelle Parker. Michelle is an amazing skier with excellent form. If you have the chance to watch her ski, watch how she shreds with her feet; she is amazing. There are few skiers out there who have the speed and footwork of Michelle. 

Michelle shares some great lessons and messages including the importance of visualization and how to develop your inner warrior. She also emphasizes how important it is to be aware of your surroundings, mapping the mountain, and trusting your intuition.

California native Michelle Parker started skiing in her home resort of Squaw Valley Ski Resort. Since then, she’s competed in the US Freeskiing open, X-Games, and the Red Bull Cold Rush. She’s also one of the founders of Skiers Advocating and Fostering Education for Avalanche and Snow Safety (S.A.F.E.A.S.), whose goal is to advocate for snow safety and avalanche awareness. 

Topics:

[02:00] Michelle’s footwork on the snow

[03:00] How Michelle started skiing

[05:25] Michelle’s first experiences with freeskiing

[07:57] Skills that she transferred from racing to freeskiing

[10:45] Moving to the big mountains

[12:15] Avalanche education

[17:40] What Michelle thinks of when she’s up top and waiting her turn

[18:30] How to tap into your inner warrior 

[23:50] The importance of realizing legitimate fears and being confident in your intuition

[27:50] How to develop a strong intuition

[29:50] Advice that still resonates with Michelle

[31:40] Surrounding yourself with incredible athletes (on the screen and in real life)

Resources:

Michelle Parker, Instagram

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Today, we’ve got a great conversation with a great guest. There aren’t that many high profile skiers out there, who are as thoughtful and introspective as Mark Abma. 

Mark is an inspiring athlete with a unique outlook on how to improve performance, training, and mindset. From keeping things in perspective when he’s on top of a mountain to hydrotherapy, Mark talks about what has shaped him as a skier and as a person.

Mark Abma is a professional freeskier. From Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, he was born for the snow. He has a number of awards under his belt including the Powder Video Award for Best Male Performance in 2007 and 2005. He also won Best Natural Air in 2010, and Best Powder in 2009. He recently started an advocacy group called One Step with the goal of helping both ski resorts and skiers reduce their carbon footprints. 

Topics:

[02:11] How Mark started skiing

[07:00] Mogul skiing helping with the transition

[12:35] What Mark learned from his idols when he was a kid

[16:28] How competing led to films

[22:25] Mark’s mental game when he gets dropped off on a mountain  

[25:45] A piece of advice Mark goes back to 

[27:00] Recovery and hydrotherapy

[33:50] Lactic training  

[36:05] Lessons on the snow, transcending into everyday life

Resources:

Mark Abma on Twitter 

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Skiing is about more than just strapping on some equipment and hitting the slopes. Here at Next Level Skiing we want to focus on everything that can affect your ski game. In this episode, sports physiologist Dr. Allen Lim talks to us about how nutrition can affect how you ski. Dr. Lim covers a lot of ground, from fueling your body, to helping your body recover, to staying healthy all year long.

Dr. Allen Lim is a sports physiologist, cycling coach, and a founder of Skratch Labs. Scratch Labs is a manufacturer of performance hydration mixes. He has worked with dozens of top American cyclists to improve their performance and nutrition. Today he is here to help skiers with the same type of information that he gives to cyclists. While cycling and skiing aren’t exactly the same in terms of what it requires of your body, they do have some overlap.

Topics:

[01:48] How Dr. Lim got started in athletic medicine and physiology

[03:45] Unhealthy American food culture: Ethnocentric versus Technocentric

[07:22] How to improve your skiing through nutrition

[13:45] The type of food to eat after skiing

[17:20] The importance of staying hydrated and listening to your thirst 

[20:27] How to prepare your body for altitude changes

[26:00] The nutritional approach to keeping our head in the game while on the snow

[30:00] Hunger and exercise

[34:32] A piece of advice that still resonates with Dr. Lim

[38:14] Beer and skiing

[40:15] Summary and last words

Resources:

Scratch Labs

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Today we are talking with Alex Cohen. Not only is he a sports psychologist for the US Olympic and Paralympic Teams, he also has a lot to share with everyday skiers. In this episode, Alex talks about the importance of having a game plan, getting out of your own way, and the myths about flowstate. He talks about how Olympians get to where they are and how he got to where he is in life. 

Alex has learned a lot over the years and shares some of that knowledge with you today. This is sure to be an episode with so many takeaways, you’ll have to listen to it more than once.

Alex Cohen, the senior sports psychologist for the US Olympic and Paralympic Teams. Alex dives in deep with the team when it comes to mental strategies, mindfulness, and other skills that can transfer over to their daily lives. 

Topics:

[02:25] How Alex got into skiing and started working with Olympians

[03:45] Sports psychology on the ski-lifts 

[12:44] External focus cues in order to execute good technique

[13:50] Getting out of your own way 

[17:13] Training mindsets and flipping that switch 

[19:15] Flowstate   

[23:17] Recovery after injury

[29:18] Alex’s personal skiing habits

[29:49] A piece of advice that resonates through Alex’s life

[33:20] Summary and conclusion

Resources:

Alex Cohen Twitter: @alexcohenphd

“Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation” by Gabriele Oettingen

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Thinking through the fear with Julian Carr. One of the great things about skiing is that we can apply the lessons we’ve learned on snow and adapt them to our whole life. Today is no exception. Julian talks about how he gets air, how he got started, and what goes into finding the right conditions. As a natural talent, Julian has a unique and positive perspective on both skiing and life.

We’ve all seen the pictures. X-Games GOLD Medalist Julian Carr is known as one of the skiers who gets the biggest air. It’s almost as if he’s out there to prove that flying and skiing aren’t two different things. 

Julian’s lofty exploits have landed him in Warren Miller films. He’s also received “Photo of the Year” from Powder Magazine, the Sickbird Award on the Freeskiing World Tour, and holds two world records in cliff jumps. He’s an ambassador for Protect Our Winters and Climate Reality Project. He’s also a board member for the Lands Conservation Foundation. He founded Discrete Clothing. He also founded the Cirque Series, which is a mountain running series that’s in its fourth season.

Topics:

[02:00] How Julian got started skiing and getting height

[06:00] Being a natural skier and specific his skill set

[08:10] Baby steps to getting air 

[14:00] What goes into finding the right conditions 

[24:25] Working through the fear

[25:45] Patience and recognizing the gap between desire and ability 

[29:30] How to know when you’re ready

[31:10] Advice that still resonates

[33:20] Summary and conclusion  

Resources:

Julian Carr

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Today, I’m chatting with Lorraine Huber, an Australian skier who has made a career off of making skiing look easy. She’s done it all, from big mountain skiing and competitions, to guiding and becoming a mental coach. And she doesn’t just teach the pros; she’s teaching everyone how to find poise and grace out on the slopes amidst all this chaos. 

Lorraine is a professional skier from Lech am Arlberg. She is a freeride world champion and is now giving back to the skiing community by becoming a mental coach. She helps skiers become inspired and fall in love with the process.

Listen in as she shares her insights on the mental games that occur on the snow, and how to turn our focus to the process of learning through visualization and meditation. Lorraine also offers suggestions on how we can find our flow state. 

Topics:

[01:30] How Lorraine got started in skiing

[08:10] The transition process of big mountain skiing to mental coach

[12:25] Strategies for quieting your mind

[18:51] Finding your flow state

[25:35] What to focus on: growing and learning the process

[27:59] How to reprogram your brain

[33:15] Internal versus extrinsic motivation

[34:29] What can come to us when we’re in that flow state

[37:27] Lorraine’s skiing buddies and how they helped her

[40:00] A lesson that still resonates with Lorraine

[42:00] Lorraine’s YouTube channel 

[42:42] Summary of the big lessons from this episode

Resources:

Lorraine Huber

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck

Lorraine Huber, YouTube

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Today’s guest is a skiing veteran with amazing stories and lessons to share. I’m sure all of you know the name Chris Anthony. In this episode, Chris shares so many of his experiences and tips including how early he started skiing, hard ski lessons, how to ski with an injury, and stories from movie sets. From Warren Miller to Mt. Mangart, he is no stranger to film or the snow. 

Chris also shares his opinions on how and why skiing has changed over the years. Has it been for the better? How have these technological changes helped injured skiers? Not to mention, we dive into the basics of skiing, because sometimes we need to be reminded that skiing isn’t about being the strongest. A lot of the challenge of skiing happens in your mind… and also on your knees. Is it possible to ski with a knee injury? 

Chris Anthony does it all: award winning skier, ski personality, trainer, guide, and motivational speaker. Chris was also inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame in 2018, is an award-winning documentary producer, director, writer, and editor, and was featured in 28 Warren Miller films. 

Topics:

[00:55] How Chris got into skiing

[05:15] Evolving times for skiing and ski gear

[09:10] Chris’ lessons from his movie career

[12:00] On bad habits and trying to get rid of them 

[14:25] Skiing while injured   

[21:44] Knee replacement and returning to skiing  

[26:09] Tips for skiing with knee pain

[28:47] Ski gear that won’t bother your knees

[31:33] Off the wall racing

[35:05] Lasting advice from early in Chris’ career

[36:11] Mission Mt. Mangart film and the history of skiing

[41:56] Summary and thanks

Resources:

Chris Anthony

Wagner Custom Skis

Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. We have quite the treat for you today as our guest is the legendary–the most decorated American, male downhiller ever–Daron Rahlves. Four time Olympian. Twenty-eight world cup podiums. A dozen world cup victories. Seven national titles. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Daron is already helping out future generations of skiers with his Ski Tips with Daron Rahlves series on YouTube. Today he brings a few of those tips with him as well as some great advice and fantastic stories. There are so many takeaways from today’s episode, from tips on developing confidence, to technical advice about balance, and big lessons he’s learned from his journey to the top. 

Topics:

[01:00] Daron’s accolades and journey

[02:20] From Ski-Tips to Mortal Tips

[06:55] How do we develop confidence 

[09:43] Technical tip about balance: “From the snow up”

[13:00] The importance of knowing the line

[19:55] Find a mentor and follow the good guys

[22:10] How Daron adjusted his ski style for the film, Chasing the LIne

[30:55] How skiing has developed over the years

[35:00] How Red Bull treats the athletes they sponsor

[41:50] The fastest time at Birds of Prey and other records

[45:40] Advice from Daron’s youth which still resonates with him

[47:50] Tips and warm-ups 

[49:20] Summary of the episode

Resources:

Ski Tips with Daron Rahlves

Wagner Custom Skis

On today’s show, I speak with my good friend, Skylar Holgate of Silverton Mountain Guides out of Durango. Skylar and I have shared a lot of great adventures, however what makes him most interesting is how many days he’s logged on major mountains around the globe. 

Skylar and I talk about his experience as a racer turned big mountain snowboarder and how he passes on his expertise from a lifetime of advanced mountain experience.

Join us for this very special episode.

Topics:

[03:37] Skylar’s transition from skiing to snowboarding.

[04:45] Skylar’s priorities in his twenties.

[06:01] Helping people achieve results and overcome fear.

[10:00] The challenges of adjusting resort style to backcountry/heli-skiing.

[13:50] Why it’s important to familiarize yourself with new gear before skiing.

[16:45] Skylar’s excitement about showing people the ropes and helping them improve.

[21:45] Differences and similarities between resort skiers and professional skiers.

[23:38] How he handles giving advice to professionals.

[25:53] Important turn advice.

[31:54] The best way to communicate with someone who is struggling.

[36:05] The most helpful advice Skylar has received.

[37:50] The main talent of Silverton Mountain Guides.

[38:40] The importance of trying new things.

Resources:

Silverton Mountain Guides

Wagner Custom Skis

On this episode of Next Level Skiing, I speak with Ted Mahon, one of Colorado’s most respected mountain athletes. He has an impressive 25 years of experience in skiing and mountaineering. During most of that time, he has worked as a ski instructor. He has also skied most of the country’s highest mountains. On top of this, he has helped countless skiers reach their peak level of performance.

Join us for an interesting conversation about preparation, uphill clinics, and Ted’s mountain experience.

Topics:

[02:44] Tips for kicking off your ski vacation on the right foot.

[06:05] Skiing with returning clients.

[07:45] Why it’s important to show up with a basic level of fitness.

[08:35] What separates a great skier from a great bowl skier.

[11:33] Ted’s uphill clinics and who attends them.

[13:46] Weekly social uphills at Buttermilk.

[15:10] The appeal of backcountry skiing.

[18:18] Easing people into backcountry skiing.

[20:35] How boots can affect your footwork and the effort you have to exert.

[23:12] Advanced uphill clinics and what they offer.

[29:41] Picking your peaks.

[32:15] Thinking back on the highlights of his career.

[34:10] Ted’s parting advice to other skiers.

Resources:

Wagner Custom Skis