Ace Kvale has lived the ultimate ski bum life, but he’s no bum; Ace is a legend. A Midwest kid who hitchhiked his way west at 18 for bigger mountains and a better lifestyle. After a few years of resort hopping, Ace made his way to Europe, connected with Marko Shapiro, and became part of the original Clambin Crew. He started out living in a chalet in Verbier, traveling the world skiing for the camera, and he climbed in the summertime. Eventually, Ace’s life transitioned to working behind the lens, and he is an award-winning photographer who focuses his talents on shooting adventure. This podcast is one of those must-listen history lessons from one of the original stoked ski bums. Stanley Larsen asks the Inappropriate Questions.

Peter Olenick changed halfpipe skiing when he landed the first double in competition. His “Whiskey Flip” defined Peter’s life on and off snow; he went big, took chances, and partied his face off during his legendary career. He was on top of the contest world during one of the most run eras. On the podcast, we talk about not being cool growing up, Aspen, finding confidence at High North Ski Camp, success, partying, and a lot more. Colby James West asks the ‘Inappropriate Questions.’

Dane Tudor has had an incredible pro ski career that’s been going on for 15+ years, and while he’s getting older, Dane shows no sign of slowing down ski-wise, and no brands seem to care for some reason. When I say no signs of slowing down, in 2009, when Dane was 19, he won “Male Performance of the Year,” a huge award in skiing. Then, in 2023, 15 years later, Dane won that same coveted award again. While that’s so rare, so is the fact that while he’s always found success in both Moto and skiing, nothing has ever been easy for him on the sponsor end. Maybe it’s because he didn’t grow up with a dad or because he was always traveling between Canada and Alaska and was isolated with homeschooling…I try and find out the answers on the show, and Colston VB asks the Inappropriate Questions.

Jake Hopfinger created a name for himself in skiing at the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s in Jackson Hole. The double backflip he threw there for a 3rd instantly made his name known worldwide. While the dollars and travel budgets are now coming in, Jake was once an aspiring D1 East Coast ski racer who could never finish a race. Then he quit racing, moved to Montana, and learned to ski powder. The rest is history in the making. Parkin Costain and Jonnie Merrill ask the Inappropriate Questions.

Jessica Sobolowski-Quinn is a lifer in the ski industry. She’s skied more powder than almost anyone on the planet over the past 20 years, which is what you’d expect from the owner of one of Alaska’s premiere heli operations, Points North. But Jess didn’t grow up chasing powder in helicopters; she was a D1 ski racer who made her way to Palisades after college. From there, she met famous friends, started skiing rowdy lines, lined up sponsors, and traveled the world to film for a decade and eventually reeled it all in to manage the family business she runs with her husband, Kevin Quinn. Ingrid Backstrom asks the Inappropriate Questions.

owing up near Aspen, dropping out of college to shred, moving to Alta, and returning to Aspen, he made the right contacts to make the dream come true. He was tending bar in Aspen, making handfuls of cash, allowing him to travel anywhere in the world at a minute's notice...That lifestyle put him in AK and eventually in a helicopter with the TGR crew when he was 25 years old, and that, combined with an unexpected Powder Magazine cover, helped Colter graduate from ski bum to pro skier pretty late in the game. It's a real-life Aspen Extreme Ski Bum Story.

Elyse Saugstad is not only a Powder Award-winning skier known for her impressive movie segments over the years, but she’s also a woman who’s put her career on the line to better the treatment of women in big mountain ski competitions. Throughout Elyse’s career, people have said no to her, but she’s never taken no as the final answer. On the podcast, we talk about growing up in Alaska, ski racing, college in New Mexico, ski bumming turning into a pro career, and a whole lot about gender and equality. It’s a good one, and Jackie Paaso asks the Inappropriate Questions

Nick McNutt’s ski bum story is one of the best. After ten years of dirtbagging it, Nick became a big-name pro skier and one of the faces of TGR movies. When Nick moved to Whistler at 17, he quickly became the skier other skiers were talking about because of his huge switch landings…something that wasn’t too common back in the day. While he filmed with smaller production companies, TGR’s 100K Collab contest was the thing that changed his life…and he didn’t even win. On the podcast, we talk about his journey to pro skierdom, getting buried in an avalanche with a faulty beacon, the aftermath, and much more. One of Nick’s oldest, loose-cannon friends asks the Inappropriate Questions.

Logan Pehota comes from ski royalty bloodlines. His dad, Eric Pehota, is a ski mountaineering pioneer, a badass in the big mountains. Logan's journey to ski stardom took him from racing to slope-style to the Freeride World Tour to where he is today, dropping the biggest cliffs and huge tricks in the backcountry. If you've seen a Matchstick Productions film lately, you know how giant Logan goes. On the podcast, we talk about his dad, high-risk logging, contests, how money dictates his contest lines, and so much more. Colby Stevenson asks the Inappropriate Questions. 

Colby West was one of the biggest personalities in skiing for almost a decade but didn’t start skiing until he was a teenager. When most people were getting into the sport, Colby lived an isolated life where he spent his free time mimicking different voices and spending the rest of his time in the woods…And then, he found skiing through a school program. Colby went all in on the sport, working all year to pay for High North Ski Camp. When he got there, he found a mentor in Shane Szocs, who opened so many doors for him in the pro ski world. On the podcast, we talk about dropping out of college to live in his car to make the ski dream happen, medaling at X games and other events, his vocal talents, and so much more. Jossi Wells asks the Inappropriate Questions.

Parkin Costain is a child prodigy born to pro-level athlete parents; Parkin was in the backcountry before he could walk. He was learning to read lines, manage risk, and enjoy adventure at a young age and then, at the ripe age of 7, started competing in big mountain contests…Those evolved into film contests, sponsors, and a career filming with TGR. We talk about it all and more on the podcast. Jake Hopfinger asks the Inappropriate Questions.

Part 2 with Ingrid Backstrom is a much heavier episode. Ingrid and others were changing the face of big mountain skiing, and when you take that kind of risk, there’s bound to be consequences. This week, Ingrid and I talk about working in a male-dominated industry, gender differences in the mountains, risk, losing people in the mountains, and a lot more. Elyse Saugstad asks the Inappropriate Questions.

Ingrid Backstrom ushered in a new era of women’s big mountain skiing when her award-winning segment in Matchstick Productions’ “Yearbook” set the ski world on fire. While she was her high school valediction, Ingrid parlayed her academic scholarship into a life-changing time on the Whitman ski team. Then she graduated, dropped out of the real world, moved to Palisades, and became one of the faces of skiing in the 2000’s. It’s part 1 of an incredible story, and Jessica Sobolowski-Quinn asks the Inappropriate Questions.