Podcasts by Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast

SE5:EP4 - James Coleman: The Freedom to Ski from 2023-12-07T12:32:45

SE5:EP3 - Chris 'Gunny' Gunnarson: Building on Progression from 2023-11-22T08:20:29

Head to any Woodward Mountain Center and you’ll immediately be drawn to the kids in the Jib Park and Peace Park pushing themselves to new heights. Since Woodward’s humble beginning over 50 years...

SE5:EP2 - Alex Schlopy: Rollercoaster Ride of X Games Champion from 2023-11-15T10:00

Thinking back on it today, X Games champion Alex Schlopy still shakes his head. A homegrown product of Park City, Utah, in a month-long span in 2011 he won an X Games title in Aspen, became a wo...

SE5:EP1 - Sophie Goldschmidt: America's Best in Utah from 2023-11-02T13:30

It was a typical day at the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah as Olympic and Paralympic athletes were sweating it out on the training center floor, preparing for their winter competi...

SE4:EP13 - Big Snow: Jim Steenburgh&Chase Thomason from 2023-05-03T11:58:09

The 2022-23 ski season was the biggest on record in Utah! So, just how big was the snowfall? And what’s the science behind it all? Last Chair got together with Professor Powder himself,...

SE4:EP12 - Sandy Flint: Stio on Sustainability from 2023-04-20T10:41:20

Over the past few years you’ve probably noticed the brand Stio on the slopes. Born in the Mountain West, the company has become known for its extensive colors and a serious focus on technical ma...

SE4EP11 (Bonus) - Cottonwoods Plow Team: Ride-along with Shawn Wright from 2023-03-24T14:03

The Ski Utah Last Chair podcast takes a ride all the way up to Solitude and Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon with UDOT Cottonwood plow driver Shawn Wright. A veteran drive, Wright takes us up i...

SE4EP11 - Cottonwoods Plow Team: Keeping Our Canyons Open from 2023-03-24T14:00

Utah gets a lot of snow! And as skiers and riders, our objective is to get up to the resorts as quickly as possible. But who takes care of that 30 inches of snow that fell overnight? And who mit...

SE4:EP10 - Dr. McKenzie Skiles: Science of Snowmelt from 2023-03-08T11:28:09

As skiers and riders, we hate to think of melting snow. But to Dr. McKenzie Skiles, snow melt is the lifeblood of existence in the mountain west. Last Chair ventured up Little Cottonwood Canyon ...

SE4:EP9 - Henri Rivers: Diversity in the Mountains from 2023-02-17T16:20:13

Since the day he found an old pair of skis in his family’s hotel attic, Henri Rivers has found a special joy in skiing. It didn’t matter to him that he was the only black skier on his high schoo...

SE4:EP8 - Drew Hardesty: Conversation in a Snow Pit from 2023-01-03T09:48:23

With each successive two-foot snowfall, skiers and riders at resorts rejoice. But in the Utah backcountry with no avalanche mitigation, that fresh snow often sits on a sugary, crusty weak layer ...

SE4:EP7 - Special Snowfall Edition from 2022-12-23T08:12:33

In October it started snowing in Utah. And it really hasn’t stopped, with over 225 inches in Little Cottonwood Canyon by mid-December. So, what’s going on? Last Chair invited Open Snow forecaste...

SE4:EP6 - Bill Wyatt: Gateway to Utah - The New SLC from 2022-12-14T15:30

The new Salt Lake City International airport provides the closest gateway in the world to such a diversity of skiing and riding. Opened in September 2020, the new SLC is one of the world’s most ...

SE4:EP5 - Tim Hawkes: Saving the Great Salt Lake from 2022-12-01T15:10:58

When you fly into Salt Lake City from the north, you get a poignant view of the vanishing water in the Great Salt Lake. The problem is real. So what is Utah doing about it? Last Chair traveled t...

SE4:EP4 - America's Ski Town from 2022-11-15T15:15:17

With two world class resorts boasting nearly 10,000 lift-served skiable acres, all nestled around an historic old mining town, Utah’s ski town of Park City truly is unlike anything in North Amer...

SE4:EP3 - Peter Landsman: Our Love of Lifts from 2022-10-27T15:30

As skiers, we love ski lifts. They get us quickly to the top of mountains so we can slide back down. But what would you think about visiting every single ski lift in America? 2,381 of them! Well...

SE4:EP2 - Nick Sargent: Industry Focused on Change from 2022-10-20T11:46:53

Across an industry that is rapidly changing, Utah-based Snowsports Industries America is leading the way. Nick Sargent, a former ski racer, World Cup ski tuner and marketing chief for Burton, is...

SE4:EP1 - Snowbird Tram: Taking an Icon into the Future from 2022-10-10T15:51:12

It was an early autumn day in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the new futuristic Snowbird tram, we could see all the way down to the Salt Lake Valley. To the no...

SE3:EP15 - Ruby Forsyth: Finding Joy in Skiing from 2022-04-12T16:16:14

When Utah nurse Melody Forsyth learned her baby-to-be had Down syndrome, she and her family thought it would change their lives. And it did - for the better. Ruby, now six, has led the Forsyth f...

SE3:EP14 - SOS Outreach: Diversity and Inclusion in Sport from 2022-04-01T10:49:11

Visit any western resort town and you’ll find a robust LatinX community, sometimes making up 30% of the population. It’s a robust part of community culture. But oftentimes, it’s a segment that d...

SE3:EP13 - Bill Jensen: New Look at Sundance from 2022-03-14T12:55:24

Visitors to Sundance Mountain Resort this winter have found a wonderful new experience at one of Utah’s great hidden gems. Working with the experienced Sundance team, legendary ski industry lead...

SE3:EP12 - Lexi Dowdall: Utah Snow in Watercolors from 2022-03-04T14:52:06

Utah’s 15 resorts paint a majestic portrait amidst the winter landscape. So what if someone painted them all, with watercolors based in snow melt from each resort. That’s what passionate Utah sk...

SE3:EP11 - Lee Cohen: Utah's Ski Photographer from 2022-02-25T15:42:36

Cohen grew up in the east, hopping around small New York ski hills like Stony Point and Silver Mine. His father took him on trips to Vermont, skiing Stratton, Stowe, Killington, Mt. Snow and mor...

SE3:EP10 - Utah's Olympians - Utah Goes to the Olympics from 2022-02-18T16:40:17

“I'm so thankful for the people in town who founded the Youth Sports Alliance after the 2002 games,” said Fisher. “It was a community effort to get all of the youth from Summit and Wasatch count...

SE3:EP9 - Fraser Bullock: Utah's Olympic Legacy from 2022-02-08T09:51

The 2002 Olympics transformed Salt Lake City and its neighboring venue communities into a stage that welcomed the world. For 17 days, the Games captivated spectators and television viewers as at...

SE3:EP8 - Alf Engen: Legend of Alta from 2022-01-12T10:54:26

The legend of Alf Engen goes back to the 1920s when Alf brought his brothers to America from Norway. In the midwest and later out in the mountains, they found a home in America as skiers. Alf be...

SE3:EP7 - Katharina Schmitz - Future of Ski Lifts from 2022-01-06T14:06:44

What do ski lifts mean to skiers? Ask Doppelmayr USA President Katharina Schmitz and she’ll tell you ‘freedom.’ In this episode, Last Chair host Tom Kelly chats with the leader of Utah-...

SE3:EP6 - Kristen Ulmer: Embracing Fear from 2021-12-15T11:00:10

A New Hampshire native, Ulmer discovered skiing as a young girl, skipping school to hit the slopes at lunch time. Friends told her about skiing in Utah. Her mom found a $40 one-way airline ticke...

SE3:EP5 - TonyGill: Joy of the Backcountry from 2021-12-06T10:42:28

Cruising through knee deep powder in the peace and solitude of the Utah backcountry is  pure joy. It’s alluring. It can also be dangerous if you are not well prepared. Journalist Tony Gill grew ...

SE3:EP4 - James Niehues: Man Behind the Maps from 2021-11-27T18:56:44

We’ve all fantasized about our trips to the mountain by poring over detailed trail maps, plotting out each run of our ski vacation. The man behind those maps, James Niehues, has become somewhat ...

SE3:EP4 - James Niehues: Man Behind the Maps from 2021-11-27T18:56:44

We’ve all fantasized about our trips to the mountain by poring over detailed trail maps, plotting out each run of our ski vacation. The man behind those maps, James Niehues, has become somewhat ...

SE3:EP3 - Zane Holmquist: Active Lifestyle Chef from 2021-11-05T10:11:38

From wild game chili to Stein Burgers and Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, Chef Zane Holmquist has served it all. The Stein Eriksen Lodge VP of food and beverage, who grew up in Utah, ove...

SE3:EP2 - Jeremy Jones: Passion for Protecting Winter from 2021-10-21T14:30:29

Growing up on Cape Cod, it may seem unusual that young Jeremy Jones gravitated towards sliding on snow. But family ski outings led to his passion for snowboarding. Today, Jones is one of the wor...

S3:EP1 - Ted Ligety: Back Home in Utah from 2021-10-07T19:35:12

Over the past two decades, Utah native Ted Ligety has hopscotched across five continents every year, collecting World Cup crystal globes and Olympic gold medals. This winter, he's back home in U...

S2:EP16 - David Perry: A Sustainable Future from 2021-04-08T15:43:01

As skiers, we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of the mountains we ride. Sustainability is vital for our future. David Perry, one the ski industry's most knowledgeable advocates for...

S2:EP15 - Kym Buttschardt: Ogden’s Ski Town Renaissance from 2021-03-24T11:00:22

A group of skiers sat at the bar in the Rooster's B Street Brewery and ...

S2:Ep 14 -Sandy Melville: Silver to Slopes from 2021-03-10T13:27:50

A century and a half ago, Utah's mountains were the home of boomtowns as silver mining flourished across the Wasatch from Little Cottonwood to Big Cottonwood and over Guardsman Pass to Park City...

S2:Ep13 - Steve Sullivan: Stio - A Brand for the Mountain West from 2021-03-03T07:12:01

The outdoor adventure clothing brand Stio has been showing up mo...

S2:Ep12 - Jeremy Jones: Progressing Sport at Woodward from 2021-02-24T12:59:07

Growing up in the Salt Lake Valley in the '80s, Jeremy Jones developed a knack for searching out urban skate and snowboard venues to feed his passion. Today, the sport legend has found it all un...

S2:Ep11 - Chris McCandless: Little Cottonwood Via Gondola from 2021-02-16T15:01:35

Chris McCandless grew up in Little Cottonwood Canyon, dropping powder lines as a kid and hiking Superior in the summertime. It's a place near and dear to his heart. Three or four days a week you...

S2:Ep10 - The Seeholzers: Family Story of Beaver Mountain from 2021-02-09T07:41:13

Mountain manager Travis Seeholzer and I slid off the Harry's Dream Lift at Listen

S2:Ep9. Greg Schirf: Evolution of Ski Town Breweries from 2021-01-29T12:15:34

If you're a skier or snowboarder, there's a pretty good chance you've been in a brew pub be it for a draft beer, hamburger or a pizza. Today we take ski town brew pubs for granted. Where did it ...

S2:ep8. Lamont Joseph White: Skiing in Color from 2021-01-19T11:27:38

Over the past year, our nation has been gripped in a discussion on racism. As skiers and snowboarders, how does that impact us in a sport that's not exactly known for its diversity? How inviting...

S2:Ep7. Jim Steenburgh: Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth from 2021-01-12T06:37:48

Don't you just love it when you have to pick up your phone to call your boss back home. 'Hey, really sorry, but we just got snowed in with 60 inches of new snow. We can't get back to the airport...

COVID-19: Innovating a New Approach to Service from 2020-12-30T08:54:20

Have you been skiing or riding this year? If so, you've experienced a new sensation - standing atop a snow-covered ridgeline, soaking in the alpine peaks and feeling a freedom from the Listen

S2:Ep5. Jodie Rogers: From Turkey Chili to Gooey Warm Cookies from 2020-12-21T16:14:36

Imagine feeding thousands of skiers at a dozen locations across five mountains every day? That's the life of Jodie Rogers. An Australian skier who found Utah over 20 years ago, Rogers brings a j...

S2:Ep4. Chris Waddell: Tragedy To Opportunity from 2020-12-07T13:59:36

Like many of us, Chris Waddell loves the feeling of being atop Bald Mountain at Listen

S2:Ep3. Nikki Champion, Utah Avalanche Center from 2020-11-26T07:13:05

Imagine boots on snow for 12 months a year? From the towering peaks of Denali and Rainier, to the powder-filled backcountry of Utah's Wasatch Range, that's the life of Nikki Champion. It's a lon...

S2:Ep2. Bryn Carey: Innovation for a Better Ski Vacation from 2020-11-20T07:20:43

Few would argue that one of the most challenging aspects of a ski vacation can be renting the gear. Bryn Carey, a Sugarloaf, Maine transplant to Utah, has been changing that through his innovati...

S2:Ep1. John Cumming: Passion for Utah and Outdoors from 2020-10-26T10:39:45

Ever wonder what happened to the 'E' in POWDR, the owner of Woodward Park City and nearly a dozen resorts nationwide? You'll lear...

Ep 13. Season Pause: A Fabulous Snow Season Cut Short from 2020-05-19T08:00

Without doubt, the 2019-20 ski and snowboard season was one for the record books - great snow, guests from around the world enjoying the Greatest Snow on Earth, restaurants and bars serving up t...

Ep 12. Mike Caldwell: Ogden’s Ski Town Mayor from 2020-03-10T15:49

The affable Mike Caldwell bursts into his office, a welcoming smile on his face. Wearing a Salom...

Ep 11. Randy Doyle: Keeping the Family Feel at Brighton from 2020-02-25T09:32

Randy Doyle is that guy who always has a happy smile on his face - a fixture on the Ski Utah scene for ...

Ep 10. Ron Baldis: Park City Powder Cats from 2020-02-11T00:24

The bright red PistenBully wound its way up the switchbacks to the top of San Mateo Ridge. Inside, guide Listen

E9. Rob Lea and Caroline Gleich: Ultimate Outdoor Couple from 2020-02-03T23:33

Imagine climbing Mount Everest. Then think about swimming the English Channel. If that's not enough, how about riding your bike across America. That was last summer for Park City triathlete Rob ...

E8. Laura Sexton Creating the Perfect Groomer Day at Deer Valley Resort from 2020-01-28T10:48

This was one of those ‘man dreams’ - to be riding in a big piece of machinery, conquering the steeps and sculpting the snow, riding in Prinoth Bison, nearly 10 tons of machinery with over 400 ho...

E7. Chad Linebaugh: Blending Art, Nature and Skiing at Sundance Mountain Resort from 2020-01-20T23:42

When you look at Sundance Mountain Resort, you need to view it as...

E6. Kim Mayhew: Ski Bum to Respected Resort Leader at Solitude from 2020-01-14T00:17

Sometimes you just have to follow your heart. In the early 1980s, Kim Mayhew did just that. Mayhew and her husband reevaluated their lives, deciding to head west, hopscotching between resorts li...

E5. David Perkins: Utah’s High West Whiskey Pioneer from 2020-01-06T23:43

Utah may seem like an unlikely spot to pioneer a distillery. But biochemist and lifelong skier David Perkins saw an opportunity. Perkins opened Listen

E4. Shannon Bahrke: Athlete, Entrepreneur, Skiing Mom from 2019-12-24T10:33

There’s never a dull moment in the life of Shannon Bahrke Happe: athlete (two-time Olympic medalist), entrepre...

E3. Evan Thayer: Forecasting your Utah Powder Days from 2019-12-17T18:09

Talk about finding your passion - snow forecaster Evan Thayer is living his dream! As a kid grow...

E2. Dave Richards: Getting Alta Ski Area safely ready for the season. from 2019-12-09T22:36

Dave Richards is a part of the culture and fabric of Listen

E1. Dave Fields: The face behind Snowbird from 2019-12-02T21:50

Growing up in Salt Lake City, Dave Fields loved to make turns in Utah's fluffy powder. After an early career as a journalist, he saw how excited his wife was to work at a ski area. He quickly re...