Fresh Corduroy - for skiers

Hig Roberts took an unconventional path to the top of alpine skiing. From growing up in Steamboat Springs to skiing at Middlebury and earning a spot on the U.S. Ski Team, Hig reached the World Cup through persistence, technical development, and a nontraditional route. In this episode, we go inside life on the World Cup circuit—the pressure, travel, and mental challenges of competing at the highest...

Three-time Olympian  Resi Stiegler  grew up skiing in  Jackson Hole , the daughter of Olympic slalom champion  Pepi Stiegler . From those early days roaming the mountain as a kid, she went on to make the  U.S. Ski Team at just 15 , race on the  FIS Alpine World Cup , and represent the United States at three  Winter Olympic Games . In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , Resi joins host Craig Zolan to...

What does it take to build one of the most successful programs in  NCAA ski racing ? In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , host Craig Zolan sits down with legendary Dartmouth coach Peter Dodge for an inside look at the world of  college ski racing, athlete development, and the pathway from junior racing to the World Cup . Peter grew up skiing in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, rose through the ranks o...

What does ski racing really look like outside the World Cup spotlight? In this episode, Craig sits down with Elsa Powell, creator of the YouTube channel  Fall Liners , which documents the unfiltered journey of British athletes chasing Europa Cup starts, FIS points, and long-term Olympic goals. Elsa shares how she went from racer to filmmaker, why she launched the project in 2024, and what it takes...

When people think about collegiate ski racing, they think NCAA. But every winter, nearly  5,000 athletes  compete through the U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) — across alpine, Nordic, snowboard, and freeski disciplines. In this episode, Executive Director Meegan Moszynski and VP of Academic Affairs Jay Moyer break down: • How USCSA differs from NCAA ski programs • Why its te...

Ski patrollers are there before the lifts spin and long after they stop — often invisible on the best days and indispensable on the hardest ones. In this episode, Craig sits down with  Stephanie Cox , CEO of the  National Ski Patrol , to pull back the curtain on what ski patrol really does. They discuss: What it takes to become a ski patroller — from medical training to high-stakes toboggan rescue...

In her return to  Fresh Corduroy ,  Annika Hunt  reflects on a whirlwind stretch of her career—making her first World Cup starts, racing on the sport’s biggest stage, managing nerves and expectations, and navigating injury just as momentum was building. Annika opens up about what it really feels like to arrive at the highest level: lining up against her role models, dealing with DNFs, racing at ho...

Raphael Lessard’s path to the World Cup wasn’t linear—and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , World Cup speed skier Raphael Lessard joins the show to break down his journey from ski racing in Quebec, through Burke Mountain Academy, formative years racing in Europe, and a deliberate return to North America to ski for the University of Utah. Along the way...

Former Division I ski racer  Kelly Brush  joins  Fresh Corduroy  for a powerful conversation about ski racing safety, adaptive sports access, and how culture—not just equipment—shapes risk on snow. After a 2006 collegiate racing accident left her paralyzed from the chest down, Kelly turned her focus to preventing avoidable injuries and expanding access to sport for people with spinal cord injuries...

Tricia Mangan is an active World Cup alpine ski racer for the United States — but her path to the highest level looks very different from what most people expect. Growing up skiing a small hill in western New York, Tricia didn’t attend a ski academy or chase a predefined elite pipeline. Instead, she developed through local racing, skied collegiately at Dartmouth, stepped on and off the U.S. Ski Te...

What actually goes into designing a ski or a boot—and why do some products feel  right  while others miss the mark? In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , Craig sits down with  Thor Verdonk , Global Technical Director for the Rossignol Group, for a deep dive into how modern ski equipment is conceived, tested, refined, and brought to market. With more than 30 years inside Rossignol, Dynastar, and Lan...

What’s really happening behind the scenes at ski resorts—and where is the ski industry headed? In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , Craig sits down with  Mike Reitzell , President & CEO of the  National Ski Areas Association , to unpack how the sport actually works at a national level. Mike shares his personal path into skiing—from learning as a kid in California to racing for USC—and how that...

Avalanches aren’t just a backcountry issue — they’re a ski culture issue. In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , host Craig Zolan sits down with  Ethan Greene , Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, for a grounded, deeply informative conversation about how avalanches actually happen and why decision-making matters as much as snow science. Ethan explains how avalanche risk develops,...

In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , host Craig Zolan sits down with  Joe Dunn  — former NCAA ski racer, longtime coach, and current instructor at Deer Valley — to explore what actually helps skiers improve and what often gets in the way. Joe shares his philosophy around  clean completions , why the bottom of the turn matters more than most skiers realize, and how confidence and enjoyment often un...

Snowmaking is one of the most misunderstood—and essential—parts of modern skiing. In this episode, TechnoAlpin USA CEO Taylor Ogilvie joins the show to break down how snowmaking really works, how the technology has evolved, and what the future looks like as winters become more unpredictable. Taylor shares insights from decades in the ski industry, including his time at Vail, Beaver Creek, Mount Br...

Three-time Olympian Shannon Ogbnai Abeda joins Fresh Corduroy for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on identity, pressure, and carving your own path in the sport. Shannon opens up about growing up the son of Eritrean immigrants in northern Alberta, discovering ski racing on a small local hill, and what it took—physically and mentally—to push toward the Olympic stage. We talk about resilience, na...

Amy and Dan Macuga join Fresh Corduroy to share one of the most remarkable family stories in skiing. What started as keeping the kids active in Park City turned into something nobody could have predicted: three siblings competing at elite levels in  three different disciplines  — ski jumping, moguls, and Alpine speed — with their youngest chasing a high-level path of his own. In this conversation,...

Warren Miller producer Chris Leavell joins Fresh Corduroy to pull back the curtain on how the world’s most beloved ski films get made. From coordinating shoots across continents to shaping story arcs and working with top athletes, Chris explains the craft and chaos behind the films that define ski culture.

In this episode of  Fresh Corduroy , host Craig Zolan sits down with  Greg Willis , longtime leader and head of Vail’s ski and snowboard school, to explore the art and evolution of ski instruction. Greg shares insights from decades on the mountain — from what separates a good instructor from a great one, to how ski schools adapt to new generations of skiers, technology, and expectations. They also...

Two-time Queen of Corbet’s Caite Zeliff joins  Fresh Corduroy  to talk about her journey from ski racing in New England to freeride fame in Jackson Hole, the mindset behind big-mountain skiing, and how she’s redefining success, storytelling, and risk after a career-changing injury.

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, Annika Hunt shares her journey from a young skier in Park City to a competitive athlete at Burke Mountain Academy. She discusses her family background in skiing, the challenges of transitioning to a more competitive environment, and her aspirations to become a World Cup skier. Annika reflects on the mental aspects of ski racing, the importance of focusing on the...

In the Season 2 premiere of  Fresh Corduroy , host Craig Zolan sits down with  Sophie Goldschmidt , CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, to explore what it takes to lead a national governing body responsible for multiple disciplines across skiing and snowboarding. Sophie discusses her background in sports management, how it shapes her leadership approach, and the unique challenges of running a nonprof...

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, host Craig Zolan speaks with Sasha Rearick, a veteran coach of the US ski team and head of the Alpine program at Apex 2100 in France. They discuss the differences in coaching philosophies between the US and Europe, the importance of creativity in ski racing, and the challenges of coaching elite athletes. Sasha shares insights on motivation, the significance of co...

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, we speak with Jamie Grant, co-founder and CEO of CARV, a digital ski coach that uses sensors to improve skiing techniques. We discuss Jamie's journey into skiing, the evolution of CARV technology, and how it helps skiers enhance their skills through real-time feedback and metrics like Ski IQ. The conversation also touches on the future of CARV, its potential...

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, we talk with Dr. Jim Taylor, a leading authority on the psychology of ski racing. They discuss Jim's journey from a young ski racer to a sports psychologist, emphasizing the importance of mental training in skiing and other sports. The conversation covers how mental skills can be introduced to young athletes, the role of parents in fostering a positive environmen...