Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast

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 jovial spirit to her role as director of food and beverage for Deer Valley Resort - staying on top of food trends, and making sure there's enough turkey chili at every lodge. As skiers, it's easy to take lun...

Like many of us, Chris Waddell loves the feeling of being atop Bald Mountain at Deer Valley Resort . The distant peaks of the snow capped High Uintas are off to the right. To the left is the panoramic ridgeline of Park City. Below him is a pristine piste that is ready to be carved. But instead of standing on two skis to admire the view, he sits in a fiberglass monocoque called a monoski. As the te...

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 long way from the young girl who was chasing gates as a ski racer in Michigan. Today, she's a vital link in helping keep Utah's backcountry safe as a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center . As her name imp...

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 innovative approach to rental equipment delivery at Ski Butlers , a Park City-based company he founded in 2004. Today, Ski Butlers is in two-dozen locations in six states and four countries. Carey grew up in the qu...

Ever wonder what happened to the 'E' in POWDR, the owner of Woodward Park City and nearly a dozen resorts nationwide? You'll learn about that in the season two debut of Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast. POWDRresort company owner John Cumming still has fond memories as a young boy of his father, Ian, scooping him up out of his bed late at night to head to their condo in Snowbird for a long weekend...

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 the Ski Utah lifestyle. Then, it all came to a sudden pause on March 14. The pandemic pause caused an unprecedented halt to a great season. How did it all come down? How have the resorts managed it with gues...

The affable Mike Caldwell bursts into his office, a welcoming smile on his face. Wearing a Salomon vest, he looks a lot different than the portraits of a century of mayors on the wall of his Ogden City office, embodying the active, outdoor lifestyle that has become the trademark of Utah’s second largest city. Eight years in, the third-term mayor has built a strong city by focusing on Utah’s geogra...

Randy Doyle is that guy who always has a happy smile on his face - a fixture on the Ski Utah scene for decades. He literally grew up on the slopes of Brighton and has carried on the tradition of one of Utah’s most family-friendly resorts. Across the Wasatch, there are few views that can match the alpine peaks of the Cottonwoods from the top of the Great Western chairlift down the ridgeline to Snak...

The bright red PistenBully wound its way up the switchbacks to the top of San Mateo Ridge. Inside, guide Ron Baldis joined the joyous revelry of his guests as they regaled each other with stories of their last run through the trees. Baldis grew up skiing in California, making first runs at Big Bear and joining his family for long trips up to Mammoth. In the early 2000s, he got a call to help a fle...

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 Lea. Oh, and let's not forget the August wedding! Rob Lea and Caroline Gleich are Utah's true adventure couple. Gleich, a noted ski mountaineer, joined fiancé Rob for the Everest climb. On May 24, they stoo...

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 horsepower of Caterpillar energy pushing the treads. Deer Valley Resort groomer Laura Sexton was in command, her left hand deftly managing the track control levers, her right fingers flicking buttons on a joy...

When you look at Sundance Mountain Resort , you need to view it as much more than a ski area. When Robert Redford moved to this peaceful valley in the early 1960s, his dream was to preserve this very special place. Today, Sundance is a wonderful blend of art, nature and skiing. Sundance may be a small ski area, but it skis big. Originally known as Timp Haven, Redford purchased the land in 1968, an...

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 like ski bums until landing in Utah. Today, Mayhew is one of the most highly regarded resort leaders in America, serving as president and chief operating officer of Solitude Mountain Resort - one of the gems...

Utah may seem like an unlikely spot to pioneer a distillery. But biochemist and lifelong skier David Perkins saw an opportunity. Perkins opened High West Distillery inside an old Park City garage in 2006, ushering in a unique new element to the lifestyle of skiing. In this episode of Last Chair, the Ski Utah Podcast, Perkins shares the story of how he and wife Jane conceived High West one day in K...

There’s never a dull moment in the life of Shannon Bahrke Happe : athlete (two-time Olympic medalist), entrepreneur (her Team Empower Hour brings Olympians together to motivate) business leaders and mom (young Zoe and Tucker, both literally born on skis, and husband Matt). Life is a blend for Bahrke, a Lake Tahoe native who made Utah her home in 1998 to train for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. It...

Talk about finding your passion - snow forecaster Evan Thayer is living his dream! As a kid growing up in the mountains around Lake Tahoe, young Evan just loved to ski. But he was also fascinated with weather. Today, Thayer is truly living out his fantasy job spending his days hopscotching across Utah resorts and his early morning hours bringing you the day’s powder forecast through his role at Op...

Dave Richards is a part of the culture and fabric of Alta , one of Utah’s most beloved ski areas. As snow safety director, he’s your most important friend on the mountain - helping to keep you safe. December is that time of year when everyone’s asking, ‘why can’t I ski there?’ Getting a bit alpine mountain ready for the ski season is a challenge, with everyone itching to get back to their favorite...

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 realized, 'hey, that's what I want to do!' He signed on as an assistant in the Snowbird PR department and his pathway began. Now, nearly two decades later, he's the president and CEO responsible for running o...