Sponsored: The stories behind the skiers

On this week's episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, host Mike Powell interviews French Canadian Marc-Andre Belliveau. In 2006, Belliveau was one of the top skiers in the world. He was featured regularly in Teton Gravity Research films for his progressive style. His sister, too, was an Olympic hopeful. One day they were skiing together and she broke her back.

"I felt really responsible for my sister when she got hurt," he says. "...

Mike Hattrup Show Notes 1:30: What is Hatt up to and how has his season been 2:45: Getting a knee replacement 3:40: Growing up Hattrup, sports and getting into skiing 8:00: Filming with Stump and making the US Ski Team 10:00: Blowing his knee for the first time 13:00: Blizzard of Ahhs 15:30: Plake’s legal problems 18:00: How did the movie change his life 20:00: Working in house at K2 22:00: Developing skis and working w...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Canadian Olympian Matt Margetts joins host Mike Powell. After years pursuing halfpipe competitions, Margetts has joined childhood friends including Riley Leboe, Joe Schuster, and Mike Henitiuk in filming "Seeking Nirvana." The award winning video series—last year it won Best Editing at the 2016 Powder Awards—is a whimsical tribute to creative filming and fun, stylish powder skiing.

Tra...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Kim Reichhelm, one of the original badasses of freesking, joins host Mike Powell. Reicchelm is candid about her upbringing with a stern father and her current rock and roll lifestyle. The veteran ski racer, commentator, two-time World Extreme Ski Champion, and the figurehead of the highly successful "Ski With Kim" camps, Reichhelm discusses how she was made fun of at school, but found he...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Colston VB talks to host Mike Powell about the struggle to make it as a professional skier. The two discuss Vb's role on Bravo's reality TV show, Timber Creek Lodge, which he was conflicted about appearing on.

"Within skiing I really focused on not selling out," he says. "I really focused on staying super core and not doing the cheesy Instagram stuff and not compromising myself and I wa...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Pep Fujas, one of the most influential skiers of the 21st century, joins host Mike Powell. Known for his seminal segment in Session 1242, his role in Nimbus films, and his successful pro models, Fujas, who grew up in a yurt in Oregon without electricity or a phone, is also the father of two young daughters. The two discuss balancing fatherhood and travel and Fujas' influence on skiing, in...

"It's hyper awareness. I am like charged particles, and I'm sharing with my surroundings, like part of this rich, interconnected web," he says about his airs. "There is no empty space. So the moment I leave a cliff I'm connected through the air, the trees, the ground, my skis, the wind, and when I land, it's a seamless integration, because I actually never left any connection to that energy level that I'm vibrating with."

:55: Th...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, host Mike Powell interviews perennial Freeride World Tour contender and former champion Drew Tabke. Tabke is one of the most outspoken athletes on the tour, and the two discuss how to grow the exposure of what is skiing's most exciting competition and why Tabke returns year after year.

"I really do believe in what we're doing," says Tabke. "Sometimes it's epic and sometimes it's not, bu...

2:43 Life in Arizona 3:44: Growing up in Pennsylvania wakeboarding and skiing 6:00: The end of team sports 8:32: Killington Mountain School 9:12: Skiing, wakeboarding, and the US Open 12:29: The early challenges for women in the beginning of the modern twin tip era 15:55: The photo shoots that had nothing to do with skiing 18:48: Was she able to make a lot of money skiing? 19:37: Head injuries led to retirement 21:42: ABC’s ...

This week on the "Sponsored" podcast, freeskiing legend Skogen Sprang stops by to talk with host by Mike Powell about his career as a competition and film skier, his style and versatility.

"I did look at it as you should be able to ski every aspect of freeskiing," says Sprang. "You should be good at all these things. And I just enjoyed it, too. For me, always the big mountain and powder and backcountry stuff has been the pinnac...

Over the past 10 years, Elyse Saugstad has been one of the most influential skiers in the sport. In 2008 she won three out of four Freeride World Tour stops and was the overall champion. In 2013, she won Best Female Performance at the 2013 Powder Awards. She continues to produce On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, hosted by Mike Powell, Saugstad shares her inspiring story.

Saugstad grew up as a downhill racer in Alaska, ...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, host Mike Powell interviews Lexi duPont, a Sun Valley, Idaho, native, film skiing regular, and a 17th Annual Powder Awards "Best Female Peformance" nominee.

The two discuss growing up the daughter of a K2 Performer mother in Sun Valley—she began ski racing at age 2—and politics.

"Now with all the political bullshit that's happening in the States, it's a better time than ever before ...

Aaron McGovern was known for sending it. Violent crashes were known as "McGoverning." In the bar, he was known for getting wasted and picking fights. McGovern was constantly flirting with "the edge of destruction." Sometimes it worked—he filmed over 20 segments and appeared on 15 magazine covers. And sometimes it didn't—he has a long list of injuries and arrests. Now sober for 10 years and a freeskiing coach at Squaw, McGovern has ...

Pro skier David Lesh is known for his controversial promo videos. To say he is misunderstood may be an understatement. This week on the "Sponsored" podcast, host Mike Powell has an honest conversation with Lesh about his life story. Lesh talks about growing up in India, English being his third language, blowing a lunch date with President Obama, getting kicked out of school, and his long list of felonies. Lesh even had to remove an...

One of the original rail skiers, Frank Raymond joins "Sponsored" to discuss all he learned through skiing and what he's up to now.

Show Notes

2:30: The real world 4:00: Getting into skiing 6:00: Focusing on skiing 7:00: Quitting racing 9:00: Sponsors 11:00: Movie parts 12:20: JF 15:50: Felix Rioux gets Frank on K2 17:23: Are you making money in skiing? 18:40: Retirement 20:00: How he planned the season out 21:00: ...

Once labeled a ski model, Caroline Gleich is open and honest about all she has done to become a respected ski mountaineer.

1:11: Busy early season 2:00: Getting into skiing in MN 3:40: Small in stature 7:12: Moving to Utah 9:15: Ulmer hired to mentor 10:15: How did you get your first sponsor 12:00: The face of skiing in Utah 14:00: How did she get into climbing? 15:00: 2013: The year of Caroline 15:47: Andrew McLean 16:45: Getti...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Karl Fostvedt talks to host Mike Powell about pursuing his dream of being a professional skier at all costs. "I always wanted to be a pro skier. I've always wanted it and have been working for it." Powell talks to Fostvedt about how he finagled his way into a variety of contests, including how he showed up to Cold Rush unannounced.

"Cold Rush had this crazy sketchy railroad feature, and...

Clayton Vila is one of the hardest working and most accomplished street skiers in the world. On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Vila and host Mike Powell discuss how he got into street skiing as a kid from Rhode Island, and the consequences of pursuing creativity over competition.

"The K2 team had a bunch of dudes and none of them competed," says Vila. "These people are backing people who are just doing what I want to d...

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Glen Plake comes on for the third and final part of his conversation with host Mike Powell. The two talk about the dawn of snowboarding and how it was pitted against skiing as a marketing ploy, but in the beginning, it was all about just being in the mountains and being creative.

Glen Plake Part three Show Notes:

1:00: The beginning of snowboarding and how Plake was involved 7:25: ...