Heather Hansman, author of Powder Days and a contributing editor at Outside Magazine, dives deep into the changing landscape of skiing culture. She reflects on her nostalgic childhood experiences contrasted with today’s elite ski culture shaped by wealth and accessibility issues. The conversation tackles the socioeconomic divide in ski towns, the rise of mountain camping, and the impacts of climate change on skiing. Hansman emphasizes the need for community support and the rich emotional ties many have to this beloved winter sport.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Skims x North Face Collaboration
The Skims x North Face ski line features form-fitting, flesh-toned ski wear, prompting discussions about skiing's changing image.
This collaboration raises questions about the intersection of skiing, identity, and wealth.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Ski Wear Then and Now
Anne Helen Peterson and Heather Hansman, both in their 40s, discuss the evolution of ski wear.
They recall the '80s and '90s, when fur-lined North Face jackets and tucked-in leggings were markers of wealthy skiers, often perceived as less skilled.
insights INSIGHT
Skiing as a High-Bourgeois Activity
Skiing is increasingly viewed as a high-bourgeois activity, not just middle class.
This shift is driven by factors like rising costs, resort conglomeration, and the commodification of hobbies.
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I grew up skiing at a mid-size mountain in the middle of Idaho. I wasn’t ever an athletic kid, but skiing — it made me feel fast and really good at something. I loved it: the routine, the long slog to the mountain, the Cup of Soup for lunch, the crappy hotels, the freedom. But the ski culture that I grew up with is largely gone, at least in the U.S. — and I’ve spent the last few years coming to terms with how industrial shifts, climate change, conglomeration, the explosion of the unregulated short-term rental market have changed not only who can learn to ski, but who can keep doing it.
Heather Hansman, author of Powder Days, is the perfect co-host to grapple with your questions about the future of skiing, ski towns, and ski culture, including all the business nitty-gritty (and a frank discussion of what can make ski people so annoying). This is a ski conversation, but it’s also a conversation about housing, and class, and city planning — and the commodification of hobbies. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:
Celebrity feuds, past and present, with Joel Anderson!!! (Yes this will come out around the time Kendrick headlines the Super Bowl halftime show)
HISTORICAL ROMANCE (will neither confirm nor deny that we have a co-host whose confirmation made Melody faint)
By popular request, all things fan fiction!
Pre-teen influencers
Budget Culture + Specifically Budget Advice You Find Dubious
Dark Academia
Getting into old movies!!!! Tell us why you want to get into them, why you find it difficult, and a few recent-ish movies so we can hand-pick recommendations for you
Dad culture, whatever that means to you
Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment — WE REALLY NEED MORE!! You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!
You can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here
For today’s discussion: What’s your relationship to skiing? Did this episode shift or cement any of your thinking about skiing?
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