Davey Smidt is a chameleon; he’s a nice Jewish boy who’s god given gift is being an amazing communicator. Davey is just as comfortable talking to Travis Rice as he is a CEO, a professor, an intern, and a kid at the skatepark. He’s one of those people that gets along with everyone, and while nice guys finish last, that’s not the case with Davey. On the podcast, we talk about his South African roots, his Bar-Mitzvah, his college years, and the dream jobs he’s had at Monster and GoPro. This is a fun business episode, and Jaimeson Keegan asks the Inappropriate Questions.
Davey Smidt Show Notes:
3:30: Sochi, South Africa, Judaism, sports, and limited skiing and snowboarding growing up
15:00: Big Bear at 16, action sports culture, college, and Mammoth
21:00: Stanley: Get 30% off sitewide with the code drinkfast
Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there
Outdoor Research: The best outerwear ever built just got better
23:00: His superpower, X Games with Monster, buying podiums and Hansens Energy
34:00: Guerilla marketing Red Bull Events, working with an agency, taking the marketing in-house, the athletes he inherited, and the travel
42:30: 10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers; they support action sports more than anyone
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better
44:30: Selling the logo, money can’t buy experiences, why would he leave, and being given a job with GoPro
54:00: Athletes become content creators, what’s behind a viral video, advocates vs. athletes, one product launch a year, and who had he befriended over the GoPro years
64:00: Inappropriate Questions with Jaimeson Keegan
Bruce Edgerly or “Edge” as he’s fondly known is one of the only ski entrepreneurs I know to sell his company, get rich, and still be involved in the day-to-day of the business. I haven’t had anyone on the podcast with that type of story and Edge is also the only Ivy League guy I’ve had on the show. But Edge is just a dirtbag kayaker and skier who parlayed the contacts he made while writing for Powder Magazine and Larry Flint into a guerilla marketing machine that would drive the company he and his partner started, BCA, to the forefront of the industry. This is the ski version of the Steve Jobs story…but with a lot more personality. Steve Christie asks Inappropriate Questions, and they are awesome.
Bruce Edgerly Show Notes:
3:30: Moving to Miami, Holderness Academy, Hockey at Brown University, and then moving to Utah
8:00: Graduating from Brown, getting a real job in Basalt, getting fired from that job, and then delivering the newspaper
12:00: Miami Vice in Aspen, kayaking, Dean Cummings, the AK Heli Wars, and Powder Magazine
20:00: Stanley: Get 30% off site wide with the code drinkfast
Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there
Outdoor Research: The best outerwear ever built just got better
22:30: Larry Flint, forerunning extreme comps in AK, and the birthday party that changes his life
31:00: Creating the BCA market through connections, being a Peruvian hat-wearing Tele skier, road-tripping the Alpine Trekker, financing, and what production look like
35:00: The idea for the digital transceiver, who built the Tracker, the avalanche that kickstarted the Tracker
41:00: 10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers; they support action sports more than anyone
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better
43:00: The Beacon Wars, making bold claims that made people angry, Steve Conger’s advice, winning over Canada and Europe, and validation in the States
54:00: First live recovery, airbags, putting his house and assets on the line in the name of BCA, and selling to K2
67:00: Inappropriate Questions with Steve Christie
Gus Kenworthy is so much more than an Olympic and X Games Medalist. He’s more than an AFP or Dew Tour Overall Champion. Really, Gus is so much more than just a skier. He’s a humanitarian who risked everything to ride pipe (and slopestyle) like no-one before him. Gus is also the first professional athlete come out in the prime of his career. This is a story about bravery, feelings, and freedom. It’s a do not miss where we touch on his is amazing ski career, when he knew he had a secret, living with that over the years, the plan to come out and so much more. Michael Spencer and “Digi” Dave Amirault ask the Inappropriate Questions.
Gus Kenworthy Show Notes
3:30: Not prepping for the season, who he will keep in touch with, Telluride, other brother peer pressure, team sports, and the Fate pants era
11:00: Is he competitive, crashes, and his really awkward younger years
21:00: Stanley: Get 30% off site wide with the code drinkfast
Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there
Outdoor Research: The best outerwear ever built just got better
23:00: Losing his BFF at 14, Candide, CoreUPT Skis, Armada, and living with Bobby Brown,
33:00: Do his secrets impact his success (especially at X Games), not being able to focus, and the freedom of being transparent
39:30: 10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers, they support action sports more than anyone
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better
41:00: Is he living a secret double life, Sochi Olympics, having his halfpipe spot taken away from him, getting the silver and does he overshadow the other medalists
52:00: Quitting Empire Gloves, the coming out plan and telling the world,
62:00: Inappropriate Questions with Michael Spencer and “Digi” Dave Amirault
Brant Moles is a living legend, a World Extreme Champion who filmed with all the heavy hitters and is now back for part 2 of his podcast. The second half of his career is way more exciting than the race years; we talk about the extreme comp circuit, his role in forming the IFSA, MSP, TGR WM, IMAX, fat skis, injuries sponsorship, McConkey, and so much more. This is the first time Brant has shared any of this with a podcast, and you won’t want to miss it.
Brant Moles Show Notes:
3:30: Peruvian, coming back to the US as an unknown, his first Extreme’s and first trip to AK
14:00: Meeting the MSP crew, sponsorship progression, the SOS nightmare, and money
19:00: Stanley: Get 30% off sitewide with the code drinkfast
Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there
Outdoor Research: The best outerwear ever built just got better
21:00: Not being a good self-promoter, battling for things, his shared vision with McConkey, and getting on fat skis for the first time
33:00: Founding the IFSA, winning three comps in 1997, does he prepare for 1997 differently, and the vibe of the contests
41:30: 10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers; they support action sports more than anyone
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better
43:00: In the right headspace, Worlds in AK, filming with MSP, TGR, WM, and IMAX
57:00: X-Games, a string of injuries, the comeback, how the pro career ended, taking care of the legends, and what he is up to now
73:00: Inappropriate Questions with Keith Carlson
Drew Petersen’s life and times have been defined by highs and lows from the time he was a little kid. On one hand, he lived in Colorado and developed a passion for skiing young. While that passion grows, so does depression and bipolar disorder, which is not diagnosed until much later in life. Combining that with a life of winning ski contests on the weekends and then returning to school as the smart, intense kid wasn’t the best combination. But Drew pushed through, made it as a pro skier, then had terrible accidents in the mountains, with a lot of head trauma and the suicidal thoughts became way stronger than they were at 9 years old. I’ve said enough, this is a heavy podcast, Drew is not afraid to share, and everyone should listen.
Drew Petersen Show Notes:
3:30: Sunburn, The Quality Film Time Tour, and growing up in Silverthorne
12:00: Getting into skiing, tantrums, brain injuries impact memories, motional control and the injury mental illness timeline
20:30: Stanley: Get 30% off site wide with the code drinkfast
Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there
Outdoor Research: The best outerwear ever built just got better
23:00: Suicidal thoughts at age 9, what type of skiing he was doing, getting his own insurance, and the Telluride accident
35:00: Faction Skis, Jr big mountain contests, getting into Powder’s top skiers 18 and under, and Lance Armstrong
41:00: 10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers, they support action sports more than anyone
GoPro: The only action sports camera that matters
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better
43:30: Japan at 17, who he competed against, University of Utah, big injury in college, and getting “Ski The Wild West” funded
52:00: Accident on Hood, Self-Rescue, going into a dark place, coping with booze and weed, and the series of bad events that he thought he was the root of
61:00: The relief of getting help and public speaking
66:00: Inappropriate Questions with Todd Ligare