Tom Kelly
Last Chair Podcast
There's something unique and personal about the culture of skiing in Utah. It's embodied in the stories of the people who bring you these amazing mountain destinations and the lifestyle that pervades them, from peak to peak and village to city. Last Chair: The Ski Utah Podcast brings those personalities to life in a series of insightful storytelling sessions with athletes, resort leaders and cultural icons as Last Chair host Tom Kelly weaves a fascinating storyline that brings you even closer to The Greatest Snow on Earth.
Apr 13 2022
Ruby Forsyth: Finding Joy in Skiing
When Utah nurse Melody Forsyth learned her baby-to-be had Down syndrome, she and her family thought it would change their lives. And it did - for the better. Ruby, now six, has led the Forsyth family into a world of outdoor recreation, including skiing. Watching Ruby ride the Chickadee lift at Snowbird and ski down with her Wasatch Adaptive Sports guide is a life-changing experience seeing the joy that skiing brings to this young girl and her family.
Apr 4 2022
SOS Outreach: Diversity and Inclusion in Sport
SOS Outreach, a nonprofit serving 15 resort and urban communities nationwide including Utah, is seeking to change that.
Mar 24 2022
Bill Jensen: New Look at Sundance
Visitors to Sundance Mountain Resort this winter have found a wonderful new experience at one of Utah’s great hidden gems. Working with the experienced Sundance team, legendary ski industry leader Bill Jensen has helped them transform the resort with new lifts, terrain, snowmaking and much more. Jensen, a longtime visionary who has led some of North America’s most notable resorts, talked to Ski Utah’s Last Chair about his storied career and the fun he’s having coaching the team at Sundance.
Mar 4 2022
Lexi Dowdall: Utah Snow in Watercolors
Utah’s 15 resorts paint a majestic portrait amidst the winter landscape. So what if someone painted them all, with watercolors based in snow melt from each resort. That’s what passionate Utah skier Lexi Dowdall has set out to do with her Paint by Powder Project!
Feb 28 2022
Lee Cohen: Utah's Ski Photographer
For nearly four decades, Lee Cohen has been brining us iconic images of Utah powder.
Feb 19 2022
Utah's Olympians - Utah Goes to the Olympics
The legacy of the 2002 Olympics is alive and well, with a full third of Team USA in Beijing living and training in Utah. How did that culture of sport grow over the last 20 years? Last Chair talks with Youth Sports Alliance leader Emily Fisher, along with a half-dozen Utah Olympians competing in Beijing. How did they get into sport? And how has it impacted their lives.
Feb 8 2022
Fraser Bullock: Utah's Olympic Legacy
The vibrancy of Utah today and its culture of sport emanates in large part from the legacy of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Fraser Bullock was a businessman who was thrust into a leadership role with the 2002 Games. On Last Chair, he takes a look back at the memories of 2002 on its 20th anniversary, and also points to the future with the hope of bringing the Games back to America as early as 2030.
Jan 12 2022
Alf Engen: The Legend of Alta
As skiers, we’re drawn to legendary ski runs. Like the imposing rock face of Alf’s High Rustler that stands sentinel over Little Cottonwood Canyon’s Alta Ski Area. A quarter century since his passing, the legend of Alta icon Alf Engen lives on. Last Chair host Tom Kelly explores the life of the Norwegian immigrant who helped plan the original Alta and served as its director of skiing through tales from his son, Alan Engen. It’s a remarkable look into the early days of skiing and how the culture of Alta began.
Jan 6 2022
Katharina Schmitz: Future of Ski Lifts
What do ski lifts mean to skiers? Ask Doppelmayr USA President Katharina Schmitz and she’ll tell you ‘freedom.’ In this episode, Last Chair host Tom Kelly chats with the leader of Utah-based Doppelmayr USA to explore the evolution of ski lifts and future trends, not only at resorts but as a vital form of mountain and urban transportation.
Dec 17 2021
Kristen Ulmer: Embracing Fear
As skiers, we all know fear. Utah skier Kristen Ulmer decided to embrace it, leading to a pro career as one of the best big mountain skiers in the world.
Dec 7 2021
Tony Gill: Joy of the Backcountry
Cruising through knee deep powder in the peace and solitude of the Utah backcountry is pure joy. It’s alluring. It can also be dangerous if you are not well prepared. Journalist Tony Gill grew up skiing on 300-foot ski hills in the midwest. Today, you’ll find him on his telemark skis in the Utah backcountry. He’ll talk us through the joy of having a powder slope to yourself, as well as how to best prepare.
Nov 29 2021
James Niehues: Man Behind the Maps
James Niehues has spent three decades painting 100s of resorts and making mountains bigger than life on paper. We caught up with him to learn more about his fas
Nov 5 2021
Zane Holmquist: Active Lifestyle Chef
VP of food and beverage at The Stein Eriksen Lodge, Zane Holmquist, grew up in Utah and enjoys serving guests in his dining room just as much as the mountains.
Oct 28 2021
Jeremy Jones: Passion for Protecting Winter
Professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones was saddened by the shortening of the season and receding glaciers. So he took action & started Protect Our Winters in 07.
Oct 8 2021
Ted Ligety: Back Home in Utah
Over the past two decades, Utah native Ted Ligety has hopscotched across five continents every year, collecting World Cup crystal globes and Olympic gold medals.
Apr 9 2021
David Perry: A Sustainable Future
As skiers, we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of the mountains we ride. Sustainability is vital for our future. David Perry, one the ski industry’s most knowledgeable advocates for preservation of our mountain resources, sees a true sustainable future - if we can all work together!
Mar 25 2021
Kym Buttschardt: Ogden’s Ski Town Renaissance
A century ago Ogden was the crossroads of the west as a vital rail junction. Today, it’s revitalized as a ski town with 25th street downtown teeming with restaurants and bars, and the outdoor industry calling Ogden home. At the core of Ogden’s energization is Kym Buttschardt of Rooster’s Brewing Company, who lives and breathes her community.
Mar 10 2021
Sandy Melville: Silver to Slopes
A century and a half ago, Utah’s mountains were the home of boomtowns as silver mining flourished. Today, the same slopes that harbored valuable ore are the home of some of the worlds greatest ski resorts.
Mar 4 2021
Steve Sullivan: Stio - A Brand for the Mountain West
The outdoor adventure clothing brand Stio has been showing up more and more at Utah ski resorts. Founder Steve ‘Sulli’ Sullivan grew up in neighboring Colorado but spent a lot of time in Utah’s red rock desert and snow-covered mountains
Feb 25 2021
Jeremy Jones: Progressing Sport at Woodward
Founded as a gymnastics camp in the hills of Pennsylvania a half century ago, today the Woodward brand is bringing progression in sport for kids of all ages to snow-covered mountains across America. Last Chair visited the new Woodward Park City to catch up with freestyle skate and snowboard legend Jeremy Jones
Feb 17 2021
Chris McCandless: Little Cottonwood Via Gondola
Chris McCandless grew up in Little Cottonwood Canyon, dropping powder lines as a kid and hiking Mt. Superior in the summertime. It’s a place near and dear to his heart. Amidst a discussion on mountain transportation today, he has a vision - for a high speed gondola
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