What does ski racing really look like outside the World Cup spotlight?

In this episode, Craig sits down with Elsa Powell, creator of the YouTube channel Fall Liners, which documents the unfiltered journey of British athletes chasing Europa Cup starts, FIS points, and long-term Olympic goals.

Elsa shares how she went from racer to filmmaker, why she launched the project in 2024, and what it takes to follow self-funded athletes across Europe — from van rides and wax rooms to the emotional volatility of a sport where a podium doesn’t always mean progress.

They discuss:

• The structure of British ski racing and funding realities

• The brutal competitiveness of Europa Cup

• FIS points, ranking systems, and why finishing 70th can be a win

• Filming vulnerable moments without crossing the line

• Building a niche sports media platform from scratch

If you care about ski racing, athlete development, or the behind-the-scenes realities of high-performance sport, this conversation offers a rare inside look at the level just below the World Cup.

Follow Fresh Corduroy and share the episode with someone who loves the journey behind the results.

When people think about collegiate ski racing, they think NCAA.

But every winter, nearly 5,000 athletes compete through the U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) — across alpine, Nordic, snowboard, and freeski disciplines.

In this episode, Executive Director Meegan Moszynski and VP of Academic Affairs Jay Moyer break down:

• How USCSA differs from NCAA ski programs
• Why its team-based format keeps athletes engaged
• What a 700-athlete National Championship looks like
• Club vs varsity competition
• What high school athletes and families should know during the college application process

If you’re a skier, snowboarder, parent, or coach exploring college competition pathways, this episode will expand your options — and might change how you think about collegiate snow sports.

Ski patrollers are there before the lifts spin and long after they stop — often invisible on the best days and indispensable on the hardest ones.

In this episode, Craig sits down with Stephanie Cox, CEO of the National Ski Patrol, to pull back the curtain on what ski patrol really does.

They discuss:

• What it takes to become a ski patroller — from medical training to high-stakes toboggan rescues

• The difference between volunteer and paid patrol models

• Why most patrollers stay involved for 20+ years

• How NSP supports mental health and resilience after traumatic incidents

• The recent headlines around ski patrol labor disputes — and where NSP fits in

• Efforts to recruit the next generation of patrollers

Whether you’ve never needed ski patrol — or you’ll never forget the day you did — this conversation will give you a new appreciation for the red jackets on your home mountain.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow skier and don’t forget to thank a ski patroller next time you’re on snow.

In her return to Fresh Corduroy, Annika Hunt reflects on a whirlwind stretch of her career—making her first World Cup starts, racing on the sport’s biggest stage, managing nerves and expectations, and navigating injury just as momentum was building.

Annika opens up about what it really feels like to arrive at the highest level: lining up against her role models, dealing with DNFs, racing at home in front of family and fans, and learning how mindset and flow play a central role in performance.

We also talk about recovery, visualization, and confidence, and how stepping back—sometimes forcibly—can clarify what matters most when you’re chasing long-term goals at the top of the sport.

Raphael Lessard’s path to the World Cup wasn’t linear—and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, World Cup speed skier Raphael Lessard joins the show to break down his journey from ski racing in Quebec, through Burke Mountain Academy, formative years racing in Europe, and a deliberate return to North America to ski for the University of Utah. Along the way, he balanced NCAA competition, international racing, and a demanding academic path that included internships in financial services.

We talk about winning the overall NorAm title, earning a full slate of World Cup starts, scoring his first World Cup points with a top-20 Super-G in Val Gardena, and navigating the mental and physical challenges of injury and recovery. Raphael also offers rare insight into speed-ski development—covering intentional training, visualization, race-day preparation, and why college skiing can be a powerful part of a World Cup trajectory.

A thoughtful, honest conversation with an athlete who approaches ski racing with both patience and purpose.

Former Division I ski racer Kelly Brush joins Fresh Corduroy for a powerful conversation about ski racing safety, adaptive sports access, and how culture—not just equipment—shapes risk on snow.

After a 2006 collegiate racing accident left her paralyzed from the chest down, Kelly turned her focus to preventing avoidable injuries and expanding access to sport for people with spinal cord injuries. As founder of the Kelly Brush Foundation, she has helped drive major improvements in U.S. ski racing safety through education, grants, and advocacy—while also funding adaptive sports equipment and access nationwide.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why safety culture matters more than checklists

• How ski racing in the U.S. has changed—and where it still needs work

• The rise of laceration injuries and stop-the-bleed response on snow

• Sit-skiing, adaptive equipment costs, and access to chairlifts

• Why international safety education is the next frontier

This is an essential listen for ski racers, coaches, parents, mountain operators, and anyone who believes skiing should be both challenging and responsible.

Theme music by Eric Zolan from the album Calder's Universe

Tricia Mangan is an active World Cup alpine ski racer for the United States — but her path to the highest level looks very different from what most people expect.

Growing up skiing a small hill in western New York, Tricia didn’t attend a ski academy or chase a predefined elite pipeline. Instead, she developed through local racing, skied collegiately at Dartmouth, stepped on and off the U.S. Ski Team, and ultimately rebuilt her career as an independent athlete competing on the World Cup circuit.

In this conversation, Tricia talks candidly about:

• Developing as a racer outside traditional systems

• College skiing vs. the full-time World Cup path

• Competing independently and returning to the U.S. Ski Team

• Her evolution as a Super-G and downhill skier

• How she thinks about World Cup success versus Olympic success

• The mental, financial, and personal realities of elite ski racing

This episode is an honest look at what it takes to keep going at the top of the sport — and a reminder that there’s more than one way to get there.

What actually goes into designing a ski or a boot—and why do some products feel right while others miss the mark?

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, Craig sits down with Thor Verdonk, Global Technical Director for the Rossignol Group, for a deep dive into how modern ski equipment is conceived, tested, refined, and brought to market. With more than 30 years inside Rossignol, Dynastar, and Lange, Thor shares a rare behind-the-scenes look at the intersection of athlete feedback, engineering, materials, and real-world skiing.

They cover everything from World Cup race ski development and on-snow testing, to boot design, rocker trends, materials like carbon and metal, sustainability in manufacturing, and how recreational skiers should actually think about choosing equipment. Along the way, Thor explains concepts like “snow contact,” why boots haven’t changed much on the outside—but have evolved dramatically on the inside—and where ski design is headed next.

Whether you’re a racer, a gear nerd, or simply someone who wants to make smarter choices about your equipment, this conversation offers insight you won’t hear anywhere else.

What’s really happening behind the scenes at ski resorts—and where is the ski industry headed?

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, Craig sits down with Mike Reitzell, President & CEO of the National Ski Areas Association, to unpack how the sport actually works at a national level.

Mike shares his personal path into skiing—from learning as a kid in California to racing for USC—and how that passion ultimately led him to lead the trade organization representing more than 300 ski areas across North America. From there, the conversation goes deep into the issues shaping skiing today and tomorrow, including:

• The real state of the ski industry post-COVID

• Season passes, consolidation, and the role of independent “local” ski areas

• Public lands, the U.S. Forest Service, and how ski areas operate on federal land

• Climate change, snowmaking innovation, and sustainability efforts

• Workforce housing challenges in mountain towns

• Safety culture, restraint bars, and skier responsibility

• Why collaboration—not competition—keeps the industry healthy

This is a rare, inside look at how decisions affecting skiers and riders nationwide are made—and how much work happens long before you click into your bindings.

Whether you’re a weekend skier, a season-pass holder, or just curious how the ski world actually functions, this episode offers clarity, context, and perspective you won’t get on the chairlift.

🎿 Fresh Corduroy — conversations about skiing, the people who shape it, and why it matters.

Avalanches aren’t just a backcountry issue — they’re a ski culture issue.

In this episode of Fresh Corduroy, host Craig Zolan sits down with Ethan Greene, Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, for a grounded, deeply informative conversation about how avalanches actually happen and why decision-making matters as much as snow science.

Ethan explains how avalanche risk develops, why experienced people still make critical mistakes, and how familiarity with terrain can quietly increase risk. The conversation explores human behavior, changing winter conditions, and what recreational skiers — even those who primarily ski in-bounds — should understand about snowpack, weather, and terrain.

This episode is not about fear or sensational stories. It’s about awareness, education, and developing better judgment in the mountains.

Topics include:

• How avalanches form and what triggers them

• Why experience doesn’t always equal safety

• The role of human factors in avalanche accidents

• What resort skiers should understand about snow science

• How avalanche education has evolved — and where gaps remain

Whether you ski lift-served terrain, venture beyond resort boundaries, or simply want a deeper understanding of winter mountain conditions, this is a conversation worth hearing.