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 a newfound joy of coaching, which he says gives him as much happiness as anything. On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, Aaron McGovern shares his never boring story with host Mike Powell. 


McGovern is candid about his past. The two talk about why he was always pushing it.


"You really can't learn unless you're there, on that edge of destruction," says McGovern. "Anyone can ski down a groomer, but to learn what you can possible handle and ski through and live, you have to send it. If you're not falling, or not on the edge of destruction, you're not learning." 


Powell and McGovern also talk about the state of professional skiing and McGovern's love of working with kids. 


"I just love coaching. I get the same feeling when a kid makes the podium doing a freeski comp than if I was on the podium," says McGovern. "I've banged myself up so much doing this stuff that at least I can pass it on to someone else hopefully."

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Professional

Sports & Recreation

Outdoor

Sports

On this week's episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, the last of season one, host Mike Powell interviews Rory Silva. If you've been regularly listening to "Sponsored," Silva's name is one that has frequently come up. He was among the top echelon of skiers before a lack of business skills caught up with him. The type 1 diabetic and Mammoth native is now living in Southern Oregon, where he was fulfilling DUI obligations. 


Show Notes: 
2:30: The trials and tribulations of getting a DUI
5:45: Health choices and Diabetes
7:30: Growing up and having Plake around
11:00: Rory and school
12:30: Getting sponsored, how does that happen?
15:00: Superpark, being a professional skier, and movie parts
20:00: Ninthward
24:00: The end of making money in skiing for Rory and what is he up to now?
27:50: Deadabetic ski edits

Sponsored, Episode 34: Rory Silva

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. "I remember the phone call to my dad to tell him that she was all fucked up. And his reaction was feeling that I was responsible for her accident because we were doing crazy shit. I got really bummed out. I started to feel really shaky about skiing. I actually thought I wasn't going to ski anymore. But she was the first one telling me, 'Yeah, it was bad luck. You don't want to quit skiing just because I got hurt."


Belliveau continued skiing. Then, in 2006, he lost his way on the last day of a trip while filming for TGR and broke his T12 vertebra. He has been paralyzed since. 


"I felt ashamed that I kept going skiing," he says. "It's a dangerous sport. You feel selfish. The things you do can hurt other people. When I got hurt, it really hurt my friends, my parents, and yeah, the word that comes to mind is just being selfish."


After Belliveau's injury, a number of high-profile skiers died while skiing, including 10 people that he knew. Belliveau says he has always had a hard time making the right choice. 


"I'm not bummed out that I chose skiing as a way of life. But I'm very bummed that I skied that run," say Belliveau, who recently gave up drinking and smoking. "I've had a hard time... I've been struggling a lot the last ten years." 

Sponsored, Episode 32: Mike Hattrup

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. 


Transitioning from the stunt ditch to fields of powder has been welcome change to Margetts, who often had a hard time meeting his own expectations in the finals of big events. 


"I have an issue with things not working out or not going my way," he says. "If it's something as simple as not doing a run that I wanted to do that I know I can do or falling when I know that I can land I just snap and get super bummed on myself. I was one of those guys that could pull it off in practice or pull it off in qualifiers and then try and go balls to the wall in finals and shit would hit the fan. I couldn't quite figure it out... that was the hard part about it. I worked with a few different people and just couldn't get the answers I was looking for. I couldn't get a solution." 


For Margetts though, as his career turns away from competition and back toward where it started, nothing beats skiing powder with his friends—even if there is less money in it. 


"My whole ski career, if you can call it that, has been on the dirt bag side of things, trying to slum it to make ends meet here and there so I can keep doing it, but I love it, and I want to be able to continue to do it for as long as I can," he says. "It's pretty damn fun." 

Sponsored, Episode 21: Aaron McGovern

Download our free app to listen on your phone