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Navigating a Lifelong Run in Big Mountain Skiing with Chris Davenport
Manage episode 434671062 series 3593612
On today’s episode of The Adrenaline Zone, Sandy and Sandra interview two-time World Champion skier and lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Chris Davenport. Widely recognized as one of the top skiers in the world, he is the first person to ski all fifty-four of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks in less than one year. Chris starts the conversation by talking about his earlier skiing experiences. As he recounts, he was exposed to all the joys of being outdoors very early on so the passion for outdoor activities was instilled in him at a young age. Then, Chris discusses the potential risks and challenges that sports like skiing involve. According to him, the trick is to get smart at handling risk.
Next, Chris talks about the "goosebump" moment that all ski athletes experience – the feeling of looking down a huge mountain, seeing a big crowd cheering you on, and observing the surroundings. Believe it or not, Chris still gets butterflies in his stomach in moments like these which is one of the many indicators of his love for skiing and ski racing. Then, Chris discusses one of his biggest accomplishments, becoming the first person to ski fifty-four mountains in one year. He even wrote a book about it, called Ski The 14ers, where he told a story about this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Finally, Chris proceeds to talk about the importance of efficient equipment for skiers. He also opens up about his current projects and activities. He’s still very much spreading his passion for skiing and teaching others to understand the language of the mountains.
The Finer Details of this Episode:
- Pursuing a childhood passion as a career
- The racecar driver analogy and learning to mitigate risks
- Understanding the language of the mountains
- Skiing fifty-four mountains in one year
- The importance of efficient ski equipment
- Turning skiing into a career
Quotes:
“Part of the reason I loved doing this sport and continue to love being out in the big mountains is I love looking at it holistically: How do we get the best possible outcome from the thing that we're trying to do, whether it's climbing a mountain or skiing back down a mountain? And what are the things that could trip us up trying to identify those potential risks, and then figure out how we mitigate them.”
“The goal of getting to the top or skiing back down is almost secondary to the experience of just being out there. So, when I think about it that way, and I go out and just put one foot in front of the other in the mountains, I'm just always having a good time, it's sort of managing expectations is what it is. You keep those expectations low, you generally exceed them, and then that's a good thing.”
“You could be a world champion, you can be an Olympic champion, you can have all this experience. But you still get those butterflies when you're in the gate, because you care, you love it so much. You want to do your best.”
“Skiing down is so much fun. It's so free and can be intense, but in a good way.”
“I've had such a wonderful career. It's been so blessed. And I really love giving back nowadays in a number of different ways.”
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