Zoe Atkin is competing for an Olympic medal. She is the reigning 2025 World Champion in the halfpipe and also just grabbed *another* gold medal at X-Games. This week, in Livigno, Italy, Zoe enters the 2026 Olympics as a top contender in the halfpipe.

While her prowess on skis is truly world-class, Zoe is also a student at Stanford and approaches the halfpipe with a conscious approach and wisdom beyond her years. After taking a mental health break following a disappointing 2022 Olympics, Zoe dove into school and also sports psychology. After our conversation, I was left with a devout belief that she is extremely well prepared mentally for the Olympics. And of course, it only takes watching one run to see she is prepared physically too.

This conversation is from a late-season training camp in Mammoth last spring. Despite her meteoric success, it was an honor and a wonderful opportunity to connect with Zoe on a calm, simple, personable level.

—

This episode is brought to you by I Give A F*ck About Mental Health. For 20% off, use code POD20 at checkout: https://drew-petersen.com/shop

—

Listen / watch / subscribe:

1. YouTube
2. Spotify
3. Apple Podcasts

—

Follow Zoe on Instagram: @zoeaatkin

—

Follow me/the show on Instagram: @drewpeterski

Sign up for my Substack/the podcast newsletter: https://substack.com/@drewpetersen

—

Score discounts and connect with all of the podcast’s sponsors any time at drew-petersen.com/podcast

Chris Davenport is a professional skier, ski guide, and true legend of the sport. The multifactorial chapters of his career—from winning the World Extreme Ski Championships in 1996 all the way to his film career, skiing Everest, numerous first descents around the world, authoring the Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America, and more led to him being inducted into the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Dav is one of my biggest childhood heroes. I personally most vividly remember when he became the first person to ski all of the fourteeners in Colorado in one year. Like he was one of my childhood heroes, in the interview he exhibits the joy in still living out his childhood dreams.

Over the past two decades since then, the longevity and evolution of his career and skiing lifestyle has inspired me to continue learning from Dav. Through conversation, he shows that longevity comes from an evolved relationship with risk, keeping pursuit rooted in passion, and finding purpose in facilitating experiences for others. Connecting with him for this conversation was also a joy because we linked up at Aspen Highlands last spring, and in the time since, I’ve moved to the Roaring Fork Valley and made Aspen my new home mountain.

—

This episode is brought to you by Salomon. To check out the QST line of skis, and Salomon ski gear, click here.

—

Listen / watch / subscribe:

1. YouTube
2. Spotify
3. Apple Podcasts

—

Follow Chris on Instagram: @steepskiing

—

Follow me/the show on Instagram: @drewpeterski

Sign up for my Substack/the podcast newsletter: https://substack.com/@drewpetersen

—

Score discounts and connect with all of the podcast’s sponsors any time at drew-petersen.com/podcast

This chairlift chat on The Drew Petersen Podcast is with Caroline Gleich, a professional ski mountaineer who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024. As an athlete activist, she has climbed Everest, was the first woman to ski all 90 lines in the Chuting Gallery, a guidebook to skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, climbed and skied Cho Oyu, and is pursuing her goal of climbing the Seven Summits.

But in 2024, she pursued her most audacious goal yet: running for U.S. Senate in the 2024 election. As the Democratic candidate in deeply red Utah, the odds were stacked against her but she committed with full resolve. Personally, I was amazed seeing her at her first campaign fundraiser to watching her consistently show up through the election.

Naturally, I was curious to hear what that whirlwind was really like. We linked up for this conversation in April of 2025, far enough removed from the election, but fresh enough that her takeaways were poignant and inspiring.

–

This chairlift chat episode is brought to you by Protect Our Winters. To learn more and to join Team POW, visit protectourwinters.org.

–

Watch the full video version on YouTube

–

Follow Caroline on Instagram: @carolinegleich

Sign up for Caroline’s Substack here

—

Follow me/the show on Instagram: @drewpeterski

Sign up for my Substack/the podcast newsletter here

—

Score discounts and connect with all of the podcasts sponsors any time at drew-petersen.com/podcast