Episode Intro

Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast, welcome back. I am your host Ting Ting from Las Vegas. Today we sit down with Liz Schwab, an AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide and Nationally Registered Paramedic based in the Tetons. Liz’s journey is one of technical mastery and resilience, moving from the icy racing slopes of New York to the high-consequence backcountry of Silverton, Colorado.

In a moving and honest conversation, Liz opens up about a reality of the guiding industry rarely discussed: navigating grief. She shares how losing friends to mountain accidents shaped her methodical approach to risk, and speaks candidly about losing her partner to cancer. We explore how she leaned on community and took intentional 'baby steps' back into the alpine to heal.

Beyond her personal story, Liz offers invaluable advice for aspiring guides. She discusses the rewards of all-women’s mentorship and avalanche courses in breaking downintimidation. Finally, she shares grounded wisdom on maintaining a 'backup career' to avoid burnout and protect her soul-level passion for the outdoors. This episode is a beautiful look at finding peace, making hard assessments, and thriving in the industry. Let's dive in!

Liz's bio

Liz Schwab grew up ski racing in upstate New York. She attended college in Durango, CO, trading ski racing for competitive free skiing & ultimately graduating in 2014 witha Bachelors in Physiology and Adventure Education. She then moved to Silverton, CO where she became an EMT and started her avalanche education. Liz has been teaching avalanche courses for both AAA and AIARE programs for 10 years now. In 2020 Liz became a paramedic and worked full time for Silverton Medical Rescue, an EMS and SAR based agency. Liz participated in leading complex emergencyrescue scenes in the San Juan Mountains austere environment for several years before moving to Victor, Idaho in 2023. Liz now works as a guide, paramedic,WFR instructor and ski patroller at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Liz's link:

Instagram -

https://www.instagram.com/elizabetheskier/

Instagram

• "The ideal would be not to experience loss in the mountain... But the reality is it's quite common. I would just like to touch upon the way you can survive it and still continue in this career path but with a different approach and different perspective."
• "...all of a sudden it just rocked my world and really put things into perspective of what the reality of the mountains could be. It changed my approach massively really early on in my 20s."
• "...it's a really odd relationship to have thisenvironment that can take incredible humans out of your life but you keep finding yourself going back to those types of environments to also feel most at peace again."
• "I get to be in the mountains. I get to show otherpeople this place that really grounds me and, you know, is helping me survive a pretty massive trauma."
• "I think just like lowering your guard and being okay with people stepping in and telling you where to go and helping you figure out what your next employment opportunity looks like. It goes a really long way."
• "...doing these all women's female courses, it totally removes this level of just nervousness, anticipation. And when you can remove that, you can absorb so much more and you can ask, you can have the room to come up with questions in real time."
• "So I will tell these ladies both learn as much as youcan. If this is something you're passionate about, do it. But make sure that you're not gonna have to rely on it because it could ruin it for you."
• "Don't let fear stop you from pursuing the next thing you think you want to learn about. You'll find once you're in that setting, like, man, what was I so afraid of? ... Be curious and don't let fear drive you."