Alan Henceroth has worked at Arapahoe Basin since 1988. Now the President & COO, Al has been a core part of the history of one of North America’s most legendary, unique ski areas. His leadership has helped to shape not just the ski area itself, but also the soul, charisma, and identity that’s given A-Basin its ardent following and community.

Al and I ride Pallavicini, so of course, we talk about the Pali chair. It becomes the vehicle of the conversation into what makes A-Basin what it is and how keeping the soul alive matters, both at A-Basin and in the sport of skiing. Yes, A-Basin has undergone a lot of change, but traditional ski media has covered that exhaustively. I take this opportunity to bring you along for a chairlift ride that’s actually personal and instead focuses on what hasn’t changed.

Of course, this conversation, episode, and chairlift are especially meaningful to me personally. I grew up at A-Basin. My skiing was shaped by the terrain off Pali and my life was shaped by conversations on this chairlift. Alan and I have also known each other for two decades, all the way back to when I was a little kid.

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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

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Listen / watch / subscribe:

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Follow Chris on Instagram: @steepskiing

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