What first drew you to the Tetons?

I've skied a lot of different places, and this just had this perfect combination of amazing snow and some of the most incredible terrain I've ever skied. Compared to other ski towns, it just felt like a place where you could actually live, find a community and have some semblance of a normal life. 

What’s the vibe like in the Teton Valley? What are some of the tradeoffs to living here?

I’ll turn the question around. I think what makes this place worth the challenges is the community. Here, people build bonds because they want to go out and recreate. Maybe they don't know the line, but they know their neighbor does. Some instructors I’ve met through ski school are in their late 60s and still teach a few days a week because it gets them out. And the people they've met through skiing are some of the best friends that they have. I love that people really want to make it work here. 

The other challenge is the cost of living—how do you build a real career in an area that's so dominated by tourism and second homes? For my brother and me, that was taking the step to try and build a business, which has been super rewarding even though it brings its own host of challenges.

How do you spend your days?

My full-time gig right now is running Highpoint Cider in Victor, Idaho with my brother. Day-to-day? I’m a truck driver, janitor, cider packager, cider company director—I do a lot of different things. 

Is making cider hard? What’s it like running the business?

Making cider is pretty easy. Making good cider is hard. How hard or easy it feels depends on the day, but it’s really cool to build something with my brother.

People can glorify entrepreneurship, but in reality it’s mostly just sheer persistence. Being your own boss is great in a lot of ways. But the problem is, your boss is always with you. When you're on vacation, your boss is in your head, saying, hey, maybe you should be doing something else right now. Maybe you shouldn't be relaxing on a beach reading a book, maybe you should be getting some work done. That, at least for me, is really hard—to step away from it.

How do you find balance between the business and spending time in the mountains for yourself?

This year I realized how important it is to have balance and take advantage of living in the Tetons. The first few years, it was really tough for me to get out. I was just sneaking out when I could, and most of the time I felt guilty about it, that I should be working instead of being out in the mountains.

So this year I decided if I'm going to sacrifice a lot of my time to build this business, especially being in the middle of nowhere, then I need to enjoy the incredible access to the mountains and trails and skiing and mountain biking we enjoy. I do that better now, and then I come back to work feeling enthused and recharged.

I also started to teach skiing this year, and that helped free me up. Teaching brings me joy in a way I didn't fully anticipate. Whether that's giving someone a lesson from the top of the tram and skiing amazing snow, just ripping down and having a great day, or it's someone's first day on the magic carpet—I find joy in seeing someone explore the mountain or skiing for the first time. 

Do you consider yourself fortunate to live here?

I feel a lot of gratitude for the ability to move my body and get out in nature and carry me through these different experiences. Maybe that's part of getting a bit older. When I was younger I was always go, go, go all the time. I've tried to find and appreciate a little bit more peace and thanks and enjoyment for the body I have. 

As far as living here—this is a weird place to live, and I think I'm pretty lucky that I found myself here, or found my way here. Time will tell. If I'm still teaching skiing when I'm 75 years old, then we'll know it worked out.