words by Mike Rogge

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving NS.com! While you’re out there watching parades, chowing down turkey, and dealing with that zany uncle we all have (shout out to my Uncle Gary!), I give you the lovely Lynsey Dyer.

I first met Lynsey at IF3 in September. Miss Dyer is not just a skier but also a wearer of many hats (specifically Bula but come on kids, it’s a metaphor).  She’s a strong environmental activist, devoted artist, photographer, non-profit founder, and easily makes a strong case for best female skier in the world. I caught up with Lynsey and we had ourselves a little chat about ski films, black boots, and escaping into the backcountry.

Name: Lynsey Dyer

Home Town: Jackson Wyoming

Sponsors: Rossignol, Jackson Hole, Astrisk, SheJumps.org, AVALON7

Mike Rogge: Hi Lynsey, How’s it going?

Lynsey Dyer: I’m swell thanks

MR: What have you been up to since I last saw you at IF3?

LD: I’ve been getting strong, going to a few premieres, and working like crazy on this non-profit that I’m stoked on - SheJumps.org

MR: IF3 was blast. Lots of good movies, a good scene, and of course you can’t beat Montreal. Felix, Doug, and JF did a great job. What’d you think of the first ever IF3?

LD: Montreal was incredible! They have the best food, the French-Canadians are really nice, and I had to go out and buy a pair of those tall black city boots that all the local fashionistas wear, just to fit in.   It was a treat to get to see all my friends and most of the movies.  I usually only do the TGR tour, so I never get to see most of the films, so to see them all in one place was awesome.  I think it’s a great event for our sport.

photo: Wade McKoy

MR: You also did some hosting for the NS coverage of IF3. I’d imagine skiing in front of the camera is quite different than interviewing athletes. Is that something you see yourself getting into?

LD: I did some of the hosting for ABC for the Ski Tour comps last year, plus another show over the summer and that was a good time. I never thought skiing would allow me to jump out of an airplane or interview people like Sean Paul and Michael Franti.  Still, there’s nothing better than skiing.  Yeah, it’s definitely not easy but I’m a skier first and foremost. 

MR: Most of the NS.com community is only exposed to girls in the park and pipe. You’ve been killing the big mountain scene for years. What do you think is holding some female skiers back from escaping into the backcountry?

LD: I think everyone who is exposed to truly being out there in the backcountry would love it, just look what happened to Tanner.  It's a true test of why you ski, no crowd, no cameras, and big scary mountains that can eat you alive, or give you the run of your life.  You'd better be doing it for yourself.  Getting out there is hard though, you need perfect weather, safe conditions, sleds and experienced people to go with.  The park is so much easier to access, so of course there’s going to be way more people.  I’m so stoked with everything girls are doing in the park right now and in the backcountry.  SheJumps is actually trying to put a trip together to get more girls out in the real mountains.                                 

photo: Frank Slauter

MR: I’ve heard you’ve also dove into the website thing. What’s the name of the site and what’s it all about?

LD: I'm always meeting these amazing women that I think deserve acknowledgment for all the rad things they are doing, so my writer friend and I started a website called SheJumps.org that we envision will turn into a full online women's magazine and non-profit event community.  We have our first huge benefit November 30th in Seattle, it's blowing up!   You wouldn't believe the response we've gotten. People are writing in to say, "this is the most inspirational thing in my life right now." That's the most satisfying thing in the world, knowing you're part of something bigger than yourself.  Skiing is so hedonistic, it's all about, "look how rad I am, check me out" and this project helps me remember that I'm not just in it for myself.  

photo: Paul Morrison

MR: You killed it in the TGR flick this year and heard you’re also in the new Warren Miller. What was it like to film with a company as iconic as Warren Miller?

LD: People talk shit about Warren Miller but they are super professional, have amazing cinematographers and pay for everything.  I think our sport needs all the help it can get and Warren Miller, the original Warren Miller, has been there since the beginning. 

photo: Lynsey Dyer

MR: As they say in the movie Aspen Extreme, “Skiing is the easy part.” Are there any parts of being a professional skier that you’re not fond of?

LD: Sometimes the pressure gets to me and I make some bad decisions. The hardest thing by far is saying no when you're just not feeling it. Like having to hit something big in less than ideal conditions, because the cameras are out and everyone is paying a lot to be there.  A few years ago something just didn't feel right above a double drop with sketchy avy conditions all around and I ignored it. A few minutes later, I had a blown knee.  That's the tough part, listening to yourself even when it hurts your ego.

One thing I'm super fired up about is global warming and as a skier.  I feel like it's our responsibility to get the word out about how important winter is.  I'll be the first to admit that a lot of what we do is hypocritical like sledding, heli's and traveling but I'm trying to walk the walk as much as possible.  I feel like the whole thing is pretty overwhelming to most of us, but I figure enough of the little things will add up.  I try not to buy stuff with a lot of packaging, I turn off the shower when I'm shaving my legs, I buy powdered gatorade and reuse one water bottle instead of buying new ones, I turn off my computer at night and carpool plus I'm setting a goal of becoming carbon neutral this season.  I'd love to see more skiers jump on the environmental bandwagon, hell, without snow we'd probably have to go back to rollerblading and that would suck!

photo: Mike McPhee

MR: Now that we’ve got the negative aspect covered, what part of your job do you most enjoy?

LD: Well, it’s a dream for one. I still don't claim I'm a pro skier because I don't want to let it sink in and take it for granted.  Signing posters for little girls who tell me they like to jump off stuff is such a treat, they'll probably be doing double backs over my head soon.  Skiing is the one main thing that pushes my comfort zones and there's nothing better than being in the air and then stomping something big. Actually, I think that's the very best thing EVER.  Even talking about it just makes me want to get out there!  Besides that, there is all the fun travel, meeting new people, yada yada, and giving it back, sharing the love, yeah! Let's go skiing right now!

photo: Mike Rogge

MR: Thanksgiving is coming up, any big plans?

LD: Going home to Sun Valley for Turkey day, my mom really is the best cook in the world, for reals.

MR: There’s nothing like home cooking. What are you most thankful for?

LD: At this moment? Watching it snow outside my window in Jackson

photo: Rob Kingwill

MR: And as always, this wouldn’t be a proper interview without asking you if you had any shout outs so in keeping the tradition alive – Any shout outs?

LD: Cheers to all the ladies who are killing it out there because you love to ski, big name or not, you're my heros! And to all the guys that support us ladies, we couldn't do it without you.  Word to the family at the Ski Sorority in Utah:) Suz, Grete, Van, Pip, Jess, Claire...Mikey, thanks for the interview and thanks to the NS crowd for giving big mountain some love. Come to Jackson, I'll show you why there's nothing better than skiing on real terrain in real mountains with no one around but your best friends. (damn, I feel like I'm signing year books).

photo: Felix Rioux