Lift prices are up, and so are temperatures. Could this be the end of the ski bum?
In her early 20s, author Heather Hansman spent her days working the lift, bartering with pizza, and hitting the slopes as much as possible.
She lived as a textbook "ski bum," a grifter addicted to the adrenaline of a perfect swish through fresh powder.
Fifteen years later, Hansman is revisiting the lifestyle that's come to define the image of American skiing. Can the ski bum survive in a corporatized, expensive pastime? And what forces threaten all of skiing, including the towns and people who depend on it?
Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with local author Heather Hansman about her new book, Powder Days: Ski bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow.
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Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, art and design, and ecology.
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
More stories from Libby Denkmann »
