No matter where or how you grew up, we need nature and we need others: for connection, clarity and to find meaning in our lives. When things get tough, we can turn to the mountains and to those around us for support. But when times are really tough, it often feels like the easiest path is to isolate and pull away from those relationships—even though that’s when we need them most. Greg Obernesser, based in the Vail Valley is a breath of fresh air—he’s young, enthusiastic, and even at this juncture—hopeful. He talks to us about the benefits of being mountain-minded.

A Q&A with Greg Obernesser as discussed and reiterated by Jen Johnson

Q

Tell me of you; what brought you here?

A

I grew up in Ohio and Massachusetts and rediscovered skiing at college. My friends were ex-ski racers and outdoor enthusiasts. After quitting swimming, they encouraged me to get a ski pass to Whiteface and Gore Mountain; we’d go every weekend, watch ski movies while writing papers and got involved with the Outing Club. Sitting on the porch one afternoon, we made the call to move out to Colorado after college and Vail is where we landed. I’ve never left.

Q

Why the mountains, why skiing?

A

The adventure. To go into the backcountry, see nobody, novel mountains. It’s liberating, weightless, the snow, the sun. Skiing is the most adventurous thing that I do. For the fun of it. I still remember being a little kid in Massachusetts and driving to Loon, New Hampshire to ski; piling in the trunk of our Landcruiser and looking out the window the whole way. The cold glass and seeing hills emerge. A big smile on my face.

Q

That’s interesting - “Skiing is the most adventurous thing we do.” I think that applies to a lot of people. It’s the exceptional that can seem ordinary. It’s a dream really, how lucky we are; how can we connect more people to skiing, to the mountains?

A

Skiing is sprawling in one demographic, but I think the focus needs to shift from profit to involvement. The more skiers we have in the world the better. I think we have to market the mountains to kids. Give them a picture or edit and get them excited and it spreads like wildfire. And most importantly, give them an outlet to get involved. I helped with a couple training sessions for the Canary Club; we were exposing kids to skiing or at the very least backcountry skiing for the first time. It opened them to possibilities they didn’t know existed. One kid started talking about becoming a mountain guide one day; it was pretty great.

Q

Any other takeaways?

A

In the skiing environment, the level of attention paid to each individual is acute and that is important for kids. It’s positive and focused attention in the purest form. You can express that in the mountains, especially in the backcountry.

Q

Do you think it can transcend to other groups or people?

A

I see a lot of potential for Alpine Initiatives with suicide pervention efforts in mountain towns. The Rocky Mountains are located in the “Suicide Belt”. These are places where most of us love to recreate and are the reasons why we live in mountain towns. I think we can share that passion with people who have lost theirs. They can rediscover their passion for living.

Q

What do you think people need from AI or are looking for in AI?

A

Community. It’s an outlet for people who want to connect with the mountains and are looking for like-minded individuals. Social capital has been diminishing for years; people want to bring their energy, give their time and connect. They just need the outlet.

Q

How did you first hear about Alpine Initiatives?

A

JP’s segment in All I Can. was captivating. It was more about conveying the creativity and possibilities of skiing. I connected to that message. And I had the same pair of black and white Armada AR7’s; it was the first ski my father ever bought me as a “welcome back” to the sport of skiing. Like a moth to a flame; I couldn’t get enough of JP Auclair. I bought a pair of the first iterations of Armada JJ’s (by far the easiest ski to ski powder) and followed him religiously on Instagram. Over time, I found the organization and noticed it was local to Colorado, but with a global reach. Sounded like an amazing opportunity to get involved.

Q

Define yourself in one sentence.

A

I am a mixture of passion and energy; whatever I do, I try to do it to the fullest with all my heart.

Q

Favorite range, ski and reason to stay in the mountains?

A

The Gore Range. The Blizzard Cochise. And the group of people that I ski with; most are older than me with kids, but we connect around skiing. We come together and there is an energy - a stoke.

You can follow AI’s Canary Club @alpinitiatives and Greg’s adventure @instagregoh