Collection: High 5: A Handful of Questions with Obermeyer Athlete Anna Tedesco

Anna Tedesco is living her best life. The Obermeyer team rider bounces between Alaska and Utah as she juggles two jobs: pro skier and cargo pilot in the Alaskan bush. We caught up with Anna recently to ask a few questions about her adventures. Check it out…

Obermeyer:
What were some of the most memorable moments or experiences you had on the slopes last year?

Anna Tedesco:
Last season I got my butt kicked learning to snowmobile... it was epic! I borrowed a sled in Alaska and worked hard at it, saddling up as much as possible. A lot of the heli-ski terrain in areas of Alaska can be accessed by snowmobile (sorry, heli skiers!) and by the end of the season I was able to access skiing that I had been dreaming of my whole life. One of my most memorable moments was making it to a zone called The Filmramps. After a long, technical, and intense snowmobile ride, I stopped my sled at the base of the mountains we were about to climb and ski, throwing my hands up and exclaiming “I made it!”

Another memorable moment is taking off and landing a plane on skis from a remote glacier—solo! My partner in crime, Pryce Brown, has been mentoring me on the basics of glacier flying from the front seat of his Aeronca Champ. One this particular day, we spent hours practicing take offs and landings on a glacier valley, when Pryce hopped out of the plane and told me to “take a few laps around the patch.” I was absolutely beaming the entire time. Once he hopped back in the plane, we landed on an adjacent glacier and ski toured from the plane to make a few turns before the sun went down.

Obermeyer:
We've seen some incredible photos on your Instagram from various ski destinations. Can you tell us about some of the places you visited last year and what made each of them unique?

Anna Tedesco:
I bounced back and forth between Utah and Alaska all winter. It was the snowiest season on record at Alta, my home mountain. I ended up canceling a few trips out of state because the skiing was so much better in Utah. It was special to see the Wasatch take a different shape with how much snow was stacking up. People were sending cliffs and couloirs that wouldn’t even be fathomable on a normal snow year!

Obermeyer:
Tell us about a beautiful or unforgettable spot you encountered during your ski adventures last season.

Anna Tedesco:
Standing on top of spine lines for the first time in the Talkeetna Mountains in Alaska was absolutely breathtaking. Spine skiing is new to me, and I have a lot to learn about the technique of sending your sluff down the runnels on either side of you while dancing down the spine. In February, I spent a couple of days at the Hatcher Pass Lodge, a charming skin-in / ski out A-frame lodge surrounded by dry cabins that sits in the Talkeetna mountains. We scored bluebird weather and soft snow, ski touring right from our cabin to a mountain covered in glistening spine lines. After we got our fill, we would ski right back down to the lodge for fondue, hot totties and live music. What more could you ask for?!

 

"... I stopped my sled at the base of the mountains we were about to climb and ski, throwing my hands up and exclaiming “I made it!”

Obermeyer:
It’s not all pow turns and Instagram bangers; right? Were there any challenges you faced during your ski season last year? How’d you overcome these?

Anna Tedesco:
Last season was the most memorable yet probably the most difficult one I’ve ever had. It was a HUGE snow year for everyone! But I would go off the grid—quite literally—for two weeks at a time, and go to work as a bush pilot in Northwest Alaska. When I would emerge from my two-week shift, my heart and mind just wanted to go play in the mountains, but my body was so fatigued from chucking cargo in subzero temperatures that it would take upwards of a week to fully recover. I was struggling to find balance between work, play and rest, and I wasn’t skiing at my full potential. I recognized that if I kept pushing myself the entire season, I was bound for injury or burnout. So, I began saying “no!” I removed obligations from my calendar and gave my body the rest and respect it deserves.