05/21/2026
When I was 19, some college buddies & I were skiing at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Though I’d grown up skiing around Summit County on family ski trips, I’d only been to Copper once as a kid, so I was basically unfamiliar with it.
We were an odd number that day, so I joined another single guy on the chairlift. He was college age, working at the lodge restaurant and being a ski bum for the winter. He asked how long I’d been skiing, what runs we’d done that day, and then asked if he could take a few laps with us. “Sure!” I said. He offered to guide us to one of his favorite runs, and my crew agreed.
We cut through a small gap in the ropes and into the “Enchanted Forest” with fresh, untouched snow. After a few turns through the powder, hooting & hollering, he stopped and asked, “You guys up for getting a little air?”
“You bet!” we answered.
“Okay, stay here & follow my tracks… trust me.”
He took off, but from above all we saw was what looked like a flat hill of white powder. Suddenly, he went airborne and disappeared from sight.
“Whoa!” one buddy said. “Let me ski down first with my camera!”
We waited while he got into position below us. Then came the challenge:
“You go first, Bergie.”
Okay, I thought, I don’t really know what I’m getting into here, but the guy seems legit...
“C’mon, Air King! Let’s see it!” another friend yelled.
That was all it took for my underdeveloped 19-year-old brain. With the phrase from my favorite ski t-shirt ringing in my ears — “No guts, no glory, go for it!” — I took off.
Following his tracks gave me more speed than he’d had, but I saw the camera so I didn’t pump the brakes. Suddenly, what had looked flat rose up beneath my skis and launched me into the air. As I went airborne, the steep hill fell away below me and I got that sweet feeling of losing my breath and my stomach all at once. Awesome. (And yes, this is the actual pic from that moment, 39 years ago.)
Then came the landing: thigh-deep powder, a double-ejection, and cartwheeling down the hill.
“Whoohoooo!!” were the first words out of my mouth.
After cleaning up my yard-sale, my buddies followed, and our collective request to our new friend was: “Let’s do that one again!”
Looking back, that stranger was pre-qualifying me on the chairlift by asking good questions about my ski background, favorite terrain, and experience level to assess our compatibility. Once he determined we were a good fit, he invited us into an afternoon of adventure and asked us to trust his lead.
And he did NOT steer us wrong.
Honestly, it’s not that different from business. We connect with strangers, ask qualifying questions to see if there’s a need and if we’re a good fit. And when it’s the right fit, it can lead to mutually beneficial relationships, shared wins, and a lot of smiles, hoots & hollers. 🤙