I got to spend two days with Glen Plake last season

They say to never meet your heroes, but I found Glen Plake to be an exception to every rule in the books. Having grown up watching his movies, I was nervous to meet him out of fear his personality was just a show, or that he was burnt out on the sport.

But I couldn't have been more wrong – not only is he a better skier than athletes half his age, he's having way more fun than almost anyone else on the mountain. And after two 10 hour days filming outside in frigid temperatures, peoples true personalities tend to surface!

It was rare to see him without a smile on his face, and he went out of his way to take photos and sign autographs for fans that recognized him on the slopes. He actually carried postcards and a sharpie, so he'd have something to sign for people that came up to him for a chat. And despite the fact that we were there working on a project (instructional videos), he always took the time to stop and talk to people, ask their names, how their day was going, and wish them well.

His presence made a real impression on me; I've often wrestled with how to balance career success with personal happiness. So to meet a guy who's been doing the same thing for longer than I've been alive, and to see that he's still having fun, it was deeply refreshing and revitalizing. A lot of lessons to be learned there, but to put it in his own words: "You have to be involved to evolve!”

A couple of other tongue-in-cheek quotes from him that I thought were funny enough to write down:

"Skiing is...corporate manipulation of public land."

"Skiing is....a conquest of the useless"

"Skiing is...a huge waste of time."

"I'd rather be last run on a bump run with my friends than first run on a powder day by myself!"