Powder Politics: Where Skiing and Politics Collide

With Election Day quickly approaching, many news outlets are examining candidates’ proposals for tax reform and platforms on foreign policy. But we wanted to know more about other stances—ski stances, that is.

So for a special pre-election post, we present an incomplete and non-partisan overview of some famous political ski personalities from across the U.S.

Howard Dean – Former Vermont Governor

In Vermont, the home of Backcountry Magazine, it’s not that unusual to find a political figure who has strapped on skis at least a few times. Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, is a passionate skier, although he has not ventured into the backcountry.

“Being a skiing governor was really wonderful, especially in Vermont,” Dean says. “I loved skiing the woods and down stream beds with my kids and their friends, although as I got older and slower, my son once fell asleep on the side of the trail waiting for me to come out of the woods.”

Jeffrey Bergeron (aka Biff America) – Breckenridge Town Council

Backcountry’s own Biff America leads a double life—Bergeron may moonlight as a sardonic ski satirist, but, by day, he has served on the Breckenridge Town Council intermittently since 2004. And he thinks that civic engagement and skiing go together like bourbon and writing.

“Most elected officials couldn’t tell a skintrack from a skid mark,” he says. “That’s why it’s important that those of us who know the difference run for public office. Once elected, we can fight to protect open space and public access to our backcountry. Plus, I really enjoy having access to the nuclear code.”

Steve Skadron – Mayor of Aspen

In 2013, following Steve Skadron’s election to the office of mayor, he explained to The Aspen Times his reasoning for moving to Aspen. “I wanted to live in a ski town,” the Minnesota native simply stated.

As mayor, Skadron has pushed environmental initiatives with the focus of combatting climate change, and he is working to make Aspen 100-percent renewable-energy supported. As for his relationship with skiing, he told ASPENPEAK in 2015, “I do my best thinking in the backcountry.”

And his love of both downhill and uphill sliding inspired him to launch a campaign to boost the uphill travel/backcountry economy and make skimo an integral part of the ski industry—at least in Aspen.

Mark Newcomb – Teton County Commissioner

Newcomb, born in Jackson, Wyo., had a career in the ski industry as an avalanche educator, ski patroller and part owner of Exum Mountain Guides before jumping into the political arena. In 2014, he took the office of Teton County Commissioner and has shifted his focus away from snow safety, now working as an environmental consultant. But, as Newcomb explains, his experience in the backcountry helps him in his current role.

“Some of the critical skills required of a guide carry over well to the job of commissioner, including listening to and observing people, evaluating their strengths and utilizing those strengths to achieve a goal,” he states on his website.

Ralph Becker – Former Salt Lake City Mayor

Former Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker is an avid backcountry skier who is also an outspoken advocate for climate-change action.

In December 2015, Greg Scruggs reported on the UN Climate Change Summit in Paris that Mayor Becker attended before he left office in 2016. In Paris, Becker joined 15 other U.S. mayors to discuss the issue of warming temps. “If we want to continue to have an economy for ski areas or adequate areas for skiing,” he told Scruggs, “we need to care about what’s happening with a warming climate.”

Sue Minter – Vermont Gubernatorial Candidate

Even on the East Coast there are backcountry-minded political figures, and Vermont’s 2016 Democratic Gubernatorial candidate has integrated backcountry skiing and other outdoor sports into her platform.

Sue Minter’s plan—dubbed VT-OUTDOORS—seeks to promote outdoor recreation in Vermont if she becomes governor. “As governor, I want to share my excitement for these wild places by expanding our access to our beautiful Vermont mountains,” she says. “I will be a proud and enthusiastic steward of our precious natural resources.”

“I love the solitude of looking out and seeing nothing but earth, snow and sky,” Minter says about backcountry skiing. “I love the feeling of traveling in wild places that you can only reach on skis, and then the thrill of a powdery descent.”

Paul Ryan – Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

On the national stage, Paul Ryan apparently told the Los Angeles Times in 2012 that he, at one point in time, considered becoming a professional skier, although no other sources corroborate this claim and a Google image search provides no enlightenment on the issue. Ryan has also claimed he has summited more than 40 of Colorado’s 14ers, but there is a healthy amount of skepticism about this assertion, as well.

Hillary Clinton – Democratic Presidential Nominee

On the Democratic side of the aisle, Hillary Clinton seems not to be terribly interested in alpine shredding, let alone backcountry skiing, although we found one lone shot of her and Bill cross-country skiing with their daughter Chelsea. The Chicago Tribune reported in 1999 that this particular wintry adventure took place in Park City while the first family was on a short vacation after President Clinton was acquitted for perjury and obstruction of justice during the infamous Monica Lewinsky case.

Gary Johnson – Libertarian Presidential Nominee

A presidential candidate with a bit more skiing clout is Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, who made waves—and turns—in 2011 when he skied New Hampshire’s famed Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington. The former New Mexico governor was 58 at the time.

Skiing Tucks is just one of Johnson’s many outdoor adventures—Outside Magazine reported that he summited Everest in 2003, has participated in multiple Ironman triathlons and won his age group in the Breck Epic mountain bike race. In 2014, he completed his goal of climbing the Seven Summits—so he may not know where Allepo is, but he’s familiar with Aconcagua and Elbrus.

“I’ve been trying to convince myself that there’s something better in life than skiing, but I can assure you, after years of looking, there isn’t,” Gary Johnson told Outside in 2011.

And that’s a stance that any skier, no matter his or her political leanings, can side with.