Next Level Skiing S7 E1 | Get Intimate with Fear with Kristen Ulmer

by Wagner Custom / Mar 03, 2025

S7 E1 | Get Intimate with Fear with Kristen Ulmer

Kristen Ulmer heli-skiis in Bella Coola, Canada. She was the first woman to descend Grand Teton on skis in 1997.

In this episode of 'Next Level Skiing', Jason Blevins talks with Kristen Ulmer, one of the most accomplished big mountain skiers in history.

After her years of dominating the slopes with the US Ski Team–and later in big mountain (first) descents–Kristen is now a fear and anxiety expert, helping her clients overcome disabling confusion or chaos. With over a decade of Zen study, she authored “The Art of Fear” as a guidebook for improved mindfulness. Kristen also leads the renowned Fear Ski Camps at Alta, where she helps skiers break through mental barriers to improve performance and manage anxiety, both on the slopes and in life.

Her expertise goes beyond skiing, supporting people in developing stronger mindsets, achieving flow states, and enhancing overall health and happiness. Be sure to check out her Fear and Anxiety Assessment on her website.

Let’s dive into the conversation with Kristen Ulmer.

Follow on: iTunes | Spotify

Topics

2:00 - First full season skiing in Little Cottonwood Canyon after growing up in New Hampshire
4:00 - Skiing all day, working in banquets at the Cliff Lodge, competing in moguls comps
5:00 - Transitioning from moguls to big-mountain in the early 90s
6:20 - “No girls were doing that back then.”
7:50 - Studying the Eastern approach to fear and readjusting relationships with fear
09:45 - Finding flow state through fear. “We are stronger together than apart”
11:50 - Interviews with top action sports athletes
16:00 - The problem with resisting fear
18:25 - Intimacy with fear manifests as focus
21:30 - Performance-enhancing relationships with fear
27:40 - Ski camps at Alta
34:50 - Three themes in why we love skiing

Quotes

“I was just trying to hang out with friends and have a good time with friends and go on the trips with them. And I really didn’t have any goals in skiing, but the next thing you know, I wound up on the US ski team for moguls.” - Kristen Ulmer

“We probably should define that [extreme sports] mean that the consequences of failure are death or injury. That’s what makes something extreme.” - Kristen Ulmer

“What he [Alex Honnold] has is, he has a willingness to feel fear. He’s young, hungry, and talented. He’s stepping 4% out of his comfort zone every day, connecting the dots. This is how you become better at anything.” - Kristen Ulmer