Jonathan Ellsworth: SKIS / Founder & Editor in Chief

Age: 38 | Vitals: 5’10,” 185 lbs. | Years skiing: 19 | Current Residence: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Background:

I grew up in the Chicago area, nowhere near any mountains, and my first loves were soccer, basketball, and football. In high school, I was a varsity athlete in football, basketball, and track, and I played football in college (wide receiver) till I was sidelined by an injury.

These days, when I’m not skiing, I am bouldering, mountain biking, or at the gym, and I am always working to carve out time to read and write.

(photograph by Ryan Heffernan)

My first time on skis came during my junior year of high school. The second time was a year later. I started making ski trips out West with some friends during college, but it wasn’t until I moved to New Mexico twelve years ago that I began to get in a lot of days skiing. Of all the reviewers here, I definitely got the latest start. I didn’t grow up racing or hitting rails in the park – I was shooting jump shots and running fade routes. But for more than a decade I’ve been getting 100+ days a year on the mountain, and I’m happily making up for lost time.

When there’s no new snow, I generally prefer to zipperline bumps or go tour rather than carve up groomers. I also ski trees a lot, but these days, I find myself seeking out more open lines that don’t require you to check your speed in the way that tight trees do. Fast is fun.

On deep days, I love making turns in open terrain, jumping off of whatever I can find, simply feeling grateful for it all. In those cases, I might seek out more technical lines later in the day, or save them for smaller storms.

Sometimes skiing is about testing your limits, and sometimes it’s about the pure enjoyment of the turns and the snow and your surroundings. And one of the greatest things about skiing is that those challenging personal tests, and those moments of pure gratitude and joy, often occur on the very same day.

Jonathan Ellsworth, Wildcat trees, Alta Ski Area.

Some favorite skis: MOMENT Bibby Pro, 190cm; 2012/13 Black Diamond Megawatt, 188cm; Blizzard Cochise, 185cm; DPS Wailer 112RP, PURE, 190cm (touring ski)

All Content by Jonathan Ellsworth