Have you ever had that feeling when you’re on a plane with a window seat and you look down and see a pickup truck driving some lonely road? And for a split second you realize that the person in that truck has live just as much life, had just as many ups or downs, and has just as much of a story as you do?

I suppose it’s probably something like a normal person’s overview effect, where a change in perspective gives us a new way to think about things.

But that’s the power of stories, right? Stories give moments meaning. All it would take is knowing a 60-second version of the driver of that pickup truck’s life to take her from a random dot to a meaningful moment.

Ski Utah

That’s exactly what I love about this video from Ski Utah in partnership with Hestra. It takes what might be a random skiers on the mountain and tells a story to give meaning to the moment you see that person on the hill.

With the backdrop of Utah and sporting some snazzy Hestra gloves, it’s great marketing for the folks who funded the video. But it’s also just a perfect example of what skiing storytelling could be.

Because, yes, ski films are amazing. From the women and men who put their bodies on the line to film street segments to the annual 45-minute edits of nothing but massive lines and huge tricks, they’re all incredibly well done and amazing examples of creativity.

But, for me, I no longer aspire to ski big lines or land big tricks, so this content can be impressive but I don’t connect with it like I used to.

That’s Skiing

What I do connect with is skiers that make our sport part of living a good life. Not all of who they are, just one part in a recipe that doesn’t protect them from tough times but helps them through those moments.

That’s what I see in this video. A beautiful story of someone who loves to ski, but where skiing isn’t everything. And the rest of that story truly is something people can aspire to. I may not dream of skiing big lines anymore, but I do dream of living a life where, yeah, I keep skiing for a few more decades but also one where I do more good in the world.

This skiing story does that. It’s a real, beautiful, inspiring story of which skiing plays a role.

Great work, Ski Utah.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.