070 On Taking Risks and Personal Transformation with Backcountry Skier and Paraglider Caite Zeliff (2021)

When Women Fly

As part of our Season III relaunch this week, we are revisiting a few of our favorite episodes that grapple with big life themes, break down the components of change, and dive into strategies that are relevant and applicable to you today.
This is the story of an athletic prodigy. It’s also the story of how setbacks become catalysts for change, how determination fuels a dream, and how a drive for adventure can evolve. And it is a story of risk-taking, mountain life, and personal reflection that characterize what it takes to ski and fly in the backcountry.

For pro-skier Caite Zeliff, the derailing of her career as a ski racer was an opportunity to reconnect with herself and become the athlete she was always meant to be. At 12, Caite Zeliff started a ski racing career that brought her all over the world. She ascended, she earned a scholarship to a boarding school, she won titles, she received an invitation to the US Ski Team – and she also was rejected, blew out her knee, and burned out – all by age 20.
When the U.S. Ski Team invitation didn’t come, and she blew out her knee while racing for the University of New Hampshire, she left college and headed westward in search of big mountains and powder. It was in Jackson Hole, WY, where Caite found her true calling – freeskiing.

This risk-taking mentality has built her a career as a professional freeskier. Beyond winning Jackson Hole’s Kings and Queens of Corbet’s twice, Caite has starred in films like Warren Miller’s Timeless (2019) and Teton Gravity Research's Make Believe (2020), and Stoke the Fire (2021).

Topics Include:
- Caite’s journey from ski racer to professional freeskier
- Viewing “failure” as an opportunity
- Wrestling with an inner obsession for achievement
- Shifting focus from the outcome to the process
- Processing childhood
- Taking risks and stepping out of comfort zones
- Finding your voice as a female in a male-dominated industry
- The transformational power of women supporting women
- Learning to fly and a shifted mindset
- And other topics...
Resources Mentioned:
Caite’s Website: https://www.caitezeliff.com
Caite’s IG: @caitezeliff
Timeless, Warren Miller (2019): https://warrenmiller.com/film-archive/timeless-2019
Make Believe, Teton Gravity Research (2020): https://www.tetongravity.com/films/make-believe
Stoke the Fire, Teton Gravity Research (2021): https://www.tetongravity.com/films/stoke-the-fire
Powder Magazine: https://www.powder.com/stories/pro-deal-caite-zeliff/
Freeskier Magazine: https://freeskier.com/stories/jackson-royalty
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