About this episode
Send us a text What happens when a Nordic engine meets Wasatch steeps and a taste for big objectives? We sit down with pro skier and trail runner Mali Noyes to trace the throughline from Sun Valley ski kid to freeride competitor to ultra podium threat, and the conversation is packed with sharp takeaways you can use right away. Mali unpacks the modern mountain athlete’s toolkit: how backcountry ski touring builds unmatched muscular endurance, why Speedgoat rewards poles and patience at altitude, and how pacing transforms “survival” into a strong finish. We go inside freeride fundamentals—venue scouting, judging criteria, and the fast-and-fluid style that actually scores—then zoom out to the career reality where athletes must be storytellers, producers, and community builders. Mali shares how she approaches YouTube with authenticity over polish, using simple tools to bring people into the raw, decision-heavy world of snow, lines, and risk. We dig into UTMB ambitions, comparing CCC’s runnable rhythm with the power-hike nature of Speedgoat, and why the Wasatch is a near-perfect training ground for European profiles. Mali is candid about nerve pain and the grind of messy injuries, emphasizing critical PT, hip and core rebuilding, and data that supports intuition—heart rate, lactate, HRV, and truly easy recovery days. The capstone is The Shooting Gallery: skiing all 93 steep Wasatch lines in 47 days. It’s a masterclass in logistics, avalanche judgment, partner management, and mental endurance, stacking over 300,000 feet of vert while staying sharp enough to make clean choices day after day. If you care about mountain performance, women’s representation in snowsports, or the craft of turning adventures into stories that matter, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this episode with a training partner, and leave a quick review to help more mountain athletes find the show. Follow Mali on IG - @malinoyes Follow Mali's Adventures on Youtube ! - @MaliNoyes Follow James on IG - @jameslauriello Follow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_pod Use code steepstuffpod for 25% off your cart at UltimateDirection.com !