– On Thursday, February 15th at 7pm the Alpenglow Sports Winter Speaker Series, presented by Tahoe Mountain Realty, continues with big mountain skier and industry icon, Ingrid Backstrom. Backstrom’s show Searching for the Answer focuses on her winter goal, as a professional skier and mother, to ski one hundred days in a row. Every Winter Speaker Series show is hosted at the Palisades Tahoe Olympic Village Events Center and can also be livestreamed, for free, on Alpenglow’s YouTube channel. Both shows are FREE to the public and all ages are encouraged to attend. Doors and food are available at 6pm and the show starts promptly at 7pm. Ingrid’s show is dedicated to the non-profit beneficiary, the Scotty Lapp Foundation. 

The Alpenglow Sports Winter Speaker Series is an eagerly anticipated winter tradition for North Tahoe’s adventure community. With over 4,000 attendees annually, as well as a dynamic and global live stream component, the 18-year-old Alpenglow Winter Speaker Series has become one of the premier North American forums for adventure storytelling and community gathering. Five times per winter, a premier outdoor athlete presents an inspirational tale of adventure, creating a forum for motivation, inspiration and education. Backstrom’s show was preceded by three truly remarkable presentations from Michelle Parker, Jim & John Morrison, and Elyse Saugstad, all of which are still available to stream on Alpenglow Sports’ YouTube channel. 

Each show is dedicated to a different non-profit that has been selected through a rigorous application process, and to date, the Winter Speaker Series has raised over $1,350,000 for local organizations. Giveaway and bar proceeds plus a percentage of food sales, in conjunction with anonymous donations by the Donor Party, raise up to $75,000 per show for a local non-profit organization.

Backstrom first joined the Winter Speaker Series in the 2020-21 season, Alpenglow Sports’ first livestream offering due to Covid restrictions and an inability to gather as a community. While the addition of the now global livestream was a huge success, and one that completely changed the trajectory of the series, Alpenglow Sports is thrilled to bring Backstrom back for the full, in-person experience. Backstrom, as a past resident of Olympic Valley, has strong local ties. She is also a skiing personality held in high regard due to her humility, honesty, and transparency.

While Backstrom has appeared in over 20 movies by Matchstick Productions, Sherpa Cinemas, and Warren Miller, amongst others, and accomplished remote ski descents in Alaska, Baffin Island, and China, as well as a decade-long stint as the most influential woman on skis, according to Powder Magazines Reader Poll from 2005-15, something was still missing. 

In Searching for the Answer, Backstrom reflects on her professional ski career, a journey that starts inwardly and ends with an ultimate, and close to home, personal challenge. Before having a family, Backstrom focused relentlessly on chasing the best snow on the planet. However, after several life changing events, including pregnancies, raising a family, and a “wake-up call” crash in Alaska in 2022, Backstrom found herself questioning her relationship with skiing for the first time. Rather than pull back, Backstrom’s hunch was to go all in and ski one hundred consecutive days. The results are physically, mentally, logistically, and hilariously challenging. 

Backstrom’s show couldn’t be more timely, scheduled on the heels of Elyse Saugstad’s Winter Speaker Series show in mid January. Elyse highlighted both the challenges faced by women and mother’s in the ski industry, a historically male-dominated industry, while also celebrating how far women have come and where they are headed. In talking about the beginning of her own career, Elyse stated, “And, who wouldn’t want to follow in Ingrid’s footsteps”. 

Food will be available for purchase from MOGROG Rotisserie, with 10% of proceeds benefiting the non-profit beneficiary of the evening, The Scotty Lapp Foundation. The Scotty Lapp Foundation is dedicated to empowering youth by making ski, snowboard and skate more accessible to underserved communities and assisting athletes in reaching their full potential.

There will be TWO incredible giveaways, thanks to the generosity of Backstrom’s sponsors, also benefiting the Scotty Lapp Foundation. One giveaway is designed for all in-person attendees, while the second is for viewers tuning in from afar via the livestream offering. The prizes for each giveaway are different and attendees can participate in BOTH. A divergence from previous years, all winners will be drawn at the event. Just prior to the show, all in-person giveaway winners and three online winners will be chosen. The remaining seven online winners will be drawn, and posted, after the show ends. All online winners will also be contacted by email. 

Registration specifics are available HERE and all registrants, which are not required to view the show, automatically receive ONE free entry into the online giveaway. You do not need to register to attend the event in person. 

If you are a local business owner and enjoy the community-inclined mission of Winter Speaker Series, please consider a 2024-2025 sponsorship. Email info@alpenglowsports.com for more information.