Listen "Adrian Ballinger: Putting Work Into Fun"
Episode Synopsis
Welcome back to the Next Level Skiing podcast, brought to you by Wagner Skis. Adrian Ballinger is one of the most knowledgable people out on the mountains today. He is a triple threat: lifelong skier, veteran on technical rock, and a master at high altitude descent. He is one of the world's top ski mountaineer. He has many accomplishments under his belt. He has summited Everest and K2 without supplemental oxygen, was the first to ski descent of Manaslu (8th tallest peak in world) from the summit, founded Alpenglow Expeditions (which now takes 6000+ people a year skiing, climbing and mountaineering), and has had seventeen summits of 8000-meter peaks. In May of 2022, he became the first person to ski from Makalu (in the Mahalangur Himalayas) which is the fifth highest peak in the world. I had the pleasure of chatting with Adrian about his three attempts on Makalu, his risk tolerance now that he's a new father, and how to make sure the first turn is perfect. Topics: [01:36] Adrian's introduction [03:17] How Adrian got started and a snapshot of his career [12:50] Skiing Makalu [20:40] Risk tolerance [25:10] The mental and physical limitations of being so high up [32:15] The idea that it's okay to back off [34:00] Practice everything [37:00] Switching mindsets and cherishing the mundane [42:30] Conclusion Resources: Adrian Ballinger Wagner Custom Skis
More episodes of the podcast Next Level Skiing
For the Right Reasons with Josh Daiek
12/01/2026
Tom Wallisch is Skiing's Jack of All Trades
05/01/2026
Fun Comes First with Maggie Voisin
29/12/2025
Mali Noyes is The Insatiable Skier
22/12/2025
Pillow Popping with Parkin Costain
15/12/2025
A Ski For Every Skier with Pete Wagner
21/04/2025
Staying balanced with Brody Leven
07/04/2025
Lou Dawson is Our Skintrack Artist
24/03/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.