The 90’s were a magical time. Extreme Sports were becoming mainstream, and it seemed every sport had an element of going backwards… except skiing. Wanting to change that, one kid in his parents' garage quietly and quite literally reshaped the skiing world.

On today’s episode of Selling Snow, we’re sitting down with Jason Leventhal, the founder of J Skis and the original creator of the twin-tip ski.

Jay’s been in the ski industry for over 30 years. He’s built brands from his parents’ garage, nearly gone bankrupt more than once, sold a company to K2, and then started over again — this time putting everything he’d learned together with a radically different model.

J Skis isn’t sold in shops. There are no sponsored athletes. No massive marketing budgets. Instead, it’s a direct-to-consumer brand built on scarcity, personality, art, email, and a relentless focus on fun.

In this conversation, Jay breaks down why most ski brands struggle to survive, how selling less product can actually make you more money, why email still beats social media, and what small brands can do better than the biggest players in the industry.

If you’re in the ski business, outdoor retail, tourism marketing - or if you’re just fascinated by how niche brands actually succeed -this is one you don’t want to miss.

Now go find your favourite chair… sit in it backwards, and let’s get into it with J Levinthal, founder of J Skis.

Get all 19 actionable insights from this episode HERE

What happens when a single bad heli-skiing trip lights a spark, and it turns into one of the most legendary backcountry snowboard destinations on the planet?

Hey Everybody, today we’re getting a heli transfer up into the mountains just west of Nelson,BC to a snowboarding paradise.

Today’s guest didn’t set out to build a resort. He set out to chase a feeling. Deep snow, good friends, and a better way to experience the mountains.

That idea became Baldface Lodge: a world-renowned backcountry snowboardcat operation tucked deep in the Selkirk Mountains, just outside Nelson, British Columbia, riding over 32,000 acres of wild, untouched terrain.

But this story isn’t about chasing vertical or counting turns. It’s about how frustration turned into opportunity. How a snowboard-first philosophy reshaped an entire experience, and how staying stubbornly authentic built a business with a waitlist you practically need to be born into, without traditional advertising.

And it’s also a story about relationships, about keeping the right people close, and how trust from influential friends helped turn an idea into reality. From legendary snowboarders like Craig Kelly, to riders like Travis Rice who helped amplify the vision to the world, to behind-the-scenes players like Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters, who played a role in getting things started.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How a broken ankle and a terrible guide accidentally sparked a life-changing idea
• Why surrounding yourself with the right people matters more than flashy funding
• How authenticity and community became Baldface’s greatest growth engine
• What it really takes to build something meaningful—one inch at a time
• And why Jeff believes the world needs fewer sales pitches and more shared adventures

This isn’t just a story about snowboarding. It’s a masterclass in community, creativity, and doing things your own way—even when everyone tells you it won’t work.

Now go grab a nice hot bowl of soup, settle in, and let’s hang out in the lodge with Jeff Pensiero at Baldface Lodge.

Get all of the episodes Actionable Insights HERE

Today's guests decided to open an experts-only ski area in the Midwest, tucked deep in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with no large population base anywhere nearby. No grooming. No beginners. No rentals. No snowmaking. Just steep lines, trees, cliffs, and lake-effect powder.

Mount Bohemia isn’t just unconventional by design, it’s unconventional by geography. When most people think “Midwest skiing,” they don’t think expert terrain, sustained vertical, or destination travel. And yet Bohemia has built a fiercely loyal following by leaning into exactly those contradictions.

From legendary $99 season passes to reality TV, provocative marketing, and a personality that refuses to be sanitized or corporate, Mount Bohemia has figured out how to sell a remote, extreme, and entirely unique product to the exact right customers.

In this episode, we’ll dig into how Bohemia pulled that off. You’ll hear how focusing on a narrow niche unlocked massive loyalty, why being willing to turn customers away strengthened the brand, and how pricing, community-driven marketing, and radical authenticity helped turn isolation into an advantage.

Whether you’re in the ski industry or running any kind of business, this conversation is about the power of knowing who you are for—and having the courage to build everything around that truth.

Martin Kevjal took a shuttered Cape Breton ski hill and transformed it into Cape Smoky, a four-season oceanfront resort. From installing the Maritimes’ only gondola to 10Xing visitor numbers, he shares the bold vision, behind-the-scenes rebuild, and adventure-driven strategy that turned a forgotten hill into a must-visit destination.

From wild 80s ski bar antics to Canada’s top family resort, Michael J. Ballingall shares how Big White turned snow, staff, and locals into unforgettable experiences. Learn the secrets behind beginner programs, killer marketing, and guest-first strategies that keep visitors coming back. Hilarious, insightful, and actionable, this episode shows how to sell snow, make it fun, and have guests laughing until their cheeks hurt.

Welcome to Selling Snow, the podcast for ski industry pros, marketers or anyone who wants to learn more about marketing in the ski business. I’m your host, Andrew Zwicker, with 25 years in and around marketing skiing, and this show is all about learning from the best in the business, so you can up your marketing game,or just get a peek behind how ski resort marketing works.

Our first episodes include hilarious and candid conversations with Michael J Ballingall of Big White, Lonie Gleiberman of Mount Bohemia, Marin Kejvel of Ski Cape Smokey, Jeff Penseiro of Baldface Lodge and Jason Levinthal of J Skis. Every episode tells the backstory on the guest, their ski area or ski business. Then it does a deep dive into how they market and sell their product from spectacular failures to keen wisdom and insights that you can use today to up your own marketing game.

Grab a hot chocolate, sit back and enjoy conversations with some of the best on how they are selling their ski business, because there's no business like snow business on Selling Snow.