The Ski Moms Podcast

Send a text
Nicole and Sarah spent over a year planning seven days in the Dolomites for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and it was 100% worth every chaotic, confusing, cowbell-confiscating moment. In this episode, they break down everything: decoding the ticket matrix, hunting down hospitality packages on two separate platforms, navigating snowy switchbacks from Venice with skis on the roof, and what it's actually like to stand in the finish area for some of the most historic women's Alpine races in recent memory.
The ski racing delivered in a big way! Federica Brignone won gold on home snow to a stadium full of tiger-suited superfans. Mikaela Shiffrin closed out the women's events with a gold in the slalom that had Nicole in tears. Paula Moltzan won the second run, finished eighth, and later handed out uterus pins in the center of Cortina.
Start planning earlier than you think, use miles, go with another family to split costs, and bring really good shoes. 
Quotes:
"I think it was a complete bucket list trip of a lifetime. It was a tremendous mix of experiencing another culture in a really fun way, having intense American pride while you're there." 
"It was a hundred percent worth it. And we got very lucky with amazing weather, smooth travel — all those things went right."

Ski Haus makes it easy with custom boot fitting that actually changes how you ski and how you feel at the end of the day.  Located in Woburn & Framingham, MA and Tax-Free Salem, NH. Head to skihaus.com for store hours and directions.
SPECIAL IN-STORE OFFERS
*Purchase a boot with a custom boot fit > get a free Smartwool sock  *Come in for a boot fit on your boots > get Smartwool sock for ½ price
It's time to upgrade how you travel to the mountains with Ski Butlers. Ski moms can save 20% off their reservations here https://www.skibutlers.com/portal/momtrends
If your child lives for trail time and is constantly pushing limits on two wheels, we’ve found the summer experience that checks every box. Woodward PA’s Mountain Bike Camp is redefining what an action sports camp can be — blending epic adventure with professional coaching and a whole lot of fresh air.
Ski Moms can save $150 off summer camp. Use code skimoms www.woodwardpa.com/summer-camps/moun
Find your perfect family-friendly mountain stay—or list your own!
 👉 Browse or list at Ski Mom Family Rentals
Support the show
Keep up with the Latest from the Ski Moms!
Website: www.theskimoms.co
Ski Moms Discount Page: https://www.theskimoms.co/discounts
Ski Moms Ski Rental Homes
Join the 13,000+ Ski Moms Facebook Group
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimoms/
Send us an email and let us know what guests and topics you’d like to hear next!
[email protected]
[email protected]

Send a text
Megan Harrod has lived many lives, from being born in a trailer home in Montana to spending nearly a decade as the Alpine press officer for the US Ski Team, traveling the World Cup circuit and managing media for some of the world's best athletes. Now a brand strategist, publicist, and podcast producer working closely with Mikaela Shiffrin, Megan shares her remarkable journey from racing on Midwest man-made hills to the finish lines of Olympic venues. She opens up about the financial barriers in ski racing, the importance of accessibility programs like Share Winter, and how her experience managing intense athlete dynamics has made her a better mom to her two children, Pierce and Stetson, who are just 13 months apart. Megan discusses producing Mikaela's podcast "What's the Point," the powerful Mik 100 campaign that raised nearly $500,000 for ski access, and how she's learned to balance remote work with traveling to World Cup races with babies in tow. Her authentic approach to storytelling and her commitment to making the sport more accessible shine through as she reflects on memorable moments like Beijing 2022 and the importance of mental health in athletics.
Notable Quotes:
"I wouldn't have it any other way. It was such a cool family experience... it was such a strong community and I still have friends from that team growing up."
"In many ways, that was the best thing that could have happened because people really saw who she is at the core. And as hard as it was for everyone, I think that was a really beautiful gift that she shared with the world."
Resources:
Podcast: What's the Point
Instagram: @MeganHarrod
Share Winter Foundation
Ski Haus makes it easy with custom boot fitting that actually changes how you ski and how you feel at the end of the day.  Located in Woburn & Framingham, MA and Tax-Free Salem, NH. Head to skihaus.com for store hours and directions.
SPECIAL IN-STORE OFFERS
*Purchase a boot with a custom boot fit > get a free Smartwool sock  *Come in for a boot fit on your boots > get Smartwool sock for ½ price
It's time to upgrade how you travel to the mountains with Ski Butlers. Ski moms can save 20% off their reservations here https://www.skibutlers.com/portal/momtrends
Find your perfect family-friendly mountain stay—or list your own!
 👉 Browse or list at Ski Mom Family Rentals
Support the show
Keep up with the Latest from the Ski Moms!
Website: www.theskimoms.co
Ski Moms Discount Page: https://www.theskimoms.co/discounts
Ski Moms Ski Rental Homes
Join the 13,000+ Ski Moms Facebook Group
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimoms/
Send us an email and let us know what guests and topics you’d like to hear next!
[email protected]
[email protected]

Send a text
We’re revisiting one of our most meaningful conversations — with Olympic gold medalist, ski mom, and mental performance coach Barbara Cochran.
Why now? On February 11, 1972, Barbara won Olympic gold in slalom in Sapporo by just .02 seconds. And 54 years to the day later, her son, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, won Olympic silver in Super-G in Cortina.
An Olympic legacy — built on a Vermont rope tow.
Barbara grew up skiing at her family’s backyard hill, now known as Cochran’s Ski Area — a nonprofit, community-driven mountain where lift tickets are still affordable, race training happens under the lights, and hot chocolate costs $1.50.
We talk about:
Growing up in a ski racing family
Training on the legendary rope tow
The “Cochran Way” philosophy of excellence without pressure
Raising an Olympian as a single mom
And the mindset that wins medals
Barbara’s father believed skiing should be joyful — but that striving for excellence builds character. Before sports psychology was mainstream, Barbara was practicing it. Heading into her Olympic race, she repeated:
“I don’t know if I’m going to win, but I know I’m capable of winning.”

That mindset carried her to gold — and now informs her work helping athletes who “train better than they race” learn to compete with confidence.
We also talk abo
Ski Haus makes it easy with custom boot fitting that actually changes how you ski and how you feel at the end of the day.  Located in Woburn & Framingham, MA and Tax-Free Salem, NH. Head to skihaus.com for store hours and directions.
SPECIAL IN-STORE OFFERS
*Purchase a boot with a custom boot fit > get a free Smartwool sock  *Come in for a boot fit on your boots > get Smartwool sock for ½ price
It's time to upgrade how you travel to the mountains with Ski Butlers. Ski moms can save 20% off their reservations here https://www.skibutlers.com/portal/momtrends
If your child lives for trail time and is constantly pushing limits on two wheels, we’ve found the summer experience that checks every box. Woodward PA’s Mountain Bike Camp is redefining what an action sports camp can be — blending epic adventure with professional coaching and a whole lot of fresh air.
Ski Moms can save $150 off summer camp. Use code skimoms www.woodwardpa.com/summer-camps/moun
Find your perfect family-friendly mountain stay—or list your own!
 👉 Browse or list at Ski Mom Family Rentals
Support the show
Keep up with the Latest from the Ski Moms!
Website: www.theskimoms.co
Ski Moms Discount Page: https://www.theskimoms.co/discounts
Ski Moms Ski Rental Homes
Join the 13,000+ Ski Moms Facebook Group
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimoms/
Send us an email and let us know what guests and topics you’d like to hear next!
[email protected]
[email protected]

Send a text
In this episode Nicole talks with Jill Brabec, President of Nordic Combined USA, about one of the Olympics' oldest sports that still excludes women. Nordic Combined blends ski jumping and cross country skiing, requiring athletes to launch themselves down steep terrain at maximum speed, fly the length of a football field, then immediately race 5K on skinny skis. Despite being in the Olympics since 1924, women were denied entry to the 2026 Games. Jill, a Steamboat Springs ski mom turned advocate, formed a nonprofit with other parents to save the US team when funding collapsed. Her daughter Alexa trains in Norway but can't compete in the Olympics due to gender restrictions. 
The IOC will decide about 2030 inclusion this spring after reviewing 2026 data. Jill draws parallels to women's ski jumping, which faced identical arguments 15 years ago and is now successful. She encourages fans to watch men's Nordic Combined February 11, 17, and 19 to show viewership demand, sign the petition at nordiccombineusa.org, and follow athletes on social media. The sport features 17 World Cups for women who jump the same hills as men and train at Lake Placid, Park City, and Steamboat Springs. Families with adventurous kids can find programs starting at age 5-6 through the website.
Website: nordiccombineusa.org
Instagram: @NordicCombinedUSA
NOTABLE QUOTES
Ski Haus makes it easy with custom boot fitting that actually changes how you ski and how you feel at the end of the day.  Located in Woburn & Framingham, MA and Tax-Free Salem, NH. Head to skihaus.com for store hours and directions.
SPECIAL IN-STORE OFFERS
*Purchase a boot with a custom boot fit > get a free Smartwool sock  *Come in for a boot fit on your boots > get Smartwool sock for ½ price
It's time to upgrade how you travel to the mountains with Ski Butlers. Ski moms can save 20% off their reservations here https://www.skibutlers.com/portal/momtrends
If your child lives for trail time and is constantly pushing limits on two wheels, we’ve found the summer experience that checks every box. Woodward PA’s Mountain Bike Camp is redefining what an action sports camp can be — blending epic adventure with professional coaching and a whole lot of fresh air.
Ski Moms can save $150 off summer camp. Use code skimoms www.woodwardpa.com/summer-camps/moun
Find your perfect family-friendly mountain stay—or list your own!
 👉 Browse or list at Ski Mom Family Rentals
Support the show
Keep up with the Latest from the Ski Moms!
Website: www.theskimoms.co
Ski Moms Discount Page: https://www.theskimoms.co/discounts
Ski Moms Ski Rental Homes
Join the 13,000+ Ski Moms Facebook Group
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimoms/
Send us an email and let us know what guests and topics you’d like to hear next!
[email protected]
[email protected]

Send a text
In this episode Annie Fast, Oregon-based freelance writer and former professional snowboarder, joins the Ski Moms to discuss two critical barriers facing ski families: accessible childcare at resorts and mothers competing at elite levels. Annie's investigative work for Ski Area Management revealed a troubling trend of resort daycare closures post-COVID, including Vail's Small World, Jackson Hole, and Bridger Bowl facilities, while highlighting success stories at Mount Bachelor, Mount Hood Meadows, Brundage, and Tamarack with year-round programs. She explains why finding childcare information on resort websites is nearly impossible and how this impacts both visiting families and employee retention. Annie also previews her coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, spotlighting Olympic moms competing with young children and the challenges of decentralized venues. The conversation cove
Ski Haus makes it easy with custom boot fitting that actually changes how you ski and how you feel at the end of the day.  Located in Woburn & Framingham, MA and Tax-Free Salem, NH. Head to skihaus.com for store hours and directions.
SPECIAL IN-STORE OFFERS
*Purchase a boot with a custom boot fit > get a free Smartwool sock  *Come in for a boot fit on your boots > get Smartwool sock for ½ price
It's time to upgrade how you travel to the mountains with Ski Butlers. Ski moms can save 20% off their reservations here https://www.skibutlers.com/portal/momtrends
Find your perfect family-friendly mountain stay—or list your own!
 👉 Browse or list at Ski Mom Family Rentals
Support the show
Keep up with the Latest from the Ski Moms!
Website: www.theskimoms.co
Ski Moms Discount Page: https://www.theskimoms.co/discounts
Ski Moms Ski Rental Homes
Join the 13,000+ Ski Moms Facebook Group
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimoms/
Send us an email and let us know what guests and topics you’d like to hear next!
[email protected]
[email protected]