#37: Sam Schwartz – Pushing Limits in Skiing, Ultra-Running, and Business

In this episode, MTI sits down with MTI Athlete Team member Sam Schwartz, a former professional big mountain skier turned ultra-endurance athlete and entrepreneur. Sam shares raw insights on navigating the high-risk world of freeskiing, why he walked away from competition at the height of his career, and how he’s redefining success through ski mountaineering, ultra-marathons, and business.

We get into the gritty details—the dumbest mistakes he’s made in the mountains, what almost killed him in Apocalypse Couloir, why most of his ski heroes are dead, and how he thinks about risk in both mountaineering and entrepreneurship. He also talks about social media regrets, the realities of ski sponsorships, and how he balances fast-and-light alpinism with actual safety.

Topics Covered:
✅ Growing up in Jackson Hole and getting into professional skiing
✅ The hard truths of ski sponsorships—why competition winners don’t get the best deals
✅ Why he walked away from freeskiing at 26 and never looked back
✅ How he shifted from jumping 100-foot cliffs to running 200-mile ultra races
✅ Ski mountaineering risk vs. reward—the best and worst calls he’s made
✅ Dumbest mistakes in the mountains and how he got away with them
✅ How to survive solo ski mountaineering (and when he actually gets scared)
✅ Entrepreneurship and sustainability—founding Avant Delivery
✅ Why he mentors a 22-year-old but never had a mentor himself
✅ Ultra-running pain caves and why he refuses to run some races twice
✅ Denali redemption—his plan to ski base-to-summit-to-base in a single push

Lightning Round Highlights:
⚡ Worst injury? Breaking his back mid-air during a double backflip
⚡ Most scared he’s ever been at work? Almost getting wiped out in Apocalypse Couloir
⚡ Biggest mountain mistake? Trusting his ego instead of his anchor-building skills
⚡ Worst job he could imagine? Investment banking tax calls
⚡ Dream job if he wasn’t doing this? Flying helicopters in Alaska
⚡ Best career advice he ever got? “Don’t whore yourself out for money.”
⚡ What he’d tell his 20-year-old self? “Get insanely good at one thing, and ignore everything else.”

Where to Follow Sam:
📸 Instagram: @skifreejh
🌍 Business: Avant Delivery

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