Tyler ReidSkier

What is your first memory of nature?
Car camping in Olympic National Park in Washington.

How would you describe the nature where you grew up?
The interface of mountains and ocean. I grew up in a sailing town, which somehow made the draw of the mountains even more magnetic.

What activities did you enjoy during your childhood?
Skiing, sledding, biking, playing guitar, exploring the woods, building beach forts. I played soccer and basketball but team sports were never really my thing.

What is your main activity and why do you love it?
Human-powered skiing (ski touring). I love all of the little elements that make up this sport. Spending time in wild places during their dormant season. Managing risk. Traveling through the mountains with incredible efficiency. The obvious allure of powder skiing, or pursuing aesthetic lines. I really love remote settings where it's just you and your group, and a blank slate. This is what we experience every day at Tebay Lodge – we never fly anywhere that has previous tracks.

How old were you when you became passionate about this activity?
I was introduced to the backcountry at the age of 12, and was completely hooked. I saved up for my first touring bindings and avalanche transceiver. I was lucky to have early mentors show me the way.

What advice would you give to others who want to excel in this activity like you?
No matter where you are in your journey, there is always so much to be learned from others. Seek mentorship, take avalanche courses, make conservative decisions and play the long game. Keep an open-minded definition of fun or success. Oftentimes the most magical days come when you are least expecting them.

How would you describe Norrøna in your own words?
Norrøna to me has such an association with Norway. When I imagine Norway, it's like the mountain-ocean interface I grew up around but with steeper mountains and colder temperatures. Clearly an ideal laboratory for R&D!

How can you help take Norrøna another step forward in innovation and product development?
I would say I bring a unique perspective. I've been around product design for a long time and am a believer in non-traditional systems for ski touring (the insulated shell for example). Guiding in this realm adds another layer of wants and needs that differ from even a heli-ski guide or ski patroller. For example, warmth-to-weight ratio and warmth-to-volume ratio are more important to me than durability, since it all has to fit in my pack.

Another example: On a morning scouting flight in Alaska in the back of a tiny Super Cub ski plane (two guides sit in a cozy line behind the pilot), chest pockets are essential. It's the only way to access anything in that tight space. Ideally one for my radio and one for my phone for taking aerial terrain photos.

What adventures do you dream of undertaking in the future?
I have a long list of places I would love to explore on skis or with a paraglider. At the same time I have checked off so many dream trips from the list that it's just as much of a dream to imagine returning to some of these places with my kids when they are older.

How do you plan to make these dreams a reality?
I'm lucky to have an amazing relationship with longtime repeat guests who are close friends. We've been in a pattern for a number of years now where each year I pitch them on an exploratory international trip, they say yes, and we go have an unbelievable experience stepping into the unknown together.

Do you have a profession alongside your main activity?
My activity and my profession are one. As a guide service owner though, there is of course the less glamorous side of running a business – quite a lot of office time.

What do you enjoy talking about with other people?
I love talking about the mountains, and I also love not talking about the mountains if that makes sense. I enjoy meeting multidimensional people who have diverse passions and interests.

What do you think about right before you fall asleep at night?
Ever evolving. I'm more of a night owl than a morning person. My creativity is often sparked late at night. So by the time I'm going to bed my mind is usually either quiet or hyperactive with ideas.

What book has made the biggest impression on you – and why?
Once again I struggle to choose just one...so how about three?!

• Recently, The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin has helped me reframe my relationship with creativity.
• Enough by Melissa Arnot Reid: I'm biased because we are married, but this is still one of the most powerful stories I've ever read.
• As a teenager, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn really changed my perspective on humanity's unsustainable path on our planet, and how we ended up here.

Which three artists do you listen to the most – and why?
I have a long time obsession with roots reggae.

1. In the "always" category: Akae Beka
2. Anything produced by Zion I Kings
3. Winta James.
4. At the moment, it's Chronixx's new album.

Who inspires you the most today?
It sounds cliché but in this chapter of life it's my kids and seeing the world through their eyes. If I had to choose an athlete right now it would probably be Chrigel Maurer, the Swiss paraglider who won the X-Alps eight times in a row.

If you were to create your own life motto, what would it be?
Plant seeds and look away. Tend to them, nurture them, keep them in your peripheral vision, but don't focus too hard on them. Let them grow.