TPM Episode 440: Sam Kuch, Pro Skier
The Powell Movement
Mike Powell
4.9 • 860 Ratings
🗓️ 7 July 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sam Kuch has been blowing the collective ski world's mind since he blew up after skiing with Stan Rey and crew on a 2016 Powder Highway trip. Since then, Sam has established himself as arguably one of the best skiers in the world. Between his Matchstick Productions parts and his Natural Selection performance, if you know skiing, you know Sam and if you don't, now's the time to find out what a rad dude he is. Plus, he has that throwback mentality that I love. Cole Richardson asks the Inappropriate Questions
Sam Kuch Show Notes:
4:00: Finding mines, the best skiers, Type B recreating, trampolines, finger sports, his vision of the mountain, IFSA, and shop sponsors
20:00: Liquid Force, Feel the Pull and get 15% off your LF Purchase by using the code Powell15 at checkout
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Best Day Brewing: All of the flavor of your favorite IPA or Kolsch, without the alcohol, the calories or sugar.
23:00: Grom days, influences, Ski Logic, finding his groove, contests, his breakout shoot, MSP
41:00: Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better.
Outdoor Research: Click here for 25% off Outdoor Research products (not valid on sale items or pro products)
43:00: Going from Head to K2, breaking his femur, his pin it mentality coming back, and Natural Selection
56:00: Inappropriate Questions with Cole Richardson
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Have a seat on your porcelain throne. |
| 0:02.3 | It's time to talk some shit on the Powell Movement. |
| 0:13.3 | Welcome to the Powell Movement. |
| 0:16.9 | I'm your host, Mike Powell, |
| 0:18.5 | and I can't believe that I'm actually saying that I lost my wife, Angela Marie Powell, on the 22nd of June. |
| 0:25.0 | Well, I know this is coming for a while. There's no way to prepare for the finality of death. |
| 0:30.2 | And right now, I feel like I'm broken. I thought I'd be okay recording this intro, but as you can hear, I'm not. |
| 0:37.0 | I mean, I spent half of my day every day |
| 0:38.6 | in tears, as this is just such a huge loss for me. I mean, Antide spent 18 years together. And for the |
| 0:44.2 | past 10, we work from home together. We spent nearly every hour of every day together, and now my |
| 0:49.8 | house is so quiet. Right now, my son Keaton's on a much needed trip to help clear his mind in the San Juan |
| 0:55.5 | Islands and I'm feeling the painful reality of the loneliness that I didn't choose and what |
| 0:59.8 | that's going to be like. I mean, I used to feel so bad for a lot of my single friends, thinking |
| 1:05.9 | that it was so hard to always be alone and how I was really lucky. Well, I'm that guy now. The unlucky one. It's like |
| 1:14.3 | I'm in a midlife crisis that I didn't choose. Really, at this point, I'm just trying to figure out |
| 1:18.9 | what my new reality is. And for those of you who are wondering how I'm coping with all this, |
| 1:23.3 | well, I started off drinking heavily for eight days. And that's really not me, but I needed to do that for some reason. And it helped. But I've slowed down now because I know that's not the right path. But like I said, it did help a little. And speaking of drinking, while my guess this week is arguably the best skier on the planet, Sam Cooch is one of those old school guys who packs beer in his backpack for Appright almost every time he goes out in the backcountry. Not all the elite skiers of today |
| 1:48.7 | are like that, and none of them see the mountain like Sam. I can't remember this podcast as it |
| 1:53.9 | happened the week that Anne died. God, I can't believe I'm fucking saying the week that Anne's died. |
| 1:58.8 | I didn't think it was my best stuff, but after editing |
| 2:02.4 | the interview really turned out great, unlike my life right now. One thing that will be great is the |
| 2:07.1 | celebration of life that we're going to throw for Ann's on August 22nd through 24th in Seattle. |
... |
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