TPM Episode 462: George Couperthwait, Ski Industry Legend

The Powell Movement

Mike Powell

Leisure, Hobbies, Sports

4.9 • 860 Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

George Couperthwait is one of those guys that everyone in skiing knows, likes, and respects. He's a visionary, who's ski industry life started in a van: going shop to shop, demo to demo, race to race...and he worked his way all the way up to the top of skiing With over 30 years working with brands like Rossignol and Stockli, George has taken his passion for sport and his love of product and weaved that into a world of building relationships and brands. It's an interesting peek behind the curtain with the brains behind the XXX and so much more.

George Couperthwait Show Notes:

4:00: Subprime products, growing up in NY, ski racing, coaching, relationship building, Nordica, tech rep life, and the 4S Kevlar

21:00: Ski Idaho: With 19 mountains, a ton of snow and no lift lines, why wouldn't you Visit Idaho

Stanley: The brand that invented the category! Only the best for Powell Movement listeners. Check out Stanley1913.com

Best Day Brewing: All of the flavor of your favorite IPA or Kolsch, without the alcohol, the calories or sugar.

24:00: Alberto Tomba, Rossignol, working by Facsimile with France, Viper X, the C.U.T. series, a changing the industry with Freeride, Petersen and Pehota,

40:30: 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)

Therm-ic Heated Socks: The branded that invented Heated Socks

43:00: Tanner Hall, asking a lot out of athletes, travel, the end of Rossignol, Stockli,

62:00: Inappropriate Questions

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.
0:13.5	Welcome to the Powell Movement.
0:16.8	I'm your host Mike Powell, and I'm one full week away from the start of my ski season. I'm heading over to meet up with the crew from outside life, and I'm your host Mike Powell, and I'm one full week away from the start of my ski season.
0:21.5	I'm heading over to meet up with the crew from Outside Life, and I don't know any of them yet.
0:26.2	But I do know this group does a ton of rad trips that you can find out about over at
0:30.7	outsidelife.com.
0:32.7	And while I'm not going on one of their badass trips to Japan or the other exotic locations
0:37.1	where they take care of everything and bring the party, I'm really excited for this Jackson whole trip. Sure, I'll have to be on the mic a little bit, but I love that. Plus, I love skiing and partying. So that's going to be a blast. I'm going to try to make a podcast out of the whole trip, and that should be an adventure in itself. And if you're in Jackson, come find me the night of the West End DJ set. I'll be the dude on the mic beforehand, I think. Actually, I don't even know. I don't know all the details about this trip yet. And while I love having a run a show and knowing exactly what I'm doing, I really don't need that. Just put a mic in my hand and say, go, and I can create the energy for an event pretty much every time. So I don't need that run of show. I love to have it, but regardless, who cares? I'm stoked to be going to Jackson Hole. I'm looking up to just showing up and having outside life blow my mind because if you listen to the show in the past three years, you know that I need my mind blown in a good way.
1:28.9	And maybe partying with college kids will help that.
1:31.6	Speaking of blown, I hope some snow blows into Jackson as it's not looking that great a week out from the trip.
1:37.3	And I'm sure the shark's teeth, early season, and Jackson can be very scary.
1:41.4	What's even scarier on my end is that I'm leaving my 16 year old at home
1:45.3	alone for four days. And that's the new reality for me, the new normal. I'm working without a
1:50.4	net. And when a work trip happens, well, I have to trust my boy. And we all know what 16
1:55.8	year olds are capable of. And based on my personal history, that is very scary for me. I'll have some safeguards in place,
2:03.1	and hopefully my kid goes to school, he doesn't go to jail, and my dog doesn't die. But that's me
2:08.4	starting to spiral about my personal life. What I should be doing is talking about my professional
2:12.6	life, and that life is all about talking on microphones and selling stickers and tents. And this
2:17.3	week,
2:17.6	I'm going to spare the sticker talk and jump right into introducing my guests for this week's
2:21.9	business episode. George Cooper Thwait is another legendary behind the scenes player in the ski biz.
	...

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