Ross Tester, a proud Team Palisades Tahoe alum, is making waves in the world of competitive freeride skiing. A Tahoe local and University of Utah graduate, Ross was named Freeride World Tour Rookie of the Year in 2021. He also has the honor of being included in “FORGED,” a monumental art sculpture in The Village at Palisades Tahoe, celebrating 75 years of the mountain’s legacy. Known for his bold and creative skiing, Ross continues to push boundaries while representing Palisades Tahoe on the global stage.
How did you start skiing? What keeps you coming back?
I started skiing when my parents plopped me on a pair of skis as a little kid. What keeps me coming back is the different experiences that you can have both socially and personally. Moments on skis are amazing, both when shared or alone.
What made you choose Palisades Tahoe as your home mountain? What makes this place special to you?
Palisades was my home mountain by default because it was my parent’s mountain of choice. I grew to love it through being on the ski team and witnessing the culture created before and during my formative years as a skier. Growing up, I read “Squallywood” by Robb Gaffney religiously, watched “Blizzard of Aaahs” by Greg Stump, and witnessed the Freeride World Tour in person. Being able to experience these influences and follow in their footsteps made the place special to me. Since graduating from North Tahoe High School in 2017, I’ve moved away and moved back a few times, but Palisades will always be my home mountain. The culture and terrain hold a very special place in my heart and are incomparable to anywhere else in the world to me.
What does freeride mean to you?
I like to think of freeride as a way to play on the mountain; each feature in the snow, a new opportunity to manipulate your body through space using gravity and your skis.
Aside from the competition, what part of the FWT experience are you looking forward to the most, and why?
What I love about the FWT is being able to ski in different and/or new environments and experience the different ski cultures. Outside of skiing, it’s always fun to take some time to be a tourist and “smell the roses” too.
If you could go back to your early days of competing, what would you say to your younger self to help them enjoy the journey more?
If I could go back to my early days of competing, I would tell myself that there is a lot more to life than competition skiing. Even within the scope of skiing, there are so many opportunities to animate and add value to your life. Whether it’s progressing on tricks, lifting weights, learning to edit videos, or building/creating relationships, the list goes on. But whatever you do, commit and put your best foot forward, and that’s all you can do.
