Winter Speaker Series

The Alpenglow Sports Winter Speaker Series is an eagerly anticipated winter tradition for North Tahoe’s adventure community. With over 3,000 in-person attendees and 33,000+ online annually, the 17-year-old event has become one of the premier North American forums for adventure storytelling. For the 2022-23 season, each show will be presented in-person AND online in a virtual capacity.

The Alpenglow Winter Speaker Series blends two goals: 1) to inspire and motivate mountain athletes to pursue their own outdoor dreams and 2) to educate about, and raise funds for, nonprofit organizations making a tangible difference in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee community. The Winter Speaker Series is the largest free community speaker series in the country that hosts the biggest names in the outdoor industry. Past speakers include Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill, Jeremy Jones, Glen Plake, Hilaree Nelson, Adrian Ballinger and more.

This five-show series runs from December through March at Olympic Village Events Center at Palisades Tahoe and is entirely FREE. Each speaker is paired with a local nonprofit that has been selected through a rigorous application process.

For those who cannot make the shows at Palisades Tahoe, we will continue to present each show in a virtual capacity via our YouTube channel. Giveaway and bar proceeds, in conjunction with anonymous donations, raise more than $75,000 per show for local North Lake Tahoe non-profit organizations. To date, the event has raised over $1,000,000 for local nonprofit organizations.

If you are planning to attend the events in person at Olympic Village Events Center, you do not need to register, merely show up and join the fun. Each show will also be live streamed on Alpenglow’s YouTube channel. No registration is required to watch online. For the 2022-23 season, there will be two giveaways per show. The much loved and anticipated in-person giveaway will return after a Covid-safety hiatus and will be for all in-person attendees who purchase physical giveaway tickets at the show. The second giveaway will happen on our YouTube channel the morning after the event, and will include all giveaway tickets that were purchased online by viewers tuning in from afar. Prizes for each giveaway are DIFFERENT and you are allowed to purchase tickets at both. Tickets for the online giveaway are available until midnight PST on the night of each show.

For more information visit the website at https://www.alpenglowsports.com/winter-speaker-series/

The Art of Shralpinism – Jeremy Jones

December 8th  | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Snowboarding icon Jeremy Jones kicks off the 17th annual Winter Speaker Series with a unique and never-before-seen show “The Art of Shralpinism.” Based on his new book by the same title, The Art of Shralpinism covers a compendium of hard-won lessons, quick tips, sound advice, and impactful stories largely documented from journals Jones has kept over the years. Also featuring wisdom from friends and mentors, The Art of Shralpinism takes an experiential approach to contemplating mountains, snow, and adventure. Through his art, poetry, and journal extracts, Jones traces his development from racer and extreme snowboarding film star to explorer of the deep backcountry and climate activist.

Third Time’s a Charm – A Journey to Ski Makalu – Adrian Ballinger

January 5th | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

In the spring of 2022, Adrian Ballinger made his third attempt of the past decade to ski Makalu, the 5th tallest mountain in the world. Makalu, famed for its steep and technical terrain, was one of only two 8,000-meter peaks that had not yet been skied. After two failed attempts in 2012 and 2015, 2022 seemed like the ideal time for another try, this time without supplemental oxygen in the “new style” of 8,000-meter ski descents. Conditions, changing ethics of Himalayan climbing, ski partners, and an unexpected pregnancy had different ideas.

Versatility Fueled by Mountain Creativity – Brette Harrington

January 19th | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Brette Harrington is a bold alpinist, accomplished 5.13+ trad climber, calculated soloist, expert ski mountaineer, big wall sender, and graceful mixed climber. Harrington owes her lengthy title to her versatility in the mountains. Her show Versatility Fueled by Mountain Creativity, documents Harrington’s evolution in the various disciplines of climbing and skiing from beginner to cutting-edge professional.

Life’s Newest Crux – Anna Pfaff

February 9th | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Rural northeast Ohio isn’t a breeding ground for alpinists, but that’s exactly where one of the world’s premiere alpinists was born and raised. When Anna Pfaff, 37, moved to Colorado to finish her nursing degree at the University of Colorado Denver, she joined her classmates for a trip to Indian Creek, Utah where she instantly was hooked on climbing. After graduating in 2003, Pfaff relocated to Boulder where she honed her skills on multi-pitch routes in Eldorado Canyon and the cracks of Indian Creek. The following year, she made the pilgrimage to Yosemite and within a year had climbed El Capitan. When she headed south one winter and first climbed in the Fitz Roy range, she was hooked on alpine climbing.

A Return to the Alps – A “Post Covid” Ski Mountaineering Journey – Dave Nettle

March 2nd  | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

In 2022, after two years of pandemic uncertainty, severe economic hardship, and international travel restrictions, the high mountain huts and ski resorts throughout Europe began to open again. Ski mountaineers were enthusiastically welcomed back to enjoy the spectacular alpine scenery, challenging ski terrain, excellent cuisine, and the traditional warm and friendly hospitality of the mountain regions. For Winter Speaker Series founder Dave Nettle, it was definitely time for a return to the Alps.