Mali Noyes: Out for sporty ski in the Utah hills. Photo: Mali Noyes and her people
On the podcast, Mali Noyes: Nurse, ski mountaineer, speedy mountain runner. Try to keep up.
The first snows have fallen. And if the local webcams have anything to say about it, it might as well be winter. Snow sliding and keeping bases intact—that’s another story.
The story today, on The High Route podcast comes from Salt Lake based Mali Noyes. Let’s see where to begin.
Catching up with Noyes is, and was, part of the problem. Not unlike many of us, she is busy. She is also on the move. Energy. Motion. Mountains. Running. Skinning. Skiing. Nursing. She grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho, and became part of a speedy crew of nordic racers at the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Kilometer after kilometer, season after season, year after year, you can imagine the incredible base fitness. She went on to ski at the University of Utah and, once free from the constraints of school, took that drive and fitness into the backcountry.
Noyes is an accomplished mountain runner, earned a spot on the Freeride World Tour in 2016, and is a Salomon athlete. After years in the mountains gaining experience, she has ventured into the Alaska Range and beyond. All the while, she took the time to attend nursing school. When she is not in the hills, she works as an oncology nurse.
Mali Noyes ski touring and steep skiing on the Pika Glacier in Alaska. Photo: Fred Marmaster
Cresting a ridge with the sharps—Mali Noyes. Photo: Bjarne Salen
There’s also something else to know—we don’t really explore how she skied this or that line. Which, we think, is OK. We take the time on the podcast to get a little deeper and discuss things like how annoying it might be to answer questions like “What’s it like to be the only girl on an expedition?” We also explore how Noyes expanded her avalanche education and now takes more ownership over assessing where and when she skis.
All this is to say that we had an excellent time during the interview—we learned a ton.
Mali Noyes sporting some sweet sunglasses during the 2024 Speedgoat 50k. Photo: Mike McMonagle
We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is in the works. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.
The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you’ve spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, “Beautiful Alien” is a good tune to start with.
