#106 - Joe Smith | Former Engineer at Black Diamond Equipment & Avid Telemark Skier

Joe Smith is originally from Red Lodge, Montana. He learned to ski there at the local hill with his friends and was passionate about snow sliding from the start. His junior college days were spent in Northern California around Lake Tahoe skiing and adventuring more. By the early 1990s he headed to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to finish his engineering degree and get in some powder skiing. It was in Utah that he first borrowed some Telemark equipment and got started on dropping knees on the hill. He did a two-year stint working for Black Diamond Equipment, soon after the company moved to Salt Lake City, as a Quality Inspector while he was finishing school. But it was again in 1999 that he ended up at Black Diamond again, this time as a Process Engineer. During his time at BD, he was around for Telemark binding innovation that started around the Pitbull and went through such notable bindings as the Skyhoy, BD 01, 02, & 03. He also was there during the acquisition of Ascension skis, SKY Bindings, as well as helped with setting up the factory for Black Diamond ski manufacturing.   SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/FHLMailingList Connect with Josh and the Freeheel Life Family  Josh on Instagram and Twitter Telemark Skier Magazine on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube Freeheel Life on Instagram and Twitter Shop The Freeheel Life Telemark Shop  HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US Shop Telemark at  FREEHEELLIFE.COM Subscribe & Become a Supporter of TelemarkSkier.com for articles, gear reviews, & more! Email [email protected]