NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — When professional freeskier Caite Zeliff stands atop some of the most intimidating lines on the planet in Alaska, she can be reminded of her roots.
The North Conway native first started skiing at Cranmore Resort with help from the Eastern Slope Ski Club (ESSC) after-school program. She quickly progressed to ski racing, and frequented the backcountry haven of Tuckerman’s Ravine to cut her teeth on gnarled, steep terrain.
Now Zeliff, 29, is returning home to serve as the featured athlete and keynote speaker of the Mt. Washington Backcountry Ski Festival in the North Conway area from Feb 8-11. Held since 2017, the festival is presented by Backyard Concept and Synnott Mountain Guides, offering guided ski tours, avalanche education, live music, and social events for backcountry skiing enthusiasts of all levels.
“It’s really a full circle moment,” said Zeliff, who moved to Girdwood, Alaska, last year after nearly a decade in Jackson, Wyo.
“It’s a cool opportunity to share knowledge with people who are just getting into backcountry skiing, because there’s this intimidation, and especially for women, if they can see other women doing it, they’re really apt to believe in themselves. I’m hoping to give back to the community that’s given me so much.”
While she learned the basics of skiing at a very young age, Zeliff said her parents may not have been able to afford consistent ski resort access if not for ESSC, a nonprofit with over 400 volunteers providing skiing and snowboarding opportunities for elementary school children in the Mt. Washington Valley since 1935.
With that support structure in place, Zeliff excelled as a ski racer, earning scholarships to Proctor Academy, University of New Hampshire, and opportunities to train with the U.S. Ski Team while traveling the world with various race teams and organizations.
After blowing out her knee during her freshman year at UNH, Zeliff decided it was time for a change, so she drove to Jackson and eventually got her big break when she twice won the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s at Jackson Hole resort, a freeskiing competition featuring jaw-dropping tricks down a steep gorge.
Now starring in ski films as an athlete sponsored by The North Face, Zeiliff will speak Saturday night at the festival’s High George Jamboree at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center in Fryeburg, Maine.
The festival opens Thursday night at Ledge Brewing in North Conway and continues Friday night at nearby Tuckerman Brewing, with donations suggested to the Mount Washington Avalanche Center Foundation and ESSC in lieu of an entry fee.
A comedy show and film screening headline the respective events, followed by a set of uphill ski races at Cranmore on Saturday at 7 a.m., culminating Saturday night with the High George Jamboree, which will be hosted by Kate Sullivan from the New Hampshire Life TV series on NESN.
“The goal is to make it a more welcoming space for aspiring skiers, whether you’ve been around the block or you’re brand new,” said Tyler Ray, founder of the outdoor advocacy firm Backyard Concept.
“To have Caite back as a featured athlete, it’s exciting, to be able to showcase the skills needed and something to aspire to, but at the same time, for her to just be part of the crowd, and be an ambassador for the sport.”
Held over four days, the festival includes introductory courses to avalanche education, ski mountaineering, yoga, and an immersive program called Outdoor Office that focuses on adventure writing, photography, and videography in the mountains. The festival is debuting two courses centered around the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and will raffle away a guided ski trip to Iceland (April 2-8) during Saturday’s jamboree.
“I feel so grateful for the programs that introduced me to the mountains,” said Zeliff. “Skiing has been this vehicle for so many adventures, and a huge driving force in my life.”
“With backcountry skiing — the gear, the bindings — it’s a little intimidating, and the entry point is a little high,” she said. “Finding a community like this one is so important, because you can’t do it alone.”
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.