This chairlift chat on The Drew Petersen Podcast is with Caroline Gleich, a professional ski mountaineer who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024. As an athlete activist, she has climbed Everest, was the first woman to ski all 90 lines in the Chuting Gallery, a guidebook to skiing in the Wasatch Mountains, climbed and skied Cho Oyu, and is pursuing her goal of climbing the Seven Summits.

But in 2024, she pursued her most audacious goal yet: running for U.S. Senate in the 2024 election. As the Democratic candidate in deeply red Utah, the odds were stacked against her but she committed with full resolve. Personally, I was amazed seeing her at her first campaign fundraiser to watching her consistently show up through the election.

Naturally, I was curious to hear what that whirlwind was really like. We linked up for this conversation in April of 2025, far enough removed from the election, but fresh enough that her takeaways were poignant and inspiring.

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This chairlift chat episode is brought to you by Protect Our Winters. To learn more and to join Team POW, visit protectourwinters.org.

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Watch the full video version on YouTube

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Follow Caroline on Instagram: @carolinegleich

Sign up for Caroline’s Substack here

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