Meet our athlete ambassadors.

We’re thrilled to introduce the inaugural Sugar Bowl Ambassador Team! These athletes, creators, and community leaders represent everything we love about Sugar Bowl. They honor our history, strengthen connections within our community, and celebrate the passion that drives us to keep pushing boundaries on the mountain.  

Our ambassadors represent the next generation of skiing and snowboarding, with Sugar Bowl proudly supporting their athletic development and personal growth. Through this program, we aim to provide opportunities for them to excel, grow their personal brands, and contribute to our shared love of winter sport.

These are the faces you’ll come to recognize on the hill—they bring the energy, the inspiration, and the high-fives that make every day at Sugar Bowl unforgettable. From first chair to last lap and beyond, they embody the spirit of our mountain—past, present, and future.

David Wise

Olympic Freeskier  |  @mrdavidwise

David Wise was born and raised in Reno, Nevada, in a family that has a passion for skiing. As a child, David chased his older sisters through slalom, GS, and super G courses across the Tahoe area. At age 11, he convinced his parents to let him try freestyle skiing. By 15, he was so drawn to freeskiing, he decided to specialize.  

At 18, David declined his father’s financial support, determined to fully embrace life as a professional skier. Since then, he’s built an extraordinary career, winning every major title in halfpipe skiing, including five X Games Gold Medals, two Olympic Gold Medals, and one Olympic Silver Medal.  

David is focused on leaving the sport better than he found it. He dedicates time to mentoring his peers in mental toughness and resilience while continuing to compete at the highest level. His goal is to represent the U.S. in the Winter Olympic Games in 2026. Beyond competition, he aims to spend more time skiing with his kids and grow AKOVA, the company he co-founded.  

Off the slopes, David can play the banjo and juggle for at least 10 seconds while riding a unicycle!

Sugar Bowl holds a special place in David’s journey. It was where he participated in his first legitimate photoshoot in 2004, and it’s been his go-to spot for countless competitions and secret powder days ever since. He’s particularly excited about the terrain park’s progression and its potential in the coming years.  

“I am so excited about the quality of Sugar Bowl’s terrain park and how much better it is going to get over the next couple of years.”

Xander Guldman

Freeride Skier  |  @xanderfire

Raised in Truckee, Xander Guldman started skiing competitively at ten years old with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. His passion for freeride skiing deepened during his time at Sugar Bowl Academy. 

Xander's skiing career includes standout achievements as a junior athlete: winning the overall North American IFSA title in 2015, placing third in the 2016 Freeride Junior World Championships, and receiving the IFSA Mayor of Freeride community spirit award. After stepping away from competition while studying at UC Davis, Xander returned to the FWQ circuit in 2022, placing 2nd overall and qualifying for the Freeride World Tour. Since then, he has achieved two top-ten finishes on the FWT23 and starred in acclaimed film segments, including The Land of Giants with Matchstick Productions and UNIFIED with Head Skis, which earned him the IF3 2023 Breakout Skier of the Year award.

In 2024, Xander filmed for Head's Beyond and MSP's Calm Beneath Castles while helping establish the Silver Belt as a peer-judged backcountry freestyle event at Sugar Bowl. This winter, he's filming with MSP and Head, contributing to the Silver Belt, and working on an independent video project.

Off the slopes, Xander loves whitewater kayaking, raft guiding, and pottery. 

The supportive community, playful terrain, and inspiring environment of Sugar Bowl have been a constant in his life, and he's excited to continue representing the mountain that has always felt like home.

"One of my goals is to bring new people into the sport and work to make the places I love more accessible and inclusive."

Gustav Legnavsky

Olympic Freeskier  |  @gustav.legnavsky

Gustav Legnavsky grew up in Wanaka, New Zealand, and was immersed in the ski industry through his parents, who were heavily involved long before he was born. Gustav has done everything from racing to freestyle, but at 15, he discovered a passion for halfpipe skiing, where he could combine freestyle and ski racing techniques. At 15, he competed in his first World Cup and World Championships, then qualified for the Olympics the following season. Despite a challenging experience in Beijing, Gustav rebounded by winning the Junior World Championships in Switzerland to close out an incredible season.

After the Olympics, Gustav made Sugar Bowl his home. The resort has been a perfect fit for him and his family, offering a strong community and world-class skiing that supports his growth as an athlete.

Gustav's focus remains on halfpipe skiing. He wants to make the sport more widely recognized and is working toward the 2026 Olympics in Milan.

Off the mountain, Gustav enjoys DJing and designing custom clothing.

At Sugar Bowl, Gustav has found a training ground and a community that feels like family. The resort's welcoming vibe, incredible terrain, and support have made it an ideal place for him to thrive. As a Sugar Bowl ambassador, Gustav is excited to represent the mountain and inspire others through his skiing and creativity.

"Sugar Bowl just fits with me and my family so well, so it has been a great tool for us to express ourselves exactly how we want to and to be supported by everyone around us all the way along."

Hannah Epsteyn

Freeride Skier  |  @hannah_epsteyn

Hannah Epsteyn grew up in Reno but spent many of her winters in Truckee, where her family has a home. Thanks to her dad, skiing has been a part of her life since she was 18 months old.

Her accomplishments include first-place finishes in the 12-14 IFSA Nationals at Kirkwood and Palisades Tahoe, multiple wins in TJFS Regional competitions, and podium finishes at the North American Championships at Kicking Horse and the Silver Belt competition. Currently sponsored by Nordica, Helly Hansen, Smith, and Olympic Bootworks, Hannah has big plans for her future: qualifying for the Junior Freeride World Tour, winning the North American Championships, joining the Freeride World Tour, and pursuing a career in ski films with companies like TGR and MSP. She's also passionate about using her platform to encourage and grow the field of women's skiing.

Off the slopes, Hannah enjoys mountain biking—she competed in cross-country mountain biking from age 9 to 15. She's also an avid rock climber.

She appreciates Sugar Bowl's welcoming community, hardworking staff, and the mountain's features that offer opportunities to progress. As a Sugar Bowl ambassador, she's excited to represent a mountain she and her family love and looks forward to inspiring others on and off the slopes. 

"I have skied Sugar Bowl for a few years, mostly during competitions, but after last year's Silver Belt competition, I fell in love with the mountain."

Indy Boyer

Freeride Skier  |  @indy._.boyer

Indy Boyer is a Tahoe-based freeride athlete with roots in Mammoth Lakes, CA. This season, Indy is competing in the Junior Freeride World Tour for the second time, aiming to earn a spot on the podium.  She placed first overall at the junior championships in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Skiing, art, and painting are her greatest passions, and she's determined to make them the centerpiece of her life. Indy's big-picture dreams are as bold as her turns on the mountain: skiing in the Freeride World Tour, appearing in ski films, designing her own ski graphics, and representing freeride skiing in the 2030 Olympic Games. 

As a Sugar Bowl ambassador, she's excited to create inspiring content and grow her name in the ski community.

"Skiing is one of my greatest passions in my life, along with art and painting."

Henry Schrichte

Freeride Skier  |  @the.wayniac

Growing up in Soda Springs, CA, and skiing since he could walk, Henry Schrichte has called Sugar Bowl home for as long as he can remember. This year, his hard work has paid off with a qualification for the Junior Freeride World Championships, where he'll proudly represent Tahoe in January 2025.

When he's not skiing, Henry is passionate about sewing, design, and the outdoors. He makes fleece beanies, customized pants, and pajamas and plans to create custom-designed snow pants. He loves exploring the Tahoe wilderness, biking, and camping. As a Sugar Bowl ambassador, he is excited to represent the resort he's always called home and share his passion for skiing and creativity with the community.

"I've been around Sugar Bowl my entire life and have skied here for as long as I can remember. I love the mountain, the terrain, the village, and, most of all, the community."

Elena Messner

Freeride Skier  |  @elena.messner

Elena Messner was born and raised in Truckee, California. She grew up skiing at Sugar Bowl with her family, a tradition that continues to this day. Elena attended Sugar Bowl Academy, where she raced in FIS competitions until her junior year of high school before transitioning to freeride skiing. She now attends the University of Utah.

Last season, Elena won the Sugar Bowl Silver Belt event. Her successful competition season included multiple wins on the FWQ circuit. She is now competing as a freeride athlete and representing Armada Skis.

Elena’s goals are to push the boundaries of freeride skiing while showcasing her creativity and passion through film and media. She aims to qualify for the Freeride World Tour and contribute to ski media productions, inspiring others through her skiing and storytelling.

Outside of skiing, Elena channels her creativity into painting, design, and creating. She also enjoys climbing, surfing, and exploring new ways to express herself.

Sugar Bowl has always been more than a mountain for Elena—it’s where she learned the value of pursuing her passions and where she continues to grow as a skier and a person. She feels proud and grateful to represent a resort that has shaped her journey, and looks forward to inspiring others in the Sugar Bowl community and beyond.

“Growing up at Sugar Bowl has taught me that having a passion for your goals can bring you so many great things.”

Kestrel Sullivan

Freeride Skier  |  @kestrel.sullivan

Freeride skier Kestrel Sullivan was born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and was thrown into skiing almost immediately. Her parents had her skiing between their legs when she was only ten months old. When she was eight, her family moved to Portland, Oregon, and she raced at Mt. Hood from her elementary school years through her freshman year of high school.

Deciding she wanted to take the sport to the next level, Kestrel enrolled at Sugar Bowl Academy for racing, but eventually switched to freeride. She would go on to win her first ever comp on the Disney Nose and ended up top 10 in the Americas that year. She immediately fell in love with the sport. This past season, she qualified seventh for the challenger series, and her goal is to keep pushing to earn a spot on the Freeride World Tour and become a professional big mountain skier. She hopes this will lead to skiing in films; she has a dream of creating a film production company.

Off the hill, she loves weightlifting and hopes to compete in powerlifting or bodybuilding. She also climbs, mountain bikes, wake surfs, and camps—but skiing will always come first.

“I love Sugar Bowl so much because of the people and the mountain itself. It is the perfect place for any skier to either learn the sport or pave their way to make it professionally.”

New this season! Ski with one of our athlete ambassador team members.

To book a Ski-with-a-Pro session and for pricing, email us: