Susan Reifer Ryan

Susan Reifer—a valued contributor to SKI for more than 20 years—loves going steep and deep, whether in her reporting and writing or on skis. A full-time freelance journalist and essayist best known for her extensive coverage of the ski and mountain worlds, Susan’s work is characterized by thorough reporting, engaging storytelling, discerning insights and smart reader service.

The daughter of a ski instructor, Susan began skiing as soon as she could walk. Despite being much better in school than she was on skis, she competed on California’s Far West junior racing circuit as a teen, and in the NCAA’s Division I at Massachusetts’ Williams College, where she majored in English and History.

Susan broke into major media as a freelance writer in the early 1990s and was among the first journalists to cover the new and emerging sport of competitive big mountain freeriding. During this time her ski skills improved dramatically, and included at least one first descent in Alaska.

She soon pivoted to covering ski travel destinations worldwide, the business of mountain resorts, and the lives of people in mountain communities. She is a specialist in Tahoe, Mammoth, and British Columbia—but her award-winning, deep-dive reporting has spanned single-chairlift ski areas and major resorts from Alta to Zermatt and from the far north of British Columbia to the tip of Tierra del Fuego.

A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, she is most likely to be found taking meticulous notes while other people are talking, leading meditation workshops at Whistler Public Library, road-tripping on the Powder Highway, or spinning hot-laps on Whistler Mountain’s Peak Chair.