People of Powder: Ella Boyd

The following interview is part of our 'People of POWDER' series in which we take a deeper look into the people behind The Skiers' Magazine.

Read along as Ian Greenwood interviews fellow POWDER writer Ella Boyd to learn more about her childhood spent skiing and surfing in Maine, her surf photography endeavors, and her return to skiing.

Where did you grow up skiing initially?

"I grew up in Maine, and my home mountain was Sugarloaf. We didn't live at Sugarloaf year round, but we did have a place there. We went up there every single weekend for the whole ski season… Sugarloaf definitely felt like a second home."

Early on, you were into racing. What did that look like for you?

"When I was in, like, fifth or sixth grade, [my parents] were like, you have to do a [skiing] program. Most of my friends just did, I don't know what they're called at your mountain or other mountains, but at our mountain, it was called Bubblecuffers, which was just like, you'd go ski for fun, whatever. And I was gonna do that, but then my brother decided that he was gonna join CVA, the race team."

"And I was like, 'Oh no, my brother's gonna be a better skier than me if I let him do it.' I just joined as well. And it ended up actually being the best decision I've ever made for my skiing."

"My coach was actually this World Cup Polish ski racer guy named Robert Zacharski. And he was on it. We were a group of 12-year-old girls, for context, and he would make us sprint uphill on, you know, it's Maine, so it's not powder, it's just ice."

"I was never that competitive about it, I guess, until the very end. And by that point, it was too late to get recruited for college stuff. And I think that's honestly just why it kind of dissolved for a little bit. It wasn't like I was over skiing."

Were you introduced to surfing on the East Coast, too?

"Yeah, my dad's a surfer… Surfing's pretty big on the coast of Maine; I'd say there are some decently crowded breaks. They just put a cam at my local break, which is sad, but that shows how popular it is."

How does that scene compare to surfing on the West Coast?

"There are legitimate spots there, but it's the Atlantic Ocean compared to the Pacific. So, the swells aren't as consistent. We get solid waves and everything, but it's more like short-period swell and wind swell as opposed to ground swell."

"In Maine, you kind of need to know what's going on because, in the winter, which is when the best waves come in, you know, you have to wear a six-five, and gloves and booties, and you probably shouldn't go alone, because you can get locked out of your car if your fingers are frozen to your mitts."

In college, in terms of what you were studying and then wanted to do, photography and writing, was that kind of where you hoped to go after you graduated?

"Yeah, it's funny because my degree is in philosophy, and then I have a minor in media studies. I did take a lot of photography classes at Harvey Mudd, and there were some amazing professors there."

"I knew exactly what I wanted to do, which is kind of funny because I think most people don't really know what they want to do, but I was like, 'I'm going to be a surf photographer.' That's it. That's what I want to do."

"One summer during college, I interned with Matt Warshaw for The Encyclopedia of Surfing, which was phenomenal. He gave me a job right out of college, working with him and his non-profit, the Encyclopedia. So that was really amazing."

In 2023 you were a finalist for the Follow the Light surf photography grant. Could you tell me just a little bit more about what that was and how it all worked?

"It's basically [for] young adults who are really invested in surf photography, but they're not yet full professionals, which is cool because obviously, in most contests, you're getting beat out by the Chris Burkards of the world."

"[I was] in this hotel room in Kuta (Bali, Indonesia), and it was the day before it was due. And I was like, you know, I'm gonna apply… So I was up all night just writing my application. I spent probably 12 hours on it. And then I found out that I was a finalist, and that was super exciting."

"One of the best things that came of it was that there was this professional photographer who was on the judging board, and he read my application. And he was like, 'I know that you asked for a fisheye lens. That's what you said you would spend your [grant] money on so you could get better barrel shots.' And he was like, 'If you don't win, here's my old gear.' It was the most touching moment for me to know that someone believed in my dreams.

After being so involved in surfing, what was it like returning to skiing with POWDER ?

"I think for me, I was like, 'you know what? Maybe I want to keep surfing as this thing that I love, and it's so special and so close to my heart.' Does a job have to be the thing that you're, you know, the most passionate about? I don't know. That's something I'm trying to figure out as I am navigating adulthood."

"But skiing seemed like the perfect solution to that, because it's something that I still love. I find immense joy in skiing. Some of the best days of my life have been skiing, you know what I mean?"

"This job with POWDER came up, and when I do a job, I want to be into it. And so I decided, if I'm gonna write for POWDER , I'm gonna ski again, and I'm gonna live in a ski town. So, yeah, I just moved to Tahoe from there, gave up everything else I was doing, and tried to give it 100%."

Five quick questions:

What's your favorite outdoor-oriented book?

"In Search of Captain Zero by Allan Weisbecker."

Who's your favorite skier to watch?

"Connery Lundin or Noah Gaffney."

Are you a person who listens to music while skiing? And if so, what do you like to listen to?

"It drives my dad nuts. But, yeah, I usually listen to house mixes."

Do you have a favorite ski movie?

"Probably my favorite ski filmmaker would be Scott Gaffney, so Walls of Freedom , 1999 ."

Out of all the skiing competitions out there, which one do you like to watch the most?

"Honestly, I love a good pond skim. I also love mogul stuff."

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