BIWABIK—When it comes to the ski industry, Minnesota native and U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame member, Jeannie Thoren is often regarded as a pioneer in women’s skiing.
Much like her role model, Thoren, Heidi Jo Karlsson has made a name for herself, on the regional and local levels when it comes to the growth of the ski and mountain biking world.
Karlsson, currently serving as Mountain Sports School Director and Recreation Manager at Giants Ridge, has been a part of the skiing industry for more than 41 years.
Though her love for all things outdoors has evolved over the span of her adventurous career, her passion for skiing started at the age of three.
“It all started with with my dad,” said Karlsson. “It was our family thing. It all started at Buffalo Valley.”
Years of skiing at Buffalo Valley led Karlsson to pursue a degree in Outdoor Recreation from Northwestern Bible College and that’s where she uncovered her interest in teaching.
“When I went to college, my passion for skiing intensified,” added Karlsson. “I was writing programs when I was in school and then when I went up to Lutsen, after college, it all just morphed for me.”
Karlsson’s career in outdoor recreation started back in 1980 when she worked at Lutsen as a canoe guide in summers and then started teaching skiing there, too.
“It really just started as a passion for me,” Karlsson said. “Well, skiing has always been a passion for me, I guess … I was just lucky enough to have it become my career and I just never stopped.”
After college, Karlsson was pulled toward the North Shore again, where she continued providing guided canoe trips and spent the summer at Cascade Lodge where she waitressed and cleaned rooms, which, of course, morphed into more skiing for Karlsson in winter.
While Karlsson’s skiing roots are Midwest in nature, she’s explored the mountainous regions of the west along the way.
“I actually went out west for a while and worked at Steamboat and Keystone, but I always came back north.”
According to Karlsson, there’s always been something about the kind of ski resort one finds in the Midwest.
“It’s more family,” she said. “If you grow up and start skiing at a resort here in the Midwest, it’s always your home hill and I just love the small resort feel.”
She added, “It’s just the ambiance of all of it. It’s the people and friends that draw you in. It’s real here. Midwest skiing is real skiing.”
“I’ll play in the mountains,” Karlsson said. “But this is home.”
Karlsson’s career and family path brought her away from Minnesota for a short period of time, but it always came back to her roots in the Midwest. She taught skiing in Duluth at Spirit Mountain, where she eventually became the Ski School Director and was instrumental in continual growth and led development of both the skiing and mountain biking programs for 20 years.
“After Spirit, I went to Buck Hill where I was able to create the summer mountain biking program,” said Karlsson. “Changes at Buck Hill led me to an opportunity at Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls for three years, where I was able to rewrite all of their ski programs.”
Because of the instrumental roles that Karlsson has played in the development of skiing and mountain biking programs across the state, it goes without saying that her talent was (and still is) in demand when it comes to ski and mountain biking destinations across the state.
Giants Ridge, located in the heart of the Iron Range, was fortunate to land Karlsson in 2020, where she still serves today.
When she first started at Giants Ridge, there were 15 ski school instructors. Today, the Ski School (Mountain Sports) locker room is full.
“Heidi Jo’s years of experience has helped us elevate the programs that the Mountain Sports School offers,” said Benji Neff, Director of Mountain Sports at Giants Ridge.
“One of her most successful initiatives has been creating a junior instructor program. This has opened up a new pathway to recruit young instructors, which is key to sustaining the program.”
According to Neff, Karlsson has also worked with existing Giants Ridge instructors to continue to encourage instructors to pursue certification through PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America), which allows the instructors to offer a higher level of instruction to guests at Giants Ridge.
“I just have such a huge love for the outdoors and I love teaching all ages,” she said. “I love seeing the self confidence that builds with kids and new instructors … that all feeds my passion.”
Karlsson’s continued passion for skiing and mountain biking are visible by many within the industry.
“Heidi Jo is passionate,” said Neff. “She loves to ski and mountain bike and, more importantly, she loves to share her passion with others. She has high standards and holds her staff to those standards as well.”
Cory Oseland of SkiHut in Duluth agreed, “Her devotion to being nationally PSIA certified, her enthusiasm, and her desire to create fresh, new skiers and snowboarders has earned respect amongst her peers within the industry.”
Karlsson’s work in the ski industry, according to Oseland, has helped to make a smooth transition into the sport of mountain biking, as resorts have recognized the importance and parallels between cycling and winter sports.
Part of Karlsson’s self-proclaimed appreciation for both skiing and mountain biking is rooted in the fact that they are both lifelong sports.
“You can always step back at how you do them,” said Karlsson. “But you can still continue to grow with both of them at your own pace. I’m fortunate to have been given the opportunity to help cultivate all of it and that means a lot to me.”
With the recent expansion of mountain biking on the Iron Range (and across northern Minnesota, as whole), it was also important that Giants Ridge grow the sport of mountain biking, as the trail system and mountain biking park within the resort has developed and expanded over the last handful of years.
And that’s where Karlsson’s passion for creating new programs came into play here in the northland.
With plenty of years of experience under her belt when it came to mountain biking programming development at Spirit Mountain and Buck Hill, it was a foregone conclusion that more of that same “Heidi-Jo-goodness” was set for lift off at Giants Ridge.
“Heidi Jo has created the summer mountain biking camps for both youth and women, which has exposed hundreds of new riders to the sport of Mountain Biking,” said Neff. “She has also made an impact when it comes to female-specific instruction. She’s also created a year-round program called “Ride Like a GRL” (GRL stands for Giants Ridge Ladies). This program has been immensely popular in the winter, but especially in the summer.”
According to Karlsson, all of the programs offered at Giants Ridge are a work in progress and always will be. “Any good program,” added Karlsson, “Should be morphed.”
While these programs continue to develop and grow, Giants Ridge’s mountain biking programs are already attracting attendees from Texas, Iowa, and North Dakota, as well as people from other nationwide resorts.
“Heidi Jo’s years of experience are readily available, but what that does for our region is immeasurable,” said Neff. “The efforts and programs that she and her staff are responsible for day-in and day-out serve such an important role for our region.”
Neff added, “I can’t think of a single parent who doesn’t want their child to ‘get outside and play more.’ So, being able to offer programs like the mountain biking camps or skiing/snowboarding lessons to our area’s youth is immensely important in the ‘screen era.’”
While Karlsson has most-assuredly carved her own successful path over the past 40 plus years, the friendships she’s made along the way have all played a key role in her continued achievements, as well.
“My whole drive for the concentration on women’s skiing and mountain biking comes from Jeannie Thoren,” said Karlsson. “I met her as a ski school instructor and supervisor at Spirit Mountain years ago and was able to work with Jeannie in her clinics and traveling clinics along the way. Throughout my career within the industry, I’ve learned how to better connect with people…that’s all her.”
“I have so many friends who’ve been in the ski area industry right alongside me for 40 years,” added Karlsson. “It’s the smallest, big industry in the world. If you make really good friends and work diligently, they’re lifetime friends.”
Ski Hut’s Oseland agrees.
“She has put in the time and work. Heidi Jo’s love of both mountain biking and skiing show through her work and the education she’s written on the snow and in the dirt.”
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For more information about upcoming mountain biking camps (for all ages and abilities) at Giants Ridge and Mountain Sports School lessons, visit: giantsridge.com.
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