Last winter, after the smashing success of Pretty Faces, Lynsey Dyer took the season off from being a filmmaker–and took up an offer from Bravo TV to be a part of a reality TV show, Aprés Ski (see trailer above). The show, which follows around a luxury ski vacation concierge service in Whistler, invited Dyer to be a part of it to take clients out skiing and blow their little minds by helping them overcome their fears in her trademark, enthusiastic, I-love-the-mountains! Lynsey way. And some other reality show drama, of course.
We’re not sure just yet whether she actually gets to live her dream of turning her co-stars and reality TV fans into fearless mountain sport enthusiasts–legally, Dyer is bound to keep mum on the details of the show. But the television premiere is coming tonight on Bravo TV at 10/9c, so you can find out for yourself.
Dyer is not the first freeskier to be on reality TV. In 2013, Canadian skier Rory Bushfield joined the cast of Splash, a reality TV show based around a diving competition–no doubt helped by his many Matchstick bridge/dam/cliff/boat jumping cameos. While good for Bushfield’s visibility outside skiing (and for the visibility of freeskiing as a whole), his foray into mainstream media was mostly ignored by the ski world.
Following Pretty Faces, Lynsey took the chance to expose skiing to an audience that doesn't typically see skiing. Lynsey Dyer photo.
Yet, following Aprés Ski’s sensationalist trailer, plenty of ski world judgment has popped up on what Dyer should be doing with her life, career, and her skiing, after putting it all on the line, and herself in the limelight, for Pretty Faces. Dyer herself is moving right along: she developed her own pro model with Sego Skis last season, is working with Mary Kay as the face of a fragrance she helped create, taking her mom to Peru to see Machu Pichu next month, and–peanut gallery beware–is back to mulling over new women’s ski film project possibilities.
However, before you all get sucked into the #superbelievable! #drama world typical of reality TV shows (which, let’s be honest, are like a human version of putting gerbils and snakes in a cage with cameras) we decided to check in with Dyer for a little background and what spurred freeskiing’s most positive, ass-kicking poster girl to dip a toe into the foreign world of reality TV.
How did the jump from making a ski movie to starring in reality TV happen?
Making [Pretty Faces] was so overwhelming, I can’t imagine doing that every year. When I got the offer for the reality show, I wasn’t sure, but I thought, life is short, right? I feel like I am reminded of that more and more, so why not?
Ultimately, I was scouted by the show for my ski talent, and it sounded like a great opportunity to take people into the mountains, and help them overcome their fears and share my love for the mountains. My thought was about inspiration, and I did it with the intention of helping people.
Sometimes, I tend to be unrealistic... so, I thought this could be a ninja way into a broader audience landscape. I don’t watch reality TV myself, but I work with girls, who don’t necessarily go on the TGR Forums or read Powder Magazine. The primary audience of these shows is women, and, honestly, my intention was to share the magic of the mountains with an audience that doesn’t get exposed to that very much.
The primary audience of these shows is women, and, honestly, my intention was to share the magic of the mountains with an audience that doesn’t get exposed to that very much.
I always knew it was a long shot and a risk, but I also try not to take life too seriously and the same goes for this. Jerry Springer here I come!! And yah, that's a joke.
The show is not even out yet and there is plenty of chatter that you have lost credibility as a skier. What do you have to say about that (Dyer hasn’t had time to read what people are saying, so we filled her in on this one)?
"I didn't do this to gain credibility." Lynsey Dyer photo.
Well, I didn’t do this to gain credibility. I am a skier–we are all basically a bunch of bums! So, credibility of what? It’s easy to judge. It is a lot harder to take risks! I tell girls to take risks and to forgive themselves if they fall on their face, and just get up and try again.
What good does another segment in another movie speaking to the same crowd do? How will the outside world know how magical our sport is unless we go and reach people where they are at–but not necessarily force our way and our point of view on them, because ski movies are really boring to most people.
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I wanted to try to reach an audience through the show, I mean, if I can help get the reality show audience outside, then great. What are you doing to help share the joy that the mountains have given you? What if we all put our energy into helping people experience the mountains in a positive way?
What was it like making the show?
We literally shot hours and hours a day for a few months. I obviously can't control what will make it into the episodes but my experience included training, skiing, living and working with a group of people I never would have been exposed to otherwise. It was pretty entertaining.
But, I was happy with the way I presented myself, and felt proud every single day that I woke up it was a positive learning experience.
What’s the overall take-away for you?
Lynsey hopes appearing alongside this cast will broadcast the fun of skiing to an entirely new audience. NBC Universal photo.
It was pushing my comfort zone into a different avenue of media that I had no experience with and no idea about how it worked, and taking a risk for sure.
I just want to have a positive effect on someone watching that show–I may never know if I did, but every day that is my intention with everything I do. That’s all I have.
I have my own mission and I am going to stick to it: If I am going to tell girls to go take risks then I have to be doing it myself. It doesn’t mean it is going to come out perfect. It never comes out perfect–I just have to remember to laugh at myself–and I hope you will, too!
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About The Author
stash member Brigid Mander
All things skiing, fun lines, off the beaten path adventures, skid life, telling stories, and obscure vocabulary words. brigidmander.com
charleski
November 2nd, 2015
Seriously?! How do you go from Pretty Faces to Bravo? You’re going to do a show on the same network that was sued by the NAACP for scripting that two African American women fight each other for entertainment value?! These shows confirm every frat boy stereotype leveled against women from being manipulative, unfaithful, high maintenance, dramatic, back stabbing, shallow, etc…I’m legit pissed our sport is being associated with what I consider to be the lowest common denominator of American culture. One more athlete who is incapable of practicing what they preach and engaging in sheer unadulterated hypocrisy to the benefit of the crappiest capitalistic companies. What a joke. Man, seriously what’s becoming of the ski industry, actually looked up to Lynsey what a disappointment.
racesla
November 4th, 2015
Lighten up and climb off that mountain of morality you have perched yourself on.
Anonz
November 28th, 2015
Kid, I respect your moral neutrality…but dude has a point. Bravo is shite.
Dan Ocallahan
November 6th, 2015
No he’s right. I promise this reveals more about the true nature of this girl than anyone knows…
charleski
November 2nd, 2015
Seriously?!
kailas
November 3rd, 2015
Your sport? Skiing has gotten really stupid and selfish. This girl is doing it for the money and the fame. With fame, hopefully comes more money. Fame begets money, then you need more money because no good capitolist can have enough money.
racesla
November 4th, 2015
Tell you what, when you can rip like lynsey and produce you own movie, get back to us.
racesla
November 4th, 2015
Oh and inspired as many kids as she has to get out into the mountains.
Dan Ocallahan
November 6th, 2015
pssst…its not that many. never met a person that said “I’m here cause Lynsey showed me it was cool”. Ego much?
racesla
November 8th, 2015
Well maybe you should get out a little more, I meet and worked with 40+ plus kids last season who were there because of Rachael, Lynsey, and Shejumps, having a great weekend.
kailas
November 8th, 2015
Why? Why is helping over crowd the mountains so laudable with you city people?
kailas
November 8th, 2015
Hey silly person, you know not to whom you speak.
racesla
November 8th, 2015
Apparently someone who feels the need to brag up his ski coach and season passes. My city cabin here in Seeley lake needs more wood in the stove so cheers for now.
Dan Ocallahan
November 6th, 2015
Lynsey did this for one reason. Fame. While she may hope to inspire, she wants attention and fame first and foremost - above all else in her life. There is zero reason she would do this otherwise. This makes skiing look awful, this makes girls (and guys) look awful. This is the lowest common denominator of entertainment “trashy reality TV”.
She may have her name all over Pretty Faces (remember the attention thing) but there are a hundred other people that made that one come together. And don’t forget who got the most on-screen time…
She’s not a role model. She’s hot. She sleeps her way to success. She’s undisciplined. She uses the shit out of people. She’s a facade. Not some icon of women’s empowerment. You want empowerment? Look to one of a bazillion other girls out there (in and out of skiing).
Synonym: See - Narcissistic, selfish, attention-hungry, flirty,
Antonym: See - Angel Collinson
Anonz
November 28th, 2015
Word. Granted, she can ski. I’ll giver her that. But I’m sick of the masses making heroes out of people like her.
Anonz
November 28th, 2015
My first response to Lynsey, this article, and this TV show is EYE ROLL. As a former team manager type to Lynsey—I have to say GIRL IS NUTS. She’s all sunshine flirty skier babe one second and emotionally unbalanced child the next. Seriously I had to suffer that girls drunken confessions about cheating on bfs, why gluten was killing people, how she forgot her gloves…again…oh and could I get the tab?
The only time she behaved normally was when we were shooting. So, props to her for making a career happen…cause the rest of the time she didn’t know what time zone she was in.
As for the girl power stuff? Ha! Like every other save the polar bears (but not if it means me giving up heli time) athlete…her commitment seemed more talk than walk.
She’s one of the reasons I left this industry—not cause she’s awful or cause I hold a vendetta,she’s just ridiculous (most pro skiers are—truth). Skiing has gotten ridiculous bc of people like her and shows like this. (And no, she didn’t turn me down—-not with a ten foot pole would I touch a 30 y/o girl with a 90s hair wrap with feathers who bragged about not paying taxes and generally treated everyone terribly… Red flag! Red flag!)
Not trying to be a super troll. BUT can we just call it like it is?? This show looks f***ing awful and has less than nothing to do with skiing. MORE ANGEL less defensive articles on stupid pro athletes popping up on my twitter accnt for being on effing Bravo.