Popular Stories
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.
Join Our Newsletter
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.
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!
