Big Mountain Skier Josh Daiek Launches New YouTube Series To Review His Best Lines From Prolific 2023 Season

Josh Daiek. How do we even begin?

The South Lake Tahoe skier's notoriety for skiing ridiculous big mountain lines at ludicrous speeds has skyrocketed since the debut of his Mountain State films, and much like his style of skiing, he isn't pumping the brakes.

Thanks to record-setting snowfall during the Winter '22/'23 season, Daiek was prolific at catering to his insatiable desire to tick off mind-melting lines for Mountain State 2.0. Every day of exploring the remote corners of the state's untapped mountain ranges seemed to be fruitful, each line better than the next.

To kick off a new YouTube series on his channel called 'One Track Mind', Daiek is releasing his Top 10 lines from last season with in-depth narration and analysis.

The first episode, titled 'Couloir in the Desert', is available to watch by clicking here or by pressing play on the embedded video below.

Keep scrolling after watching to read my short Q&A with Daiek about last season, the new YouTube series, and what fans can expect to see from him moving forward.

Josh Daiek: "Welcome to "One Track Mind," a new series dedicated to giving you a behind-the-scenes perspective of skiing rowdy lines, exploring new mountain ranges, film skiing, winter camping and much more. Strap in and join the adventure.

To kick this series off I'm recapping my top 10 lines from the winter of 2023, the best winter of my life. Episode 1 puts us on top of a steep ''double couloir" deep in the heart of the Nevada. It took a multi-day traverse through the mountains to get to this line and I can say it was all worth the effort! There's a lot more to this story so follow along to see how this one unfolds. Next episode drops in a week, stay tuned."

What inspired you to create this new series?

"I've been wanting to do a "behind-the-scenes" type series for a few years now. There's so much work that goes into exploring a new mountain range, film skiing, content creation etc. Inevitably there's always a bunch of silly, good times with the crew too. Really, I want to shed light on all of it. I think it will be a fun way to give viewers a first hand experience of a "day in the life" of a pro skier."

How does the stress of "getting the shot" change how you ski a line?

"I'd be lying if I said my skiing's not affected by the camera, but I'm also the type of person who always wants to push myself. Even on days when I'm not filming, I'm pushing to ski as fast as possible, to air as big as conditions permit, to flip, to spin. I feel I have a good grasp on what my skill level is and what my body is capable of. So yes, I want to ski rowdy lines and showcase our sport in front of the camera, but it's also how I would be skiing regardless so..."

What's the longest you've stood on top of a line waiting for conditions to align?

"I think 30-45 minutes can be common when filming in the alpine in BC, but to answer your question I think Stan Rey and I stood on top of a line for close to 3 hours. We hiked up this beautiful spine wall in AK and right when we got to the top the clouds clagged in above us. It was so frustrating, we were looking at all the surrounding peaks that were lit up and glorious. Windows of light came so close to our lines and we thought for sure we were going to score. At a certain point we gave up and skied down the spine wall in the worst flat light ever, it was super sketchy. To add insult to injury, I ended up tomahawking on the mandatory exit air in my line."

Has this line been skied before?

"It's funny people ask me that question a lot. "Was that a first descent?" My response is always the same, it was for me. I honestly don't care about any of that, I think that's more of a mountaineer mindset. I like to explore and ski new terrain. For me the reward comes from "solving the puzzle" as I like to say. Figuring out how to access new zones and ski new lines. Thinking outside the box and going where most others don't. I don't look at guide books, read trip reports or seek out beta, that would be taking the fun away from myself."

You're known for carrying speed and minimizing turns, how does your style dictate the type of terrain you're looking to ski while filming?

"I definitely look for lines that I can pin it down! I'm also drawn toward technical moves too. Airs into chutes, exposed lines with mandatory airs, that kind of stuff is really appealing as well. I think it goes back to wanting to push myself, if it's wide open and easy, then I'm not trying hard enough and that's simply not good enough for me."

The plan is to cover your Top 10 lines from last season, what can viewers expect with the series afterwards?

"Good question! Right now I'm sharing my top ten lines because that is the footage I have. I'm learning it's really hard to tell my story when we didn't shoot with this story/idea in mind. Moving forward there will be way more B-roll footage to support and tell each story.

More importantly, there is so much excitement involved with exploring new zones and skiing new lines. It's a full on process, from the planning and strategy to applying what you've learned to actually laying eyes on terrain and skiing it for the first time. The rewards that come from this process, the failures too, I want to give an unfiltered view on all of it; the emotions, the decision process, wins, losses, humility, the comical moments etc. As I said there is so much going on out in the mountains everyday and I want to bring people along on this journey."

In full disclosure, Josh Daiek is one of my favorite skiers to watch. His ability to make a steep couloir with less-than-ideal snow look like a bunny slope is something I simply can't wrap my head around.

If you're interested in seeing more about Daiek, and his aforementioned skiing abilities, I highly recommend checking out Mountain State and Mountain State 2.0.

Stay locked into his YouTube channel for weekly releases of his best lines of last year. I'll certainly be watching.

Related: Josh Daiek Makes His Case As The Best Big Mountain Skier In The World

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