A Conversation with Vasu Sojitra
On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know backcountry skier, advocate and adaptive athlete, Vasu Sojitra. When Vasu was just 9 months old, his right leg was amputated due to a blood infection called Septicemia. Although his life was forever changed, it didn’t stop him from pursuing his passions through childhood, which included skateboarding, soccer and skiing. But things changed in college, when Vasu discovered the joy of backcountry skiing – which opened a whole new world of exploration of the natural world, and himself.
Since that time, Vasu has immersed himself into the life of backcountry skiing, while simultaneously pursuing work as an advocate for people living with disabilities. For Vasu, the goal is to expand the definition of backcountry skiing to the adaptive community. And maybe this was best exemplified in the summer of 2021, when Vasu and his teammates skied off the summit of Denali, making the first disabled ski descent of the mountain.
I recently got a chance to talk with Vasu about his extraordinary life, ranging from his challenges as a kid, to his self-customized ski outriggers, and his incredible ski descent of Denali. All that and more, on this episode of The Firn Line.
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Notes
Special thanks to Vasu Sojitra / Cover Photo: Sofia Jaramillo
Written & Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips