Jenna Dramise | Live like Kyle | E97
Ski Pow. Eat Ramen. Smile More. It was Kyle Smaine’s mantra. Jenna Dramise first met Kyle when she picked him up hitchhiking in New Zealand in 2010. While it wasn’t love at first sight, Jenna was drawn in by Kyle’s irresistibly positive energy and love for life. They started dating in their early twenties while competing together on the professional world circuit, Jenna as a snowboarder and Kyle as a skier. They moved in together, living in South Lake Tahoe with Kyle’s dad and brother. In 2014, Kyle and his dad taught Jenna to mountain bike, and although she struggled at first, she found her new favorite sport thanks to Kyle. Kyle also taught Jenna the ways of backcountry skiing and how to safely navigate terrain. But only two months after Jenna and Kyle were married, while skiing Japan in January 2023, Kyle was killed in an avalanche while transitioning in a seemingly safe place. Kyle’s positive energy and kindness has touched so many lives, and to celebrate his life, Jenna and Kyle’s father started The Smaine Fund, supporting young athletes in their quest to become professionals.
3:30 – Introducing Jenna Dramise recording in the dirty south of South Lake Tahoe.
5:50 – Shred the Gnerd gets philosophical about Mind the Track.
9:45 – Janky dangerous side hits on the Tahoe Rim Trail.
13:00 – Riding Scott’s Lake Loop in South Lake Tahoe.
14:40 – How many times have you ridden Corral Trail?
16:15 – Training for the Leadville 100.
18:10 – Bikepacking the Toiyabe Crest Trail in Central Nevada.
20:20 – Growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and getting into snowboarding at Lee Canyon.
22:45 – Moving to Truckee, joining Northstar snowboard team and competing in half pipe.
25:00 – Half pipe snowboard tricks – flips, spins and the naming conventions.
29:15 – Transitioning away from competition to becoming an orthopedic physician’s assistant.
31:00 – Becoming an endurance athlete after Kyle Smaine teaches Jenna to mountain bike.
33:50 – Recapping the 170-mile Plumas County fire lookout ride with Trail Whisperer and Jenna.
39:30 – Racing the Mount Hough Enduro and getting second place.
41:00 – Crashing and getting cut to bone at Rahlve’s Banzai Tour at Palisades Tahoe.
47:40 – Learning to snowmobile and sled ski.
50:54 – Meeting Kyle Smaine while hitchhiking in New Zealand.
55:00 – The difference between halfpipe snowboarding and mountain biking.
56:30 – From competitive snowboarder to backcountry splitboard filming trips.
57:45 – Kyle’s love for skiing in Japan, Japanese culture and skiing fun pow.
1:03:45 – The Japan avalanche that took the life of Kyle Smaine.
1:15:20 – How has Jenna’s relationship with the backcountry changed since the accident?
1:17:35 – Commemorating Kyle’s life by starting The Smaine Fund.
1:34:00 – What is the future path for The Smaine Fund?
1:37:30 – Using stolen plastic hand baskets to carry bike and ski gear.
1:39:20 – Kyle visited while on our ride in the form of a huge bald eagle.
1:41:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?
