Ski or Die

Ski or Die

Pro water skiers and Ski or Die co-founders Elizabeth Montavon and Stevie Island bring their outspoken and irreverent opinions to the masses. Follow them as they discuss their experiences on the pro tour, debate hot topics in professional water skiing, share the do’s and don’ts of cross-training, and explore what makes a winning mindset. This show will change the way you see competitive water skiing.

Episodes

February 19, 2025 23 mins

In this thought-provoking episode of Ski or Die Truck Talks, Elizabeth turns the spotlight on Stevie as he shares his unique insights into what he thinks distinguishes the elite skiers from the rest. Drawing on a snapshot of experience from behind the wheel with some of the top performers from the 2024 season, Stevie breaks down the nuanced traits and habits that define the best in the men’s elite slalom. From progressive load to t...

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Welcome to a fresh chapter of Ski or Die! In this episode, we introduce "Truck Talks," our exciting new format aimed at delivering more consistent and engaging content throughout 2025. Now, not only can you listen on your favorite podcast platforms, but you can also watch us on YouTube! We delve into our experiences of feeling burnt out at the end of the 2024 season and how we finally took some much-needed time off — the first in y...

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Kicking off the 2024 season, join us as Elizabeth takes on the Moomba Masters. Despite a devastating first round down under, she secures a podium finish in a true Elizabeth-style comeback. In this episode, we dive into the mental and physical preparations that led to her stunning turnaround, the atmosphere and challenges of the event, and key lessons learned from her journey back to the top. 

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Stevie’s first Worlds and Elizabeth’s second: let’s get into it! 

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September 1, 2023 42 mins

This one will have you in your feels! Stevie and Elizabeth talk about ski slumps — past and present. It’s a tough subject that permeates beyond skiing, which makes it all the more important to tackle. We hope this helps anyone who needs it.

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August 26, 2023 33 mins

In this episode, Stevie and Elizabeth give a quick life update about their time in Europe before tackling a question as old as time itself: should you ski when you’re sore or take some time off? You’ll have some homework after this one. Let’s get after it! 

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In this episode, Stevie and Elizabeth discuss themes for engaging with — and retaining — younger fans and athletes in the sport. Do you agree with the research? 

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December 15, 2022 19 mins

Stevie & Elizabeth are back for season 2! Catch up with them as they briefly chat about some select highs and lows from the 2022 season, their framework to approach the new year, and the mentality they're taking into 2023. Damn, it's good to be back! 

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In this episode, we talk about 75 Hard — what it is, why we’re doing it, and what we hope to get out of it. It’s all about habits, discipline, and the changes we’ve already noticed just 7 days in. Will this be the ultimate way to prepare for the 2022 season or will we fail?  

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November 28, 2021 36 mins

Your questions are back in the spotlight! This time we’re talking about how we use our Whoop to train, how we think water skiing could make it back into the mainstream, and whether or not your eyes matter in the course. Enjoy!

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There’s a first for everything and water skiing is no exception! In this week’s episode, we discuss Mastercraft Pro, Goode testing days, and the ups and downs leading right up to Miami Pro. Elizabeth recounts the play-by-play of her first pro win, and we both discuss our plans for the off-season. 

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This is the big one! In this episode, we cover why we almost bailed on the Malibu Open the morning of the prelims, Elizabeth’s first World Championships experience, and what not to do to someone on the dock right before they ski. We hope you enjoy this on-the-road-fresh-off-the-event session!

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We’re talking through our experiences at the most recent pro 3 events — from Stevie’s first real pro-competition experience to Elizabeth spraining 3 of her ribs, meeting the Ski or Die community from coast to coast, and our biggest takeaways from both our failures and successes on the water.

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We didn’t forget! After sitting on this topic for a while, we’re finally addressing the “how to balance gym time with skiing” questions that so many of you asked. We share our successes and failures in creating that balance, input from our coaches, and a training framework you can implement ASAP.

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June 18, 2021 29 mins

In this week’s episode, Elizabeth touches on her most recent tournament PB and her debut on TikTok. Then we reminisce on our dads’ unique backgrounds and how they have contributed to and impacted our skiing. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads of water skiing!

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After a brief hiatus, we’re back with a life update about Elizabeth’s experiences at the LCQs and the why behind all the ski testing that Stevie has been up to. Then we spend some time talking about slumps and how “holding on” to what you’ve got is the enemy of moving forward. In fact, it often leads to feeling completely out of control.

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We’re back this week with one of our favorites — The Overrated / Underrated Show! First we kick off with a really exciting life update for Stevie and what it means for the future of his ski career. Then we crack a beer and go on to rate a variety of topics including The WaterSki Pro Tour, zodiac signs, and coaching your ski partner. Enjoy!

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April 23, 2021 28 mins

This week’s episode is a difficult conversation but is near and dear to our hearts. What do you do when the people closest to you don’t believe in you? We dive into how our circles have positively and negatively impacted us and why we can’t let other people’s opinions guide us on the journey. Your success is 110% YOUR responsibility.

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We’re back this week to talk about tournament mindset, specifically managing nerves on competition day. We pull strategies and analogies from how we’ve been coached and our own experiences that we think shine light on “nerves” in a new way.  We talk about micro-goals, perspective, and why “pressure is a privilege.”

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April 1, 2021 27 mins

Another new format we love — the 2:00 drill! We answer your questions about if it’s possible to train ski skills off the water, what it’s like coming back from injuries, whether or not we have days when we don’t feel like skiing, our favorite Zero Off settings by boat, and more. We hope you enjoy this format as much as we did and submit your questions next time!

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