Why subscribe?

The 170 Project is my story about skiing, health, family, mountains, and trying to reconnect with life after life became smaller than I expected.

I am Jay, a skier from New Zealand who has spent much of my life moving between New Zealand and Korea. I grew up with snow and mountains as part of my imagination, but in recent years skiing has become something deeper than a sport. It has become a way of returning to myself.

In 2019, I was diagnosed with a life changing health condition. Since then, I have been learning what it means to live with a body and mind that do not always feel the way they used to. Some parts of life became quieter. Some parts became harder. Some parts of myself felt further away than I ever expected.

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The mountains have not fixed that.

But they have given me moments where life feels wider again.

A chairlift in silence. Fresh corduroy at sunrise. Snowflakes glowing under night skiing lights. The sound of skis gripping cold snow. My children laughing somewhere ahead of me on the slope. Small moments, but not small to me.

The name The 170 Project comes from my goal of reaching a Ski IQ of 170 using Carv. But the real project is not only about a number. It is about progression, memory, movement, family, and the question of whether improvement can become a way back into life.

This is not only a technical ski newsletter, although technical skiing is a deep interest of mine as an internationally certified ski instructor. With postgraduate study in sport coaching and management, I care deeply about technique, Carv, gear, progression, and learning to move better on snow. But the deeper story here is not just about skiing better. It is about what that process reveals about the body, the mind, and the search for connection with life again.

It is not a travel blog, although New Zealand, Korea, winter, and ski culture will shape many of these stories.

It is not simply a recovery diary either.

It is a place for writing about what skiing reveals about being human.

The body. The mind. The mountain. The family. The person we used to be. The person we are still becoming.

Subscribe if you want to follow the journey.

You will receive my personal insights, mountain reflections, family stories, skiing notes, and honest writing about rebuilding connection with life through snow, movement, and the mountains.

Some posts will be about skiing.

Some will be about health.

Some will be about being a father.

Some will be about New Zealand and Korea.

And some will simply be about the quiet moments in the mountains that remind me I am still here.

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Join the crew

This is a space for people who love mountains, skiing, snow, family, reflection, and honest stories about life after life changes.

You are welcome here whether you are a skier, a parent, someone facing health challenges, someone rebuilding part of yourself, or simply someone who understands that certain places can help us remember who we are.

Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Participate in the comments section, or support me with a subscription.