TAHOE CITY, Calif. – A professional skier is alive today due to the inch-and-a-half of foam in his helmet and decisive action when a rock fall suddenly halted a day of ski touring around eight years ago. The accident sent him on a mental health journey, something he vulnerably shares in his latest premiere, Feel It All, and his speaking series that made its way through the North Tahoe region, March 9-12.

At the March 12 premiere at the Tahoe Art Haus, Drew Petersen prefaced his film by telling the crowd that he pulls no punches in his film and discussion on mental health, depression and suicide.

“The reason that I do that,” he said, “is because I believe that we need to speak directly and deeply about these topics to shift our culture.”

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In addition to the Tahoe Art Haus showing, his series circulated Truckee as well as numerous schools, including Alder Creek Middle School, Truckee High School, North Tahoe High School, and North Tahoe Middle School.

But this last Tahoe viewing at the Tahoe Art Haus was special to Petersen. It was at this same location three and half years ago where Petersen showed his first ski film on mental health and saw the power of using skiing and passion for the mountains as the entry point to mental health awareness. “And that lit a fire inside my soul,” he said.

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He’s since dedicated his life and ski career around the mission.

In Feel It All, Petersen delves into having his identity and self worth attached to his career as a professional skier and how his near death accident sent him grappling with his mortality and to the brink of suicide. The film covers his journey reclaiming his identity and mental health.

His reckoning with these struggles is told in metaphorical tandem with his experience ultra running a 100 mile race, documenting the ups and downs. In fully feeling these highs and lows, he turned pain into strength.

During his after film keynote talk, Petersen conveyed that a motivator for his ski films and talks is reaching those who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts and letting them know that they aren’t alone. “My story is the story of our community,” he said.

This was something he realized when looking back at his high school years through the lens of statistics, which revealed that in his class of 200, another 39 students were likely experiencing suicidal thoughts as well. “But I had no idea that those 39 others existed,” he said, “As so many kids don’t. As so many adults don’t.”

That statistic is from a 2023 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey which found that 20.4% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide.

Petersen grew up in Summit County, Colo., which has a higher suicide rate than the national level. Summit County isn’t the only ski town with elevated numbers. South Salt Lake County, where Alta and Snowbird are located, saw close to 43 suicides per 100,000 between 2019-2023. The national rate in 2022 was 14.21 per 100,000 individuals.

In a study in published in 2023 that mapped not only suicides, but other deaths of despair (overdose, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis deaths), three large intersecting areas stood out in the west with counties in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and New Mexico, places ripe with iconic ski destinations.

The rate for Nevada County and Placer County are 19.3 and 12.1, respectively, between 2018-2022 (suicide rates are reported by county). Although not as high other ski regions, Truckee-North Tahoe is not devoid of suicide. The Tahoe Truckee Suicide Prevention Coalition was formed in response to a cluster of suicides that occurred in 2013.

The association between unsettling suicide numbers in ski utopias has come to be known as the paradise paradox with many headlines, reports and even a documentary on it.

It’s something Petersen calls to attention in his keynote address, who moved to the Tahoe region after his film preview here in 2021. “When I go ski touring on the west shore, when the sun rises and breaks, I am awestruck every single time. But what’s paradoxical about that is that even though we live in paradise, we can also struggle.”

Petersen raises very real factors within ski towns that may contribute to this paradox and his experience with them.

He points to the seasonal and transient nature of ski towns, which pose a challenge to developing meaningful and deep connections.

In-conjunction with this challenge are economic struggles and disparities. Another factor is the partying, drinking, and drugs that can be very common within ski communities.

“It’s not telling everybody to stop partying and stop drinking, but I envision building a culture in skiing, in the outdoor community, where après can be a choice.”

There’s also the ideology of attributing value to skill on the mountain and not slowing down even for injury. It caused him to at one point continue skiing on a swelled and likely fractured knee.

“We celebrate people for getting rad in the mountains, for what we can do on a pair of skis,” he said, adding, “Skiing’s fun. Yes, it’s cool, but it doesn’t need to be the be-all, end-all.”

These factors can compound and with rural communities having less behavioral health care resources, help can be hard to find. Petersen believes changes are needed in both the culture and systems in place.

“It starts with talking about it,” he said. Petersen has been speaking publicly about mental health and suicide for three and a half years on a quest to change the culture on mental health within outdoor communities.

“I sincerely believe that if we make honoring and prioritizing mental health a core part of mountain culture,” he said, “then lives will be saved and our communities will thrive.”

Petersen highlights the importance and role of meditation, talk therapy, sobriety, and psychiatric medication in his film, but in his keynote he emphasized a turning point in his life, the reason he is alive, and his most important lesson—asking for help.

The following are both national and local mental health resources:

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: You can dial or text 988 24/7 for free and confidential support. This is a national resource for those in a mental health crisis or for those who are concerned about someone else. To learn more, visit 988lifeline.org/

Placer and Nevada County Mobile Crisis: This is a team you can call when you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency. The 24-hour phone lines are  1-888-886-5401  or  530-265-5811. The team is made of of caring individuals who come to you and provide support, safety, and resources. Visit tahoelifeline.org/mobilecrisis for more information.

Tahoe Truckee Suicide Prevention Coalition: The coalition’s website is hub for many different national and local resources, as well as education material that dicusseses questions and myths, knowing the signs, and grief support. Visit their website at tahoelifeline.org.

The Speedy Foundation: This foundation offers many resources and educational materials on their website. The organization hosts programs and events in the Truckee and North Tahoe region, including the Feel It All series. Visit the organization’s website at thespeedyfoundation.org/truckee.

Know Overdose Nevada County: A local campaign that increases knowledge and awareness around drug overdose risks and provides resources. For more information, visit knowoverdosenc.com.

Mental Health Matters Nevada County: This website offers many local mental health resources and information with crisis lines and in-person crisis contacts, as well as lines for specific populations such as vetrans, LGBTQ+ and youth. mentalhealthmattersnc.com

Local Mental Health Provider Directory: Tahoe Forest Health System offers a provider directory that allows you to search for a mental health specialist by locale, gender, license specialty or payment. Visit tfhd.com/patients-visitors/mental-health-provider-directory to search.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Clinic: Tahoe Forest Health System’s MAT clinic treats addiction in a duel diagnosis (mental health and substance use disorders) format. In addition to medications treating Alcohol Use Disorders and Substance Use Disorders, the clinic also utilizes counseling, and support groups.