Team Member Spotlight: Heidi Jo Karlsson, Director of Mountain Sports School at Giants Ridge
June 16, 2026 | Team Member Spotlights
This spring, the online publication Influential Women spotlighted one of our own. Heidi Jo Karlsson, Director of the Mountain Sports School and Recreation Manager at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota, was recognized for more than four decades of work in mountain sports school development, instructor training, and community recreation. The profile traces a 45-year career in the ski and outdoor recreation industry.
“Heidi Jo’s influence extends far beyond our slopes,” said Duane Stutzman, General Manager at Giants Ridge. “She has spent a lifetime creating opportunities for others to learn, grow, and connect with the outdoors. This recognition is a testament to the extraordinary impact she has had on our industry and our community.”
A Lifelong Calling on the Snow
Heidi Jo’s path began at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, where she studied Outdoor Recreation and Education and enrolled in a physical education ski course. A class became a profession. She earned her first PSIA/AASI certification in 1980 and advanced to Level 3 Trainer and CS2 Children Specialist, all while raising two children as a single parent. Over the years she held director-level roles at respected Midwest ski destinations including Spirit Mountain Recreation Area, Buck Hill, and Wild Mountain Taylors Falls, building ski school programs that kept thriving long after she moved on.
Building the School at Giants Ridge
At Giants Ridge, Heidi Jo grew the mountain sports instructor team from just eight to nearly 50, a more than sixfold expansion. She also reintroduced PSIA/AASI events at the resort, creating local opportunities for certification and instructor networking. Her work does not stop when the snow melts. She leads eight-week downhill mountain biking programs for youth and adults through the warm months. She brings a deep set of credentials to all of it:
- PSIA/AASI Level 3 Trainer, the organization’s highest instructor tier
- CS2 Children Specialist, focused on teaching young skiers and riders
- PMBIA Level 1 mountain bike instructor
- Active member of the PSIA-AASI Central Division
Recognition and the Mentors Behind It
The Influential Women feature is the latest of many honors. Heidi Jo has been recognized among the top women in the ski industry by the PSIA Central Region, has appeared in the publication 32 Degrees, and received the Nancy Oakes Hall Scholarship for leadership and mentoring. She credits the mentors who shaped her, beginning with her father, who first put her on skis. She also points to Jeannie Thoren, a trailblazer in women’s ski equipment, and Renny Lovold, her first ski school director at Lutsen Mountains, who taught her to lead and instruct with clarity and purpose.
Do Not Give Up
Heidi Jo has stayed especially passionate about opening doors for women in mountain sports leadership. Her advice to those entering a long male-dominated field, the profile reports, is direct: do not give up. She believes women are “equally capable of excelling within the profession,” and she encourages them to stay confident and pursue every opportunity. Above all, she points to passion as the engine of a lasting career. It is a philosophy she sums up in three words she signs her name beside, learn, grow, inspire, and one she now passes on by teaching her grandchildren to ski and bike.
You can read Heidi Jo’s full profile at Influential Women. Thank you for all you do, Heidi Jo!