Atomic’s Jossi Wells, Tonje Kvivik, & Noah Wallace on the Realities of Being a Pro Athlete & the Creation of a New Industry Standard

08/19/24 • 63 min

“When we’re out there putting our bodies on the line, the last thing we want to be thinking is, am I going to be looked after if this goes wrong?” — Atomic athlete, Jossi Wells

Today we’re talking with Atomic skiers Jossi Wells, Tonje Kvivik, and Noah Wallace about a topic that almost never gets discussed publicly, yet it’s an issue that most sponsored outdoor athletes have to deal with: as a professional athlete, it’s your job to go out there and push yourself and try to push the limits of your sport, while also having to take responsibility for the consequence when things go wrong.

It’s been a longstanding issue in the freeski world, across snowboarding, biking, climbing, and other sports, and while we all love watching athletes put themselves on the line, when injuries happen in that pursuit of pushing what’s possible, most of us then can only offer these athletes our best wishes on social media and our hopes that they heal up soon.

But today, I’m happy to announce a new development that we think will set a new standard in the outdoor industry. Atomic has committed to covering their international freeski athletes with BLISTER+ outdoor injury insurance, and Atomic is the first outdoor brand to provide this level of coverage to their sponsored athletes.

RELATED LINKS:

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

TOPICS & TIMES:

Noah Wallace’s Story (3:21)

Tonje Kvivik’s Story (7:33)

Jossi Wells’ Story (8:32)

Atomic’s Decision to Cover Their Athletes (10:06)

Tonje’s Experience with Insurance (12:01)

Jossi on Trying to Get Coverage (14:27)

Getting Hurt When You Least Expect It (19:50)

Jonathan’s Injuries (32:50)

GofundMe Culture (43:43)