The Broad Beta Podcast
The Broad Beta Podcast and BroadBeta.com are spaces to openly share women’s and genderqueer experiences of climbing, skiing, and other mountain adventures, from the ordinary to the heroic. Our contributors tell stories that foster wildness within, and outside, ourselves. Through these stories, we hope to inspire and empower anyone who listens. Cover photo by @nathannorby of co-founder Jeannie Wall.
The Broad Beta Podcast
Roswitha McIntosh: From Hitler's Germany to Squaw Valley Ski Patrol - A Story
In this episode you'll hear 93-year-old Roswitha "Ros" McIntosh read her story, which was originally published on the Broad Beta website in May of 2025 (check it out here to see the photos of her skiing in Germany as a child). Ros was born in Germany during the Hitler years, and when she was a child they spent most nights in cold damp cellars while bombs leveled the city. Eventually, she and her family were allowed to move to their cabin. From their serene mountain top they witnessed the burning cities - the insanity of war - in stark contrast to the beauty of nature.
Years later, Ros came to the United States on a scholarship. She graduated from Smith College and the Harvard/Radcliffe Program of Business Administration. Eventually, she turned her love of skiing into a job when she became the first woman to join the Squaw Valley ski patrol.
Ros is now retired after 25 years working as a consultant and writing for The Risk Management Manual. She lives on the Pacific Coast in Alameda, California, and cherishes her daily two-mile walk along the beach, her regular ping pong and bridge games, and playing the piano. The first thing she does every morning is 40 minutes of Duolingo to practice French. But most important to her are her frequent trips to the mountains. At 93, she is still skiing, inspiring us all to never stop pursuing our love of the mountains.
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Story read by Roswitha McIntosh
Episode produced and edited by Cat Coe
Music by Holizna Radio (intro), Kirk Osomayo (segue) and Ketsa (conclusion), respectively. Music sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org.