Meet BFF Ambassador: Zoe Kalapos

There's a run at The Highlands — tucked under the Challenger lift, where the terrain park used to live — that Zoe Kalapos will never forget. A 13-foot pipe. Rails. Jumps. A kid from across the street who had no idea she was standing at the beginning of everything.

She got her first snowboard from Boyne Country Sports on her first birthday. By five, she was chasing her dad down the magic carpet, falling constantly, and refusing to stop. By ten, she was competing. By thirteen, she'd relocated to Vail to train at the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy — a journey that would land her on Team USA and at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

"I could take a lesson, he could teach me, or I could try to figure it out myself," she remembers of that first day on the hill — her dad one of the only snowboarders on the mountain, carving a path she couldn't help but chase. She chose to figure it out herself, naturally. "Even if it didn't seem like I was making progress, I was one fall closer to figuring it out."

That philosophy became the throughline of her career. And it started here — on a small hill in northern Michigan, with a resort that felt like a second home. Which is exactly why her role as the first-ever ambassador for the Boyne Forever Foundation feels less like a partnership and more like a homecoming.

Mountain Roots Run Deep

Boyne isn't just where Zoe learned to ride. It's woven into her family's story across three generations — and then some. Her grandfather started skiing at Boyne in 1963. Her nana worked at the front desk and in the accounting office. Her grandpa Bill was Boyne's purchasing agent and pilot. Both of her parents were ski instructors at The Highlands. The slush cup, the pool at the Main Lodge, a constant rotation of hot chocolates — for the Kalapos family, Boyne wasn't a destination. It was just life.

"It was an unbeatable time, honestly," she says. And while her career has taken her to mountains across the world, those early days still anchor her.

Her dad is still her coach. He still comes to the mountain with her most days. "In the end, not too much has changed," she laughs. "Just a lot more hiking the halfpipe, falls, and constantly scaring myself — and my parents."

"You Deserve to Be Here"

Somewhere along the way, her dad gave her the advice that stuck hardest. Not a tip about technique or edge pressure. Just four words: You deserve to be here.

"It's so easy to get caught up in the fact that you're not as good as everyone around you, or that you don't deserve the opportunities you've been given," Zoe says. "Since he said that, it's become my mantra — in snowboarding and out of it. It's a reminder that I worked hard to get where I am, and that I deserve to take up space wherever I am."

That mantra has carried her through the sacrifices — missed holidays, missed social events, time away from the people she loves. "Chasing my love of snowboarding around the world has made every sacrifice worth it," she says. "I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything."

The Feeling She's Always Chasing

Ask Zoe what first hooked her on the halfpipe, and she answers. "Straight airs…the weightlessness in the air. The adrenaline beforehand. The silence while it's happening. And the freedom to turn every hit into your own." It's a feeling she's been chasing ever since — and one she says is nearly impossible to replicate anywhere else.

That chase has defined her career. It's also what makes her partnership with the Boyne Forever Foundation feel, as she puts it, like a natural extension of herself.

Coming Home to Give Back

When Boyne Forever Foundation named Zoe its first-ever ambassador, it wasn't just an endorsement. It was a reunion.

"Boyne and its entire community are something that has been cherished generationally in my family," she says. "To be the first ambassador — to work with BFF to give back to the community I love so much — is so meaningful to me."

The foundation's mission sits at the intersection of everything Zoe cares about: protecting the natural landscapes that make winter sports possible, strengthening the communities that bring those experiences to life, and ensuring access for future generations. Through BFF, alongside her work with the Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance, she sees a clear path to do something real.

"Michigan is my home. It's where my heart will always feel most happy," she says. "Protecting these spaces isn't just about preserving the scenery. It's about safeguarding the experiences and memories they create for all of us."

She's not interested in being a figurehead. She wants to be in it — inspiring youth, advocating for inclusive access to outdoor recreation, and making sure the next kid who grows up across the street from a ski hill gets the same shot she did.

"I want people hundreds of years from now to enjoy the same spaces I grew up cherishing," she says. "That starts with combating climate change, advocating for the environment, and protecting the places I love. I will be an ambassador for the Boyne Forever Foundation for the rest of my life."

She's not interested in being a figurehead. She wants to be in it — inspiring youth, advocating for inclusive access to outdoor recreation, and making sure the next kid who grows up across the street from a ski hill gets the same shot she did.

"I want people hundreds of years from now to enjoy the same spaces I grew up cherishing," she says. "That starts with combating climate change, advocating for the environment, and protecting the places I love. I will be an ambassador for the Boyne Forever Foundation for the rest of my life."

What She'd Tell the Next Generation

There's something Zoe wants young athletes to hear — not just the glossy version of chasing a dream, but the full truth of it.

"Always believe in yourself," she says. "And know that the sacrifices you make along the way are never wasted. They teach you discipline, resilience, and the value of staying focused on your goals."

She's proof of it. From the magic carpet at The Highlands to the world's biggest halfpipes, it all traces back to one foundational truth she learned before she could properly stop on a snowboard: keep going. You're always one fall closer to figuring it all out.