Ashby Sussman '10: Catching Up with the 2022 Day of Giving Ski Winner

“Hey Ashby, do you like to ski?” 

Ashby Sussman ‘10 couldn’t believe it – Director of the Holderness Fund Darren Moore ’99 had called to congratulate her on winning a pair of custom skis as part of last year’s Day of Giving.  Gifts of $100 or more made on Day of Giving entered donors into a drawing to win a custom snowboard or skis from Parlor Skis, a Boston-based ski manufacturer committed to hand-made custom-built skis and boards that honor craftsmanship and hyper-functional design.

“I was super psyched to win,” Ashby says “I remember making my donation thinking that it was such a long shot, but the chance to win a pair of skis was so exciting.”

A Custom Experience

The custom ski design process began with a one-on-one interview with the Parlor’s founder, where they discussed everything from Ashby’s ski experience and riding style to ideal ski performance characteristics and the anticipated terrain and conditions where she would use her new skis. Ashby was looking for an all-mountain ski, something that was agile and adaptive to any condition.

After the initial conversation, Parlor took Ashby’s preferences and began to design skis just for her.  “Parlor was really receptive to feedback.” That feedback made its way to a spec sheet to ensure that all of her expectations were met, and Ashby’s skis went into production.

On an early-season visit to Stowe just after Thanksgiving, Ashby was finally able to put her skis to the test. “The skis were awesome.  They could cut through any icy sections, were super fast and stable, really responsive, just super fun,” says Ashby. “The experience with Parlor was amazing. “I was looking for an all mountain ski that could carve well at speed but still adapt in bumps or East Coast powder conditions, and what I ended up with was perfect.”

“Get Involved and Give Back”

The skis were a wonderful surprise, but Ashby made it clear that the chance to win custom skis wasn’t the motivation for her giving.  “I know it’s hard to explain in specifics, but Holderness was a transformative experience.”  

Holderness allowed Ashby to be herself, develop confidence, and grow as a person.  And it’s Holderness experiences like the Leadership Program and the school’s commitment to financial aid that motivates Ashby to give.  “I give to help the school and help those programs evolve,” she says. 

Day of Giving stands out for Ashby as a unique opportunity to support Holderness.  “The sense of community that is created through Day of Giving is so exciting – the events, the connection to our classes, the skis.  It really encourages you to get involved and give back.” 

Staying Connected

Ashby came to Holderness as a new junior after having spent the start of her high school career at a Connecticut boarding school. She was competitively ski racing and would attend a ski academy in Vermont in the winters. It was tough to balance a rigorous academic curriculum while also ski racing at her level. “What led me to Holderness was the fact that the school had a really strong ski program, but it wasn’t the sole focus of the school. You could play multiple sports, sing in the school chorus, and also get a really great education. Holderness offered a unique balance of all that I had been looking for in a school.”

“I felt so welcome from Day One. It was such a natural fit and exceeded expectations” says Ashby. “I wish I could have spent all four years of high school there!”

Ashby graduated from Holderness and went on to study mechanical engineering at Cornell University and kept skiing, even serving as captain of the Cornell Ski Team. Following Cornell, Ashby worked in tech consulting, where she played a client-facing role and leveraged her analytical and engineering background to solve business problems. She relocated from Boston to New York City in 2017 and started shifting into product management roles, helping clients build data and analytics and software solutions. After about 7 years, Ashby transitioned out of consulting and started at PepsiCo eCommerce, where she is the Product Manager for a global Marketing Tech Platform that empowers PepsiCo’s marketing team to optimize and automate their ad campaigns across the major eCommerce sites, like Amazon, Instacart, and Walmart.com. 

And during her time in New York City, Ashby’s been a regular at Holderness alumni events. “It’s always so fun to catch up with classmates and faculty and reminisce on our times at Holderness.” When asked about how Holderness has impacted her life, she mentioned that Holderness has allowed her to value balance. While she is very focused on her career, she also makes time to do the things she loves and spend time outdoors. “A fun little story about a direct impact Holderness has had on me is that I’m actually engaged to another Holderness alum, Carson Houle ‘11. The alumni events allowed us to reconnect and we both hit it off, thanks to our shared Holderness experience.”

Ashby and Carson started dating in the Fall of 2019 and are getting married in September this year. They have a shared passion for skiing and try to make time to head out west for skiing in Utah and Colorado, where they’re always greeted by a strong Holderness crowd.  And now, whether she’s back east or out west, Ashby will have Holderness in her heart and on her skis.