I have a positive attitude because I feel blessed. 
Fleischer found the majestic San Francisco Peaks when she arrived at Northern Arizona University, where she earned her communications degree. For three ski seasons, she sold lift tickets at Arizona Snowbowl and fell in love with the mountain, her alpine family and the culture of the sport.
In those especially snowy winters, she knew she had found her calling. She has trained thousands of people to ski. “The little racers show me what really matters on the mountain – fun!” She has served as the executive director of the Flagstaff Alpine Ski Team for 14 years. “I was honored with running the team that hosted all of my best friends’ kids and my youngest as well.” And she has nourished locals and visitors for nearly two decades in her Altitudes Bar and Grill.
This lean, nimble, fast, smart, skilled and sunny triple black-diamond force is fueled by gratitude.
For her, every day is a new opportunity to soak up her blessings, engage whole-heartedly with others, and find beauty, meaning, abundance, laughter and fulfillment in nature.
And, no matter how many times Lynda clips into her skis, there is a radiance about her that cannot be denied. She has come to play. Her favorite trail on Snowbowl’s technical alpine playground is Flat Iron, a black diamond run starting at an 11,280-foot elevation with a vertical drop of nearly 250 feet.
“Flat Iron is steep and always intimidating,” she said. “I feel strong, capable and conquering when I’m on it. I get the best rush. When you unweight from one ski to transfer your weight to the other, you drop three feet at the top of the run. I like that feeling. I like to be in control of that.”
For Lynda, the mountain has been her workplace for four decades. It’s also her home base and her church, where she feels closest to God. It’s where she builds her strength.
“I don’t like to be afraid of anything, and I try not to be,” she said. “I prefer to face things that I’m fearful of head on and that’s why I like Flat Iron. I make every turn count and finish every turn. I consider it a privilege to be on that mountain and at 62, I continue to push myself.”
Lynda can be described as both hummingbird and wrestler. She is in constant motion as she lightly flutters about her day, but also, solid and balanced in her stance. “I’m not going down. I used to let things bother me – I’ve been beaten up, swallowed and hurt. But now, I let things go that I can’t do anything about. In my world, I realize I can’t fix everything. That understanding helps me to breathe, stay grounded and resilient.”
To breathe in some of Lynda’s contagious zeal for life and also a quick way to absorb some of that quaint mountain ski-town vibe is to walk into Altitudes. This establishment, which she owns and operates with her husband, Paul Joerger, is located in a historic seed and hay building just south of the railroad tracks.
Most days, Lynda will be there behind the well-worn pine bar. She will greet and swoosh you in like a lifelong friend. Hospitality is just part of what she deliciously serves up, along with comfort food and a relaxed, high-elevation atmosphere. Her ski-house décor adds to the flavor of her popular burger. And beware, the sour cream and chives fries are addictive. Her famous Green Chili Stew can only be made with chili peppers grown in the fertile soil of New Mexico’s Hatch Valley, and her buttery, flake-apart walleye fish is flown in from Minnesota’s fresh-water lakes. In addition, she invites her “celebrity New Orleans chef” to raise the heat at Altitudes with his spicy authentic Cajun cooking.
“I was destined to be in the hospitality industry,” she explained. “I like people and I enjoy being where people are having fun.”
Lynda lives by a creed of treating others the way she likes to be treated, with respect, kindness and a sincere interest. “When I go to work each day,” she said, “I’m going to see old friends, meet new people and know they are going to come back.”
A big part of having a sunny disposition, she says, comes from taking the time to say thank you. “I am absolutely humbled and grateful for this mountain that called me here, this place, this town, these people, this community that cares and knows what it means to be alive, to be outside and experience life. The mountain provides the backdrop for what it means to be grounded. From here, I am poised for life’s challenges. I have a positive attitude because I feel blessed. You can’t buy that, you have to find it from inside. I just walk around feeling blessed every moment.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens
Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.
