PM360 recently spoke to Al Masucci, Vice President, IPF/ILD, Boehringer Ingelheim, about skiing—on both snow and water—and traveling the world.
PM360: When did you first get into skiing?
Al Masucci: I used to have a ski house at Hunter Mountain. I joined when I was around 17-years-old and the ski house was filled with a bunch of folks and we used to go to there every weekend. So we were kind of forced to learn. But it was great.
Do you have any favorite places to ski?
My favorite place is Lake Tahoe, especially on the Nevada side of the mountain. I have skied Heavenly Valley and Squaw Valley—both are great. The mountain is just nice, plus Lake Tahoe has some nightlife. So, in addition to the wonderful snow and beautiful, scenic surroundings, there are plenty of activities that you can do up around the lake, including boating.
Speaking of boating, I hear you own a boat as well.
Yes, I own a 20-foot Sea Ray open bow and we usually go boating in the summertime on the weekends because I live about five minutes from Lake Hopatcong, which is probably the best kept secret in New Jersey. It’s a big lake and it has a lot of different coves to it. The lake also hosts several fun activities, such as speed-racing and sailing.
What kind of activities do you like to do?
We do waterskiing, go kayaking, bass fishing, share food, and just kind of hang out in the sun. It’s very tranquil. I also like to go out at sunset because it’s very peaceful on the lake and it’s a beautiful view. And while I don’t have the boat for speed-racing, sometimes I’ll go out with some friends and we will serve as one of the pace boats, in which you pace in front of the boats participating in the race. It’s a fun way to experience the race.
Besides skiing on snow or the water, what other activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
I actually travel a lot. While some of it is for work, I also like to mix in some destination travel just for pleasure. I’ve been everywhere from Russia to Thailand to Singapore to China.
What have been some of the most interesting places you visited?
Going to Egypt was cool because I got to ride a camel, see the pyramids and the Sphinx, and visit Giza. The other place I really enjoyed was Thailand. I went to Bangkok and Phuket, and it’s just different being in a Buddhist country. Southeast Asia is a very vibrant culture, and—even though I hate to say it—it’s very Zen. We went hiking in the mountains and even rode elephants through the jungle. The one thing I didn’t get to do, but would have liked to, is go to a tiger park, where they let you take care of a tiger for a weekend. Both were really neat trips.
