Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (August 2021)

Last week, the well-known and well-loved park skier, LJ Strenio, posted a photo of a letter — from NASA — that was congratulating him on being accepted as an intern to the Armstrong Flight Research Facility. Wait, what??How does a park skier from Vermont, this star of the LINE Traveling Circus, this guy who once served as Vin Diesel’s stunt double, and this guy who has a 29-minute crash reel that is, frankly, almost as hard to watch as it is inspiring to watch — how does this guy get accepted to work for NASA? We talked to LJ to get the whole story, and it’s a great one.TOPICS & TIMES:LJ’s acceptance at NASA last week (4:30)Rollerblading to skiboarding to contest skiing (8:25)Getting connected with LINE Skis (16:10)Specializing vs. Not Specializing (18:55)LINE Traveling Circus (28:34)Being Vin Diesel’s Stuntman (38:26)Real Grit: LJ’s Real Ski & Real Attempt videos (43:14)More on NASA (1:10:42)Envisioning the next 5-10 years (1:18:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Heinä 20191h 23min

Clare Gallagher just won the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Race, and she did so in spectacular fashion. And normally, that is all the introduction we’d need here, since winning Western States is a very big deal. But there happens to be a whole lot more to this particular story. Because right before this race, Clare accepted an invitation from Tommy Caldwell to go on an expedition to the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to raise awareness of and opposition to plans to give oil and gas companies the right to drill in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.But backpacking and mountaineering around the wild landscape of Alaska is not how professional runners typically spend time right before their biggest race of the year.So in addition to diving into the details of her epic Western States win, we discuss with Clare why she was willing to go to Alaska; why she runs; and how wins at Western States — or her 2016 win of the Leadville 100, or her FKT of the Zion Traverse last year — all work to create a larger platform to talk about the things that matter most to her.TAKE ACTION:Text 40649 now or CLICK HERE to submit a comment to your representative asking them to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by voting to pass The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act. TOPICS & TIMES:Recovering from a huge effort at Western States (2:57)Race Recap: day of the race & the first 80 miles (8:03)On the intense last 6 miles of the race (10:02)Mile 93 — 2017 vs. 2019 (13:13)Clare’s expedition to Alaska prior to the race (18:45)Winning, Losing, & Competitiveness (29:11)Clare’s background (34:37)Her future (49:43) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Heinä 201955min

While more and more electric cars are hitting the streets, Taiga Motors is about to bring the world’s first commercial electric snowmobiles to the backcountry and ski areas. So we talked with Taiga Motors CEO & co-founder, Sam Bruneau, about taking the electric snowmobile from a college project to an actual business, and the long process of designing electric sleds from the ground up. Then we get into the specifics of charging a Taiga, and how these electric sleds measure up against gas-powered snowmobiles in terms of power, torque, weight, range, and performance in harsh temperatures.TOPICS & TIMES:Background: What is Taiga Motors? (3:10)From fun college project to actual business (3:30)Evolution of the product: from TS1 to TS3 (15:02)Power & Instant Torque (20:40)Temperature Performance — Cold & Hot (23:35)Range (28:19)Charging / How long does charging take? (33:17)Weight & ‘real-world’ comparisons (37:22)Pricing & Options (43:06)Production Launch: When & What? (45:30)Taiga’s current Pre-Order: Details (47:18)Electric Cars: thoughts on the current landscape (53:13)What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (55:35)Taiga’s next big thing (58:13) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Heinä 20191h 1min

For a long time now, Mark Abma has stood right at the center of big-mountain skiing. So we talk to him about living with JP Auclair, Julien Regnier, and Anthony Boronowski; filming with Shane McConkey, Hugo Harrison, and Ingrid Backstrom; serving as a guide for a new generation of skiers; and the specific fitness, dietary, and health regimen that keeps Mark functioning at a high level on the mountain — and enables him to lead a happy and healthy life off the mountain, too.TOPICS & TIMES:How Mark got into skiing (2:11)Living with Anthony Boronowski, J.P. Auclair, & Julien Regnier (7:00)Filming with Shane McConkey, Ingrid Backstrom, & Hugo Harrisson (16:20)Cultivating happiness in life (23:15)Young skiers today vs. when Mark was coming up (38:50)Gear Talk: Mark’s go-to skis (44:45)Mark’s fitness regimen (49:50)Diet: eating for performance and recovery (53:44)Other health & wellness practices (58:49)Mark’s baseline indicator for ski-season readiness (1:03:57) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Kesä 20191h 9min

Last week on social media, many of us were blown away by some pretty terrifying footage of a snowboarder negotiating the Ribbon on Devil’s Castle at Alta. So we talked to the rider, James Buehler, about his first descent with Alex Gavic of the Ribbon on a snowboard, and James walks us through the technical aspects of the route; his preparation for the line; the mental and physical demands it imposes; encountering multiple cruxes; the “Ronald McDonald Grin”; and what’s next on his list. (You can also see photos of the route in the show notes to this episode on our website.)TOPICS & TIMES:Alter Egos & Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (2:20)The history / backstory of Ciochetti’s Ribbon (7:55)What’s the most scared you’ve ever been on a line? (13:41)Doing heavy lines on a surfy, playful powder board?? (18:45)The Approach (22:30)The Traverse (26:07)The Crux — and the ‘Ronald McDonald Grin’ (27:53)Unexpected Crux #2 & #3 (40:18)The Descent (39:41)How does the Ribbon compare to other objectives? (51:40)James' other near-term objectives & dream objective (59:05)James' YouTube channel, Wild Lines (1:01:13) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Kesä 20191h 4min

Travis Ganong might be the most well-rounded skier in the world (just listen to this conversation), and he is certainly one of the most passionate. He’s a Team U.S.A. downhiller and Super G racer that is also obsessed with backcountry touring and big-mtn skiing, so we talk about all of it: racing & training; catching the attention of Shane McConkey as a kid; backcountry skiing; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Training in Tahoe City (1:02)How has gym training for ski racing evolved? (2:23)The fitness of skiers vs. other athletes (7:10)Are you preparing for specific courses you’ll compete on? (13:11)Where have you improved the most: physically, technically, or mentally? (19:25)Growing up in a family of skiers (22:04)Temptation to stop racing / a key point in Travis’ racing career (30:27)Which skiers did you look up to the most? (34:23)Seasonal weight fluctuations / recovering from a blown out knee (37:19)Does the American DH squad have team goals? (41:25)Hyper-specialization & ski racing (43:40)Travis the park skier?? (47:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Touko 20191h

We’re on location in Shoreham, Vermont, talking to ski-industry veteran, Jason Newell, about his transition from ski racing, to working with the Rossignol Group for 25 years, to his latest adventure in a whole new category: premium whiskey. (And there might be a story or two involving duct tape, Candide Thovex, and burning couches.)TOPICS & TIMESJason’s background & racing days (2:49)25 years with The Rossignol Group (8:13)Taping Candide Thovex to a gondola, burning couches, and more (10:58)Biggest changes in skiing over your career? (18:58)Which is most important: sidecut, length, rocker profile, or ski width? (22:34)Look bindings (23:25)A new career in whiskey (26:44)The story behind WhistlePig (28:28)The “Rye” renaissance (31:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Touko 201936min

In some circles, Dierdre Wolownick is best known as Alex Honnold’s mom. But she is also the oldest woman to climb El Cap, an author, teacher, linguist, musician, marathon runner, and someone who continues to push her comfort zone. We talk to Dierdre about her new book The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story; what shaped her philosophy of parenting; how she’s become more courageous with age; and the importance of continuing to push past limits.TOPICS & TIMES:Growing up in a home with “old world” values (3:58)Dierdre’s philosophy of parenting (10:23)When family dynamics become very public (21:37)The importance of expanding our comfort zones (26:29)On the specialized languages of outdoor sports communities (32:40)On the “devastating absence of connection” (38:18)Book recommendations (42:55)Dierdre’s philosophy of life (47:15)What are you most passionate about currently? (51:13) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Touko 201957min