Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (August 2021)

Ashley Korenblat went from Arkansas to Dartmouth to Wall Street to being the president of Merlin Metalworks bikes, to the chair of IMBA (the International Mountain Bicycling Association). She currently owns Western Spirit Cycling and Outerbike, she is the founder and managing director of Public Land Solutions, she is on the recreation advisory board for the Outdoor Industry Association, and she is a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. We talked to Ashley at Western Colorado University about her trajectory, and about the critical issues surrounding public lands policies and debates that we all need to understand and participate in.TOPICS & TIMES:Ashley’s background in business and mountain biking (4:21)Identifying the various groups in public land conflicts (12:20)The divide between mountain bikers and land owners (15:55)How much conflict is there between bikers and conservationists? (18:20)Ashley’s experience lobbying in Washington, D.C. (24:30)What companies do well and don’t do well for conservation (28:40)What should we all be doing to support public lands? (33:32)Western vs. Proust Q&A (35:15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Huhti 201953min

Angela Hawse is the president of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), and is certified to the highest international mountain guide standards. We talk to her about how she got into guiding; the various roles she has taken on; the experiences that drove Angela’s career; what advice she would offer to aspiring guides; how guiding culture is changing, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:How Jonathan and Angela first met (2:52)Angela’s wide-ranging professional titles (6:48)What led you to guiding? (11:40)What advice would you give to aspiring guides? (21:18)Differences between the AMGA and the IFMGA? (25:35)Your favorite guiding experience? (30:52)Most harrowing guiding experience? (34:32)Being a female in this industry (35:49)Angela’s motivations for joining POW Climb (45:10) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Huhti 201952min

Our 3rd Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University was with Dan Abrams, president and co-founder of Flylow. Dan gets into the details of running an outerwear company, and in doing so, offers insight into maintaining perspective while under pressure, how he approaches risky decisions, making the most of bad situations, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Flylow’s origin story (1:55)Advice to aspiring business owners (9:36)“The bank of Flylow” (13:14)Your best decisions & biggest mistakes? (17:38)Dan’s approach to scaling the team and product categories (21:50)What advice would you give to your undergraduate self? (27:25)What books were most formative to you? (30:33)Western vs. Proust Q&A (32:40) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Huhti 201954min

It probably goes without saying that a guy named Bird will see the world a bit differently. So we talked to Bird about growing up on a commune in Washington; falling in love with skiing; finding a home away from home in Chamonix; his passion for speed riding, better (and worse) ways of experiencing the mountains, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Bird’s life, work, and passions (3:00)The story behind the Bird name (9:35)“Ski Bohemian” vs “Ski Bum” (12:39)On “listening to yourself” in the mountains (14:26)Bird’s relationship with fear (16:17)Speed Riding: “skiing pow in the sky” (26:08)How social media is shaping ski culture (35:34)Balancing Friendships & Solitude (45:16) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Maalis 201953min

Trash is a growing global crisis, and currently, the majority of “recycled” products are still ending up in landfills or being burned. So we discuss the crisis, the myths, and the solutions to these problems with Karen Hoskin and Elizabeth Smith, the founders of Zoetica, who are working to help us rethink these issues and take concrete actions to address them.TOPICS & TIMES:The global crisis of “convenience trash” (2:44)The myths of recycling and biodegradable plastics (12:44)Resources for learning more (26:24)Why we can’t wait for tech advances to save us (33:03)Zoetica’s mission and approach (42:00)Why the concept of “zero-waste” is problematic (50:49)Reconciling our environmental impacts (1:03:00)ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:Plastic Pollution CoalitionAlison Teal5Gyres.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Maalis 20191h 11min

Last week we held our 2nd Blister Speaker Series event at Western Colorado University with Eric Larsen, a North and South Pole adventurer, expedition guide, author of On Thin Ice, and climate educator. Here is that conversation, where we talk to Eric about the importance of doing difficult things, perseverance, leadership, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Eric’s satellite phone update during his 2014 North Pole expedition (3:25)Why is it important to do difficult things? (5:40)The importance of remaining lighthearted (10:15)Leadership and decision making in life-threatening conditions (12:56)How have your expeditions informed your perspective on climate change? (18:00)Lessons from the minimalist lifestyle of expeditions (21:40)What advice would you give to your undergraduate self? (24:15)Which books were the most formative for you? (27:55)Western vs. Proust Q&A (31:38) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Maalis 201948min

For more than a decade, Kristen Ulmer was the best female big mountain extreme skier in the world (which is why she was recently inducted into the Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, along with Bode Miller), and many regarded her as fearless. But she wasn’t fearless, and her ways of coping with fear back then took a heavy toll on her. Kristen has since become a thought leader and specialist of this extremely misunderstood emotion, and we discuss how each of us can develop a much healthier relationship with fear in any and every area of our lives.TOPICS & TIMES:“Voices of Fear” and Kristen’s interviews with extreme athletes (7:24)The negative effects of resisting fear (20:45)How to examine your own relationship with fear (27:24)Steps to forming an “intimate relationship” with your fear (31:45)Kristen’s relationship with fear (37:13)The importance of knowing how much fear you’re in the mood for (41:21)Daron Rahlves’ fearlessness and possible consequences (46:14)How non-athletes benefit from Kristin’s approach to fear (54:52)Kristen's book, "The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What to Do Instead"See the upcoming screening dates & locations for her film, Voices of Fear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Helmi 20191h 4min

The winningest snowboarder in history, Kelly Clark, recently retired after an astonishing 20-year career of competition. So we talked to Kelly about that career; the new limited-edition “RISE” snowboard she designed with Burton; how snowboarding has evolved; her relationship with Chloe Kim; the mission of the Kelly Clark Foundation; her extremely important thoughts on “achievement” and “success”; and what’s next for her.TOPICS & TIMES:Kelly’s very busy “retirement” (3:27)Her limited-edition “RISE” snowboard from Burton (4:24)Biggest changes to snowboarding over her 20-year career (7:52)Injuries: 3 things Kelly did to mitigate them (9:10)Chloe Kim: How similar or different do you view your early careers? (14:55)Happiness vs achievement; defining “success” (17:30)The value of separating your private and public selves (24:32)Kelly’s book, Inspired, and the importance of giving back (30:36)The Kelly Clark Foundation and how they’re empowering communities (33:24)What she plans for this next phase of life (36:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Helmi 201940min