Racing, Rossignol, & Rye Whiskey
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 Mai 201936min
Dierdre Wolownick, The Sharp End of Life
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 Mai 201957min
Blister Speaker Series 1.4: Ashley Korenblat
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 Apr 201953min
The Guide Life with AMGA President, Angela Hawse
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 Apr 201952min
Blister Speaker Series 1.3: Dan Abrams, Flylow
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 Apr 201954min
Michael “Bird” Shaffer on Old & New Ways of Experiencing the Mountains
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 Mar 201953min
Zoetica: Solutions to the Global Recycling & Trash Crisis
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 Mar 20191h 11min
Blister Speaker Series 1.2: Eric Larsen - Polar Adventurer, Expedition Guide, & Educator
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 Mar 201948min
