In this episode guest host Jason Antin sits down with Vince Anderson.  Vince shares his journey from growing up in Golden, Colorado, to becoming a prominent figure in the alpine climbing and guiding communities. He discusses his early experiences with climbing and skiing, the early days of the AMGA, and the evolution of avalanche education. In this conversation, he discusses the evolution of educational practices in guiding, reflecting on his own experiences and the changes he has witnessed over the years. He shares key turning points in his career, including influential mentors and pivotal moments that shaped his development as a guide. The discussion also delves into the challenges of balancing parenthood with a career in guiding, highlighting the complexities of risk management and decision-making in the mountains. 

Skyward Mountaineering

Music: Age Diamante

Art: Mike Tea

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Support for this episode was provided by:

⁠Wyssen Avalanche Control⁠

⁠Gordini⁠

⁠OpenSnow⁠: use code avalanche50 for 50% off of your all-access subscription

⁠Propagation Labs⁠

We start this episode with Jayne Thompson-Nolan stopping by to give us an update from the American Avalanche Association (A3). She highlights some of the initiatives and achievements from the last year, provides some member updates, and talks about opportunities for grants, scholarships, and continuing education.

We then launch into an interview with IFMGA guide Evan Stevens. Evan is the owner of Zenith Mountain Guides in Squamish, BC. Originally from New York, Evan has always felt a strong pull to climbing and skiing and landed a job with the Utah Avalanche Center after completing college in Vermont. Evan reflects on some pivotal learning moments from some influential mentors during his time at the UAC. We chat about some of the similarities and differences in the structure of guide education and progression in the United States and Canada. Evan talks about the importance of understanding the resolution of the avalanche forecast that you may be utilizing to plan your day. He describes why he and one of his partners started a newsletter: The Weekly South Coast Ski Conditions Report and how it can help local riders add value to the AvCan forecast.

We hope you enjoy!

Fill out our Listener survey here. Thank you!

This episode was made possible through the support of:

Wyssen Avalanche Control

Gordini

OpenSnow: Use code Avalanche50 to receive 50% off your premium All Access subscription!

Safeback

Music: Age Diamante

Zenith Mountain Guides

In this episode of The Avalanche Hour, host Sean welcomes special guest Jess Shade. A high-altitude ski mountaineer, queer woman, and licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Utah and Michigan. Jess brings a unique blend of personal experience and professional expertise to discuss the intricate relationship between mental health and mountain environments.

Together, they delve into the mindsets of those who inhabit the mountains, exploring therapy-based ideas that help individuals process daily events, inclusion, and trauma. Jess shares insights on the changing culture regarding mental health in the snow world, highlighting tools like the Responder Alliance’s Stress Continuum and principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to promote resilience and psychological flexibility.

They also discuss Jess’s work with organizations like the American Alpine Club’s Climbing Grief Fund and the Utah Avalanche Center, as well as her involvement with Utah’s LGBTQ+ community through the LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah.

Socials:

• The Avalanche hour Podcast
• Jess Shade

Links: 

• Listener Survey

• LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah - An organization of therapists who meet monthly for continuing education. The website has a list of licensed clinicians in Utah who are affirming and trained in working with queer people. 

• Mountain Queers - An organization supporting representation and equity for queer and trans folx in mountain sport.

• Responder Alliance - works to build awareness of stress injury and increase resilience for folks who work in austere environments. Please note they are largely focused on prevention, however many of the resources and tools are very applicable and provide a good foundation for having conversations around stress and trauma.

• Climbing Grief Fund, American Alpine Club - CGF hosts a therapist directory and offers individual grants of up to $600 to individuals who have experienced grief or trauma related to climbing, alpinism, or ski mountaineering. You do not have to be a member of the American Alpine Club to apply for a CGF grant.

• American Avalanche Association - The A3 Avalanche Resilience Project also hosts a therapist directory with folks who have familiarity with the industry. A3 also offers a "resilience grant" of up to $500 to Professional and Affiliate members who are interested in pursuing therapy.

• Survivors of Outdoor Adventures and Recovery (SOAR) - SOAR offers professionally-facilitated peer support groups for folks who have experienced loss or trauma in the outdoors. I just attended one of their community connection workshops on grief and trauma and found it very helpful. Get in touch with this wonderful organization!

• Mountain Muskox - For our northern friends, Mountain Muskox is a fantastic organization that offers professionally-facilitated in person peer support circles in BC and Alberta. They also offer a weekend gathering each fall.

Sponsors for this episode:

• Wyssen Avalanche Control

• Gordini - Use code snowpro40 to receive 40% off Gordini gear through October. (Code:SnowPro40)

• Beacon Guide Books: Use the code AVSAR to get 25% off the Avalanche Search + Rescue: A Backcountry Field Guide

• OpenSnow: Use code avalanche50 to receive 50% off their premium subscription.

Crew:

• Creator - Caleb Merrill

• Host - Sean Zimmerman-Wall

• Producer - Cameron Griffin

Donate:

• The Avalanche Hour Podcast

• The American Avalanche Association 

Music:

• Age Diamante - Chill Pah

Episode 9.2: Dr. Sara Boilen Interviews Cody Townsend.

Cody Townsend discusses The Fifty Project , a web series documenting his attempt to climb and ski all 50 classic ski descents of North America. He reflects on the transition from being seen as a fearless, ego-driven skier to showcasing vulnerability and the behind-the-scenes reality of the sport. Cody shares his experience of a traumatic trip in Alaska where he encountered his limits and felt overwhelmed by fear. He discusses the consequences of risk-taking and the importance of pushing oneself and embracing failure. Cody Townsend reflects on the importance of encountering fear and discomfort to live a richer, more three-dimensional life. He discusses how challenging situations in the mountains can lead to contentment and a deeper appreciation for everyday life. However, he also acknowledges the need to balance risk-taking with its consequences on oneself and the community. Townsend emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and self-analysis in decision-making, as well as the need to prioritize coming home at the end of the day. He discusses how becoming a parent has shifted his perspective and made him reevaluate the level of risk he is willing to take. Townsend plans to regain trust in himself by slowly reintegrating into the mountains without putting pressure on himself.

Thank you to the sponsors of this episode:

Wyssen Avalanche Control

Gordini: Use code snowpro40 to receive 40% Gordini gear through October.

OpenSnow: Use code avalanche50 to receive 50% off their premium subscription.

IPA Collective: Industry pros sign up here for great pro-deals.

We want to hear from you! Fill out our Listener Survey.

Fall is here and winter is right around the corner! Welcome back to Season 9 of The Avalanche Hour Podcast.

In today's episode, Caleb sits down with IFMGA guide and co-founder/CEO of Aspect Avy, Jeff Banks. Jeff's mission in life is to help people do dangerous things -the safest way possible. He's happiest when he's in the mountain mountains helping people live long & adventurous lives.

Jeff has a 20+ year career working as an avalanche professional in the realms of avalanche forecasting, explosive work, and guiding. Jeff is an AMGA instructor team member and examiner in addition to the avalanche training he teaches to the US Special Forces. He has spent 16 winters guiding and skiing in Chamonix, has been a US Ski Mountaineering Champion, and former head coach of Colorado's Olympic Development Nordic Team. Jeff lives in Crested Butte, Colorado with his daughter.

Jeff and Caleb chat about some pivotal moments in Jeff's career that gave him pause about the amount of risk he was taking on while skiing and ski guiding in avalanche terrain. This spurred him to think about a better way to approach traveling in and near avalanche terrain. Aspect Avy was born out of this and Jeff unpacks what this new tool has to offer to winter backcountry enthusiasts.

Thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

Wyssen Avalanche Control

Gordini

Open Snow

Propagation Labs

Check out the ski that Jeff helped design with Romp Skis. The Romp Shepard 99 was designed to meet his needs as a mountain guide. From deep powder to steep frozen corn -They're his all time favorite ski in every condition. It's what the U.S. Special Forces use & about 20 of his guests. They will change your skiing & possibly alter the course of your life.

OTHER LINKS:

The Avalanche Hour Podcast Listener Survey

Avalanche Education Scholarships- Deadlines Approaching!

Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial Fund (deadline October 9th)

American Avalanche Association (A3) Education Scholarships

US Fall Snow and Avalanche Workshop Schedule

In the last episode of Season 8, I sit down with Mike Peterson. Mike is an engineer and avid backcountry splitboarder who lives in Salt Lake City. He reached out to the show and wanted to share his experience from an avalanche that left him with a significant injury. Mike provides his honest reflection on trends he saw in his own backcountry habits, outside-of-the-mountain influences, and margins leading up to this incident. He had ample time while recovering from his broken neck to analyze how he could better play the long-game while backcountry riding. He shares those thoughts on the show. If you have a story you’d like to share on the podcast, you can reach out to us at [email protected] Music on this ‘sode: Tussle & Eventually Provided by Ketsa: www.ketsa.uk Support for this episode was provided by: Wyssen Avalanche Control Gordini USA OpenSnow

Episode 8.29 Unique Summer Careers The Northern Hemisphere winter is over and avy pros are returning to summer jobs. For many, this is forest firefighting – a natural fit with opposing seasons and complementary skill sets. For some, however, the summer provides an opportunity to completely unplug from the challenges of winter work and pursue other passions. In this episode, host Dom Baker speaks with two ski guides who have each built businesses pursuing a summer passion. Kevin Armstong, an ACMG ski guide, builds hand-welded custom bikes for passionate riders. Whether for road, gravel, or singletrack, Six Mile Bikes builds unique, made to order, dream bikes! Eric Chevalier is a veteran ski guide and the guiding manager at Selkirk Cat Skiing. He is also a long-time shipwright – building and restoring wooden boats. The Copper Nail Wooden Boat Shop offers world-class wooden boat restoration and building services. Tune in to hear the highs, lows and unexpected parallels between ski guiding and chasing a passion in a quiet workshop. Music for this episode by Gravy @gravy.tunes www.wyssenavalanche.com www.gordini.com www.opensnow.com www.sixmilebikes.com www.woodenboatshop.ca

In this installment of The Avalanche Hour Podcast; Wes Gregg sits down for a conversation with Australian Ski Guide, Forecaster and Educator, Kyle Boys from Mountain Safety Collective (MSC). MSC is a not for profit in Australia that provides daily backcountry condition reports. These reports help serve a growing community of winter backcountry enthusiasts. We also discuss what the hazards are for the users which is slightly different from what we experience in North America. Kyle is back in Canada this year completing his CAA Level 2, a CSGA course, and working as a mechanized guide. Please enjoy! Mountain Safety Collective - Mountainsafetycollective.org Kyle Boys - @blizzard_acadamy Music in this episode is used with permission of the artist, Gravy from Nelson, BC! Artwork by Mike Tea, miketea.com The Avalanche Hour Podcast is proudly supported by: Gordini USA Wyssen Avalanche Control Episode produced by Wes Gregg

In this episode, we chat with long time industry professional Colin Zacharias. Colin has spent over 40 years working in the snow, avalanche, guiding, consulting, and education realms. Throughout our interview, Colin talks about some of the trends that he has seen within the industry as well as trends in accidents. He talks about how recreationists might learn from some of the habits of professional guides, and he recounts some early memories of venturing into the backcountry. Enjoy. Music by Ketsa Support provided by: Wyssen Avalanche Control Gordini USA OpenSnow GoFund Me for the Family of Rob Coppollilo: https://gofund.me/c17787bf The Powder Cloud: The Seductive Lure of Tracks https://thepowdercloud.com/learn/avalanche-education/the-seductive-lure-of-tracks/

EPISODE 8.26 On today’s episode join us as Ellen Bradley and Jossline Jackson share their personal and poignant connections to their indigenous roots through skiing and science, guided by mentor and educator Mike Janes. We delve into the importance of indigenous knowledge in environmental stewardship and explore initiatives that make outdoor spaces accessible and inclusive. Socials: The Avalanche Hour Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/theavalanchehourpodcast/ Links: RASOR program: https://rasor.alaska.edu/ Alaska Avalanche School: https://alaskaavalanche.org/ Douglas Indian Association: https://diataku.com/ Sealaska Heritage: https://sealaskaheritage.org/institute/education/programs Juneau Poster_RASOR (1).pdf Sponsors for this episode: Wyssen: https://www.wyssenavalanche.com/en/ Gordini: http://www.gordini.com OpenSnow: http://www.opensnow.com Crew: Host - Brooke "Shiny" Edwards https://www.instagram.com/wildworldwanderings Producer - Cameron Griffin: https://www.instagram.com/backcountrycam/ Donate: The Avalanche Hour Podcast: https://www.theavalanchehour.com/donate The American Avalanche Association: https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/donate Music: Ketsa: 80’s vision/Ketsa Ketsa: Hold on/ketsa

In this episode our European contributors, Matthias Walcher and Christoph Mitterer from @ÖGSL, interview Snow Scientists, and current intern at @ÖGSL; Manuel Genswein. Manuel is a one-of-a-kind individual and no stranger to the avalanche industry. As a lone wolf, he has been traveling the world for over 30 years bringing his strategies and ideas to the field of avalanche rescue. In this episode we talk about where he grew up? How he got involved with the avalanche industry? and we dive into experiences he has had along the way. He tells us which innovations he is most proud of and what ideas didn't fly? Listen in to find out more and check out Manuel's website for access to his courses and papers: mountainsafety.info Music by Gravy - Freebird You can find his tracks at gravytunes.bandcamp.com. Big shout out to the designer of our sweet logo Mike Tea. You can see more of Mike’s work over at miketea.com Support for this episode provided by: @wyssen_avalanche_control @gordiniusa @opensnow @american_avalanche_association