Husky International

Born in Spain, with a Spanish father and a mother from Peru, Gonz Ferrero grew up in the midst of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Despite growing up in a highly urban area he eventually found his way into the mountains.↠Follow along in this interview that will take you through investment banking and project leading solar parks in Spain, to starting a big media company in Shanghai. Onwards through the Himalayan mountains, aiding nuns in the Andes, winter seasons in the Alps to finally end up at a pizzeria in Duved, Åre.↠Today Gonz Ferrero is the CEO of the slightly mysterious brand Klättermusen with a history that spans more than 40 years See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I must admit that I was very surprised when I received an e-mail from Spotify where I was asked to record a live podcast when they arranged their ”End of the Year Party” for their employees in Sweden.I’m not a big player - but Spotify sure is.All their staff got to choose between different interests to match them to different dinner venues - and the ones that showed an extra interest in winter, skiing and mountains ended up at a after ski themed dinner party where I did a short live podcast to entertain them between courses.My guest for the interview was a friend of mine - mountain guide Carl Lundberg. Carl is interesting in many ways: first of all because he works as a mountain guide of course, but also because he combined mountain guide training with a PhD in Robotics.But the main reason why I wanted to talk to him is that he started his company Skitouring Scandinavia three years ago where he now offers first class ski touring adventures with minimal carbon emissions - choosing trains over airplanes.And yeah…since Spotify is the very definition of a global, international company the interview and episode is in English. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I first met Billy White at a book release event at Rosendals trädgård where I was asked to perform a short Q&A with the authors.Billy, one of the authors, is also the head chef at Rosendals. The two books being released was Moonvalley Diaries by Emelie Forsberg, Ida Nilsson and Mimmi Kotka - and Billys own book Eat, Run, Enjoy! both on Gawell publishing.Billy White was a perfect fit for Husky: a passionate and dedicated runner with a very interesting specialty since he is a top chef with experience from the kitchens of Guide Michelin star restaurants such as St. JOHN in London, Restaurant Mathias Dahlgren in Stockholm and the almost mythical Fäviken in Åre.We talk about his childhood growing up just outside York in England, about the importance of skateboarding, doing seasons in the Alps, ending up in catering school and how he eventually found himself understanding why anyone would wanna work as a chef. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This autumn I was asked to lead a short panel discussion on a Houdini Sportswear event following a preview of an ongoing project called ”Coextinction”.Coextinction is a project to document and protect the life of the Southern Resident Killer Whales off the coast of British Colombia. One of many threats to the Orcas is starvation. The panel consisted of the CEO of Houdini Sportswear, Eva Karlsson, the Vice President of Polartec Eric Yung, adventurer and photographer Oskar Kihlborg and the activist and producer of the Coextinction project: Gloria Pancrazi.What we saw on the event was just a short preview of the Coextinction documentary and we made promises not to post any pictures or video clips from it. But I need to tell you about one haunting scene that made a deep impression on me:One of the Orcas just gave birth to a calf – a much awaited and much needed addition to the pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales.But her calf dies after just a couple of days.The Orcas are a very intelligent and socially complex species – and it is not unheard of that when a mother looses her calf – she will carry it, gently pushing it in front of her for a short amount of time. This Orca carries her dead calf for 17 days. For more than 1 000 miles she gently pushes her dead calf in front of her. The scene is immensely heartbreaking.The discussion circled around the role of the activist, how to balance the scale of hope and despair and what we can do to change and how to get involved in the Coextinction project. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This year Fjällräven Classic turns fifteen. It is an event that attracts more than two thousand hikers from 48 different nations - and that is just for the Swedish edition.I was invited to experience a hiking event that manages to combine pristine nature with rock'n'roll and tattoos.We already know that hiking is pretty much the best you can do for your body and soul - there are more people than ever looking to hit the trails and there is no sign that this hiking trend would come to a halt.When the very first Fjällräven Classic appeared it was a sort of mutated offshoot to something that was then called Fjällräven Extreme Marathon- an event that now lives on under the name Björkliden Arctic Mountain Marathon.But unlike that event - and unlike anything else at that time - here was an event that didn't focus on the fastest times and the performance - but the experience of it. The organizers wanted to show, not only the area around Kebnekaise and The Kings Trail, but also the beauty of hiking. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you ever dreamt of leaving your normal, hectic day-to-day life and just move someplace in nature, restart you systems and focus on the things that you feel really matter? That is what American-Swedish couple Michael and Sophia Miracolo did when they one day decided to leave their hectic life in New York City and instead moved into a small red cottage on the island of Yxlan out in the Stockholm archipelago. Under the name Live Slow Run Far they now live a simple, down shifted life where ultra running and gardening plays a big role in their life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

He is described as one of the most creative and courageous riders of today and as he came to town to present his new movie project Frozen Mindtogether with The North Face I got the chance to sit down in the studio with french snowboarder Victor de le Rue.Victor de le Rue grew up in the small resort Saint-Lary in the Pyrenees as the youngest of five siblings one of the more famous ones is legendary snowboarder Xavier de le Rue.Victor got his first snowboard at the age of six and growing up he was riding and competing with the team "the Brown Bears". After a couple of years racing in both boardercross as well as slopetyle and halfpipe Victor started from an early age having to choose between racing and going on photoshoots with sponsors. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

British alpinist Andy Houseman would probably describe himself as "just a regular guy who loves climbing", but Andy with his team was nominated for the Piolet d'Or back in 2010 - and you don't end up being nominated if you're "just a normal guy".I first heard of Andy in #6 of Sidetracked Magazine and as he came to Stockholm for a stop of the North Face Speaker Series I decided to book an interview with him at the new hotel Downtown Camper by Scandic.Andy grew up in Yorkshire and in our interview we talk about his childhood, what he learned in the boyscouts, about being inspired by books such as Joe Simpson’s This Game of Ghosts and getting a book about climbing from his math teacher. We talk about his view on life and mortality, about loosing friends to the mountains, about getting into climbing and his transition into alpinism and about his feeling for Chamonix. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The first time that I met Megan Kimmel was back in 2014 as I was in Chamonix for an event with Asics that they called Outrun the Sun. Back then Megan was part of the Ascis team and she ran the last part of a relay following the UTMB course rounding the Mt Blanc. I was very fresh behind the microphones back then and the recordings I did, amongst them a talk with Megan, got lost somewhere between my iPad and the all mighty iCloud. Luckily I got an invitation from Emelie Forsberg to head up to the Tromsø Skyrace weekend to run one of the races - the Tromsdalstind Skyrace. While up there I took the opportunity to record some interviews; one with VK-phenomenon Stian Angermund-Vik and one with Megan Kimmel. In our talk we end up in Colorado where she grew up and where she now lives. We talk about her love and passion for backcountry skiing, about traveling, about whether to spend more time in skimo gear or not, about her time running for Asics and about her new position in Salomons Internayional Team, about mountain cities, about owning a coffeeshop and about renovating old houses. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every once in a while the planets and stars are aligned and I get the chance to meet up with one of the really big and interesting international names. When Rich Roll together with his friend and coach Chris Hauth decided to take on ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship I got the chance to sit down with Rich for a long talk at the acast studio. Rich Roll is often described as a plant based ultra endurance athlete, meaning he is on a strictly vegan diet and that he has competed in challenges such as the Ultraman Triathlon and also feats like the Epic5 that he completed back in 2010. Rich Roll is also the author of the books Finding Ultra and The Plantpower Way - both best sellers with Finding Ultra reaching #1. He originally popped up on my radar a couple of years ago since he also hosts the immensly popular Rich Roll Podcast that more or less subscribes to a top-10 position on iTunes. Just like myself Rich started his podcast almost five years ago. Rich Roll competed as a butterfly swimmer in Stanford University but in his late twenties  he ended up in severe alcohol and drug addiction leading to a decision at the age of 31 to spend one hundred days in rehab to start a new chapter of his life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When I started this podcast I made it very clear that I would never get motorsports into the show but when Stefan Ytterborn, the founder and former CEO of POC, invited me for a lunch to talk about his new project I thought "hey, I'm game". Together with a international team and his two sons Stefan is now working on a project called CAKE. The goal is to design and produce a fully electrical motorized motorbike from scratch. In the interview Stefan draws some parallells to the start up of POC, about the struggle and the joy of entrepreneurship, about the future of motors, about the environment, about zero emission and why CAKE is more "Patagonia" than "Kawasaki". See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every time I prepare a new interview I do quite extensive research and when we sit down to record I always want to have a wide range of questions written down - so that is also what I did for this sitdown with climbers Caroline Ciavaldini and her husband James Pearson. However, after just a couple of minutes the questions went straight out of the window as this amazing, energetic couple in the most lovely way hijacked the entire interview and I quickly decided to just hang on and enjoy the ride. A friend of mine who is working with PR for The North Face in Scandinavia, Erica, described James and Caroline as very "bubbly" and that proved to be the understatement of the year. I enjoyed every minute as they opened up and told me their story. Caroline tells us about growing up on the Island of Reunion, about the atmosphere of the island and comparing it with James childhood as he was growing up in the Peak District, Derbyshire, in England. We talk about life, about death, about being exposed to risk and fear... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of many inspiring people I’ve met through the work with Husky is Andy Schell and his wife Mia who now also are really good friends. Together they run a business around their sailboat Isbjörn and just like me Andy also manages a podcast. In the podcast On the Wind Andy talks with sailors from all over; the gallery spans from happy enthusiasts to living legends like Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. This episode is not like the normal interviews. Both me and Andy run the same episode in both of our channels and it is a bit more of a discussion than the usual interviews. We compare our backgrounds, why we decided to run our own businesses and we are talking about life on the seas and life in the mountains. One of the inspiring quotes that we touch upon in the discussion is one of my favourites from Alan Watts regarding the topic “If money was no object”. Follow 59 North Sailing and Isbjörn on their Instagram and their Facebook. If you are one of those dreaming about adventures on the high seas – this is your go... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I stumbled upon a fantastic Instagram account about two years ago. Enchanting pictures of the majestic polar bear in the unique and threatened arctic regions north of Svalbard. The account belonged to producer Fredrik Granath and after a while I decided to contact him - and when we finally got the chance to meet up in Stockholm we sat down to record this interview at the acast studio. Both me and Fredrik are Swedish but since most of the work he is doing together with his German partner Melissa Schäfer is in English and since the majority of their audience is international we decided to do it all in English. And quite frankly: their mission concerns the entire planet. We talk a bit about Fredriks upbringing, moving from the nothern countryside to Stockholm, starting a prestigious life as an Adman and about leaving all of that life behind him. About reconnecting and finding something new as he went snorkeling with Orcas in northern Norway. About life on the ice, about our future on this planet and a Polar... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the nineteenth episode of the Husky International series I sit down with freeskier Sam Smoothy that I met up with after he attended the opening of a new The North Face brand store in Stockholm. We talk about growing up in Lake Wanaka, New Zeeland, about his Outdoor loving family with a father who traveled the world to go climbing. We talk about how Sam got into skiing and what made him stay. About discovering freesking, about getting sponsored and how he started competing in the Freeride World Tour. About Skiing in North Korea where Sam made the movie North Korean Chronicles, about filming with the famous Teton Gravity Research crew for their new movie Tight Loose, celebrating TGR:s 21st birthday. And finally; if you Google "Sam Smoothy" you will read about his winning line in the FWT stop in Vallnord, Andorra, that has been namned one of, if not THE, raddest line in the FWT. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jez Bragg won the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc in 2010 but what really makes him stand out as a ultra runner is the, in lack of better words, epic adventure of running and kayaking the entire length of the Te Araroa trail. The Te Araroa means “the long pathway” and it connects the northernmost with the southernmost tip of New Zealand. He started running the 3 000 km long trail in the end of 2012 and finished 53 days later – the fastest time anyone have done the trail that runs through beaches, cities, dense forests with gnarly trails and harsh alpine ranges. In the interview we talk about his mindset on the long runs, about planning for the Te Araroa adventure and how the application works as a The North Face athlete. We talk about winning the UTMB and what attracts him to the big ultras. We talk about his mental state after the physical and mental fatigue of the Te Araroa and his view on his own body after the adventure. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It is not every day that you get to sit down with a living legend. I was humbled and incredibly happy to get to do this interview with the Man himself: Gary Fisher. In the mid-seventies he made the first bikes that he later together with friends started to produce under the name "mountainbikes", the rest is history. Gary tells his mind blowing story, from a tiny kid who talked his way into a road bike club, to working with bands like The Grateful Dead, being active during the "summer of love" in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Fransisco and of course the invention of the first mountainbikes. We also talk about the future of cities, the future of commuting and transportation as well as Garys work to encourage mayors in North- and South America to make bike-friendly cities. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode sixteen is a long interview with German alpinist David Göttler. The episode was made in cooperation with The North Face and Addnature since David was one of the athletes that took part in the development of the very exclusive 2015/16 Summit Series called The Other Way. Before the interview I talk with Joe Venacchio, the Global Product Vice President at The North Face, about the Summit Series and the process behind The Other Way. With David, I talk about his childhood, how every family vacation was an adventure and about the discovery of the Mountain Guide profession. About friendship in the mountains, about risk management, trends within alpinism and the possible future of alpinism. David also talks about the darkest part of his climbing career with an incident on Ama Dablam, and about turning the tragedy into something good. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

He won the 100K World Championships 4 minutes ahead of Jonas Buud. His Marathon PR is at an amazing 2:14.36, he won the 2015 5K Obstacle Race "Warrior Dash", and he is aiming to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He came in second at this years Ultravasan 90K behind Jonas Buud and he is called "the renaissance man of running" - it is an honour to present a long interview with Max King. We talk about growing up in Oregon, how he came into sports and running and about his interesting basketball career. About leaving the safety of a good job as a pharmaceutical engineer in order to follow his heart, about mixing different styles of running, the joy of Obstacle Races and the joy of running fast. About the relation to his own body, about crashing hard in an Ultra, his nostalgia when it comes to running and about being a new member of the Salomon Running team since January 2015. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of the best things with Husky is all the chances and opportunities that so often opens up. Who would have thought that I would get an e-mail from the husband of the Swedish ambassador to Lebanon telling me that they not only listen to Husky, but also asks if I would be interested in meeting a friend of theirs - Maxime Chaya, who is the sixth person in the world ever to have completed the so called Adventurers Grand Slam which is completing the Seven Summits AND crossing the North and the South Pole on foot. I am so glad and humbled to have had the chance to meet and interview Maxime about his background in Lebanon, his cosmopolitan upbringing, about his adventures and his mission to be a good rolemodel and ambassador for a troubled part of the world. He has also written a autobiography about his life so far called Steep Dreams. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I remember very well the first time I saw the Aurora Arktika and her captain Sigurdur “Siggi” Jonsson; it was in the fantastic short movie Iceland – A Skier’s Journey by Jordan Manley. Somewhere along the way I came in contact with Siggi and I was offered a place on the boat for a week of skitouring in the Westfjords. This is episode thirteen of the Husky International series – get introduced to the wonderful town of Ísafjörður, the local backcountry community, the visitors and get to know the captain of the Aurora Arktika. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

About two years ago I happened to see a short interview with a Icelandic woman on the Swedish TV-show Kobra. I don’t really remember what it was about, but I think it was about sustainable fashion. The woman that they spoke to was described as a “fashion designer and Icelandic guide” and that sparked my interest. I wrote her name down and when I this winter planned my trip to Iceland I contacted her. Meet the very interesting fashion designer and Icelandic guide Katrín Káradottir who shares her time between teaching at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts and at Icelandic Mountain Guides where guiding on Greenland is one of her specialties. Hear about her childhood, about becoming a young mother, her way into fashion and jobs at Christian Dior. About refusing to be limited by what society expects of a woman and how the water smells on Greenland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There is no doubt that one of the most influential snowboarders of his time is Antti Autti from Rovaniemi, Finland. He is one of two people to ever beat Shaun White in the Winter X Games halfpipe. In 2005 he was crowned double world champion in both Big Air and Halfpipe I met up with Antti in Björkliden where he was he was scouting the surrounding terrain together with Arctic Guides in search of new locations to ride lines and shoot movies. I highly recommend some of his previous projects like Approach & Attack that you can watch for free on Vimeo. Listen in on the interview to hear of his childhood, about being nervous to talk to the first sponsors, about competing all over the globe and about finding something new in the deep Japanese pow. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Time has come for a long interview with the runner and running coach Rubin McRae for the Husky International series. In Sweden Rubin is famous for his company Urban Tribes and for coaching runners like Lisa Nordén and Kajsa Berg. Hear about Rubins childhood with a twin brother, sister, young parents and a running father. About New Zealand, about meeting the love of his life and moving to Sweden. About starting his own company, about coaching the pros, about the trends and future of running and his old dream to become a opera singer… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I am very proud to present a interview with the exceptional Javier Gomez Noya - four times ITU world champion, 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Olympic silver medalist and 2012 Xterra world champion plus much, much more! This interview is a very fine addition to the Husky International Series. During a hectic training period at Playitas Resort Javier took time for a shorter sitdown and interview. Hear about his way into triathlon, about the competition, about the changing racing scene with actors such as the Challenge series flexing their muscles. About being famous and about the cardial anamoly that once threatened his career but ended up helping him to appreciate his way of living. This interview was recorded at Playitas Resort in cooperation with Apollo. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When Julia Gajer ran her first marathon she finished in 2:47, so no wonder she was scouted for the Junior team of Team Erdinger Alkoholfrei. Hear a long interview where she talks about her childhood and her background as an athlete. About combining studies to get a PhD as a pharmacist and then her way into triathlon. In 2011 she ended up at second place at Ironman Roth just after legendary Chrissie Wellington, and on her premiere at the Kona Ironman she ended up at sixth place...Julia is up for good things ahead. This interview was recorded at Playitas Resort in cooperation with Apollo. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode seven in the Husky International series is a long interview with the German triathlete Anja Beranek. We talk about her childhood and how she got into sports and triathlon. About turning pro, about the mental game behind long distance triathlon. About the dream of Kona Ironman and how she, inspired by MacGyver, managed to repair a broken helmet strap with hairpins while racing. This interview was recorded at Playitas Resort in cooperation with Apollo. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first episode of the year, and in the sixth episode of the Husky International series, I sit down with professional freeskier Jackie Paaso. Jackie is one of the top riders in the Freeride World Tour and the day after our interview she was heading south towards the Alps together with her fiance Reine Barkered in search of good conditions to start off the season. We talk about her childhood, the importance of mountains in her life and her transition from a freestyle skier into a big mountain and freeskier on the Freeride World Tour. We talk about being a girl in the ski industry, her ambition to attain more mountaineering skills, the dreams of backcountry expeditions, staying safe in the mountains and about learning swedish. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The fifth episode of Husky International is a long interview with the CEO of the Norwegian Outdoor brand Norrøna. Jørgen made his first jacket in the factories sewing machine when he was only twelve years old. We talk about his own passion for the active life outdoor that he loves to mend into the company dna, we talk about taking responsibility for a family company as a fourth generation Jørgensen, about what drives the trends of the outdoor industry forward and his vision for the future of Norrøna. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The fourth episode in the Husky International series is a interview with legendary climber and alpinist Simone Moro. Simone came to Stockholm for the first ever visit of The North Face Speaker Series in Sweden. Unfortunately due to some delays in Simones tight schedule I didn’t get the time first planned, but I am very grateful that Simone still took the time for me. Hear Simone about where home his, how important the sherpa are for the development of alpinism and what it feels like to be seen as a superhuman. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode will introduce some of the people behind the sport of swimrun, centered around the ninth edition of Ö till ö. I had the chance to follow the organizers to the beautiful Engadin valley in Switzerland where the first official swimrun race outside of Sweden was organized. The episode is not a race report, but a chance to get some insights and hopefully inspiration from the people who decide to take on these amazing challenges. You will also hear the story behind the bet that started all of this almost ten years ago. If you listen to the episode using the Acast podcast application you will also be able to see some of the amazing pictures from the race while you listen to the episode. Don’t forget to check out the official movies from Engadin and Ö till ö. Big thanks to the organizers Michael and Mats, all the racers letting me interview them, thanks to all the staff and media crew making all of this happened! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It is a true honor to present my second all english episode – an interview with one of the most influential and successful triathletes: Chris “Macca” McCormack. He has won the ITU World Champion title five times, he has broken the 8-hour barrier over the Ironman distance 4 times – the only man to break the barrier more than twice. Hailed by ESPN as the “world’s fittest athlete”, he has won more than 220 races during his career as a professional triathlete, with a stunning 76 per cent win rate in his race career events. Together with swedish tour operator Apollo I got the chance to meet up with Macca at the fantastic sport hotel Thanyapura, in Phuket Thailand, where he now is the Executive Chairman. We talk about his childhood, about the first time he saw the Kona Ironman on TV together with his mother, about discovering the world through triathlon. About being an outsider in the triathlon world, about the “mind game” and about being inspired by Muhammad Ali. And remember: a goal is a dream with a plan. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My first all English interview is with multisport and endurance racer Scott Cole that I met up with as he was participating in the Sweden Sky Race up in Björkliden, Sweden. Scott actually ended up winning the 57 km part of the race, more about that in the interview. We talk about Scotts way to become a very successful endurance racer, how he started out his Multisport and Adventure Racing career. About moving to Sweden and becoming obsessed with cross-country skiing in a magical winter landscape. About contests such as the AXA Fjällmarathon, about winning the Haglöfs Åre Extreme Challenge and striving for a top ten position in the almost mythical Coast 2 Coast in New Zeeland. We talk about how his thoughts on racing is affected by his job as a environmental economist and about upgrading a “C Race” to a “A race”, changing the game plan and winning a race… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.