Podcasts about Alps

Hollywood sold you a hero in chains. Forget it. That's not what broke Rome.What broke Rome was what happened after Rome won.By 73 BC, Rome had stopped running on its citizens. It was running on slaves. Around a fifth of the peninsula was enslaved. In whole districts of Lucania and Apulia, the men working the land outnumbered the men who owned it by margins that should have frightened somebody.So when 78 gladiators broke out of a school in Capua with kitchen knives and made it to Mount Vesuvius, it wasn't the kind of prison riot Rome was used to. It was the foundation cracking. In three years, Spartacus built an army the size of a consular force, defeated both sitting consuls of Rome in the same season, and nearly reached the Alps.Rome eventually crushed the revolt. Marcus Licinius Crassus took extraordinary command with 8-10 legions — four times what any citizen should have commanded — cornered Spartacus in the toe of Italy behind a 35-mile wall built across the peninsula, and killed him at the Silarius River in 71 BC. Then he crucified 6,000 captured survivors along the Appian Way from Capua to Rome. 130 miles of crosses.Rome called it a warning. It was state terror as domestic policy.And then Crassus and Pompey camped their armies outside Rome and demanded the consulship for 70 BC — dismantling the Sullan constitutional restoration in the process. The template was set: extraordinary crises justify extraordinary commands, and extraordinary commands become permanent tools.Every extraordinary command that followed — Pompey against the pirates in 67, Pompey against Mithridates in 66, Caesar against Gaul in 58 — was justified using the Spartacus precedent. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon 22 years later, he was following the pattern Crassus and Pompey had already set.Rome could win the war. It couldn't survive winning it.This is Episode 125 of The Fall of the Republic series on The Roman Pattern.Chapters:00:00 Rome could win the war01:07 Why Spartacus matters02:19 The slave economy — money as the first fault line04:15 Capua — 78 gladiators with kitchen knives05:32 Vesuvius and Glaber's rout06:47 Borders as the second fault line07:38 The army grows08:34 72 BC — both consuls defeated09:55 Power as the third fault line10:16 Crassus takes command11:31 Decimation — 50 men beaten to death13:15 The wall across Italy13:40 The Silarius River14:44 6,000 crosses on the Appian Way15:46 Pompey steals the credit16:33 70 BC — Crassus and Pompey demand the consulship17:22 The Sullan reforms dismantled17:48 The kill chain18:42 The template for every future extraordinary command19:12 Winning killed RomeSources referenced in this episode:— Plutarch, Life of Crassus (decimation, Pompey letter)— Appian, The Civil Wars, Book 1 (main narrative, 6,000 crucifixion count)— Sallust, Histories (fragments)— Livy, Periochae 95-97— Florus, Epitome of Roman History— Barry Strauss, The Spartacus War (definitive modern account)— Walter Scheidel (enslaved population estimates)— Ronald Syme, The Roman Revolution (1939)The Fall of the Republic series continues next Monday with The Men Who Bought the Republic — how Crassus and Pompey turned military victory into the machinery that made every future strongman possible.

Stephanie Rupp (Hoffmann Eitle) and Ryan Phelan (Marshall Gerstein) explore how AI is reshaping medtech innovation and the IP strategies founders need to know. They break down key trends, from traditional model training to today's generative AI workflows, plus common pitfalls like novelty-destroying disclosures in pitch decks, websites, and investor conversations. Ryan explains why “file early” matters in the U.S. (and how provisional applications can backfire if they're too thin), while Stephanie shares how Europe's strict novelty rules and EPO “technical effect” requirements change how AI patents must be drafted. The conversation also covers cross-border collaboration, the Unified Patent Court, and why strong IP can become a startup's moat for investors and future growth. Guest links: https://www.marshallip.com | https://www.hoffmanneitle.com/ | rphelan@marshallip.com | srupp@hoffmanneitle.com  Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com.  PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 089 - Stephanie Rupp & Ryan Phelan [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference.  Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm delighted to welcome as my guests Stephanie Rupp and Ryan Phelan. Stephanie's technical expertise stems from working in various fields of electrical engineering and information technology. She is particularly interested and experienced in communication technology, telecommunications engineering, and artificial intelligence due to her time at the university and various projects in the industry. For example, Stephanie gained industry experience with a leading technology company of measurement and high-frequency technology in the field of measurement technology for LTE. Working with a variety of clients from all over the world, Stephanie specializes in prosecution and oppositions at the European Patent Office and German Patent Office, freedom to operate, and patent drafting, in particular in the fields of computer-implemented inventions. Stephanie studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Munich. She wrote her master thesis at the Chair of Communication Networks in the field of artificial intelligence with a focus on reinforcement learning. Ryan is a registered patent attorney who counsels and works with clients in all areas of intellectual property with a focus on patents. Clients enjoy Ryan's business-focused approach to IP. With an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, Ryan works with clients to achieve their business objectives, including developing and protecting their innovations and businesses with IP. Ryan has been published in several well-known IP publications, including World Intellectual Property Review, Bloomberg Law, and IP Litigator, and has spoken as a panelist at various IP conferences, including for the International Intellectual Property Law Association and for the University of Illinois Chicago Annual IP Conference. Since 2024, Ryan has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America list in the practice of patent law. All right, Ryan and Stephanie, welcome to the show. I'm so glad that you are here. Ryan, this is your second time. Delighted to have you return, and Stephanie, I can't wait to learn more about you and all the ways that you both contribute to the industry. So thank you both so much for being here. [00:02:54] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Glad to be back. [00:02:56] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. [00:02:56] Stephanie Rupp: And thank you v- very much for having me. [00:02:58] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes, of course. Well, I would love, if you don't mind, starting off by sharing just a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to medtech. [00:03:09] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. So I'll kick it off. My name's Ryan Phelan. I'm a partner at Marshall Gerstein, which is an IP boutique here in Chicago. I have a computer science background, so I see the world through, you know, everything computers and, of course, nowadays that means AI. On the, the medtech side you know, I, I have, experience in robotics and so, a lot of medtech devices are in the robotics field, so it's very natural for me to apply my skill set, to that, area of expertise, one of which is, prosthetics. So you have a robotic, prosthetic medical device, and that lends itself to, you know, some type of computational control. And there's certain, legal issues that usually come up in, the US practice. So I enjoy, applying that skill set, to the, to medtech space. also, you know, family members als- have, you know, ailments and things that, I have, grown up with, you know, as a, you know, young boy and, now I'm very happy to you know, give back in my own way. I'm not a doctor. I'm just a-- I'm a, I'm a humble patent attorney, but, helping the, IP world, and, doctors and physicians, with not only, you know, in the robotic space, but also, software medical inventions as well, and I, enjoy working in this space. [00:04:22] Lindsey Dinneen: Love it. Thank you so much. Stephanie? [00:04:26] Stephanie Rupp: Yes. So as you hear from my accent, I'm from Germany, specifically from Munich, so that's a city in the southern part of Germany, close to the Alps. people might probably know Munich from the Oktoberfest that we have each year. And, so I'm a German and European patent attorney at Hoffmann Etile. I also throw it in as well, I'm also UPC representative, so we have, for three years now, we have the Unified Patent Court, so a really new court in Europe for centralized litigation for infringement and revocation actions. So I can also represent clients there. yeah, Hoffmann Etile is a, also a p- a IP boutique firm. not only in Germany, we also have offices, in other places in, Europe. And, yeah, my technical background is electrical engineering and information technology. And, during my studies, I just didn't work a lot in the medtech space. I was, ... my work concentrated more on the telecommunications side, working in a, bigger f- company that, concentrated on measurement and high-frequency technology. But, my master thesis was already about AI, so it was at the Chair of Communication Networks, and it was about, like, reinforcement learning, virtual network embedding. I won't say too much about that. I think it will bore the listeners. But so I didn't know at that time, but it opened my way to the medtech space afterwards. because when I joined Hoffmann Etile nine years ago with my training, the partners were really happy to hear that I have experience in the AI field and the technical background on that. And, around nine years ago, we saw a lot of patent applications being filed in the AI space, like using AI technology in different technical fields, and especially also in the medtech, field. And, so I had the opportunity to jump in there, like, right away when I started and was really happy to do that and also, like, still very glad to have that opportunity to work with the medtech, companies and to get the best patents for them in that, especially in that field. [00:06:26] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you both. So, all right. I have so many questions, but I will start here. I'll just, 'cause I'm curious. So how, how did you two meet? Do the firms come together and, and, collaborate? [00:06:38] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, absolutely. so Marshall, Gerstein and Hoffmann, Eitel had a relationship prior with, attorneys, that go back a generation or two, before Stephanie and I met. And so, their-- one firm would send attorneys to the other and vice versa. And then, after a while, given that Stephanie and I have similar backgrounds, it was very, simple just to connect us. And then we've worked together on matters, before and have similar backgrounds like Stephanie mentioned. She has electrical background, but has done a lot of stuff with AI. And so whenever you're doing, matters across the pond, as they say, you need expertise, in the EPO and the US and the laws are different, so you have to collaborate. And it's great to have, have people that you can collaborate and work with. [00:07:21] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah, and a lot of clients, they're not only interested in getting an EP patent, but they also want to get a US patent. And, I'm not a US patent attorney, so, usually tell them, "Oh, yeah, I know a really good patent attorney in the US." And, thank you ... so I will, like, hand over the work to him and then the other way around if they have, like, clients that they want to get a EP patent, and that's how we work together and, also dis-discuss these cases together. And, so yeah, I'm currently in Chicago for a week, also to meet Ryan in person again. I do that, usually once a year. And, yeah, just have time to discuss some cases more regularly. [00:07:55] Lindsey Dinneen: I love that. That's cool. [00:07:56] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, I was in, And I was in beautiful Munich last year, so it was, it was great. [00:08:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Very nice. That's wonderful. Okay. So again, so many things to talk about, but I, I, I'm curious in your interpretation of how AI has affected, especially the legal components of, say, filing a patent or IP protection or all of those things. When it comes to medtech founders, what are you seeing the trends to be, and also, what are some of the pitfalls to avoid? [00:08:29] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. So I've seen AI affect everything from filing strategy or information, gathering, like on the pre-stage of a patent, and then also, the invention itself, has also included AI. I think about it as like AI 1.0 and 2.0. before, 1.0 AI is, a lot of software inventions would train their own models with their own data. Maybe you have a, a cardio, application or something like that, that would use existing, information from patients and, that information, would be used to train a model, and that model would be able to output some type of response for a future patient. Maybe that model was inside of a device that was, implanted or, put on top of, a patient where that sensor data would be collected.  Nowadays, in, in tho-those inventions, usually incorporated some type of trained model. Nowadays, you have a lot of generative AI, where newer inventions are using out-of-the-box models from OpenAI, ChatGPT models, or Anthropic's Claude models. And, a lot of the same issues are still being addressed, where data will, will come from various sources, whether it's a patient's data or clinician's, or maybe it's, a diagnostics or maybe it is more in the robotic space for, prosthetics. But that data is now, instead of being pushed into more traditional models that would be trained, is now being used by these generative, LLMs. And then you can have combinations of the two. So it's, become an explosive field in AI at least from what I have seen. People are getting excited that you have these large treasure troves of data that you can synthesize, the information inside of it and then get some type of, useful output, and then you also have inventors that are seeking solutions, asking, LLMs to help find a particular solution, and they'll add to it. And our invention disclosures that we get, I, I typically joke and say, "Used to, it was hard to get an invention disclosure from an inventor." They would send you, like, a paragraph or two of the invention, and you'd be, "Well, is there anything else?" And now it's, they'll send you 100 pages of stuff. And like, "Well, let's, well, let's talk about what's relevant. Let's find the needle in the haystack here." So AI is, is influencing all sides of the invention from when it's coming in the door and then how, how, what the invention makeup is itself and how that's gonna be protected in the future. I, I see a lot-- In, in the future, I, I can predict or hopefully predict, there's gonna be, a lot of litigation or a lot of, like, questions about who owned what in the future for patents. So that's, that'll be interesting to see, too. [00:11:06] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Absolutely. [00:11:07] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah- I think what I just want to add is, that it also changes how we work. I think in the past it was, so we had, like, these different departments. We had mechanics, e-tech, biotech, chemistry, and it was, like, very clear when you get a new patent, like an invention disclosure in which department you will push it and, like, who will work on that. But now we have, like, more these interdisciplinary inventions especially, like, in medtech, pharmaceutical companies that are using AI and, and that also changes how we work, that we are trying to then find a interdisciplinary team as well, having, like, patent attorneys from different technical backgrounds, because I'm looking at a invention disclosure differently than a patent attorney with a chemistry background. And, so that makes very interesting for us as well, 'cause we have to work together and, that's why sometime I get a call from the biotech department saying, "Oh, we have a invention disclosure with a lot of AI in there. Could you maybe help us out?" And, so that, yeah, it, like, changes our way of working in there as well. That makes it very interesting. [00:12:12] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. That's very interesting, and I actually love that. It seems like a lot of, ability to learn from each other in that way, and so yeah, I love that exposure. So, okay, when it comes to filing patents, and protecting your IP in general, I'm, I'm curious what your advice is for, for founders that maybe have, like, basically timeline, when should they be thinking about engaging with you all, and h- how do they go about that? Just what is, especially for these younger startup founders, what's some advice that you just, you go, "Okay, now's the time. Here's what we need," and, and whatnot? [00:12:51] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, I always advise as early as possible. Okay. usually it's-- usually most founders or startups are not thinking about patents in the beginning. But, you know, I always like to, to tell them when, when I'm speaking to a founder of a startup, think about it as insurance or similar to insurance, because at the end of the day, if you become very successful with your, medtech product, whatever it may be, people are gonna wanna copy you. [00:13:13] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. [00:13:13] Ryan Phelan: And, that, that's probably not only important to you, but also to your investors, if you have them. If, like, you're seeking money from others, whether it be seed money, angel money, or series A, series B the, these people are probably gonna ask you what's your moat, what's your, what's your barrier to entry for others, so if your product, takes off, because they're thinking in terms of, "How much money will I get back if I invest?" It's gonna be s- 20x. And so, it-- they know, and the startup founders should also be aware that if somebody else comes into the market, especially a big player, and they, replicate your product or your software, then that could take market share from you. And so having a patent or building that patent portfolio at the same time, it protects you, from that. It also, of course, there's times, timing, that you have to be mindful of. As soon as you disclose something in the US, it kicks off a, a one-year clock... [00:14:04] Lindsey Dinneen: Hmm ... [00:14:04] Ryan Phelan: ...for you to file something. Just to get an invention in the US, and Stephanie, can let you know about, you know, elsewhere- Mm-hmm ... and in the EU, I understand that there's an absolute bar. Yeah. But for that reasons, for that timing purpose of when someone discloses your invention, and that can be a part of a pitch deck to a set of in- investors, if you don't have a non-disclosure a- agreement, an NDA, then that could also start that clock ticking. So you wanna be mindful. Do this in parallel at the same time, seeking to get your, patent, at least a provisional patent, on file before you go forward. [00:14:37] Stephanie Rupp: Okay. Yeah, as Ryan said, at the, in Europe, we don't have this kind of this year to file a application. Once you publish something, then it's out on, out there in the world and, endangers your own patent application. Because if you want to get a patent the claimed subject matter needs to be novel and inventive. And if you have, like, published this before, then that's prior art with respect to your own patent application. So you always have to keep that in mind and, that's why it's so important to file the patent application first before you use that information for advertisement, for example. And I, we see that often, with startups, and I complete- completely understand. They're super excited with regard to their, like, great idea, and they want to shout it out to the world. But once it's out there that hinders you to get a patent. so- As Ryan said, it's good to think about patents from the beginning and also, the market you're interested in, maybe about competitors and where they're in, which countries they're involved, and then you could also think about, okay, maybe, that is a market of your interest, and then also get advice from patent attorneys in that country because it's different from which d- like, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction how to get a patent, and you want to get the broadest patent as possible. And, especially with AI inventions, where they're the requirements are so different in the different countries, it's, good to have the advice from the beginning on so the patent application is written in the right way. Because once the patent application is filed, we cannot add anything anymore, or we cannot change it. That's why it's, like, good to have really a, like, a well-written patent application also for the jurisdiction you want to go in. [00:16:25] Lindsey Dinneen: Okay. Yeah. Thank you both. That was really insightful. I'm, I'm curious about the patent application itself. Is there-- Well, two questions, I suppose. Is there also a kind of provisional patent opportunity outside of the US, just out of curiosity, as, as well as in the US? And then also, you know, you mentioned being very careful and cognizant about the way that it is written, which of course now you two being experts in this, you know, back, you know, like the back of your hand. But I wonder, if people try to do it themselves. I would love just to hear some advice about that as well. [00:17:06] Ryan Phelan: Yes. Stephanie, do you wanna talk about the provisional outside the US and- [00:17:09] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah. So in Europe, we don't have that provisional applications or non-provisional applications. what you have though is the priority year. So you can, like file an application, for example, first in Europe, and then you have a year to decide which other countries you want to go to, and then claim priority from that European patent application. So, I file a EP application, then after a year I think, okay, I want to go in other countries, I want to maybe file it, one in the US, then you can claim the priority from there. And the previous patent application that you filed will not endanger the other patent application. So that's one way of doing it, to buying yourself a little bit of time. Also, sometimes clients when they're like very cost sensitive, especially for startups, would first think, okay, we file a patent application first to Europe, and you get a, a search report within the priority year from the EPO. And then you already know the prior art that is out there, and you can assess how strong your patent application is, and then you can still decide, how to proceed from there. So there are like some ways of how you could do that. [00:18:19] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Thank you. [00:18:22] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. In the US, of course, we have provisional applications. It, it causes a great, amount of confusion, though, the provisional applications. A lot of startup companies will think that they can file a provisional application and it'll be, you know, a page or two in length, and then they can wait a year and inflate that to 20 pages or, or something like this. And of course, the, the trap for the unwary is, of course, if the claims, when you draft those for the non-provisional or the conversion application, if they are not grounded in that first provisional application, if one element of one of the independent claims, for example, is, s- solely supported by the new material added in the, the new, you know, 20 pages or whatever it may be, then the support gets you the date of your non-provisional conversion filing and not of the provisional. So, usually for startup clients, I have to-- we ta- we have this conversation called the delta. What's the delta between your provisional and your non-provisional? If there's a lot of it, then, that could be a problem because if your claims aren't supported by the text of that provisional application, you're not gonna get that original date. And so, usually that kicks off a conversation of how much of a provisional that you want, or do you just wanna go all non-provisional. Now, I do litigation as well, and I can tell you, the, the, the pitfall is if you file that provisional and you file a non-provisional later and you end up getting that later date, if there is intervening prior art in between, the provisional date and the non-provisional date, that comes before your non-provisional date, that could invalidate your patent despite your provisional. And there's, parties debate this. They, excuse me, fight about this in court all the time. Now, did you have sufficient written description and enablement in your provisional application in order to substantiate your claims later? And if they can find intervening prior art between that year or whatever the time may be, that can be a real problem. So, I, I always c- I always tell clients, like, the, the more you can file up front, the better, because you're gonna get more support or more, possibility to have that support earlier in time. Of course, it takes more work. Most startups don't like to hear that, but it is, but it is the truth, and it does, it does protect them against that insurance policy. You, you add it up front. Like Stephanie said, you wanna, put that information, on file before you go out and do your advertising and marketing. That's also true in the US. Just filing a provisional application, does not in and of itself somehow protect you if, if you don't, if you don't say what it is that you're trying to protect. [00:20:48] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Okay. That makes a lot of sense, and thank you so much for that insight. So you mentioned a couple of times that sort of disclosure component, and so just to d- just be very specific about that whole thing you mentioned that could be-- that could look like even just a, a pitch deck where you think it's potentially within a, a private setting thing. Of course, I would imagine that also extends to talking about it on social media or a website or something like that. So I'm just curious what are some of the things that you see besides maybe perhaps the broader, more obvious, like a website, what are some of those things that you see that people don't think to, be aware of, I guess? [00:21:34] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. I've seen websites. It's super easy to create a website nowadays. You can ask ChatGPT or Claude to generate a website, and if you're putting your invention out in a website form before you file a patent, that could be a novelty-destroying disclosure. if you have a detailed pitch deck that you give to, potential investors without some type of control, like an NDA, that could also be a novelty form of disclosure. Like in the US, for litigation, I, I can tell you one of the questions that always gets asked in discovery is, "Did you disclose this prior to the, the filing date?" And, if that person, that person will be required to answer under oath, and if they're, "Yes, I had a website," or, "I, I gave this pitch deck to 50 people for investing," usually that's a problem because that--the opposing side that's defending against that patent will do a, a deep analysis and, and look-- and try to find when that was disclosed, and does it map up to the claims, and that could, create a problem with, validity in the US. [00:22:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Oof. That's no fun. That's why they should talk- Yeah ... to you early and often. [00:22:37] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. Yes. Again, another example of filing early, you know, eliminates some of those issues. i-in fact, I tell a lot of the startup companies or any, any client, like, before you go out there and, you know, have your conference or your, your pitch, then file. Most sophisticated clients know this, but a lot of times startups do not. [00:22:54] Lindsey Dinneen: Sure. Yeah, and if you're a first-time founder or something like that, you wouldn't-- you don't know what you don't know for many different categories, so I can see why that is so critical. Yeah. Okay. So, I was wondering if both of you could talk a little bit about maybe, maybe a moment that has stood out to you as, as you've worked, especially with-within medtech and, and working with some of these founders. Are there any moments that really stand out as just affirming that, "Wow, I, I am doing the right thing in the right industry at the right time"? [00:23:28] Stephanie Rupp: Shall I start? Yeah. yes, I, I've-- So for me it was, like, never the plan to become a patent attorney and, and, like, never had that in mind. And, so it was more of a coincidence that I stumbled upon that and did the training and became a patent attorney and... But I still remember my first day in the office and having the feeling of, "Yes, I think that's what I want to do for the rest of my life." Like, continue learning, like, having, like, this incredible opportunity to speak with so many great inventors. Having, like, I don't know, it's always amazing, to see how their mind works and that they're, like, finding solutions for s- like, very complex problems. And, so that, like, from the day, first day on, I had, like, the feeling, okay, I think I can really help here and, protect their asset the best way possible. And then especially within the medtech field, I think what Ryan also said in the beginning, there's like, it's also for me, sometimes it's a kind of s- scary part thinking about, okay, what if you get sick at one point, or like from closer family that got really sick, and, having like this helpless feeling like that you maybe can't change anything here. And then when you work with the medtech industry and you see that they are working on that problem and have these great idea- to help people to like, that there's also k- some kind of involvem- like involvement in this technology. And, so for example, I, there's like one of my clients, they are, working on histological images and analyzing them also with respect to cancer types, and how AI can be such a great help there. And of course, there are like a lot of these discussions about, how we should be careful with the new technology and how we could re- regulate that and stuff like that, but there's also like so much good in there that can really help people's lives. And I think that's like for me, always very nice that yes, Ryan said we're no doctors. So like, we're just like patent attorneys, but still we could contribute a little bit to that too. Yeah. [00:25:34] Lindsey Dinneen: Love it. [00:25:35] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. I would just, I would just echo everything that Stephanie said. That certainly is why I enjoy working in this space too, is, you, you feel like you have a, a little bit of contribution that you make. [00:25:44] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Absolutely. I, I couldn't agree more. I think, to your point, Stephanie, it's, it's so inspiring to see the innovation that's coming out, and it makes you feel like, especially when there's difficult world news, it makes you think, "Okay, but at least there are still these change makers who are really trying to make the world a better place and, and improve patient lives." And I think that's just a, a wonderful thing to get to witness and be a, a part of. It helps the soul. So, I'm always curious about the personal side of things as well. So just what are, what are some of the things that you all en- enjoy doing, say, outside of work? maybe some hobbies or volunteering or interests and things like that. What are... Let's, let's talk about the people as well behind these amazing patent attorneys. [00:26:36] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. everybody has a hobby, so I, I was, I like to run. I was running since high school, so I like to do that. And then, in the winter I like to ski. and then I'm, recently getting my scuba cert, with my daughter. So we're having a good time doing that this summer. So just trying to stay busy and active. I like to learn always, and so I, I, I love learning, I guess. and one of the reason why medtech is interesting to me 'cause I like to apply that, computer science skill to, the medtech field and continuously learn, in that space and also give back, like we talked about before. So, yeah, I guess I would lump in learning as one of my hobbies as well. I like... I, I'll say, and I, I'm not sure if we'll get into this later I think you had a question about, poss- if we, if we could teach one class or- No, we'll get into that ... [00:27:20] Lindsey Dinneen: Something like that. Yeah. [00:27:22] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, okay. I'll, I'll save that for a later time. So. [00:27:23] Lindsey Dinneen: Okay. Yes. Excellent. Stephanie? [00:27:28] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah, I think that's, one common thing that we have, Ryan and I. It's, skiing. That's also what I enjoy a lot. so as I said, I'm from Munich, and it's very close to the Alps, so it takes us only, like, about, like, two hours to go to Austria. and so, but I really enjoy going there for the weekend, clearing my mind. Yeah, especially when the week was very busy with work. so it's like, thinking about something else. And, besides that, yeah, spending time outside, going hiking at the weekend, like when it's... there's no snow. Also, I picked up some hobbies that I had when I was younger. So for example, I had, piano classes for, like, when I was five years old, and then once I had, like, the training and everything else going on, paused that because, like, so much else going on. But then last few years I, taught myself, "Oh yeah, it would be such a waste not to do that anymore." And, so I'm, like, started playing piano again. I'm not good in it. It's more really as a hobby. And, but yeah doing something else in the evening and clearing my mind. So that's what I usually like to do as well. [00:28:35] Lindsey Dinneen: I love that. That's wonderful. I, yes, I, I understand that sometimes picking up a hobby that you sort of set aside for a while is really fun as an adult, 'cause you have a different way of interpreting that learning, back to your point, Ryan, of how it, it it changes. And I, I actually really enjoy that, of, of revisiting something where I might have thought g- especially growing up. Like for instance, I remember thinking I just could not paint for the life of me, like it was never gonna happen. And then as an adult, with a, an instructor who was... maybe s- spoke a slightly different, in a different way, and then getting to like go, "Oh, maybe I can" is always a nice thing to learn too. But anyway. [00:29:17] Stephanie Rupp: And also taking, taking the pressure out of it. Yes. So it's like, as I said, like piano class is just a hobby. I don't have to be good in it. It's just should give me some joy in it. And so yeah. [00:29:27] Lindsey Dinneen: Love that. Yeah. Yeah, okay. So now you've both been in positions of leadership, and I'm curious, and, and I know it's hard to boil it down to maybe one thing, but what is one or two, three things that you would say is your top leadership advice, especially for those who maybe are more in, middle management trying to continue to build their leadership skills? And what, what makes a good leader, in your mind, and then maybe what's one or two pieces of advice? [00:30:02] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. What makes a good leader in my mind is something that somebody that can lead by example, I guess. On like a first project or a new client or a new matter, I like to do it, do it myself once so I can go through it and, get the feeling for the new technology, that may be at play or the new matter, maybe the client's preferences whether it's a startup or a large company. And then once I have that kind of lead from the front, then I like to do, I guess, a military word, dis- decentralized command, which is get people that I trust and who I have a great assistant. I have attorneys that I work with European attorneys such as Stephanie, and then give them work with them and give them free reign and control, whether it's a colleague like Stephanie or a associate here at Marshall Gerstein to, work with the client or have agency over, what they do, 'cause I think it can also teach in that capacity, like things that I learned from the lead from the front can flow, down or through or out and then, that person can also learn on the job doing it themselves. I believe that, people doing, instead of just listening is the, a best way to learn for them and then also get better. And so I, I tend to approach, leadership, from that perspective. [00:31:12] Lindsey Dinneen: Love that. Yeah. Stephanie? [00:31:15] Stephanie Rupp: Yes. I see myself like still more at the beginning of my career, so I can, talk a little bit more of how I, see or like, yeah, see leadership or like, how I experience it. Yeah. it's more also I... like everything what Ryan said, I completely agree. And also like seeing the person behind that. It's like everyone is like very busy, especially when you're in leadership positions and, very busy schedules and, But also seeing the person as a whole- Mm ... and how could you like support them to be better, to grow and, how to also, yeah- lead them or like, yeah, lead them in the way they w- where they want to be at some point. And, I think that's, yeah, what you should not forget e- especially when you have a really busy schedule. That's it. [00:32:11] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. The, the person behind... Yeah. That, that's an interesting theme that continues to come up, time and time again, is, you know, if one of the tricks to being a good leader is to care. It seems so straightforward, but it's if you care about the person and you, you want the best for them, you are going to naturally be a better leader because you're investing in them and, and in their success and goals, and, it's, it's just cool to see. Okay, and then, all right, I'm just going to pivot the conversation a little bit for fun, and this is where exactly what you were referring to earlier, Ryan. So if you were to be offered a million dollars to teach a master class on anything you want, could be in your industry, but doesn't have to be, what would you choose to teach? [00:32:58] Ryan Phelan: I would teach a class called Patenting Software Inventions and, I'm actually currently teaching that class. Oh. they're not-- I'm not getting paid a million dollars to do it, unfortunately. [00:33:07] Lindsey Dinneen: Dang. [00:33:07] Ryan Phelan: But, but it is a, a, a passion and a love. I teach it at, Northwestern Law, where I went to law school. I-- it's, it's my pleasure and joy every year to go back. I teach a power course there every year, I think for the past eight years on, teaching students how to patent software inventions in the US, and I think, elsewhere there's a, you know, there has become, by at least some people, the belief that you can't patent software, you know, which of course is, not true. And so, you know, I teach methodologies in my class about how to, patent software inventions in the US using you know, guidance from the courts, from the Supreme Court, from the Federal Circuit, from the district courts here, in the US. A lot of it covers, things such as Section 101 you know, that changed, in 2014, from the Supreme Court's decision in Alice v. CLS, and how to address, issues, about what the, the court said there. And then also what later courts, the Federal Circuit, said that they wanted to see in order to overcome, Section 101 issues, in the US. A lot of times, too, it's interesting, we have, like, a small slide like that, that deals with EPO-- which Stephanie's much more adept than, than I am-- but what we tell our students is, and maybe Stephanie can address this, is that, you know, there seems to be a convergence, between Section 101 law and, something called a technical effect, an EPO, where it seems like both jurisdictions are wanting to see more of a technical disclosure incorporated into the application rather than just kind of claiming functionally or a high level language. So you need to be very careful in crafting these applications so there's-- they're successful when you're in front of the the patent office in the US. And if you, you do it right, you can, create, you know, not only a US-centric application, but one that might, withstand, the strictures of the EPO. In my opinion, I think that the EPO can sometimes-- and maybe this is just me being a US practitioner-- but the EPO can be somewhat more difficult, to get a patent, application. Maybe Stephanie would disagree and say it's the other way around, but but it's always good, and clients usually, even if they're not thinking about it, to have an application that could survive both places 'cause they tend to be, I think, the, the two more, more difficult, if not most difficult jurisdictions in the world to get a patent application. And if you go into it knowing and how to craft a patent application and you're ready, and you put into that application the right, material, then you can be successful. [00:35:40] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Stephanie, what would you teach? [00:35:44] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah, maybe we, Ryan and I, could do a master class together then because he said, like, then we could explain the similarities or the differences between, US patent law and European patent law, and can also maybe, also add something about the UPC that we have now, the U- Unified Patent Court, and have a, maybe a lively discussion about all of that and, how to get the strongest and broadest, patent in the different jurisdictions. And as Ryan said, there are, like, some similarities, and I also have the feeling when I discuss with Ryan that, when we have a patent application where we struggle to get a patent on, then we usually also struggle with that in the US- Mm-hmm ... or the other way around. And, but of course, there are, like, differences in how the EPO and how the USPTO, like examine these AI inventions and, in the US you have these 101 objections that you usually get. In, Europe it's, they apply the so-called two hurdle approach where they, especially the second hurdle is usually harder to overcome. Mm. And that's also what, Ryan mentioned, is that you have to show the EPO that your AI invention or your AI steps contribute to the technical character of the invention. And that's, often, and I totally understand that, hard to grasp for an inventor because they think we have all these technical means here. We have a server, we have a processor, we have a memory, we have sensors getting data. Do you tell me now that that's not technical? [00:37:18] Lindsey Dinneen: Mm. [00:37:19] Stephanie Rupp: And, but that's not how the EPO thinks. It's, for them, they say, "What is your motivation for that invention?" Or, or in other, more their words, "What kind of technical problem you try to solve?" [00:37:32] Lindsey Dinneen: Mm. [00:37:34] Stephanie Rupp: And that is, what we also usually ask the inventors in our f- like, first meetings with them, "What is the technical problem you're trying to solve with that, and how does the, your AI steps, your method steps contribute to that?" Because that's, if you cannot show that to the EPO, then it's very hard to get a patent on. so maybe my combined master class- yeah ... where we show that and- It, [00:37:59] Ryan Phelan: It would- ... [00:38:00] Stephanie Rupp: Explain that, yeah. So ... [00:38:01] Ryan Phelan: Definitely it would, it would help out my meager EPO slide, any additional information on this, especially the, the UPC, which I'm glad you mentioned. But, maybe, we could take a minute to talk about the UPC and in, in the European area since that's like a new, newer, from what I understand, a newer avenue, the era approach in Europe. [00:38:20] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah. Yeah. It's, so as I said, we have, like, for now three years now, the, Unified Patent Court. And, before that we also had European patents, but once it was granted, was divided into national patents. So if you wanted to, file an infringement action or a nullity action, you had to do that in each specific country. And that made it very complicated because I, I'm a German patent attorney. I don't know anything about Italian law, so you would then need an Italian patent attorney or French and so on. So it was, like, very complicated. And, so what we now have, and that is, like, very exciting to live at that time now, is, the Unified Patent Court, where it's, like, now centralized and you can attack patents at the, like, Unified Patent Court, like, for the whole patent, and you don't have to go to these before the national courts anymore. And, so that's, like, very exciting for us as well because case law is evolving now and, there's, yeah, you can see how, like, how it changes and how the judges are handling these cases and it's, like, also very, like, for us, a lot of new things to learn. [00:39:32] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. [00:39:32] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah. [00:39:33] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, I was gonna say, I, I also heard, and, Stephanie can certainly chime on this, that certain cities in Europe, like Paris, or Munich, may have different judges that specialize in different arts or disciplines. I think, was it, w- what Munich was, I can't remember, is that the mechanical or- Yeah. [00:39:49] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah. So that's, like, for the central division, but we also have then local divisions- Mm-hmm ... as well. So we have, four local divisions in Germany, but also in other countries. And that also, changes, of course, a little bit of how they handle the cases because the judges, they often came from the, like, the national courts. So they, like, when you're in Germany, of course, they still have little bit, little bit more of the German thinking in them. When you're going to a Dutch, local division, then they have a little bit of, like, another, like, view on that. And I think over time it will, like, unify a little bit. but these are, like, also differences that, makes it very interesting, to see. [00:40:27] Lindsey Dinneen: All right. Okay, so next question is, how do you wish to be remembered after you leave this world? [00:40:35] Ryan Phelan: I hope that people remember me as, somebody that was fun, like to, you know, either work or hang out with that regardless of whether we're working hard or, you know, playing hard, that, that it was just fun. So that, that's my only wish. So or, or main wish. [00:40:50] Lindsey Dinneen: Love it. Steph? [00:40:52] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah, I think for me that I was maybe, like, a fair and trustworthy person. I think it sounds a little bit boring, but, more when people work with me and they, like, say, "Oh, when she gave me advice, I knew that she had, like, my best interest in mind as well, and not only, like, filling her own pockets or, like, trying to, like, improve it for herself, but having like..." Yeah, when they remember me of a person that you could trust with the advice, I think that would be, like nice to know for me. Yeah. [00:41:26] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, for sure. All right. Excellent. And then final question. What is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it? [00:41:37] Ryan Phelan: I guess just sticking with our current theme, if in a work capacity, when a client gets a victory of some type certainly makes me smile. A lot of clients are happy when they get their patents allowed, or if you win that litigation case or you, you do things, a lot of times in the US we'll, we'll have these decisions or these patents, and it it, it, it makes me smile to think that, you know, I helped their business in that way to protect their, their IP and just going forward. I, I imagine it's a pretty standard answer, but, you know, certainly in the context of this podcast, that's absolutely one thing that makes me happy. [00:42:10] Stephanie Rupp: Mm. Yeah. I'm a person, I get excited very quickly or, like, really small things make me smile already. So I arrived on Saturday in Chicago, and I, for example, didn't expect to have a gym in the hotel, and then suddenly I discovered that and was really happy about that. So these are these small things that other people say, "Oh, yeah, whatever." but I think what makes me smile the most is, like, knowing that I have a weekend ahead of me with, like, my family and my partner, and we go ski. And I say that now we have, like, summer outs and, like, very warm temperature here in Chicago. I think it's about 80 degrees, and I'm already thinking about skiing and snow, but it's, more of... [00:42:52] Ryan Phelan: It's never too early. [00:42:53] Stephanie Rupp: Yeah. But more of, like, not the skiing per se, but just having time with family and- yeah ... clearing my mind and stuff like that. So, yeah. [00:43:02] Lindsey Dinneen: Excellent. Excellent. Well, thank you both so much for being here. I've so enjoyed the conversation, and you gave so much amazing advice and guidance, so thank you so very, very much for all of that. If folks who should be looking out for services such as yourselves, how do they get in touch with you? [00:43:25] Stephanie Rupp: I think like through the website, that, I think will be- mm-hmm published, with the, podcast. And, also my email address as well. You can find me on the website, or we can also add it to the, to the podcast info. yeah. [00:43:38] Ryan Phelan: What is your... [00:43:38] Stephanie Rupp: It's the easiest ... [00:43:38] Ryan Phelan: What is your email address, Stephanie? [00:43:41] Stephanie Rupp: It... Hopefully I say it correct now. It's, S for Stephanie, S Rupp, my, last name, @hoffmanneitle.com, so very easy. Yeah. [00:43:53] Ryan Phelan: Perfect. Excellent. Yeah, same thing for me. I believe the contact information will be at the with the podcast, but I can be reached at RPhelan R-P-H-E-L-A-N @marshallip.com, and welcome any questions or comments. [00:44:08] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Well, thank you both so much again for your time today. We really appreciate it. We are so honored to be making a donation on your behalf as a thank you for your time today to Save the Children, which works to end the cycle of poverty by ensuring communities have the resources to provide children with a healthy, educational, and safe environment. So thank you so much for choosing that charity to support, and also thank you for continuing to work to change lives for a better world. Love learning about you, about your areas of expertise, and just really appreciate you, being willing to share with us. So thanks again, and, I suppose until next time. [00:44:51] Ryan Phelan: Thank you. Love to come back. [00:44:53] Stephanie Rupp: Thank you. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much. [00:44:55] Dan Purvis: The Leading Difference is brought to you by Velentium Medical. Velentium Medical is a full service CDMO, serving medtech clients worldwide to securely design, manufacture, and test class two and class three medical devices. Velentium Medical's four units include research and development-- pairing electronic and mechanical design, embedded firmware, mobile app development, and cloud systems with the human factor studies and systems engineering necessary to streamline medical device regulatory approval; contract manufacturing-- building medical products at the prototype, clinical, and commercial levels in the US, as well as in low cost regions in 1345 certified and FDA registered Class VII clean rooms; cybersecurity-- generating the 12 cybersecurity design artifacts required for FDA submission; and automated test systems, assuring that every device produced is exactly the same as the device that was approved. Visit VelentiumMedical.com to explore how we can work together to change lives for a better world.

Episode # 157 Ultra trail run learnings  In this episode Marilyn leads Jesse in a debrief of his recent ultra — a brutal 55K in the Alps with 10,000 feet of climbing. He and Marilyn break down what went wrong in his 4-week comeback and Marilyn provides some great feedback and things Jesse can implement moving forward.  We also chat about the UTMB's lottery "stones" system, and that feeling of being hungry to race again.    Enjoyed the show? Subscribe and leave a review — it really helps!   Jesse's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mr.jessev/   Learn More About Top Step Training https://topsteptraining.com/   Marilyn's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marilyn_chychota/   Learn More About Marilyn Chychota Coaching https://mcc.coach/   Tucson Triathlon Camp https://tucsoncamp.com/

Singapore and a European country are celebrating a 60-year connection, and something is making its debut here to mark the occasion. There are 10 works to discover, plenty of familiar cultural clues and a chance to go beyond the postcard. But what exactly is it? Join Neil Humphreys & Audrey Siek LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 8.15am for Singapore Unboxed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast supports bears, quadrangles, and liberal interpretations of The Iliad. Sign up for the free or paid newsletter to get updates on none of these things. Thank you for supporting independent ski journalism.Welcome to the Storm's short-form, news-focused podcast. Don't worry, I will still write newsletters too. Paid subscribers can leave a comment in the article below, or by joining The Storm's chat (also below). I'll respond to some comments in the next episode, which is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14.The Zoom transcript (click “transcript” above for the Substack transcript, which will zoom to any point in the video when you click on the associated text block; timestamps below DO NOT MATCH THE VIDEO)Stuart Winchester: Welcome to The Storm! I'm your host, Stuart Winchester. It is September 10th, 2026, and we have some big, big news in Ski World today.00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:14.000Stuart Winchester: So one of the things that I focused on since launching the storm in 2019 is the rapid.00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:30.000Stuart Winchester: Exponential growth in US based multi mountain ski passes and one of the biggest icon pass today released five new partners for the 2026 to 27 season. So I'm gonna break those down for you.00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:46.000Stuart Winchester: I am going to talk a little bit more about IndyPass and some of their partner shuffles. Then we are going to be joined by IndyPass owner, Eric Mogenson, who will give us a breakdown on all things happening with Indy, Black Mountain, and Entebeni Systems.00:06:46.000 --> 00:07:01.000Stuart Winchester: reader reaction, but I want to jump right into Icon Pass. Icon hits us today with, as I said, 5 new ski areas, 3 are full partners, and those… which means 7 days on the Icon Pass.00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:06.000Stuart Winchester: 5 days on the Icon Base Pass. All 3 are in Asia.00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:13.000Stuart Winchester: The first is Matarau, Japan. That will be ICON's 10th ski resort in Japan.00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:28.000Stuart Winchester: And then, Icon, last year, was the first U.S.-based pass to add a ski area in China, and Icon adds two more today, though they're nowhere near the ski area that it added last year. They are sort of close.00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:47.000Stuart Winchester: to each other. So, we're gonna break those down first, and then ICON added two mountains to its two-day tier, uh, which it calls Bonus Mountains, which ICON insists are not ICON Pass members, uh, but I insist they are, because you can access them with your ICON Pass. Therefore, they are on.00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:53.000Stuart Winchester: the Icon Pass, no matter what Altera tells us. So, let's start with Montreal, Japan, and if you're on…00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:55.000Stuart Winchester: The…00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:04.000Stuart Winchester: If you're on the video, I'm going to share my screen here because we're going to do a little visual helping.00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:10.000Stuart Winchester: All right, so let's take this away. All right, so the first one I want to break down.00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.000Stuart Winchester: is…00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:26.000Stuart Winchester: Madarao, Japan, and I've actually written about this ski area before, because they were an IndiePass member, and this is the article that I wrote back in 2023, when Madarao joined IndiePass, and Indie's been a big leader in.00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:27.000Stuart Winchester: Bye.00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:40.000Stuart Winchester: building out a network in Japan. So, the ski resorts in Japan are interesting. I've not skied there, but I've been there in the summer and ridden the lifts around.00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:45.000Stuart Winchester: And the skiing is very much like a mix of…00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:58.000Stuart Winchester: The Cottonwoods and New England. And what I mean by that is, if you're looking at the screen here, you can see the stats on Mattarau. 512 inches of average annual snowfall.00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:12.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, but not a lot of vert, 1,444 feet, and as you can see from the trail map, if you're looking here, it's not a big trail footprint. So, what I mean when I say Cottonwoods is the snowfall, and when I say…00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:29.000Stuart Winchester: New England, I mean the size. They tend to be not huge vert, sort of compact. If they do have a lot of vert, like the Jacuba Valley ski resorts that are on Vail, they tend to go, uh, kind of straight up and be side by side. You don't have a lot of the mega resorts as you would have.00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:40.000Stuart Winchester: in North America, or especially in Europe. So, it's good that the passes are all building density in Japan, because the ski areas are not…00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.000Stuart Winchester: This is not a place that you would go to necessarily.00:09:43.000 --> 00:10:02.000Stuart Winchester: like Vail Mountain and spend a week, or like Whistler. Another thing I want to note about Japan, you can see here that Matarau has some glade zones marked. In a lot of cases, skiing off-piste or in the trees, even though that's what Japan is known for, in a lot of cases, my understanding is that that's pretty heavily policed and forbidden.00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:17.000Stuart Winchester: So you really have to research your ski areas before you go over to figure out which ones will actually allow you to go off-piste, which is what most of us want to do, right? If we're coming from North America, we're going there for the big powder. Japan is a little more of an on-piste tradition.00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:21.000Stuart Winchester: a little bit more like Europe. So, I…00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:33.000Stuart Winchester: there's… to underscore the scope of what we have now available to us in Japan as U.S.-based pass holders. So, with the addition of Madarao today.00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:49.000Stuart Winchester: Now, 53 ski areas in Japan have joined the Epic, Icon, Indy, or Mountain Collective Passes. And I actually, I want to show you something I have that's really cool. So, I have this gigantic chart, and it's kind of…00:10:49.000 --> 00:11:04.000Stuart Winchester: it's kind of hard to navigate, but I'm slowly making it a little bit better. And so this is a chart that's variously called a bunch of different things. Right now, I'm calling it the Encyclopedia Britannica. Sometimes it's been the Passmaster.00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:17.000Stuart Winchester: 5,000. And I just kind of change the name whenever I want, but the link is always the same. And what I've… it's a really slow Google Sheet, and I definitely need a better platform, but if you go, there's all these tabs.00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:33.000Stuart Winchester: Down at the bottom, and again, this is where it's nice to have the video, so you can see what I'm showing you here. So I have all these tabs. One of the tabs is all MegaPass ski areas. So I have this divided up, and these are just little tables that pivot off the main table, so all the stats are up to date.00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:35.000Stuart Winchester: So first, I have this…00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:42.000Stuart Winchester: chart here with all ski areas that are on any U.S.-based pass, and we'll talk about that a little bit more in a second.00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:43.000Stuart Winchester: Then I have…00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:59.000Stuart Winchester: all U.S. ski areas, then I have New England, I have Japan, so let's pause on Japan for a moment. 53 ski areas, 11 Epic, 10 Icon, 32 Indy, 1 Mountain Collective. You can see all the stats down here. Again, not big.00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:16.000Stuart Winchester: skiable acre footprints, and really, Japan measures things differently than North America. They tend to measure snowpack rather than inches of snowfall. I did find a good average annual snowfall chart on Powderhounds, which is a great site that I'll talk more about.00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:25.000Stuart Winchester: for international research of ski areas. But if you see these acreage totals, you know, there's really nothing much.00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:35.000Stuart Winchester: Here's Niseko United, it's 2,100 acres, that's 5 ski resorts combined, right next to each other. Rasutsu is, uh, is 2,000, but most of these are under…00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:51.000Stuart Winchester: 500, so you really prepare yourself for that. It's one place, I think, Japan, where it would help to get a guide. Everything tends to be pretty cheap once you get on the ground. In Japan, the lift tickets are nothing, so having someone to show you around and show you where you can go under the ropes.00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:57.000Stuart Winchester: is a good idea. And, you know, I want to jump ahead to reader feedback for a moment. So I had…00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:14.000Stuart Winchester: this comment from Allison Wood. She said, I look forward to seeing your future efforts. I know there's enough in American skiing to discuss, but I'd be curious if you would further discuss European Alps destinations. It seems to be growing in popularity due to competitive pricing versus U.S.00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:28.000Stuart Winchester: Western resorts. A week at Big Sky appears to be the same price as a week in Switzerland for those in the Eastern USA. The answer is absolutely yes. I do want to cover the Alps and Japan and all of these international destinations more.00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:43.000Stuart Winchester: I don't have the personal on-the-ground knowledge base with those ski areas that I do with the U.S. ski areas, so I'm reaching out to my contacts in Europe, in Japan, who know these resorts intimately, and I'm gonna bring them on the show to try to help us make sense, because if you go back.00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:47.000Stuart Winchester: We go back to the Encyclopedia Britannica for a second.00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.000Stuart Winchester: You'll see that…00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:52.000Stuart Winchester: The, uh… if I can get to it…00:13:52.000 --> 00:14:05.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, so Japan has 53 ski areas, Canada has another 55, and most of us can sort those out easily enough. The harder ones is Europe. I mean, Europe, there's 61 ski areas, and sometimes a ski area in Europe is, you know.00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:21.000Stuart Winchester: 10 ski areas that put together are as big as all the ski areas in Utah. So I really need some help to break those down. But that's the great thing about this new format is that it will allow me to bring in more voices more frequently since there's more frequent shows. All right.00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:38.000Stuart Winchester: Icon also today added two ski areas in China, and the best site to just get the basics of any ski area in the world is, I've found, skiresort.com. They have a profile of every ski area. They tend to keep it up to date. I don't know who runs the site.00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:54.000Stuart Winchester: I would like to connect with them at some point, but this is really my go-to for… so this is Betahu, I'm sure I'm pronouncing that wrong, one of the ski areas that ICON added in China, and they have all the basic information, the elevation, which is not high, it's all in meters, obviously, out of the U.S.00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:01.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, what I really like is the lift breakdown and the trail map. So, the… the thing about the ski areas in China.00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:07.000Stuart Winchester: is just like everything else in China, they're pretty much brand new. I read this really interesting.00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:13.000Stuart Winchester: quote in the New York Times several years ago, and the notion.00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.000Stuart Winchester: was basically China…00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:31.000Stuart Winchester: stayed pretty much in the 19th century for all of the 20th century, and then it got to the 21st century in about 10 years. So, you go there, there's high-speed rail, everything's new, there's new buildings. The ski resorts are new as well, and you can see this in their lift fleet. I mean, this…00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:34.000Stuart Winchester: You know, they have a…00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:49.000Stuart Winchester: six eight-person gondolas, one six-person gondola, two high-speed six-packs, three high-speed detached quads, no fixed grip lifts at all, and then you take a look at the trail map, and again, this is probably a little more like Japan, where these are.00:15:49.000 --> 00:16:03.000Stuart Winchester: a little bit smaller ski areas than what we're used to, uh, as far as the Mountain West. But, you know, it's all very well interconnected. I would expect a lot of on-piste skiing. You know, with a… with a immature ski culture, I wouldn't expect a lot of glade stuff.00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:19.000Stuart Winchester: to be developed. Kind of talking on my rear end, to be honest, because I've not skied in China or even been to China, but these are my perceptions with the different ski cultures I know. I'll try to track down someone who knows better. Here's the other Icon Pass resort, Lake Songwa Resort, and I want to make…00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:30.000Stuart Winchester: that we kind of have an Aspen-Crested Butte situation going on here, so Sangua and, uh, this other one they added, uh…00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:49.000Stuart Winchester: Beidou, there, as you can see on this Google map, they're 24 miles apart in the mountains, but it looks like about a 4-hour drive, so there's not really a road through the city. It's the same kind of deal with Aspen and Crested Butte, where they're pretty close, but it's a long drive around. These are seasonal roads that Google doesn't know about, so it's about a 5-hour drive in the winter.00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.000Stuart Winchester: I believe. So…00:16:51.000 --> 00:17:03.000Stuart Winchester: We have these, and then, if you want to go to China to experience skiing, Icon gives you the means to do so. And then, Icon added…00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:16.000Stuart Winchester: to their 2-day tier, which again, they're saying is not IconPass. I want to talk about the 2-day tier a little bit in general. So, Icon started this 2-day tier.00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:23.000Stuart Winchester: last year, and I think what they were trying to do is mirror what Vail did.00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:37.000Stuart Winchester: with its feeder ski areas and all these little places that are bought all over the country, Mount Brighton in Michigan, and Afton Alps in Minnesota, and Wilmot in Wisconsin, and all the resorts around Cleveland.00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:49.000Stuart Winchester: and you know, Alpine Valley. And then there's the names escaping me. Boston Mills, Brandywine. I just skied there and did a write-up on it. So so yeah, they're.00:17:49.000 --> 00:18:04.000Stuart Winchester: Vail bought up all these ski areas. Well, Icon, instead of doing that and buying, has added two days only on the full Icon Pass, which is currently $1,449, uh, two days to 11 different ski areas around the country.00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:19.000Stuart Winchester: It's been growing that list. Silver Star was one last year, and it converted to full Icon, but right now, if you're on the screen share, you can see the 11 that are currently on the Icon Pass two-day roster. So we…00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:23.000Stuart Winchester: had today the additions of Cabarfay Peaks in Michigan.00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:25.000Stuart Winchester: And…00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:37.000Stuart Winchester: In Wyoming, we had snowy range. So Caberfay Peaks is actually, it's an awesome ski area. It's one of my favorite ski areas. I grew up about an hour and 15 minutes from there.00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:40.000Stuart Winchester: And with Cabot Fay, it…00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:55.000Stuart Winchester: It's a really fun place. They're constantly building it up. And what the cabaret you see today is very different than the cabaret that existed a long time ago. It basically used to be a two mile sprawl of rope tows and starting in the 1980s.00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, the families that owned it dug up from the bottom here.00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:07.000Stuart Winchester: and added to the top. So they went from a couple hundred vertical feet to 485 vertical feet, and it continued to…00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:18.000Stuart Winchester: expand, and they have another expansion in the works over here on Green Mountain. Should be coming 27-28, and I'm gonna have Tim and Pete Meyer from Calgary Fay Peaks on next week to talk about that a little more.00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:20.000Stuart Winchester: And then we have…00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:36.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, it's Snowy Range, Wyoming, and Snowy Range might seem like a little bit of a weird one, but Snowy Range is actually very logical. They've had a long-standing relationship that's in southern Wyoming. It's not, it's only a couple hours from Steamboat. They have a long-standing relationship with Steamboat.00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:51.000Stuart Winchester: to a snowy range season pass for 300 and some dollars this year. They changed that to half off in a 3 day icon session pass, which is good at Steamboat and several other mountains. And now, if you have a full icon, you would also get 2 more days at Steamboat.00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:54.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, or you would actually get 2 days at Snowy Range.00:19:54.000 --> 00:20:00.000Stuart Winchester: if you were, you know, wanted to escape the crowds at Steamboat one day. So, we are gonna…00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.000Stuart Winchester: Come back to…00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:16.000Stuart Winchester: IndyPass in a moment. Actually, I have one more IndyPass update, then I'm gonna go to Eric. So, Mission Ridge and Blacktail in Washington have left IndyPass.00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:17.000Stuart Winchester: And…00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.000Stuart Winchester: Hold on, let me just…00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.000Stuart Winchester: So Eric, I'll be right there.00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:30.000Stuart Winchester: We'll get to Mission to Blacktail in a minute. I'm gonna bring Eric in.00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.000Stuart Winchester: And I'm going to stop my screen share.00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, Eric?00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.000Erik Mogensen: What's up, man?00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:57.000Stuart Winchester: How you doing? Joining us now is the director of IndyPass, the founder of Entebeni Systems, and the operator of Black Mountain, New Hampshire. Eric Mogenson is a good friend of the storm, and he joins us now from where? Where are you, Eric?00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:05.000Erik Mogensen: I am, uh, calling in from Black Mountain, New Hampshire, our new home, and I'm up at the Alpine Cabin.00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:18.000Stuart Winchester: I want to start on the Alpine Cabin. Tell us what the Alpine Cabin was when you arrived at Black Mountain and what it has turned into from what it is and from a revenue standpoint.00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:07.000Erik Mogensen: Yep.00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:34.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, so, um, I spend the first 8 to 10 hours of my day working with our engineering and product teams, and most of it is in front of a computer or on the phone, but by 5 PM I try to be up here on the mountain every.00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:52.000Erik Mogensen: night. Like, doing trail work, on the excavator, snowmaking, lift work. But I keep a desk up here in the summer. Couldn't keep a desk here in the winter. Um, but I do keep a desk up here so that when I have an idea, or I want to come write something down, or I want to watch a YouTube video, or do something, this place is super productive for me.00:21:53.000 --> 00:22:11.000Erik Mogensen: It's like my peaceful, happy place in the summer. In the winter, there is nothing peaceful about this place. This, this place rages, uh, European style. So, when we took over Black Mountain, the Alpine cabin, the credit card receipts from the Alpine cabin the year before.00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:22.000Erik Mogensen: were $38,000, uh, for the season in sales. Um, and the year after, our first year that we took it over, it was over $300,000.00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:29.000Erik Mogensen: Um, and then our second year, it was over $600,000, and most of that comes down to champagne.00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:38.000Erik Mogensen: But don't look at champagne as something you drink. Champagne is something that you use to celebrate. And so I think.00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:50.000Erik Mogensen: The long-winded answer to your question is, is the Alpine cabin is truly a place to celebrate the sport and culture of skiing, and people are definitely holding on to that.00:22:50.000 --> 00:23:03.000Stuart Winchester: It's an amazing space, and if folks aren't familiar with Black Mountain, that's the main double chair to the summit right behind you, and it goes right over the alpine cabin. It's a party scene, and it's a lot of fun.00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:00.000Erik Mogensen: Oh, yeah.00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:20.000Stuart Winchester: Going from $38,000 to $600,000, 20X in revenue, I mean, Eric, that's the kind of revenue stream that could change the path of a lot of small ski areas. Is that replicable, do you think, at some of these smaller family-owned ski areas around the country that.00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:25.000Stuart Winchester: are really tied to old revenue models and just need a little spark.00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:32.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, I don't know if you can scale the champagne necessarily, but you can definitely scale.00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:51.000Erik Mogensen: the focus on the culture of skiing. And I think that's really what the independents do so well, is that, you know, the wood fireplaces smell authentic, the people are very authentic, the ski trails are authentic, they're weird, they're quirky, the lifts are slow, right?00:23:51.000 --> 00:24:06.000Erik Mogensen: Those a lot of people look at those things. We've been programed as skiers to see those things as liabilities. They're actually our biggest assets. And so, yeah, the Alpine, you know, the Alpine cabin was a little 200 square foot patrol shack.00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:11.000Erik Mogensen: that sold some, you know, beer and hot dogs.00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:21.000Erik Mogensen: But we never looked at that as a liability. We never looked at that as, hey, we need to go build a 20,000 square foot mid-mountain lodge, take on a ton of debt.00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:32.000Erik Mogensen: Um, we really looked at it as an opportunity, and I think every single small ski area has that exact same opportunity to focus on the authenticity of the product that they deliver.00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:48.000Stuart Winchester: There's been a ripple effect, too. I mean, what can you tell us about skier visits before and after you purchased it? Because Black, for background, for people who are not familiar with Black, the reason you own Black is because they announced they were closing on Facebook. They said, we're done. The skier has been open since 1930, whatever.00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:57.000Stuart Winchester: said, we're done, this was 3 years ago, and you said, no. And you tried to find a buyer, looked for a year, uh, and decided to buy it yourself. So, so…00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:03.000Stuart Winchester: You took a dying skier, what did the skier visits revenue look like when you got it, and what do they look like today?00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:15.000Erik Mogensen: It was about $700,000, $750,000 in top line revenue when we bought the whole ski area. Yeah, including the $32,000 in hot dogs and beer at this cabin.00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.000Stuart Winchester: That's the whole ski area.00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:27.000Erik Mogensen: Um, so it was the entire ski area. I don't quite know what the skier visits were. Um, we know what the ticketed visits were, but I would guesstimate that the skier visits were somewhere between, you know, 10 and 15,000.00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:43.000Erik Mogensen: Um, in our second year, we took it to $2.5 million in top line revenue. Um, we've surpassed $5 million, uh, here in our 25th or 26th month. And skier visits, you know, all in, including employees and the whole thing, right about 55,000.00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:48.000Erik Mogensen: So it's been a big turnaround. It's been interesting, learned a lot.00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:50.000Erik Mogensen: And.00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:56.000Erik Mogensen: I think this is 100% doable by most of the smallest areas on the planet.00:25:56.000 --> 00:26:02.000Erik Mogensen: You just have to realize that if you want a different and better result, you have to take different and better action.00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I mean, you proved me wrong, because I, you know…00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:16.000Stuart Winchester: I thought Black had maybe just had its time, because it's surrounded by two Vail Own Mountains and Cranmore, which is a high-speed lift. Sunday River is right down the road. Uh, you have intense competition from Epic.00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:26.000Stuart Winchester: and… and Black Mountain is not an especially snowy mountain, like, say, Smuggler's Notch, we'll talk about in a minute. I… I didn't know if… if it had enough aura.00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:38.000Stuart Winchester: But it seems like you've either tapped the aura or created it, and really turned it around, and really given me a lot of hope that a lot of the ski areas that we see around the country, that…00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:45.000Stuart Winchester: Seem to be up against this modernization curve, they can't quite get ahead, might be able to take other routes to get there.00:26:45.000 --> 00:27:00.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, and I think, too, Stu, it's worth noting, like, yeah, I'm proud of what we've done here, but there's a lot of really good operators out there that have done this, too. You know, having grown up in Buffalo, which I'll call, like, the Eastern Midwest of the Midwest.00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:00.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:10.000Erik Mogensen: Right? There's really well-managed ski areas that focus on the food and beverage, that focus on the authenticity, um, that drive a ton of other revenue.00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:23.000Erik Mogensen: Um, that are creative, uh, in that way, and I think we just have to be accepting of those things. We have to be accepting of them, we have to share what works, uh, share what doesn't work, and collaborate, um.00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:29.000Erik Mogensen: And and then we'll be fine. We'll be fine. These little skier is have a huge advantage.00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:39.000Erik Mogensen: in the fact that they are… they are run by authentic and passionate people. That… they… they are… they are run…00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:46.000Erik Mogensen: not as a profit center. Um, and yes, they need to be profitable to be sustainable and have reinvestment, right? But…00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:51.000Erik Mogensen: These little ski areas have such a remarkable advantage over some of the big areas.00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:57.000Erik Mogensen: and and how they're managed and what their direction looks like. We just have to take advantage of it and talk about it more.00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:06.000Stuart Winchester: this is just the beginning of the story, too. All right, let's switch over to Andy Pass, and, you know, my questions around Black, when you were initially taking it over, were…00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:24.000Stuart Winchester: how many retro ski areas does New England have room for in a market? Like, Mad River Glen has crafted its whole image around being this retro ski area. You know, they groom, they make snow up to 2,000 whatever feet, the single chair is a 1940 whatever, but they rebuilt it in 2007, so…00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:27.000Stuart Winchester: It is a well-maintained place.00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:42.000Stuart Winchester: as sort of like a museum. It's… it's… it's… the facade is old school, and it skis that way, but really, it's… it's been well tended to. Smuggler's Notch is another one of those that feels like 1960s, around 1960s haul lifts, including.00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:57.000Stuart Winchester: One of the longest in the country, the Madonna lift. Uh, and I saw black in that same mold and said, okay, how many of these do we have room for? But Smuggs is, at the end of the day, a awesome ski area, and you added it to IndyPass. I mean, how big of a victory is that for New England skiers?00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:03.000Stuart Winchester: to now have Smuggs, Jay, Waterville, all these ski areas on the one pass.00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:11.000Erik Mogensen: I mean, look, you've got… you've got Smogs, you've got Jay, you've got Bolton, you've got Cannon, you've got Waterville, um.00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:28.000Erik Mogensen: we've really leveled the playing field in the East, and it's exactly what we intend to do in other places of the country, and also around the world. Uh, and I think what we're proving here in New England, there's been a lot of focus with IndyPass in New England over the last two years, and a lot of that has to do.00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:44.000Erik Mogensen: With Black Mountain and our move and our things there. But what we're proving we can do here, we are going to replicate in other markets. There's no question in my mind. And I think what we're going to replicate is the fact that you don't have to be epic. You don't have to be iconic.00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:50.000Erik Mogensen: to be a really stable, well-earning business. You can be part of an independent group.00:29:50.000 --> 00:30:09.000Erik Mogensen: and still push and plow forward, and compete. So, you know, and I… look, I don't judge a ski area by its vertical. Don't judge a ski area by how many high-speed lifts it has. I think that's the mistake that we keep getting pulled into in skiing. And our… it's the mistake that we make as well as operators, and we…00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:54.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:16.000Erik Mogensen: we pass that mistake on to the consumers, right? Bigger is not better, it's just bigger.00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:33.000Erik Mogensen: Faster is not better. It's just faster, right? More lifts. Sure, that sounds great, but you have to pay for those lifts as well. And so that is going to there's that money doesn't just come from the sky that that money is going to be passed on to the consumer.00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:41.000Erik Mogensen: And the more and more we continue to do that, the more and more expensive and exclusive skiing's gonna become. So, again, I'll bring it back to…00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:51.000Erik Mogensen: One of the greatest advantages these places have are being small, are having slow lifts, are being independent, are being authentic. And that's exactly what Smugs is.00:30:51.000 --> 00:31:01.000Stuart Winchester: However, SMUGS also has 2,600 feet of vertical, 1,000 acres of skiing, and 322 inches of average snowfall. The numbers do help.00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:08.000Erik Mogensen: They do, but I'll leave the numbers to your spreadsheets that I can barely understand at this point.00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:03.000Stuart Winchester: The numbers do help, though, it's offline.00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:10.000Stuart Winchester: Well, that makes two of us and probably everyone else.00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:11.000Erik Mogensen: Those will speak for themselves.00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:16.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so having Jay and Smugs on there is an awesome combo. You know, I think that…00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:28.000Stuart Winchester: Indy and Doug before you, when Doug… I know Doug's still heavily involved, but the founder of the Indy Pass, Doug Fish. I think you have done a great job of building these little nodes of skiing.00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:44.000Stuart Winchester: around the country, and now around the world. So the… the donut hole has always kind of been Colorado, Utah, Tahoe, and that's because that's where Epic and Icon logically went. Those are the three biggest ski markets. But I want to talk a little bit first about the Midwest, where.00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:59.000Stuart Winchester: Indy built a really nice network, and you have a lot of ski areas in the Midwest. You have… 37. Uh, you've had some big departures this year. Lutzen, Granite Peak, and Snow River, run by Midwest Family Ski Resorts.00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:16.000Stuart Winchester: Went over to Icon, and Lutzen is, for the listeners, biggest ski area in Minnesota. It skis like a New England ski area. Granite Peak, you know, lots of high-speed lifts. Charles Skinner really turned that place from a dump into something nice. And the Snow River's on the come up. It's in a nice snow belt in Michigan.00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:19.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, you know, how much…00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:27.000Stuart Winchester: Did you see those as drivers of IndyPass sales in the Midwest? And how concerned, if at all, are you that they departed?00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:41.000Erik Mogensen: Well, look, let's… let's talk… I mean, the moose in the room here is that that… that loss sucks for us. Like, there's no way around it. Um, it… it… it's a bummer. It stings. Uh, I really like Charles Skinner. I really like Charlotte. I think they're both.00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:34.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:57.000Erik Mogensen: really great operators. They're very, very smart. They're very, very sharp. We had a we had a great call around when we kind of showed them what the revenue was in their last season, and we talked through it, and very, very amicable. I've always relied. Have some great, you know, dinner conversations with Charles.00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:12.000Erik Mogensen: And and I think they're great. They they have to make a move. They made a business decision to go to Icon and Icon makes that very, very, very attractive. You know whether or not that initial sales pitch.00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:29.000Erik Mogensen: translates into the long-term vision? I don't know. I firmly believe that, you know, Midwest skiers are some of the most authentic and purposeful, you know, skiers on the continent, and they'll figure it out. I think we have lots of options, there's no question.00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:38.000Erik Mogensen: But none of them are going to be quite like those Midwest family resorts. And so we'll have to see what happens. It stings, but I don't.00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:42.000Erik Mogensen: What I've really learned about Indy is that.00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:47.000Erik Mogensen: Our our strength is in the diversity of of.00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:56.000Erik Mogensen: the resorts that we've put together. It's not on a… it's not on a single one resort, or a single resort operator. Um, so…00:33:56.000 --> 00:34:01.000Erik Mogensen: I hate losing resorts, but I'm never afraid to lose them and/or replace them if necessary.00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:12.000Stuart Winchester: So, when they go to ICON, there's a couple different tiers for ICON. So, Midwest family went to the traditional 7-5 tier of 7 on full ICON, 5 on ICON base. Today.00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:19.000Stuart Winchester: I kind of announced that Cabaret, a former IndyPass partner that actually just left Indy, was a founding member in 2019.00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:32.000Stuart Winchester: left for Icon. That news just broke. I don't know if you have any thoughts on that. Buck Hill similarly left Indy for Icon today, a couple of years ago. Is that too new to process, or what are your thoughts on Cabra Fact?00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:48.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, I think it's exactly the same where, you know, we, we, you know, Cabrifay is a great ski area. Um, we're sad to see them go. We, you know, look, they're independent for a reason. They get to make their choice. They've made their choice. They're going to go to Icon. The consumers can make their choice of where they go and where they want to.00:34:48.000 --> 00:35:05.000Erik Mogensen: they want to spend their time and money. You know, we're going to fight as hard as we can to drive as much value for the operators and the consumers as possible. I can tell you, we had some people that had left for that icon two day product that now want to come back because of the payout.00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:04.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:22.000Erik Mogensen: Or lack thereof. So, look, none of this is static. One thing I can absolutely guarantee everybody on the pass and everyone listening to this is, is this is going to happen every single year forever. You're going to have people come, you're going to have people go. And we're all going to think it's way more consequential.00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:11.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:33.000Erik Mogensen: than it actually is. The reality is, is that indie sales for the last 7 seasons continue to go like this, and we're directing more and more.00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:39.000Erik Mogensen: revenue, meaningful revenue to these independent resorts. And that's not going to stop.00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:43.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. The, uh… another place you have…00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:45.000Stuart Winchester: Good.00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:55.000Stuart Winchester: cluster is the Pacific Northwest. Mission Ridge and Blacktail, which are jointly owned, recently announced that they left, and I reached out.00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:57.000Stuart Winchester: to…00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:59.000Stuart Winchester: Mission Ridge.00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:06.000Stuart Winchester: COO and GM Matt Neubauer, and I just asked him, you know, what's going on, and this was his email, this is a quote.00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:15.000Stuart Winchester: Mission Ridge's agreement ran through the end of the 25-26 season, and we declined to seek a new one. Being independent means making the calls we think are right for the mountain long term.00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:32.000Stuart Winchester: So, that's basically echoing what you just said, the mountains will make the right decision. Uh, Blacktail's situation is different. This is a continuation of the email. Uh, they reached out to establish a new agreement before the old one ended and did not get engagement on it. Indy did reach out after passes, went back on sale September 1st, but by then, Blacktail had moved on.00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:42.000Stuart Winchester: and was preparing for the season ahead. So that was the rationale that I have for Matt. He didn't want to talk about it further publicly, but that was his on-the-record statement.00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:59.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, I, I, you know, look, Stu, I, I think as good as it is for your ratings, you know, I, we're not gonna hang out every, every scary as, you know, laundry and every single conversation. Um, I would disagree with how that was had. I think, I think one of the greatest things about India is we have.00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:09.000Erik Mogensen: 300-plus resorts around the world. One of the hard things about Indy is that we have 300-plus resorts around the world. It's a lot of contracts to manage, it's a lot of things.00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:07.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:19.000Erik Mogensen: I could, like, tell you from the ski area operating, um, perspective, like, I feel everything's nice and chill all summer, and we're doing really good, and then all of a sudden it's, you know.00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:35.000Erik Mogensen: September 1st, and it's like, wow, we got a lot to do in the next 60 days before we make snow. And I think every single ski area operator runs through that. Uh, and there's a lot going back. Stu, sometimes I have to go look at your spreadsheets to understand who's on the pass.00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:52.000Erik Mogensen: That's why we usually give everything to you ahead of time so that you can, like, count them up and do the math and do everything. So it's hard. But I would say, that team at Blacktail is world class. Jesse is and is incredible. We've I've always had a great relationship with Jesse.00:37:52.000 --> 00:38:08.000Erik Mogensen: We'd welcome them on the pass. I don't think that that's changed. And I think that Blacktail and Mission Ridge are two very different ski areas. And I'm really fascinated and hopeful that they figure out a way.00:38:08.000 --> 00:38:10.000Erik Mogensen: how to make the whole thing work between the two of them.00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:28.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, you still have a really nice set of resorts out there with White Pass, and 49 Degrees North, and Mount Hood Meadows, and Bluewood, and Brundage, and Tamarack. And Tamarack's interesting, because so Tamarack, and I want to clarify this, I've actually gotten a lot of inquiries about this, people emailing me telling me my charts are wrong.00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:43.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, which… which happens, you know, they're… they're big and… and, uh, unwieldy, so I get things wrong, but that's… they're always a work in progress. But, uh, they're telling me Tamarack's not in the past because they joined Icon today, which… which obviously they did. Uh…00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:46.000Stuart Winchester: So what's going on with Tamarack? Are they on Indy?00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:59.000Erik Mogensen: Tamarack's on Indy, um, you know, we're excited about Tamarack, we've always been excited about Tamarack. Again, Scott, really great operator, um, super smart guy, great ownership group.00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:13.000Erik Mogensen: You know, I think we could probably comment on that a little bit further. But you know my job is not to speak for these resorts, Stu. My my job is to support them, and there's a difference between supporting them and speaking for them.00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:08.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:20.000Erik Mogensen: So, I'll always support them, and what Tamarack decides to do and where they decide to sit is good, but.00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:23.000Erik Mogensen: I'm comfortable saying that Tamarack's on Indy.00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:37.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, in general, you know, when Buck Hill joined the Icon 2 Day last year, you said adios. I think that's what was my understanding from a distance, correct me if I'm wrong. What was different about the Tamarack situation? Why are you making the exception for Tamarack?00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:52.000Erik Mogensen: Look, I think, look, Icon's aggressive. They're aggressive. They're trying to add as many people as they possibly can to that two-day pass. You know, I think that there's a lot of promises on that, and I think they have a very aggressive sales team.00:39:52.000 --> 00:40:08.000Erik Mogensen: Which is which is good. They're they're, you know, trying to replicate what Indy has done. So we'll just have to see what happens. But I would say that I would I would say that, you know, I have a I have a good relationship with a couple people over in that organization.00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:15.000Erik Mogensen: And I think they're trying to figure out what they're going to do. But there's no question that we're in, you know, pretty intense competition right now.00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:18.000Stuart Winchester: All right, let's…00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:32.000Stuart Winchester: wrap up on that. Let's talk about Snow King, because the Indy Pass, you know, part of the reason the Indy Pass is able to grow so fast, from my point of view, was Doug had this great insight that the ski areas that Epic and Icon were overlooking.00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:38.000Stuart Winchester: Did have value collected onto a pass, and when you put them all together as a dynamite product.00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:47.000Stuart Winchester: and now I think, as you said, ICON's going for that, and then you have the Snow Pass, and the Snow Pass, uh…00:40:47.000 --> 00:41:02.000Stuart Winchester: has signed Snow King as a partner, and that's a long-time Indy Pass partner, and I can read these emails if you'd like, or you can just talk through it yourself on how you see the Snow King.00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:03.000Stuart Winchester: um…00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:05.000Stuart Winchester: conflict here.00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:20.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, look, I wouldn't really say that there is any controversy here. I think Snow King is staying on Indy. Um, you know, Ryan and I never discussed any sort of litigation, and I connected him directly with you so that he could, you know, explain the situation for himself.00:41:21.000 --> 00:41:36.000Erik Mogensen: Look, again, it's not my job to get out in front and speak for these resorts. These are really great resorts with phenomenal and sophisticated operators, and they can speak for themselves. So, what I can do, Stu, is, you know, say, hey, Ryan.00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:43.000Erik Mogensen: you know, you're on Indy, and you're not on the snow pass, copy you on that email, and then you can read the email to the group.00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:46.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, the email…00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:50.000Stuart Winchester: from Ryan said.00:41:51.000 --> 00:42:06.000Stuart Winchester: Stuart, hi Stuart, this is Ryan Stanley, General Manager of Snow King. That is correct, we're going to remain on the Indy Pass this upcoming season and also offer two free tickets to the Snow Pass holders without receiving compensation, meaning Snow King will not receive compensation.00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:16.000Stuart Winchester: We are fairly desperate for some skier visits and are working on an offer for free and or $20 tickets to other pass holders as well. You know, I…00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:18.000Stuart Winchester: Ran this…00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:20.000Stuart Winchester: Bye.00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:22.000Stuart Winchester: Snow pass and.00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:26.000Stuart Winchester: I can read this email from Joe Heschen that he sent me today.00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:33.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, he said, Hi Stuart, I'm a bit confused by how this has become so complex. As stated, we have signed a signed agreement with Snow King.00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:43.000Stuart Winchester: While I would like to keep their details confidential, you are welcome to share ours. Our goal with this is not to profit, but rather to gather a group to work together for the betterment of the industry.00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:56.000Stuart Winchester: And then, it sounds like Snow King will be working with Indy and Snow Pass this season, which is great news for them. Thank you. Go Hessian. So, from Snow Pass's point of view, Snow King is still on both passes.00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:16.000Erik Mogensen: I don't know, Stu's starting to sound like a big old, you know, fun high school group text message here. I don't, I, you know, I don't know what to tell you. Um, again, I think Ryan's email's pretty clear. I'm not gonna speak for Ryan, not gonna speak for Joe. Um, they're definitely, you know, Snow King is definitely on the Indy Pass. We're definitely gonna pay them, just like we have.00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:21.000Erik Mogensen: every year. We're definitely gonna push a lot of visits to them. Um, you know, I'm not…00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:33.000Erik Mogensen: entirely sure, uh, beyond that. Uh, and, and, you know, Ryan, again, Ryan's a really smart guy. I've enjoyed talking to him. Um, I've spent a…00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:49.000Erik Mogensen: few, you know, longer phone calls, and he is desperate for skier visits, and I get that. He's a small skier area in the shadow of Jackson Hole, and doesn't have a ton of population to pull from. Most of the population that's coming through is destination visits.00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:57.000Erik Mogensen: And he needs more skier visits. We… we want Snow King to get skier visits. We… we… and if Ryan wants to comp…00:43:57.000 --> 00:44:07.000Erik Mogensen: you know, snow pass holders, or icon pass holders, or epic pass holders, then that's fine. I think that's great. But just because Ryan is going to comp.00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:04.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:18.000Erik Mogensen: the Snow Pass doesn't mean that he's on the Snow Pass, and just because Ryan is going to comp Icon Pass holders, that doesn't mean that he's joined the Icon Pass. Um, all I can come down to, again.00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:27.000Erik Mogensen: is that Snow King's on the Indy Pass, um, and from our perspective, they're giving some free tickets to some of the other passes.00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:35.000Erik Mogensen: Hopefully, that checks everyone's box for early September ski area drama.00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:43.000Stuart Winchester: All right, it is an ongoing story. I just have a lot of conflicting information from…00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:56.000Erik Mogensen: What we should do is just, you know, get Uncle Joe on the call, and get Ryan on the call, and you on the call, and we all talk about it, right? Like, I think it's… I don't think it's that complicated, and frankly, it's not that big of a deal.00:44:56.000 --> 00:45:12.000Erik Mogensen: And I question the intentions behind making it a big deal. I think that, you know, Snowpass is definitely looking for us to bite into a controversy, and we're just not going to.00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:22.000Erik Mogensen: We're just not going to. We… our job is to focus on the independent resorts and make sure that we drive more visits to more independent resorts.00:45:22.000 --> 00:45:23.000Erik Mogensen: more often.00:45:23.000 --> 00:45:31.000Erik Mogensen: It's really simple, you know, and I think, I think in general too, Stu, like, you know.00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:26.000Stuart Winchester: Do you? Yeah.00:45:31.000 --> 00:45:46.000Erik Mogensen: What I've gotten from a lot of our operators and partners and people in skiing is they're just very confused by this. And again, it might be good for ratings or listeners, but there is no litigation here.00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:56.000Erik Mogensen: there is no problem with Snow King. They're a great, valued partner. You know, this comment, you know, an idea around democratizing skiing, right? Like.00:45:56.000 --> 00:46:08.000Erik Mogensen: you know, let's let every resort build their own reciprocal deal with, you know, Jersey Joe's commission-based software pitch, right? That's cute, that sounds nice, but in practice, IndiePass exists for a reason.00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:12.000Erik Mogensen: It's a lot more work for skier is and most importantly.00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:20.000Erik Mogensen: It's much more fragmented and a confusing product for the consumer. A single pass with a single price point.00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:22.000Erik Mogensen: And a lot of partners.00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:28.000Erik Mogensen: you know, mitigates the patchwork of one-off deals, and that's the whole reason IndyPass exists.00:46:28.000 --> 00:46:37.000Erik Mogensen: More people skiing more often at independent resorts, right? Like, we redirect tens of millions of dollars a year to independent operators.00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:48.000Erik Mogensen: Arguing that somehow the absence of the IndyPass is better for the industry is nonsensical at best. It would just give Icon and Epic a more…00:46:48.000 --> 00:46:51.000Erik Mogensen: More opportunity to eat our lunch. So…00:46:51.000 --> 00:47:02.000Erik Mogensen: you know, we can… we can dive into all the muddy details all day long, but I don't see any controversy here. We're super excited to have snowpack… I mean…00:47:02.000 --> 00:47:04.000Erik Mogensen: Snow King.00:47:04.000 --> 00:47:15.000Erik Mogensen: on the Indy Pass. Um, and, you know, maybe you just have to come up with a different color for it on your spreadsheet, like some sort of gradient between the two. Whatever you want to do, we trust you.00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:32.000Stuart Winchester: Let me zoom out a little and make this a little more conceptual, because you've told me before that IndyPass doesn't make money, and I believe you're still sticking to Doug's original ratio of 15% for admin, which I doubt covers admin. So 85% traditionally was paid out to the resorts, correct?00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:49.000Erik Mogensen: Correct. Oh, yeah. Still the case. Yeah. No, I mean, look, we, we, you know, 85% of every passport just goes back to the independents. And remember, look, we, we take 100% of our money in on credit cards. We pay the ski resorts in check cash. Right. So we're also eating that credit card fee.00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:36.000Stuart Winchester: Is that still it? Okay.00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:41.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:47:49.000 --> 00:47:59.000Erik Mogensen: So now you're down to, you know, 12% in change. Running a pass like this, it's not profitable. We never looked at this as being profitable.00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:53.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:47:59.000 --> 00:48:10.000Erik Mogensen: I really bought IndyPass because I knew that Doug was going to exit and needed to exit, and I thought some of the other people that would buy the pass.00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:21.000Erik Mogensen: would view it more as a media company or a marketing opportunity, and less of something that I think is very important for the independents. So…00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:39.000Erik Mogensen: Uh, you know, Snowpass has committed to giving 80% back, um, to the resorts in their first year, and then something else beyond that, right? And the difference between 80% and 5%, right? You know, it sounds like 5%, but if you actually do the math, that's a 25% difference.00:48:39.000 --> 00:48:49.000Erik Mogensen: Uh, and so we pay every resort the same percentage back of their, you know, top ticket price. We've always done that, um, so…00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:55.000Erik Mogensen: That's what we do, that's what we've done, that's what worked, and that's what we.00:48:54.000 --> 00:48:59.000Stuart Winchester: So to zoom out to the conceptual level a little bit here, I want to look at…00:48:59.000 --> 00:49:09.000Stuart Winchester: Snow King's neighbor, Jackson Hole. Okay, so Jackson Hole is on Icon. They're also on Mountain Collective. You've taken a pretty firm stand that Indy.00:49:09.000 --> 00:49:16.000Stuart Winchester: partners should be exclusive with Indy. If you're looking at a ski area like Snow King that is desperate for.00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:18.000Stuart Winchester: for visits.00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:24.000Stuart Winchester: why cut that pathway off? Why is it important to make indie exclusive and not say, okay.00:49:24.000 --> 00:49:39.000Stuart Winchester: case by case, if you're, uh, you know, certain resorts, if we don't have an exclusivity agreement with you, like, maybe you want to give, you know, Brundage a higher payout because they're a destination and… and to be exclusive, but maybe some of these other ones, you give them all the tools in the toolbox. What…00:49:39.000 --> 00:49:42.000Stuart Winchester: Why is that not an option? Or is it an option?00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:48.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, I just, I think it complicates things, number one. Number two, I just don't find it very equitable. The great thing about IndyPass, look, I get…00:49:48.000 --> 00:49:58.000Erik Mogensen: There's a lot of conversations all the time when we have a larger resort wanting to join, or has joined, or wants to renew about getting a bigger payout.00:49:58.000 --> 00:50:08.000Erik Mogensen: What I can tell you for as long as I own and run IndyPass, I'm going to treat every single resort the same. I'm not going to make special side deals.00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:14.000Erik Mogensen: That's just what we're going to do. I think it's a mistake to do that.00:50:14.000 --> 00:50:20.000Erik Mogensen: Everyone's going to get the same. Everyone's going to be the same. Everyone's going to get the same percentage payout.00:50:14.000 --> 00:50:15.000Stuart Winchester: It.00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:17.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:23.000Erik Mogensen: No special deals.00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:37.000Stuart Winchester: So let me wrap on that point. So you added Smugs, your New England network is lights out. You know, like I said, Jay, Smugs, Cannon, Waterville, Saddleback, and a bunch of smaller places, including Black Mountain. Doug was concerned when he started the pass.00:50:37.000 --> 00:50:48.000Stuart Winchester: About dilution in the marketplace, and if you put too many ski areas in a market, you would both cannibalize their season pass, and drive down their yield, or their eventual payout.00:50:49.000 --> 00:51:04.000Stuart Winchester: you have filled in a lot more density, and when I've asked you about it in the past, you said that's a data-driven decision, so can you break that down for us, and what gives you confidence that adding smugs is not going to take away from.00:51:04.000 --> 00:51:08.000Stuart Winchester: Fulton Valley, or Jay Peak, or Cannon, or Titus.00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:23.000Erik Mogensen: Well, we know exactly how many pass holders we're adding every single year, right? We, we have a unique control over how many passes we sell, right? So we have, we know the data that comes in on one lever and we 100% control the amount.00:51:11.000 --> 00:51:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:51:23.000 --> 00:51:43.000Erik Mogensen: of passes in that lever that we sell. So it's just simple math, right? It isn't even that complex of a spreadsheet. Uh, you wouldn't even have to have it in a spreadsheet. So we need to add enough customers to make sure that we don't over dilute Bolton's payout or those things. And what's remarkable is the data shows us this is, I think now our fourth season.00:51:43.000 --> 00:51:49.000Erik Mogensen: of owning and operating the IndyPass is that we just keep going in the right direction.00:51:49.000 --> 00:52:04.000Erik Mogensen: And that's the reality. Like, JPEAK and Bolton's payout, the check that they get from IndyPass and take to the bank to pay their bills and buy more chairlifts and more snowmaking pipe and pay their employees, is only getting bigger and bigger.00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:08.000Erik Mogensen: With smugs on the pass. And again, I cannot.00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:23.000Erik Mogensen: reiterate enough how sophisticated of an operator these guys are. Like, the DeLauriers are smart. They see the numbers, you know? Christian Knapp at PGRI, he sees the numbers. Steve Wright, these are smart guys. John Schaefer, the…00:52:23.000 --> 00:52:27.000Erik Mogensen: Really smart. You know, if they figure it out.00:52:27.000 --> 00:52:30.000Erik Mogensen: I think that that itself.00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:38.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, Jay has been, uh, has recommitted to Indy several times, uh, through one-year contracts. All right, Eric, IndyPass is still on sale?00:52:38.000 --> 00:52:56.000Erik Mogensen: Uh, 80 Pass is on sale right now, yes. I think what we've announced is we've said tomorrow's the day. I think we could go into midday Saturday. Um, it's… it's hard to tell, right? We look at a couple numbers, we look at people that have put things in their cart, and what the potential conversion rate is, and where things go, and…00:52:56.000 --> 00:53:01.000Erik Mogensen: the geography around them. We definitely have a very firm ceiling on what we're gonna sell.00:53:02.000 --> 00:53:10.000Erik Mogensen: When we're going to sell that through, that's the hard part. But yeah, we've identified that tomorrow's the day.00:53:08.000 --> 00:53:16.000Stuart Winchester: And this will be the end of 26-27 IndyPass sales guaranteed, or is there a chance for a flash December sale or something?00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:30.000Erik Mogensen: There is never a guarantee of anything in this thing. We are talking to some pretty major additions as well that I think would be meaningful, and we'll have to decide if that's a this year thing or a next year thing with them.00:53:19.000 --> 00:53:20.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:46.000Stuart Winchester: I mean, you've already added over 40 new partners. India has more partners than Epic, Icon, Mountain Collective, Snowpass, and Mountain Collective Capital's Powerpass combined around the world. So you're saying we should expect or could expect more partners?00:53:31.000 --> 00:53:32.000Erik Mogensen: Alright.00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:49.000Stuart Winchester: In advance of the 26-27 winter?00:53:48.000 --> 00:54:02.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I can tell you that there will definitely be some more. And I think, Stu, it's actually about 60 new additions. And I know you don't like to count the cross-country ski areas, but we should maybe find a separate tab for them on the spreadsheet.00:54:02.000 --> 00:54:04.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:54:02.000 --> 00:54:12.000Erik Mogensen: Every ski area matters to us here, whether it's cross country or downhill or big or small. I think that's what makes us different.00:54:11.000 --> 00:54:27.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, you know, I didn't start stop counting them out of malice. I stopped because I couldn't really understand them, and the maps kind of looked like a brain scan, and some would leave, and it was just a lot. I was already trying to track too much.00:54:27.000 --> 00:54:44.000Stuart Winchester: I will take that piece of advice, though, and I will see if I can find a place where they make sense. Eric, really appreciate everything today, appreciate everything you're doing with Indy and Black Mountain, and look forward to catching up with you again really soon.00:54:44.000 --> 00:54:49.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah. Thanks so much, Stu. Keep those spreadsheets going, dude.00:54:46.000 --> 00:54:47.000Stuart Winchester: Alright.00:54:48.000 --> 00:54:51.000Stuart Winchester: That's all I do.00:54:49.000 --> 00:54:52.000Erik Mogensen: Yeah, I know. See ya.00:54:51.000 --> 00:54:53.000Stuart Winchester: All right, take care.00:54:52.000 --> 00:54:53.000Erik Mogensen: Bye.00:54:55.000 --> 00:55:05.000Stuart Winchester: All right, that was Eric Mogensen, director of IndyPass, owner of Black Mountain, responding to some of the questions.00:55:06.000 --> 00:55:21.000Stuart Winchester: initial conversation I had with Joe Heschen the other day. So, uh, that's great. We have no more clarity on Snow King, and this episode went a little off the rails, because I need to… there's gonna be a lot of experimentation here, guys.00:55:21.000 --> 00:55:35.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, the… the opening take, I'm realizing, I don't know if I should be recording that before the guest. I think maybe I need to start with the guest, because otherwise, I end up having to cut myself short. So…00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:39.000Stuart Winchester: I want to get to some reader reaction.00:55:39.000 --> 00:55:42.000Stuart Winchester: To close us out today.00:55:42.000 --> 00:55:44.000Stuart Winchester: And…00:55:44.000 --> 00:55:47.000Stuart Winchester: The first comes from…00:55:47.000 --> 00:55:49.000Stuart Winchester: Matt Hart.00:55:49.000 --> 00:56:03.000Stuart Winchester: He said, really, this is in reaction to Brian Norton's interview yesterday about Loon Mountain's expansion. Matt Hart, really good, loved Brian's description of the expansion and how they will make it work from an operations point of view.00:56:03.000 --> 00:56:06.000Stuart Winchester: Catcher's mitt for snow, love it.00:56:06.000 --> 00:56:21.000Stuart Winchester: And then, and then Matt asks, did he give you grief for calling the Timbertown expansion that little one LOL? I, no, he didn't, but, but it is, I mean, it was a 30 acre expansion on a huge ski area. So, uh, I don't know, maybe, I think they, uh.00:56:22.000 --> 00:56:36.000Stuart Winchester: you know, I'm always the tourist, so anytime I'm asking these guys anything, they… I think that it sounds a little ridiculous, because they live it every day of their life. It would be like them asking me a question about my cats, you know, it's something that I'm around every day.00:56:36.000 --> 00:56:46.000Stuart Winchester: All right, this is a comment from Robert, a paid subscriber, which is the way you can interact with the show is to be a paid subscriber to the Storm Skiing Podcast.00:56:46.000 --> 00:57:00.000Stuart Winchester: Robert says, again, of the Brian Norton pod yesterday, great second effort. Are you planning to stick to a drop time of about 4 p.m. Eastern time? What is your anticipated schedule? Daily, four days a week, three?00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:07.000Stuart Winchester: 4pm drop makes for a nice way to wrap up the day, at least for those in a compatible time zone.00:57:07.000 --> 00:57:22.000Stuart Winchester: And then Brian Bench, paid subscriber, says, ditto on sharing the anticipated schedule. We humans are creatures of habit, and so would be great to know when we can generally expect these to land. Excited for your chat with Eric today. Well…00:57:22.000 --> 00:57:23.000Stuart Winchester: Brian.00:57:23.000 --> 00:57:26.000Stuart Winchester: I have an amazing guest.00:57:26.000 --> 00:57:29.000Stuart Winchester: scheduled for…00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:46.000Stuart Winchester: Sep

This week, we're joined by Jake Catterall, fresh from completing an incredible challenge in the Alps: linking the routes of MCC, OCC, UTMB, TDS, ETC, YCC and CCC, before finishing with the 300km PTL, all as one continuous superloop.The result? Nearly 900km and 61,000m of elevation in just 12 and a half days.Jake takes us through the journey behind the challenge, from the preparation and training to what it was actually like out there, and everything that went into making it happen.An incredible achievement and a fascinating story from start to finish.

Episode: 2999 Hannibal's Grand Strategy: Genius or Failure?  Today, Hannibal at the gates.

The whole crew is back for a UTMB debrief! Hilary sits down with Rachel Drake, Leah Yingling, and Katie Asmuth to unpack their journeys around Mont Blanc, from the very different paths that got each of them to the start line to everything that unfolded over 100+ miles in the Alps.Rachel shares the emotional roller coaster that had her considering dropping at Courmayeur before turning her race around and ultimately finishing 25th. Leah talks about chasing big goals in an increasingly deep women's field, a nutrition mistake that changed the trajectory of her day, and finding an unexpected teammate in Amanda Basham for the final hours. And Katie reflects on arriving at UTMB with a completely different set of expectations, racing without the pressure to perform, and coming away with a renewed excitement for the sport.They get into the magic of the UTMB start, GI problems, motherhood and racing, learning to problem-solve when things go wrong, the complicated feeling of being both proud and disappointed with a result, and why all three walked away already thinking about what might come next.This is the full Trail Network UTMB recap: the good, the hard, the messy, and everything they learned along the way.This episode is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.A big shout out to our sponsor ⁠⁠Precision Fuel & Hydration⁠⁠. Go to ⁠⁠pfandh.com⁠⁠ to crush your next race with a personalized fuel & hydration plan. Use code "TTNP15" at checkout.A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Visit Osprey.com to explore their incredible products!

Just days before Badwater 135, Sally received an unexpected call offering her a spot in the race after she had already stopped heat training and shifted her focus toward TDS in the Alps. With only five days to prepare, she chose to say yes, reset her expectations, and approach one of the toughest races in the world very differently than she had in the past. Sally shares how slowing down, listening to her body, leaning on an incredible crew, and letting go of performance goals turned into one of her most meaningful race experiences. Enjoy!Giveaway will last for 10 days from the release of this episode. Other Episode Highlights:Another giveaway!Managing recurring stomach problems during ultrasKnee update after nearly 500 miles of racingMeeting her crew for the first time the day before the racePopsicle at mile 25 creates a problemRunning the final miles with Joe CorcioneBarely eating from mile 45-120 McDonald's hash brown saves the day Community highlights All links, discounts, and ways to support the podcast are here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sally McRae Strength App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Choose Strong Book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Choose Strong Podcast YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sally McRae YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Choose Strong Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Choose Strong Strava Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack @SallyMcRaeYellowRunnerBe sure to take advantage of the great deals from our sponsors!MUD/WTR: Start your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code STRONG at mudwtr.com/STRONG #mudwtrpodLAUNDRY SAUCE: Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code STRONG at https://laundrysauce.com/STRONG   #laundrysaucepod

Sam Appleton announces his retirement after 13 years and 20 career victories, with one or two bucket list races still to come before he calls it a day for good. Taylor Knibb is adding the UCI Road World Championships time trial in Montreal to an already extraordinary month, racing the 70.3 World Championships in Nice first before flying straight to Canada just eight days later. Jan Frodeno has won his age group at the UTMB OCC, the 55km trail race in the Alps, dominating the 45-49 category by nearly 25 minutes. The man cannot stop winning regardless of what sport he turns up to. Lucy Charles-Barclay has made the difficult decision to skip her defence of the 70.3 World Championship title, going all-in on Kona instead. It makes her the first reigning champion to miss the race in 15 years, and we discuss what it means for the women's race in Nice. At WTCS Weihai, Beaugrand makes it four wins from four this season while Max Studer defends his title in the men's race, with Tyler Mislawchuk completing the podium. Ironman 70.3 Zell am See serves as the final Pro Series race before Nice, with Laura Philipp winning the women's race for the fourth time and Lasse Nygaard Priester breaking the course record to beat Jelle Geens in the men's race, a significant result just days out from worlds. The Supertri Grand Final in Jersey is coming up, with Yee, Wilde and Hauser all confirmed for an $800,000 showdown. We look at what to expect from the first meeting of Yee and Wilde in 2026. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' Get your Talking Triathlon Gear at: https://stolengoat.com/webshop/talking-triathlon/ To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14

The booths are landing in World Showcase, and we are getting our very first look at what's cooking for the 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival! In this episode of The DizPod, we are giving you the ultimate festival preview to help you plan your itinerary before the gates even open.Join us as we break down all the early news, confirmed menus, and activities Disney has dropped so far:First Look at the Food: We preview the newly confirmed dishes, including the Street Corn-style Chicken Dumplings at Gyozas of the Galaxy, the returning Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp in Australia, and sweet treats like Kirschwasser Torte at The Alps.Festival Activities & Scavenger Hunts: What to expect from the return of Emile's Fromage Montage (the ultimate cheese crawl) and how to hunt down everyone's favorite chef in Remy's Ratatouille Hide & Squeak.Entertainment Sneak Peek: A look at the freshly released Eat to the Beat concert lineup—including highly anticipated festival debuts like Grace Potter and Big Head Todd and the Monsters!The Returning Parisian Breakfast: Why you might want to book the newly confirmed Chefs de France morning buffet before hitting the World Showcase.Get a head start on your festival game plan and find out what we're most excited to try first!What booth are you most excited to see return this year? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe!

Jonathan Dower, MS, LPC, ALPS, NCC, CRC, ICAADC, CCS, SAP, Chief Executive Officer at West Virginia Sober Living on advanced degree opportunities at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Bobby Nutter from ICS Tax on the Earned Income Tax credit and other tax issues. 

Episode 396 A devastating climate disaster has killed at least 1,200 people in Nepal. A mass of ice and rock came crashing down off the Langtang mountain into the valley below. The climate crisis has made events like this much more likely. This is just one of many retreating glaciers. We're also on track for a record year of ice-loss in the European alps. As the world is reshaped before our eyes, what does this mean for the planet - and the 1.9 billion people who live downstream of glacier ice mountains? This all comes as experts predict this year's Super El Nino event will be the biggest in 1,000 years - plus an admittance from The UN Environment Programme that we will overshoot 1.5 degrees of global warming.  To discuss the tragedy in Nepal and the growing concern in the Alps, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Professor of Glaciology Bethan Davies and climate journalist Alec Luhn. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Image Credit: The aftermath of severe flooding along the Bhotekoshi river in Nuwakot, Nepal, on 28 August Ambir Tolang/JNA/ZUMA Press/Alamy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Jim and Katie recap their most recent adventure events, including Jim's seven-day multi-stage cycling race in the Alps and Katie's 30th birthday bike/run challenge in the White Mountains. Highlights include training approaches for long endurance events with a lot of elevation, how to approach fueling and hydration across racing contexts, mindset approaches for when the going gets tough, how to effectively recover between back-to-back-to-back stimuli, and the role of identity in tackling big challenges. We hope this episode inspires you to plan some endurance adventures of your own while providing some helpful tips for prep, execution, and recovery. Check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

Before our trip to Switzerland, my mental snapshot was of snowy Alps, goats grazing, and mountain farmers blowing alpine horns. However, as we drove south from Zurich, the landscape was the same drab tangle of highways we saw in any city. When we got close to our lodging, we had to drive up a precarious one-lane dirt road.

ON TODAY'S PROGRAM... ZACK COULD BEAT TOTO, AT HIS OWN GAME... IS NORRIS THE "A" TEAM AND, OSCAR THE "B" TEAM... CARLOS SAINZ...AS HE SIGNS ANOTHER CONTRACT WITH WILLIAMS HE KNOWS HIS CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES ARE GONE...AND FERNANDO SAYS...HONDA MAKING PROGRESS! I'M NOT GONA MISS IT! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER ANOTHER MOMENT IN F1 HISTORY...THE 2014 SEASON AND, THE CHAOS BETWEEN TWO DRIVERS! ...INTERVIEW WITH JOS AND MAX VERSTAPPEN DURING HIS SHORT FORMULA 3 SEASON! ANOTHER NASIR CLASSIC! OUR BONUS: TECH TALK WITH TIM....THE FRICS SYSTEM Front to Rear Inter-Connected Suspension. High Schooler Garcia Drives to First Career Win in Milwaukee  WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026) – Don't tell the principal, but Max Garcia may have earned the right to skip school Monday after his stirring first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile. Series rookie Garcia earned his first win in his 15th career start in the INDYCAR development series, driving his No. 12 Abel Motorsports machine under the checkered flag .9430 of a second ahead of the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports car of JM Correa, who also earned a career-best finish. SEE: Race Results It's still uncertain whether Garcia, 17, will be in homeroom Monday morning at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, where he just started his senior year. “Unbelievable,” Garcia said. “It's been such a tough year for all of us at Abel. We knew we had a good oval package. We knew we set the car up more for the race, and we knew in practice we could move through cars. It was all about timing it right and then getting through everyone. “I'm trying to convince my mom not to let me go to school. Surely, this is something to celebrate. A day off would be nice, right?” Rookie Jack Beeton continued his strong second half of the season by finishing third in the No. 45 HMD Motorsports machine, earning his third podium result in the last five races. Andretti Global's Max Taylor finished fourth in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen entry, while Nikita Johnson rounded out the top five in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car and took the lead in a sizzling championship fight with two races remaining. Johnson drove from 15th at the start to earn his eighth top-five finish of the season. He leads Enzo Fittipaldi by three points and third-place Tymek Kucharczyk by 29 entering the season-ending Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader Sept. 5-6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It's tied for the fifth-closest race margin between the top two drivers with two races to go in series history. “I just kept my head down, pushed really hard and found lines that other people didn't find until about halfway through,” Johnson said. “I think that really helps, just playing around and trying different lines out when everybody was just stuck in one line. It was a really good points day for us.” Fittipaldi finished seventh in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car, while Kucharczyk placed 12th in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine. Garcia started ninth but steadily worked his way through the field on the 1.015-mile oval. He passed Beeton for second on Lap 35 and pulled to within one second of leader and pole sitter Josh Pierson of Andretti Global, who had led by more than two seconds in the early going of the 90-lap race. Under pressure from Garcia, Pierson's quest for his first career victory unraveled on Lap 54 when he spun in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti car in Turn 2 while leading and hit the tire barrier inside that corner to end his race. Pierson led every lap to that point. Garcia inherited the lead and never surrendered it despite four restarts in the last 37 laps after the race went caution-free for the first 53 laps. Abel Motorsports driver Garcia was threatened only once on one of those restarts. Beeton looked under Garcia in Turn 1 on Lap 83 but couldn't complete the pass. On the next and final restart on Lap 86, Garcia left no doubt by getting a good jump and pulling away easily. Beeton and Correa raced side by side for second on that restart, allowing Garcia even more time and space out front. Correa eventually prevailed in that duel, one of 208 on-track passes, a track record for INDY NXT at Milwaukee. New heights at Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine! After an extended summer break following the cancellation of Rallye Rouergue Rodez Aveyron Occitanie, the Clio Trophy France Asphalte resumes next week at Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine. At this iconic French Rally Championship event, the return to action will be intense, with 39 crews ready to give it their all to reach the midseason mark in the lead and enter the home stretch in a strong position. Now in its seventh season with the fifth-generation Renault Clio, the Clio Trophy France Asphalte continues to prove its appeal, with a record 39 Clio Rally5 cars set to line up at Morzine this year. The Alpine mountains offer a magnificent backdrop for the competitors, who are eager to return to competition for the first time since mid-June. Leader in the general classification following his first victory in the Vosges, Paul Dachicourt (Fun Meca Sport) will look to consolidate his advantage in Morzine. Also leading the Junior category, where an official drive is up for grabs, the Pas-de-Calais native will target another victory at a rally that went his way last year, when he posted one of his best results despite a puncture on the opening special stage. His main rivals, however, are determined to prevent him from pulling away. Winner of the opening round at Le Touquet, Maxence Potard (Gilbert Compétition) will rely on his experience in the Alps to bounce back after his crash in the Vosges. The member of the FFSA's Collectif France Rallye isn't the only one with this objective, as Romain Brun will attempt to return to the sharp end of the order after a difficult weekend in the Vosges. Several competitors will try to capitalise on their knowledge of the roads to close the gap to the leaders. Having secured four podium finishes with Clio Rally5 at Morzine since 2020, Romain Fostier (David Auto Compétition) is a serious contender for victory in this demanding event. He will also seek to increase his lead over his rivals in the Gentlemen class: Pascal Bérard, Jacques Bourrat, Franck Giraud (Lycée Roger Claustre) and Michaël Durigon, who returns to the Clio Trophy France Asphalte for his 22nd start in the event. Jérôme Janny (David Auto Compétition) will equally rely on his experience to build on his strong start to the season, as will Yohan Roumieux (JLA Rally), who finished in the top ten last year, and Maxime Chagot (LCS Location), a two-time class winner at Morzine. Fabien Combe, who has finished 10th twice this year, and Christophe Truchet, 2025 Clio Full Challenge winner, will be outsiders to watch in their Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine debut. Behind the trio of Paul Dachicourt, Maxence Potard and Romain Brun, other Junior drivers have high hopes. Following his first podium finish in the Vosges, Clément Didier (JLA Rally) will look to build on that form in the Alps, where Alex Florenson (PH Sport), who finished fifth a year ago, will target a trip to the podium next Saturday. Also worth keeping an eye on are Thomas Santiago (LCS Location), Louis Gass (PH Sport), Néo Rivallant (Fun Meca Sport), Oliver Sørensen, Thomas Van Outryve (LCS Location) and Maxence Girard (CHL Sport Auto), all in search of valuable points. Meanwhile, Tom Le Jossec (Rageau Sport Location) and Alexis Poso (Salvi Compétition) will aim to stay in contention on their Mont-Blanc debut with Clio Rally5. Back in action after his retirement at Le Touquet, Loan Guibal (Salvi Compétition) wants to turn his obvious speed into stage wins and a strong result in a rally he is discovering for the first time, just like Léo Véricel, Louis Bottin (PH Sport) and Alfred Sablonnière. Clémentine Benoit (Sarrazin Motorsport) will defend her lead in the women's category and face Lilou Boulangé (Gazou Compétition), a rookie this season behind the wheel after co-driving for her father Arnaud in 2025. Nicolas Paviet-Roche and Mathieu Duclos will make their first appearance of the year in familiar surroundings. Killian Marry will also return to the service park to tackle Alpine special stages for the first time – stages that several newcomers know well, notably William Gagnière, Paul Missillier and Vincent Chagot, Maxime's brother. Lastly, Grégory Scotto La Chianca will make his Clio Trophy France Asphalte debut, as will Robin Duarte, Arthur Guillaume and Tanguy Rubin-Delanchy, who have all cut their teeth with Clio Rally5 in the French Rally Cup. The 78th Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine will feature 12 timed sectors covering a total of 196.04 kilometres over a 493.87 km route. On Friday, the action gets underway on the Montriond-le-Lac – Avoriaz stage, followed by two loops comprising Bonneville – Glières Val de Borne and Les Clefs – La Clusaz, then a single run on the Morzine – Montriond-le-Lac stage. On Saturday, the crews will tackle Morillon – Samoëns, Samoëns – Morzine and La Côte d'Arbroz – Taninges three times. The final ten special stages will each award up to five “Jean Ragnotti Performer” points to the five fastest drivers, in addition to the standard finishing points. Ten Clio Rally3s, six Clio Rally4s and nine Clio Rally5s outside the trophy will also be at the start of the event.

2022年全国甲乙卷英语听力第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。1. What does the man want to do?A. Have breakfast.B. Take a walk.C. Call his office.2. What was George doing last night?A. Having a meeting.B. Flying home.C. Working on a project.3. Why does the man suggest going to the park?A. It's big. B. It's quiet. C. It's new.4. How does the woman sound?A. Annoyed. B. Pleased. C. Puzzled.5. Where is the man's table?A. Near the door.B. By the window.C. In the corner.第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。6. What are the speakers going to do tonight?A. Eat out. B. Go shopping. C. Do sports.7. What is the probable relationship between the speakers?A. Boss and secretary.B. Hostess and guest.C. Husband and wife.听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。8. Why does the woman think July is the best time to move?A. Their business is slow.B. The weather is favorable.C. It's easy to hire people.9. How will they handle the moving?A. Finish it all at once.B. Have the sales section go first.C. Do one department at a time.听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。10. What did Peter learn from his grandfather?A. How to appreciate art works.B. How to deal with artists.C. How to run a museum.11. What did Peter do in Chicago?A. He studied at a college.B. He served in the army.C. He worked in a gallery.12. Whose works did Peter like best?A. Rembrandt's. B. Botticelli's. C. Rubens'.听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。13. Where does the conversation take place?A. At a library.B. In a law firm.C. On a train.14. By what time did John plan to finish his term paper?A. March. B. August. C. October.15. Why did John quit his part-time job?A. He had to catch up with his study.B. He was offered a better one.C. He got tired of it.16. What is Susan's attitude to John's problem?A. Carefree. B. Understanding. C. Forgiving.听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。17. What did the speaker do before the year 2012?A. A fitness coach.B. A chess player.C. A marathon runner.18. Why was the 2016 Olympics important for the speaker?A. He was motivated by Bolt.B. He broke a world record.C. He won fifth place.19. Which is the hardest for the speaker?A. Getting over an injury.B. Doing strength training.C. Representing Botswana.20. What is the speaker mainly talking about?A. His plan to go for the gold.B. His experience on the track.C. His love for his home country.听力答案：1-5: BCBAC 6-10: ACACA11-15: ACCBA 16-20: BBCAB原文Text 1M: Jenny, you can just drop me here.W: But we are two streets away from the office.M: It's fine. I had a big breakfast, and feel like a bit of walk.Text 2W: Hello, George. You look tired. Didn't sleep well last night?M: No, not at all. I had to work flat out to meet the project deadline. Now I'm really feeling a bit run-down.Text 3W: John, can't we go someplace and talk? It's so noisy in here.M: Well, there is a small park across the street. It's usually not crowded at this time of day.Text 4W: We've got to do something about the neighbor's dog.M: Why? Has he been into your flower garden again?W: The flower garden, the garbage can and yesterday he started digging holes in the yard.Text 5M: Hello, we have a reservation in the name of Mr. Johns. Is there any table by the window?W: Sorry, we've got this corner table for you. It's quiet here, not close to the door.Text 6W: Dave, don't forget we are invited out to dinner tonight.M: Oh yeah. I almost forgot. What time?W: 7:30. We should leave the house by 6:30. You know how bad the traffic is that time of night.M: It's informal, isn't it?W: Yeah. You can wear your new sports jacket, the one I got you as an anniversary gift.M: Okay. Well, I've got to go. I'll try to get home a little earlier today.W: Good.Text 7M: We need to decide exactly when we're going to move. Any suggestions?W: I think July would be the best time. Our sales are always down that month.We could move all the office equipment at a weekend—do everything at once.M: I think a weekend's too short. Maybe we should do it department by department.W: What do you mean?M: Well, each week a different department will move. That way, there will always be people here to handle customer inquiries, phone calls, and so on.W: Hmm, that's a good idea.Text 8W: So, Mr. Peter Sayles, I've been curious to know what were the early connections in your life that led you into the art field.M: My grandfather was an art dealer in Munich. They had a great museum in Munich. He took me to the museum. And I responded very strongly to what I saw on the walls there. I learned about art from him. I learned about looking at art from him. I think that's what really got me started. Then, many years later, after I got out of the army, I went to study art history at the University of Chicago.W: Tell us more about your experiences of looking at art with your grandfather.M: Well, we looked at the famous paintings by the great artists like Rembrandt,Botticelli and Albrecht Dürer. Rubens' paintings were my favorites. Yes, I remember these things. This was when I was between 10 and 15. When I was 14, I was so anxious to see more art that a friend of mine and I bicycled across the Alps to see Venice. That was a big adventure.Text 9W: Hi, John! Haven't seen you for ages!M: Hi, Susan! Fancy meeting you here on the train!W: How is your college life?M: What can I say? I've survived.W: What happened?M: Well, early last March I started doing a part-time job in a law firm. A few weeks before I had started writing my term paper. I thought I could finish it by August.W: That was a pretty good idea trying to have some work experience.M: For the first three weeks, you know, I tried. I got up early and worked for an hour on my paper before going to work. But work was so fun, I met tons of new people and soon I couldn't find even a minute for my paper. So, I had to quit my part-time job and finally finished my paper in October.W: Well, it's never too late to mend. It's kind of hard to find a balance between what you have to do and what you want to do.M: Yeah, it's really important for me to balance study and work. And I think I should learn to exercise some self-control.Text 10Being an athlete is very fun, painful and exciting. Every time I come to the track, I feel like I'm out of this place. This is Botswana National Stadium.This is where I train. When I saw Usa in Bolt running in 2012 London Olympics, I was amazed. Just watching him run got me motivated. I quit being a chess player and started to run. I went to the 2016 Olympics, and went to the finals at the age of 18. And, wow, I finished fifth. It was a dream come true to me, but I still wanted more. The training is super hard, but the hardest part for me is that I got an injury—an injury which may take me out for years. For a period of time, as a young athlete, I didn't know what to do. I lost focus. But now, I'm back on the track. I really want to be there at the Olympics, and do what I did before, do much, much greater. I don't care about the gold. I don't care about the silver. I want to do my best. You know, take everything and show it to the world.

How is it with your soul?It's probably not a question anyone else will ask you today.But it may be one of the most important questions you can ask yourself.In this reflection on the Psalms, John Ortberg draws from Renovation of the Heart to explore what the soul actually is and why its health affects everything else in our lives.Dallas Willard describes the soul as an inner stream of water that brings strength, direction, and harmony to the rest of our being.That's why the Psalms repeatedly use the language of water:“My soul thirsts for You.”“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You.”“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.”John then tells the story of a beautiful village whose life depended upon a crystal-clear stream. When the unseen keeper of that stream was dismissed, everything seemed fine...for a while.Then the water began to change.Eventually, the entire village felt the effects.Our souls can work the same way.We can neglect what's happening beneath the surface while remaining busy with everything that seems more urgent.But eventually, everything flows downstream.So ask yourself today:How is it with my soul?The stream is your soul.And you are its keeper.In this episode: What is the soul?  Why the Psalms are the great “soul book”  Dallas Willard on the inner life  Why the Psalms repeatedly use water imagery  The soul as an inner stream  How the health of your soul affects everything else  Why unseen spiritual work matters  The parable of the keeper of the stream  What happens when we neglect our souls  How to begin tending your inner life Scriptures: Psalm 121:7 • Psalm 63:1 • Psalm 42:1–2 • Psalm 46:4#JohnOrtberg #Soul #Psalms #DallasWillard #SpiritualFormation #Prayer #ChristianFaith #InnerLife #BibleStudy #SpiritualHealthSuggested YouTube Chapters00:00 How Is It With Your Soul? 00:33 What Is the Soul? 00:59 The Psalms: The Great Soul Book 01:16 Who Is the Keeper of Your Soul? 01:34 My Soul Thirsts for God 01:51 As the Deer Pants for Water 02:20 The Soul Is an Inner Stream 02:43 How Healthy Is Your Soul Today? 03:07 What a Healthy Soul Looks Like 03:34 Where Does Your Soul Get Its Life? 03:48 The Keeper of the Stream 04:11 A Beautiful Village in the Alps 04:35 The Old Man Nobody Noticed 04:59 The Unseen Work of Tending the Stream 05:25 What Happens When the Stream Is Neglected 05:39 At First, Nobody Noticed 06:02 The Whole Village Begins to Suffer 06:11 The Life of the Village Depends on the Stream 06:35 The Stream Is Restored 06:41 You Are the Keeper of Your Soul

Why information can be hard to come by after the disastrous flash floods that have had hit Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, especially on the Chinese side of the border.Also in the programme: Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander who oversaw the worst atrocities in Europe since the Second World War, has died in prison in The Hague; the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - is finally given a trial date, in June 2028; and how climate change-related heatwaves in the Alps and Jura are likely to change the flavour of some prized French cheeses.(IMAGE: Flood survivor return to home following a flash flood in Devighat Village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 27 August 2026 / CREDIT: Narendra Shrestha / EPA / Shutterstock)

Episode 62 opens with quick hits on T-Mobile's satellite phone service and a run of Alps headlines — climbers requesting paid rescue after ignoring a Mont Blanc closure, a family of 36 rescued in the Austrian high country, and Kilian Jornet's viral post on the range's fast-changing climate — before Sam and Adrian sit down with Cody Townsend and Tommy Caldwell to talk through their spring traverse of Norman's 13.Norman's 13 links the Sierra's thirteen 14,000-foot peaks from Mt. Langley to North Palisade, a route of over 100 miles and 40,000 vertical feet that had never been done in winter. Townsend, a self-described "5.9 climber and 5.14 skier," recruited Caldwell — the inverse — after cold-emailing him with the idea; a day of simul-climbing at Lover's Leap and some recon skiing on Mt. Sill convinced them their risk tolerances matched well enough to commit. Traveling south to north over eight days with cameraman Bjarne Salén, they broke the route into three distinct stretches: a technical run through the Whitney-area peaks, a 50-mile bushwhack and river-forge through John Muir Trail sequoia groves, and a final rope-and-crampons push across the notoriously exposed Palisades Traverse.The trip nearly broke both of them. Townsend fought a lung infection and food poisoning through the early days, and a 25-hour closing push through isothermic snow — on a catastrophically failed ski boot — tested everyone's limits. The two talk candidly about reading the line between suffering and real danger, the odd role reversal of a rock climber staying calm on exposed skiing while a skier plunge-steps nervously on rock, and how the trip changed the way Townsend plans traverses going forward. A film on the expedition, shot largely on iPhone after their camera batteries mysteriously died, is due out this fall.Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list.The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit https://alpenglowexpeditions.com/ or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

Is Lyon, France the Most Livable City in Europe for Gay Retirees? With Eric WayIn this episode, host Mark Goldstein sits down with Eric Way, a Tennessee-born engineer who arrived in Lyon, France, in 1989 as a university exchange student and never left. Now approaching his 38th year in the city, Eric lives downtown in a 19th-century apartment with his French architect husband and splits time between Lyon and a farmhouse they own in the French Alps. He brings a rare depth of perspective: nearly four decades as an American expat, a career in corporate diversity and inclusion, and a front-row seat to how Lyon has evolved as a livable, gay-friendly city.This episode covers what it actually looks like to build a life in Lyon: the walkability, the world-ranked healthcare, the cost of living compared to Paris, the LGBTQ+ scene, the visa path, and the honest trade-offs.What Is LyonLyon is France's third-largest city, located in southeastern France at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, a geographic feature that gives the city two riverfront parks and a distinctive linear layout. It sits roughly two hours south of Paris by high-speed train and serves as a hub for reaching the French Alps, the Beaujolais wine region, Burgundy, the Riviera, and even Barcelona. The historic center, known as the Presqu'île (the peninsula), is a UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Lyon is widely considered the gastronomic capital of France.Why Eric Chose LyonEric arrived in 1989 on a one-year university exchange program and found something he did not expect: a city whose values matched his own. Coming from a fundamentalist Christian family in Tennessee and still in the process of coming out, he discovered in Lyon a culture of live-and-let-live tolerance that felt, in his words, freer than the United States. He stayed. A few years later, he met his husband. The rest, as he says, is history.LGBTQ+ LifeLyon has a visible but modest LGBTQ+ scene concentrated around the City Hall area on the Presqu'île. At the time of recording, there are two gay bars, a gay sauna, a sex club, and a bear bar reportedly opening within months. There is a city-sponsored LGBTQ+ center and an annual Pride march, though Eric notes that Lyon Pride has become more politically divided in recent years, with some organizers now refusing corporate participation. The broader city is deeply accepting. Eric and his husband have lived part-time in a 250-person Alpine village for years and describe being fully adopted by their elderly neighbors without a moment of discomfort. Among their friend group, gay and straight friendships naturally overlap, though, like many couples without children, their closest circle has become predominantly other gay couples over time.Daily Life and WalkabilityEric's doctor is three blocks away. His pharmacy, organic grocery store, bank, bakery, butcher, and eye care are all within one to two blocks. Outdoor markets run on Wednesdays and Sundays in his neighborhood. The metro system is efficient and growing, with a tram network expanding even faster. A single ticket costs approximately 2.30 euros and covers one hour of travel. Monthly passes run around 100 euros. Seniors receive rail discounts starting at age 60, often allowing first-class travel at second-class prices.Eric drives his older car into Lyon no more than 52 times per year under a city environmental permit system, which he now finds perfectly adequate since he is no longer working. Lyon's riverfront parks, pedestrian streets, and walkable neighborhoods make car ownership largely optional for daily life.Costs and HousingLyon is typically half the price of Paris for both rent and property. Eric and his husband purchased their 800-square-foot, two-bedroom downtown apartment approximately 30 years ago for about $35,000. It is now worth roughly ten times that. Their monthly electricity bill runs approximately 70 to 80 euros every two months; gas adds about 45 euros on top of that. France applies a 20% VAT on most purchases, which is worth factoring into any cost-of-living comparison.HealthcareFrance's healthcare system consistently ranks first in the world for quality, accessibility, and cost. A standard doctor visit costs 30 euros; specialist visits range from 70 to over 100 euros. Foreign residents access coverage through PUMA, France's universal health coverage, which applies to legal residents regardless of employment status. Most residents also carry a Mutuelle, a supplementary top-up insurance policy that covers what the national system does not. Eric pays approximately 250 euros per month for a Mutuelle covering both himself and his husband.Visas and ResidencyThe standard route for American retirees is a long-stay visitor visa, applied for through the French consulate in the United States before departure. Residents typically start with one-year renewals before eventually qualifying for a ten-year card. Eric notes that a recent change to French law has removed the citizenship pathway for non-working residents. Americans retiring to France on a visitor visa are unlikely to be eligible for naturalization under the current rules.France does not officially recognize a digital nomad visa. Eric cautions anyone planning to work remotely in France to take legal advice before doing so, as working without proper authorization carries real risk.TaxesThe US-France tax treaty is highly favorable for American retirees. If your income is US-sourced, France will generally not tax it, and you will continue paying US rates. Eric recommends working with both a US tax preparer and a French one, particularly for the first few years.One specific flag: France does not recognize trusts. If you have a trust established in the United States, you need professional advice before moving to France, as it will be taxed very unfavorably and may fall outside the treaty's protections.France also has a wealth tax on real estate holdings above approximately 1.2 million euros, and forced heirship laws that entitle children to a portion of your estate regardless of your wishes. Both are worth understanding before making the move.Crime and SafetyEric has lived in Lyon's city center for nearly four decades and describes feeling consistently safe. In that entire time, he recalls one incident in which he and his husband were briefly followed downtown and had to walk away quickly. France has a higher rate of property crime relative to the United States, but a significantly lower rate of violent crime and essentially no gun violence outside of hunting contexts. Responsible gun ownership is legally required: pistols for target shooting require a course and registration.Arts, Culture, and CommunityLyon has the second-largest fine arts museum in France outside the Louvre, a national orchestra, a Jean Nouvel-designed opera house, the Maison de la Danse (an internationally renowned contemporary dance center with a biennial festival), and rotating modern art exhibitions in repurposed industrial spaces. The Festival of Lights each December transforms the city's buildings into a four-day sound-and-light spectacle. June 21 brings the Fête de la Musique, a nationwide outdoor concert event where every square in the city fills with live music from classical to rock to jazz.What to Know Before You GoFrench is essential. Eric is direct about this: people who arrive expecting to get by on a few phrases or believing fluency will come by osmosis are setting themselves up for frustration and social isolation. He recommends investing in one-on-one instruction before you arrive, not after. Jumpspeak is his suggested app for building conversational fluency.The climate has four seasons: mild winters with rare snow, pleasant springs and autumns, and summers that are warming noticeably due to climate change. Eric manages without air conditioning through insulation techniques, though newer and renovated buildings increasingly have heat pumps that provide cooling as a byproduct.Lyon rewards people who want to get out and explore. The city sits at the gateway to the Alps, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Provence, the Riviera, Switzerland, and Italy. Eric and his husband once went bungee jumping in the Alps, drove to Italy for pasta for dinner, and were home in Lyon that night. For those who prefer to stay closer to home, the outdoor markets, river walks, and restaurant scene are enough to fill a very good life.Resources MentionedPresqu'ile: Lyon's central peninsula neighborhood between the Rhone and Saone rivers Perrache: The original Lyon train station, three minutes from Eric's apartment Fourviere: The hilltop with Lyon's famous basilica and Roman ruins Beaujolais vineyards: 30 minutes from Lyon; beautiful in autumn Albertville: Near Eric's Alpine farmhouse; site of the 1992 Winter Olympics Festival of Lights (Fete des Lumieres): Annual four-day light installation festival each December Fete de la Musique: June 21, nationwide outdoor music festival Maison de la Danse: Lyon's internationally recognized contemporary dance center PUMA: France's universal health coverage for residents Mutuelle: Supplementary insurance that tops up public healthcare coverage PACS: French civil partnership; same tax treatment as marriage, with one exception: survivor pension rights do not transfer unless married Jumpspeak: Language learning app recommended by Eric for conversational FrenchListen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts, on YouTube, or at

Grandfathers, grandfathers. Yesterday, David Baerwald talked about his grandfather, Ernst Baerwald, an American spy in Second World War Japan. Today, Katie S. Sanders talks about her grandfather, Murray Simon, whose life was saved by an American spy in Second World War France. In Ortiz's War, co-authored with historian Nicholas Reynolds, Sanders writes about Peter Ortiz, who became the Allies' secret weapon against the Nazis in France. With his stunning looks, Ortiz might have been a Hollywood creation. Polylingual Franco-American aristocrat, French Foreign Legion, race-car driver, circus lion tamer, the most battle-decorated member of America's first spy agency. He even played himself (anonymous brave soldier) in a number of post-war Hollywood movies. I wish he was my grandfather. Five Takeaways •       The Spy Who Saved Her Grandfather. Murray Simon was a 23-year-old Jewish kid from Queens who had never flown before the Army Air Forces trained him — then sent him over occupied France in a black-painted B-24 Liberator carrying spy supplies and carrier pigeons for the resistance. Shot down on May 6, 1944, a month before D-Day, on an OSS mission whose standing advice was don't get shot down — spies were tortured and killed, not taken prisoner — he was hidden by a Bulgarian-born Jew passing as Catholic, a man with an eight-month-old daughter and a pregnant wife who was “already supposed to be dead” and opened his door anyway. Smuggled onward, Murray was intercepted by Peter Ortiz — and made it home to the GI Bill, a family, and what he called “the warm womb of Uncle Sam.” Katie never met him; the book is her way of meeting him. “I gravitate towards stories of resistance, probably in part because I'm a product of one.” Publication day: the anniversary of the liberation of Paris.•       No Peacetime Soldier. Peter J. Ortiz's résumé reads like an unpublishable novel: son of a founding editor of Paris Vogue; French boarding-school runaway into the Foreign Legion (North Africa, Casablanca included); merchant seaman, dude-ranch manager, race-car driver, circus lion tamer; wounded fighting the Germans in 1940, captured, serially escaped — once off a hospital train under a dead soldier's identity; docked in New York the day after Pearl Harbor and enlisted in the Marines, rising to become the most battle-decorated member of the OSS and one of the most decorated Marines of the war. His military file: not a good candidate for a desk job, ever. He spoke five languages, not Wikipedia's ten (“Wikipedia is a storyteller”), walked into bars in occupied France wearing his Marine uniform, and wrote his own epitaph in a twenty-page memoir: “I'm no peacetime soldier.” Afterward: John Ford's Hollywood, minor roles, his own uniforms as costume — and no bragging, ever.•       The Heroic Surrender at Centron. The book's climax is Operation Union II, August 1944 — Ortiz's own inter-Allied mission into the Alps, culminating in the massive “Le Grand Parachutage” supply drop to the Maquis. He recruited his own Parris Island parachute instructors — Marines who remembered the legionnaire who blew them all away at boot camp — plus Francis Coolidge: Harvard dropout, fellow Foreign Legion veteran, and great-great-great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson. When his patrol was surrounded at the village of Centron by vastly superior German forces on a murderous late-war rampage, Ortiz chose saving the town over fighting — the surrender as the war's most heroic act, bravery as the capacity to think while being shot at. Centron celebrates him every year; Katie was just there with Marines stationed in Germany, for the eighty-second anniversary. Guiding lights: noblesse oblige, Don Quixote, and a lifelong allergy to McCarthyism.•       Wild Bill's Wartime Startup. The OSS — forerunner of the CIA, whose Langley lobby still holds Wild Bill Donovan's statue — was, in Katie's telling, a wartime startup: 13,000 military and civilian personnel, mostly Wall Street lawyers, bankers, cryptographers, and cartographers, with a tiny operational subset that included Moe Berg, Virginia Hall trekking the Pyrenees on a wooden leg, and Ortiz. Donovan — World War One Medal of Honor recipient, FDR's “secret legs,” the man who could “see an acorn, envision an oak tree” — was banned from D-Day as the one man carrying too many secrets, and went sniffing around anyway. J. Edgar Hoover was considered for the job and rejected, with Churchill's SOE helping tip the choice. “I respect Donovan a lot more than I respect J. Edgar Hoover.” The lineage runs straight to today's Navy SEALs and MARSOC — including past Keen On guest Brandon Webb.•       Are We in 1939? Katie walks the museum timelines — 1933, and it's “not great”; 1936, and the warnings mount; “I certainly hope we're not in 1939.” Against Andrew's needling about greatest-generation nostalgia (via Brandon Webb's complicated heroism, Kristin Beck's good-and-evil seduction, Richard Overy's question of whether the war ever ended, and Matt Damon's regret-soaked Odysseus), she holds the line: someone like Ortiz is great in any time — and especially needed when democracy is under threat. The warfare itself has closed its chapter: her grandfather's black-painted bomber and carrier pigeons have become Ukraine's drones, delivering aid with less risk and less human connection alike. What survives the technology is the lesson: heroes don't brag — her grandfather and Ortiz would be mortified by the spotlight — and by illuminating what they did, the rest of us might learn to do the right thing. About the Guest Katie S. Sanders is an award-winning journalist who has written for National Geographic, The New York Times, Washington Post Magazine, TIME, Smithsonian, and Vanity Fair. Her reporting has brought her to the CIA, the White House, and the homes and reunions of World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors. After discovering that her late grandfather — a Jewish-American pilot shot down over France — was rescued by Peter Ortiz, she teamed up with the historian Nicholas Reynolds (Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy) to co-author Ortiz's War (Harper Horizon, August 25, 2026). A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. References: •       Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France by Nicholas Reynolds and Katie S. Sanders (Harper Horizon, August 25, 2026).•       Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy by Nicholas Reynolds — the co-author's Hemingway biography, the book that put him on Katie's radar.•       The Fire Agent by David Baerwald — yesterday's episode: another grandfather, another secret war, rendered as fiction where this one insists on fact.•    &nb...

Sophie Grant had reached a point where even the hardest ultramarathons no longer carried the uncertainty they once did, and after years of infertility and IVF, she realized she had also lost some of her joy in running and trust in her own body. The Via Alpina changed that, taking her roughly 2,000 kilometers across the Alps and forcing her to approach each day without knowing exactly what the next one would bring. She and photographer Zoe Salt talk about the physical and logistical realities of nearly a month on the trail, including relentless fueling, strength training, bad patches, storms, forest fires, and the value of an exceptional crew. Sophie shares practical lessons endurance athletes can use immediately, including her belief that “a bad moment does not make a bad day,” the importance of eating before assuming something has gone seriously wrong, and learning to distinguish between not wanting to continue and truly being unable to continue. The deeper story is about something bigger than an FKT: Sophie describes how this adventure helped her appreciate what her body could do after spending years focused on something it couldn't. By the end, her message is wonderfully simple: try something new, LINKS: Sophie Grant's coaching Zoe Salt photography EPISODE SPONSORS Tifosi Optics - CLARITY ON THE TRAIL: Post your Golden Nugget of wisdom that helps you recover after a huge effort on Instagram, tag @TifosiOptics, @TrailRunnerNation, and use the hashtag #ClarityOnTheTrail.  OR try texting us (within the USA) with your tip: 916-235-3928. If we use yours on a weekly episode, you get a pair of the new Sanctum SL glasses! ALTRA: With the classic Altra Fit, you set the pace. Altra running shoes are designed with room for your toes so they can actually spread out -  for a natural fit. This gives you comfort, balance, and strength on and off the trail. Better balance and stability for our toes mean more comfort – on mile 5, 50, or 100. Learn more about Altra Fit. Feel the Altra Difference and use code TRN10 for 10% off your first order at checkout at altrarunning.com/TRN. Stay Out There with Altra. RunMotion Coach: Whether you're training for your first trail race or chasing a new ultra PR, RunMotion Coach creates a personalized training plan that adapts to your schedule, fitness, and progress. Built by experienced coaches and powered by intelligent coaching technology, it helps you train smarter, stay consistent, and arrive at the starting line ready for your next adventure. Timestamps 00:00 – The Via Alpina and an Enormous New Challenge Sophie and Zoe introduce the roughly 2,000-kilometer route across eight Alpine countries and explain why attempting it was so different from Sophie's previous racing. 05:14 – Why Sophie Needed Something Different After years of racing at a high level, Sophie realized she was operating on autopilot and needed a challenge that could bring uncertainty, learning, and joy back into running. 12:12 – Infertility, Running and Her Relationship With Her Body Sophie opens up about infertility, IVF, and how the experience left her angry and disconnected from her body before the Via Alpina helped change that relationship. 20:00 – What 29 Days Really Looked Like Zoe describes watching Sophie get up and do the work day after day, while Sophie shares the low moments, frustration, pain, and perspective that kept her moving. 25:12 – How Do You Fuel for a Month? Sophie breaks down the surprisingly broad menu that powered the effort and explains why years of practicing 80 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour made eating almost automatic. 28:41 – “A Bad Moment Does Not Make a Bad Day” Sophie explains how food, music, distraction, and experience help her escape negative headspaces, plus the crucial difference between can't continue and simply don't want to. 41:51 – When the Plan Falls Apart Storms, vehicle problems and forest fires force the team to adapt, leading to a broader conversation about trusting your support system and learning to build a different life when the original plan changes. 48:20 – Not Every Problem Needs to Be Fixed Sophie explains one of the most meaningful lessons from her infertility experience: sometimes people don't need solutions, they simply need someone willing to sit with them and acknowledge how hard things are. 53:15 – The Courage to Try Something That Scares You Sophie closes with advice for anyone who feels stuck: try something new, choose something that scares you, and focus on having the courage to begin rather than obsessing over the outcome. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Katie sits down with fellow HOKA athlete Emily Schmitz for a casual conversation from France as UTMB gets closer. Emily shares the path that brought her to trail running and eventually to living and training in France, plus a behind-the-scenes look at HOKA's UTMB camp and what it's really like preparing for one of the biggest weeks in the sport.With both Katie and Emily gearing up to race UTMB, they dig into the realities of training and racing in the Alps, what they've learned from experience on the course, and how they're approaching race day this year.This episode is edited and produced by the Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network.A big shout out to our sponsor ⁠⁠Precision Fuel & Hydration⁠⁠. Go to ⁠⁠pfandh.com⁠⁠ to crush your next race with a personalized fuel & hydration plan. Use code "TTNP15" at checkout.A special thank you to Osprey for supporting this episode. Visit Osprey.com to explore their incredible products!

Send us Fan MailChamonix has a way of making trail running feel like the center of the universe, and Sydney Peterson is soaking it up while she can. After stacking a string of brutally competitive European races, she joins me for a catch-up from the Alps where recovery, team time, and UTMB week energy all collide. We talk about what it's like to live among people who treat mountains like a daily ritual, from running vests at the grocery store to the quiet confidence that comes from being surrounded by athletes chasing big days outside.Sydney breaks down what's happening at Brooks trail camp, why UTMB recon is such a powerful advantage, and how scouting now can set up future goals like Marathon du Mont Blanc or an OCC debut. We also get into ETC and why it's such a smart way to experience the UTMB scene: you race early, then you get the rest of the week to cheer, crew, and actually enjoy the spectacle without carrying race-week nerves the whole time.The deeper thread is how she's building her season on purpose. Sydney explains why she's choosing courses that attack her weak points, especially technical downhill running and the mental intensity of deep fields. Then we look ahead to the Golden Trail Series final in South Korea, a course she describes with a “healthy amount of scared” and a lot of excitement to learn. We close with an incredible story about trail legend Stevie Kremer and how mentorship can shape not just results, but an entire career. If you enjoy the conversation, subscribe, share it with a trail friend, and leave a rating and review so we can keep telling these stories.Follow Sydney Petersen on IG - @sydneypetersen33Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.usFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podFollow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

Send us Fan MailA hamstring injury doesn't just take away fitness. It can mess with your confidence, your decision-making, and even your ability to trust basic sensations like a cramp. Sam Lewis joins us from the Chamonix area to talk about the messy middle of a comeback, right after a hard Sierre-Zinal and just before lining up for ETC near Courmayeur.We get into what it's like to train in the Alps without getting carried away, why UTMB week in Chamonix feels like a mini home for so many trail runners, and how Sam is approaching a short, fast mountain race as a way to reconnect with her roots. She also shares a meaningful shift in her week: pacing an OCC para athlete through Born To Adapt, and what it means to show up as support instead of chasing your own result.Then we go deep on her PhD in philosophy of sport and sport ethics at the University of Idaho. Sam breaks down research on moral reasoning in sport, why win-at-all-costs culture can make people worse at ethical decision-making over time, and how coaches can actively teach better values through reflection and lived-experience focused tools. If you care about trail running culture, coaching, athlete development, and what we sacrifice to win, this one hits hard.If you enjoyed it, subscribe or follow, share the episode with a friend headed to UTMB week, and leave a rating and review so we can keep telling these stories.Follow Sam on IG - (@samkeliiahonui)Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.usFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podFollow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa

John Kriesel returns from Switzerland with stories from the Alps, the guys discuss Sylvester Stallone, Lioness and airplane bathroom etiquette, debate the NFL's push toward international franchises and react to a 22-0 baseball beatdown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Kriesel returns from Switzerland with stories from the Alps, the guys discuss Sylvester Stallone, Lioness and airplane bathroom etiquette, debate the NFL's push toward international franchises and react to a 22-0 baseball beatdown.

What does it actually look like to trust God when you have no idea what's happening around you? In this final episode of their Switzerland and France series, Dot and Cara tell the wild story of driving onto what they thought was a tunnel and ending up on a car shuttle train, flying through a mountain in the dark with no idea where they were headed. They talk about the difference between leaning on your own understanding and actually trusting God, why obedience sometimes comes before understanding, and what it means to put the car in park and enjoy the ride through whatever tunnel you're in right now. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible, and lean in with us.Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode RecapIntro (00:00)Write this down: Proverbs 3:5-8, trust in the Lord with all your heart (00:00)Cara sets the scene, driving from Switzerland to France through the Alps with no idea what they're doing (03:35)A confusing toll booth and a wrong lane start the chaos before the real story even begins (04:45)The cars ahead stop, chains appear between them, and nobody knows what's about to happen (06:32)Turns out it's a car shuttle train, and Scott has to decide whether to actually obey the sign (07:46)Flying through the mountain at 70 plus miles an hour, in the dark, engine off, for 13 miles (08:54)Why leaning on their own understanding of "toll booth then tunnel" could have messed up the whole line of cars (16:26)Our job is obedience, God takes responsibility for the outcome (19:03)Trusting God was never about being perfect, it just takes a little faith in a big God (20:09)Even in the dark parts of the tunnel, God wants you to feel the wind in your hair and enjoy the ride (24:16)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook This Episode's Scripture VerseProverbs 3:5-8 (ESV) — "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."

"I want to see Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Prague in 10 days" is one of the most common calls a travel advisor gets — and one of the fastest ways to turn a dream trip into an exhausting one. This week, Ryan and Julie break down which European countries actually pair well together, and why the right combination matters more than the longest list.Why Pairing Matters Not every combination works. Mismatched destinations mean long travel times, rushed days, and a trip that feels like checking boxes instead of experiencing a place. The fix: geographic proximity, at least 2–3 nights per stop, and countries that complement each other in pace and culture.Four Pairings That WorkFrance & UK — Paris and London, connected by a 2.5-hour train, pairing romance and art with history and energy.Netherlands & Belgium — Amsterdam and Brussels, a shorter, more underrated combo of canals and world-class art alongside chocolate, waffles, and medieval architecture.Spain & Portugal — Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon on the Iberian Peninsula, ideal for food and culture lovers with 10 days to spend.Italy & Switzerland — A scenic-rail pairing anchored by the Bernina Express through the Alps, ending in Milan's fashion and food scene.How to Choose Yours Trip length, travel style, and who's coming with you all shape the right pairing — Ryan and Julie walk through how to match each to your group.Where in the World? A group of friends is headed to Alaska next summer for an Inside Passage cruise — including Wonder and Beyond Travel's very first client ever, who booked the whole thing off a referral chain that's since grown to multiple staterooms.Next week: Julie continues the Disney castles series with Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Trying to figure out your own Europe itinerary? Hit play to hear exactly which pairing fits your trip — and head to wonderandbeyondtravel.com when you're ready to start planning.Support the showLove the podcast? Help us continue to create great travel content by supporting the show. You can do that here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1197029/supporters/newReady to plan your vacation?  Most families are confused and overwhelmed when planning a vacation. We work with you to plan a trip perfect for your family. Saving you time, money, and stress! Visit our website www.allthingstravelpodcast.com and click on "Plan Your Next Vacation"Join the travel conversations and the fun in our Facebook Page and Instagram Page!Please share the show with your travel buddies!!  Click this link and share the show!Never miss an episode and help us take you to the top with us by following and leaving a 5-Star review on your favorite podcasting app!

The 2026 Finals of the UTMB World Series are upon us and all of Chamonix is buzzing. Heck, the whole trail world is buzzing with excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. UTMB is big and important and as it moves our sport moves. Doug Mayer from Run the Alps lives in town and is in a perfect position to know what is happening inside and outside the organization, the town, and the sport as a whole. I'm here to chat with him about the logistical, political, and business side of it all. LINKS Run the Alps website Doug Mayer's writing at Trailrunner Magazine Get more: Singletrack.fm Rock Candy Running Trail Running Film Festival Brought to you by Electric Cable Car - your trail and mountain news!

Germany is so much more than Bavaria, beer gardens and castles.In this episode of the Wander Your Way podcast, I'm joined by Germany travel expert Cate Brubaker of My Germany Vacation to dig a little deeper into this fascinating and diverse country.Cate has been traveling to and living in Germany since she spent her senior year of high school there. She went on to earn bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees in German and has spent decades exploring the country. So when it comes to Germany, she has a lot of knowledge to share!We talk about some of Cate's favorite places, including history-filled Berlin, the lively university city of Freiburg and the beautiful Black Forest, and the maritime city of Hamburg in northern Germany.But we venture even farther beyond the usual stops as Cate introduces us to Germany's northern islands, including Sylt, Rügen and the car-free island of Hiddensee, where you'll find beaches, hiking trails and landscapes that might completely change the way you picture Germany.Along the way, Cate shares practical advice about traveling by train versus renting a car, getting around without speaking German and why your travel style should help determine how you move around the country.And, of course, we couldn't talk about Germany without talking about Christmas markets! Cate shares some of her favorites and explains why smaller neighborhood markets can sometimes offer an even more memorable experience than the famous ones.If you've only thought of Germany as Munich, Bavaria and the Alps, this conversation just might inspire you to dig a little deeper.Want to chat more about Germany?Send me a message at Lynne@WanderYourWay.com.In this episode:1:58: Intro4:08: Getting to know Cate13:46: Cate's top 3 destinations16:40: Berlin: The Wall25:51: Freiburg: The Black Forest39:54: Hamburg: Harbors, Canals, Lakes48:15: Honorable Mention: The Islands52:12: Logistics & Tips55:45: Christmas Markets1:06:06: Final thoughts1:08:18: Wrapping it upImportant links: My Germany VacationGermany Travel Planning PodcastWander Your WayWander Your Way AdventuresWander Your Way ResourcesREI ★ Support this podcast ★

Dieses Wochenende konnte man förmlich zusehen, wie Phoebe Bridgers der Einzug in die nächsthöhere Liga des Musikzirkus' gelang. Der einstige Sounds!-Artist-to-Watch überzeugt auf «Lost Weekend» mit noch clevererem Songwriting und einer weltklassigen Produktion. Mit ihren zwei ersten Alben «Stranger in the Alps» und «Punisher» wurde Phoebe Bridgers so etwas wie die Päpstin der Sad Boys und Girls. Ihre Supergroup boygenius mit dem vieldekorierten Album «The Record» und die unzähligen Features bei Stars wie SZA, The National oder The 1975 brachten die Kalifornierin einem noch grösseren Publikum näher. «Lost Weekend» dürfte nun der endgültige Durchbruch sein, immerhin nennt sogar Taylor Swift das Album einen absoluten Triumph. Wir suchen bis am Freitag jeden Abend nach den Eastereggs, die auf der Platte versteckt sind, denn «Lost Weekend» von Phoebe Bridgers ist das neue Sounds! Album der Woche. Wir verlosen täglich CDs - nur live im Radio.

Amy and her husband celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary by taking their two girls, ages 8 and 4, on an almost two-week adventure through Paris, Switzerland and Milan in May 2026!Their family of four explored Paris, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, spent a day at Disneyland Paris, then traveled by train to the Swiss Alps—where some of the most incredible mountaintop playgrounds became a highlight of the entire trip. They finished their European adventure in Milan with pasta making, iconic sights and, naturally, a few more playgrounds.Check out the Symphony app using my link: https://join.symphony.io/kelseyThis episode is available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kelseygravesIf you'd like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.comBuy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygravesFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_gravesFollow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygravesJoin us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879Mentioned in this episode:- Yoto Mini Kids Audio Book Players: https://amzlink.to/az0LxjyOTNNw5- PARIS, FRANCEAir France – direct flight from Orlando to ParisMontmartreSacré-Cœur BasilicaEiffel TowerTrocadéro – great Eiffel Tower photo spotLuxembourg Gardens: playground,carousel, and sailboat rentalsNotre-Dame CathedralMusée de l'Orangerie – Monet's Water Lilies + children's areaTuileries Gardens + playground- DISNEYLAND PARISSleeping Beauty CastleA Million Splashes of Colour ParadeDisney Adventure World – World of FrozenToy Story LandRapunzel Tangled Spin- LAUTERBRUNNEN + SWISS ALPS, SWITZERLANDSBB Mobile App – helpful for navigating trains and transportation throughout SwitzerlandLauterbrunnen Valley – bike rentals + biking through the valleyCoop grocery storeImboden Bike RentalsStaubbach FallsTrümmelbach Falls – underground waterfallsWengen – mountain village + seasonal marble runsMännlichen – Alpine Herdsman “Cow Playground”Holenstein – Treetop Playground + Alpine HornsAlpins in the Alps – helpful Switzerland travel resourceMürren – Intersport coffee shop + playground and trampolineAllmendhubel – Flower Playground + Flower HikeGimmelwald – playground + Mountain HostelGrindelwald Pfingstegg – playground, mountain coaster + Fly LineBort Alpine Playground – snowplow-themed playground- MILAN, ITALYThe Last Supper by Leonardo da VinciSforza Castle: Michelangelo's Rondanini PietàPasta + gelato-making classOTTO – Chinatown restaurantParco SempioneDuomo di Milano + rooftopRatana – final dinner in Milan

Lorenzo Fiori describes a "disaster" situation in Europe caused by severe drought and record heat, with water restrictions implemented in Swiss towns and critically low levels in northern Italy's Po River. The drought has turned the normally green Alps brown and disrupted lake navigation. Simultaneously, Sicily's Mount Etna has entered a prolonged eruption phase, spewing ash for seven days and forcing the cancellation of 700 flights at Catania airport during the peak tourist season. Fiori notes the chaos caused by tourists seeking "eruption selfies" in dangerous areas. For a cultural reprieve, he recommends the Bernina Express rail journey, which reaches the highest railway point in Europe. He also shares a traditional recipe for polenta with Gorgonzola cheese, paired with local Valtellina wine, though he expresses concern that the drought may soon impact milk production from Alpine cows. (4)

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 8-14-2026.Jeff Bliss discusses the severe threats posed by a potential "super El Niño," which could lead to massive coastal erosion, mudslides, and heavy rains in Los Angeles, similar to the damage seen in previous severe weather years. He also reports on active wildfires in California, such as the Timber Fire in Monterey County and the Bug Fire near the Nevada border, noting that humans cause roughly 90 to 95% of these blazes. Shifting to entertainment, Bliss describes the highly anticipated opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which features the "Skywalker Grill"—a restaurant causing excitement among Los Angeles foodies for its Michelin-star potential. Additionally, Bliss covers the landmark $12.8 billion purchase of the Los Angeles Lakers by a group involving Jared Kushner and Bob Iger. Finally, he touches on the legal controversy surrounding the Paramount-Skydance merger and David Ellison's threat to move production out of Hollywood. (1)Gene Marks shares insights from White House advisor Kevin Hassett regarding the validity of government economic data, with Hassett favoring durable goods orders and unemployment claims over revised surveys. Marks reports a generally positive outlook for small businesses, citing an uptick in optimism and a four-year high in manufacturing activity driven by the AI and data center explosion. He notes that while tariffs and $4 gasoline remain concerns, many businesses are absorbing costs without significant impact on sales. Marks characterizes the United States as an "entrepreneur's paradise" because of the ease of starting a business and the high availability of capital. He highlights that nearly half a million new business applications are filed monthly, supported by record levels of private debt and venture capital. Marks concludes that despite various uncertainties, the small business sector remains resilient and is continuing to hire. (2)Jim McTague provides a report on the "mixed" economy of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, observing that retail activity is picking up due to back-to-school shopping despite inflationary pressures. He notes that discount giants like Costco are packed as shoppers seek relief from high prices, while tourism traffic at local hotels and amusement parks has lightened midweek. McTague also highlights local opposition to data centers, making them a contentious political issue for upcoming elections. A central focus is the "Heritage Paris" patisserie at Park City Mall, where a French chef sells premium handcrafted pastries. McTague describes high-end offerings like the "Popcorn Illusion" pastry priced at $17.95, illustrating a market for luxury food even in a cautious economy. He humorously recounts his own difficulty resisting these treats while on a low-carb diet, emphasizing that the shop is a significant draw for local residents. (3)Lorenzo Fiori describes a "disaster" situation in Europe caused by severe drought and record heat, with water restrictions implemented in Swiss towns and critically low levels in northern Italy's Po River. The drought has turned the normally green Alps brown and disrupted lake navigation. Simultaneously, Sicily's Mount Etna has entered a prolonged eruption phase, spewing ash for seven days and forcing the cancellation of 700 flights at Catania airport during the peak tourist season. Fiori notes the chaos caused by tourists seeking "eruption selfies" in dangerous areas. For a cultural reprieve, he recommends the Bernina Express rail journey, which reaches the highest railway point in Europe. He also shares a traditional recipe for polenta with Gorgonzola cheese, paired with local Valtellina wine, though he expresses concern that the drought may soon impact milk production from Alpine cows. (4)Bob Zimmerman details the robotic mission by startup Catalyst to rescue NASA's Swift Space Telescope, utilizing innovative software to maneuver a servicing craft despite thruster failures. He highlights SpaceX's massive Starshipproduction line in Boca Chica, noting that four prototypes are ready for monthly launches and upcoming orbital refueling tests. Zimmerman also discusses Lockheed Martin's strategic investments in rocket startups like Firefly to secure launch capabilities. On the international front, he reports on Poland's successful protest against Starlink roaming restrictions and Vietnam's first satellite contract with an American company, SpaceX, signaling a shift toward U.S. ties. Additionally, Zimmerman covers the State Department's efforts to pull India away from Russian space partnerships and NASA's collaboration with the Department of Energy on nuclear propulsion for Mars. He concludes with breathtaking imagery of stars orbiting the Milky Way's central black hole. (5)Alex Wright, author of Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper, Part Two: Wright recounts the history of American newspapers, focusing on the Civil War's impact on journalism. He highlights George Smalley's groundbreaking combat reporting at Antietam, where Smalley wrote a vivid account on a night train to secure the "scoop of all scoops" for the Tribune. Wright also explores "soldier-published" newspapers that provided a slice of camp life and the origins of Stars and Stripes. Moving west, he describes the dangerous life of frontier editors, such as Mark Twain, who carried revolvers to defend against aggrieved readers and occasionally fled town to avoid duels. Wright explains how newspapers became "gold mines" by discovering the revenue potential of patent medicine advertising, which once accounted for half of all ads. He concludes by drawing parallels between the fragmented, anything-goes media landscape of the 19th century and today's digital era of content creators and AI. (6)Henry Sokolski examines the "Golden Dome," a proposed $185 billion space-based missile defense project that mirrors the Cold War-era SDI. He warns that the program's lack of transparency is "suicidal" for its funding, as Congress remains in the dark about its primary mission. Sokolski notes that while technology is closer to practicality than 40 years ago, current threats are often low-cost drones rather than intercontinental missiles. In the energy sector, he highlights Elon Musk's $10 billion "Project Crystal Sun" solar factory in Texas, which Musk frames as capturing the "fusion reactor" of the sun. Sokolski observes that even conservative states are voting with their pocketbooks for renewables as battery storage investments double. Finally, he touches on a mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, suggesting a "Sunni NATO" is emerging due to a lack of confidence in U.S. security guarantees. (7)Angela DiFulvio explains a theoretical method for detecting nuclear weapons in low Earth orbit to prevent catastrophes like the 1962 Starfish Prime experiment, which destroyed a third of existing satellites. She describes an "inspector" satellite designed to induce a unique radioactive signature from fissile material using high-energy protons. DiFulvio details technical challenges, such as "pulse shape discrimination," to distinguish weapon-related neutrons from background cosmic radiation in the harsh space environment. She suggests that an international agency like the IAEAmight oversee these inspectors to ensure space remains weapon-free. DiFulvio emphasizes that while tests can occur in classified environments, more research is needed on the survivability of sensing electronics. She warns that a modern orbital nuclear detonation would be catastrophic for global infrastructure, specifically mentioning the vulnerability of massive constellations like Starlink. (8)

Abdullah Khan, founder of Above Zero, led the venture from idea to a partnership with the Govt. of KPK. A Carnegie Mellon-trained technologist, he's worked at the UN, Careem, Zensys, and founded Qubed Hospitality.The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperienceTo support the channel:Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912Patreon.com/thepakistanexperienceAnd Please stay in touch:https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperienceThe podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikhFacebook.com/Shehzadghias/Twitter.com/shehzad89Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC44l9XMwecN5nSgIF2Dvivg/joinChapters:0:00 Introduction1:48 Building the Pakistani Alps4:38 Tourism vs Local Ecology15:33 How is Above Zero ensuring conservation and accountability25:36 What are you doing for the local population30:50 Deforestation Problem33:50 Is it being built for the rich?38:00 Garbage Collection41:11 Qubed and Nathia Gali47:10 Uptick in local tourism and experiential tourism1:00:00 Thandiani, local cuisine and local bazaars1:06:00 Short-termism vs the 100 year concession1:17:00 Above Zero, Thandiani and how people should sign up

Get CRYPTID: The Creepy Card Battling Game https://cryptidcardgame.com/ Read our new wendigo horror novel https://eeriecast.com/lore Sign up for Eeriecast PLUS for bonus content and more https://www.eerie.fm/ SCARY STORIES TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro 1:31 I saw those eyes, too... - From - Lone watcher 17:26 As We Listened - From - Anonymous 36:00 Hunted - From - Jordan Elliot 46:20 Found something I wasn't supposed to - From - Anxious Andy Get our merch https://www.eerie.fm/shop Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/3YVN4twrD8 Follow the Unexplained Encounters podcast! https://pod.link/1152248491 Follow and review Tales from the Break Room on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! https://pod.link/1621075170 Follow us on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/3mNZyXkaJPLwUwcjkz6Pv2 Follow and Review us on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/darkness-prevails-podcast-true-horror-stories/id1152248491 Submit Your Story Here: https://www.darkstories.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

View This Week's Show NotesWe're back from one of the most bonkers trips of our lives. Juliet and I just finished hiking the Haute Route, the classic alpine traverse from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland, roughly 90 miles over 10 days with our daughters Georgia and Caroline. Caroline's senior trip. Years of mental infiltration paid off.Neither of us trained specifically for it. I spent the spring managing a torn ACL and calf. I skipped the surgery because we had this trip on the calendar, and I wasn't willing to miss it. Somewhere around day eight or nine on the trail, my knee actually started to feel better. That's the thing about movement as medicine: there's no substitute for the reps.The trip had other highlights. We've been telling Georgia since she was three that we would someday find wild Edelweiss in the Alps. On day four, crossing one of the high passes, she spotted a patch. She actually cried. It was one of the best moments of my life.We also dig into the news that Thorne, one of the most trusted names in supplement quality, has been acquired by Procter & Gamble for $3.8 billion, and why this deal raises real questions worth watching.Then there's the Tour de France Femme and Kasia Niewiadoma's historic climb on Mont Ventoux: 5.3 watts per kilo for 55 minutes. We talk about the coverage problem, the naming problem, and why this race deserves far more than it's currently getting.We close out with GLP-1 Watch: new data on cancer risk reduction, dementia, addiction disorders, and which grocery category is taking the biggest hit. Spoiler: it's chips.New episodes of The Ready State Podcast drop every Thursday.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhat the Haute Route is and why it's one of the great alpine treks in the worldHow Kelly completed 10 days of hiking in Switzerland months after tearing his ACL and choosing not to have surgeryWhy going uphill is easy and the downhill will humble you, and what "tissue exposure" means for how you prepare for a big adventureThe story behind finding wild Edelweiss on a high alpine pass and why Georgia cried when she spotted itWhat Thorne's $3.8 billion acquisition by Procter & Gamble means for supplement quality, and what to actually watch forWhy Kasia Niewiadoma's 5.3 watts per kilo for 55 minutes on Mont Ventoux is one of the most extraordinary athletic performances in recent memoryWhat the current GLP-1 research shows about cancer risk, dementia, and addiction, and why all of it still needs to be taken with real cautionWhy where your GLP-1 is compounded matters and what the black market problem looks likeKey Highlights: (00:00) Welcome back to RECESS, and a recap of the hippo attack episode and puppet theater(01:30) Introducing the Haute Route: Chamonix to Zermatt, and how Caroline's senior trip idea came to be(02:22) The scale of the Swiss Alps: glaciers, wildflower valleys, and a moonscape where a glacier used to be(02:41) Meeting hikers at the mountain hut who ask "Have you been training for this?"(03:12) The bonkers 8-hour day: two 10,000-foot passes, extreme terrain, and extreme views(03:50) The $500 Edelweiss bounty, day four on the trail, and Georgia's emotional discovery(05:51) Fit but not prepared for the downhill: what tissue exposure means and why the kneecaps paid the price(06:07) Kelly's "sprain plus": tearing his ACL and calf in February and deciding to skip surgery for this trip(07:38) Working the plan: movement, swelling management, and a knee that improved over 10 days of hiking(09:45) The family dimension: hiking as a unit of four, bird launchers, and the mountain bike trike side trip(10:50) Thorne acquired by Procter & Gamble for $3.8 billion: what it means for supplement quality(12:12) Why NSF Certified for Sport matters and the precedent of P&G's 2012 New Chapter acquisition(14:28) Tour de France Femme: Kasia Niewiadoma's historic climb on Mont Ventoux(17:40) The coverage problem: Peacock picking up halfway, and why this race needs Phil Liggett on the mic(18:53) What 5.3 watts per kilo for 55 minutes actually means (and why you should try your local bike)(19:47) GLP-1 Watch: grocery data from 150,000 households, chips down 10%, and yogurt on the rise(24:18) GLP-1 and cancer: Penn Medicine study, breast cancer data, and why these are still observational studies(25:53) GLP-1 and dementia: 40–70% lower risk across large studies, and what the mechanisms might be(25:56) The caveats: observational data, socioeconomic skew, compounding quality, and the black market problem(26:32) GLP-1 and addiction: alcohol, cocaine, nicotine disorders, and rewiring the brain's reward center(28:20) What are we living for: Caroline's college move-in, the river trip, and whether Kelly needs an ACL for ski season

In this week's episode, we talk about getting creative with your workouts when heat, time, terrain, or life get in the way, and why understanding the intention of a workout gives you more flexibility than you might think. We also dive into key recovery principles for high-volume training as Jim prepares to tackle the Haute Route, a seven-day cycling race in the Alps, including fueling before the workout is even over, hydration, sleep, cooling down, and arriving at a big event with a full "body battery." Finally, we take a closer look at Ironman Canada in Ottawa and how it stacks up against Ironman Lake Placid, from travel and logistics to course difficulty and choosing the race that best aligns with your goals. Check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

On episode 477, ⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠ discuss: new all-time highs in the stock market, AI is the only thing that matters, emerging markets are cheap, 1987 crash calls, things rich people and poor people have in common, day trading is hard, how often you should check your portfolio, early retirement, housing market recessions and much more. This episode is sponsored by Xtrackers by DWS. Find out more at ⁠http://xtrackers.com/ ⁠ Sign up for The Compound newsletter and never miss out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thecompoundnews.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Us On Social Media: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thecompoundnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/thecompoundnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/the-compound-media/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@thecompoundnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find complete show notes on our blogs: Ben Carlson's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Wealth of Common Sense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Michael Batnick's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Irrelevant Investor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Feel free to shoot us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation.   Investing involves the risk of loss. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be or regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions. Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are employees of Ritholtz Wealth Management and may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this video. All opinions expressed by them are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Ritholtz Wealth Management. See our disclosures here: https://ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures/ The Compound Media, Incorporated, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here https://ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers. Xtrackers by DWS Disclosure:  Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Stocks may decline in value. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate, credit, liquidity and market risks to varying degrees. When interest rates rise, bond prices generally fall. Foreign investing involves greater and different risks than investing in US companies, including currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political instability and differing auditing and legal standards. Emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the markets of more mature economies, and generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. Funds investing in a single industry, country or in a limited geographic region generally are more volatile than more diversified funds.  Performance of a fund may diverge from that of an underlying index due to operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows, use of sampling strategies or operational inefficiencies. There are additional risks associated with investing in high-yield bonds, aggressive growth stocks, non-diversified/concentrated funds and small- and mid-cap stocks which are more fully explained in the prospectuses, as applicable. An investment in any fund should be considered only as a supplement to a complete investment program for those investors willing to accept the risks associated with that fund. Please read the applicable prospectus for more information.  The brand DWS represents DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA and any of its subsidiaries such as DWS Distributors, Inc., which offers investment products, or DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. and RREEF America L.L.C., which offer advisory services. Xtrackers ETFs ("ETFs") are managed by DBX Advisors LLC (the "Adviser"), and distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“ALPS”). The Adviser is a subsidiary of DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, and is not affiliated with ALPS. Copyright © 2026 DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA. All rights reserved. 111191-1 (08/26) DBX007483 (08/27) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever noticed how much your view changes depending on whether you're standing in the valley or looking down from the mountain? In this second episode of their Switzerland and France series, Dot and Cara pick back up on the porch overlooking the Alps and talk honestly about what it means to keep your eyes up even when clouds hide the mountain, or when you're the one sitting in the valley. They talk about the women at the tomb who mistook Jesus for the gardener, why gratitude has become Dot's lifeline through a hard season, and how one storm soaked afternoon ended with a double rainbow over Mont Blanc. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible, and lean in with us.Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode RecapIntro(00:00)Write this down: Exodus 19:3-6, God calling Moses up the mountain (00:00)Why Dot has always been drawn to mountains, and how this trip felt different (01:22)Meeting God on the mountain versus in the valley, and how faith can move mountains (03:34)Watching mountain climbers and thinking about what it takes to hold on when you feel like you're barely hanging on (04:59)Seeing Mont Blanc from every angle, and how that changes the way you experience a mountain, not just how you see it (06:19)Clouds can hide the mountain, but that doesn't mean it isn't there, and neither is God (12:41)The women at the tomb almost missed Jesus because their tears and their focus were in the wrong place (16:15)Gratitude as a lifeline, and how thanking God for small things opens your eyes to bigger ones (19:41)A storm hid the mountain completely, then gave way to a double rainbow as a reminder that God keeps His promises (27:52)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook This Episode's Scripture VerseExodus 19:3-6 (ESV) — "While Moses went up to God, the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.'"

Sophie Woods just ran the length of the Alps faster than anyone in recorded history. Starting in Trieste, Italy on July 4 and finishing in Monaco on August 1, she covered the Via Alpina, 2,018 kilometers and 117,614 meters of climbing across eight countries, in 28 days, 17 hours, and 59 minutes, beating the previous overall record by more than seven days.In this conversation, Sophie takes us inside the effort: the highs and lows, what she ate, how she paced certain sections, her sleep strategy, and how she handled setbacks like wildfires, bugs, and course reroutes.  We also discuss her background as a London-based hairdresser, seven years living in a camper van, her IVF journey, three finishes at Tor des Géants, and a podium debut at the Winter Spine Race that she credits with giving her a whole new level to dig from. Plus what she learned from other multi-week specialists and whether she's really lining up for PTL just weeks after this FKT.Partners:Precision Fuel and Hydration - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout for 15% off your next orderJanji - running apparel that goes the distanceRaide - Making equipment for efficient human-powered movement in the mountains Norda - check out the 005: the lightest, fastest, most stable trail racing shoe ever madeKodiak Cakes - my favorite oatmeal and pancakesAdditional Links:Follow Sophie Woods on InstagramCenturion CoachingSupport the show

Huxley is an example of having a good attitude about publicly acknowledging errors and learning from them. He earned the nickname “Darwin’s bulldog” for his very vocal support of Darwin’s work, and he wanted to promote science and education, particularly to people that didn’t normally have access to those things. Research: Bernoulli, D., Jenkyns, H.C. “Thomas Henry Huxley, a stone tablet, coccoliths, and deep-sea sediments in the high Alps.” Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 112, 1661–1669 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-023-02330-5 Bowen, Keith. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Ebsco. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/thomas-henry-huxley Burkhardt, Richard W.. "Jean-Baptiste Lamarck". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-Lamarck Darwin, Charles. “On the Origin of Species.” JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. London. 1859. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm Desmond, Adrian J. "Thomas Henry Huxley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Henry-Huxley Dolan, John R. “The famous and lesser-known illustrations of Thomas Huxley’s Bathybius.” History of Oceanography. International Commission of the History of Oceanography. https://oceansciencehistory.com/2020/07/13/the-famous-and-lesser-known-illustrations-of-thomas-huxleys-bathybius/ “Freshwater Bathybius.” Nature 4, 49–50 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004049b0 “The Great Debate.” University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate “The History of Evolutionary Thought.” Understanding Evolution. Berkeley University. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-history-of-evolutionary-thought/1800s/early-concepts-of-evolution-jean-baptiste-lamarck/ Huxley, T.H. “Agnosticism.” K. Paul, Trench. London. 1889. https://archive.org/details/a622650700huxluoft/page/169/mode/1up Huxley, T.H. “Aphorisms and Reflections. From the Works of T. H. HUXLEY, Selected byHenrietta A. Huxley. Macmillan and Co. London. 1907. Accessed online: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Aphor.html Huxley, T.H. “Autobiography and Selected Essays.” Riverside College Classics. 1909. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1315/1315-h/1315-h.htm#link2H_4_0007 Huxley, T.H. “Collected Essays, Volume V: Science and Christian Tradition.” https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15905/15905-h/15905-h.htm Huxley, T.H. “Evidence as to man's place in nature.” D. Appelton and Co. New York. 1863. https://archive.org/details/evidenceastomans00huxl/page/n1/mode/2up Huxley, T.H. “On Some Organisms Living at Great Depths in the North Atlantic Ocean.” Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. viii., new Series, 1868, pp. 203-212. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/SM3/bathy.html Huxley, T.H. “On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals.” Project Gutenberg eBook. 2001. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2932/pg2932-images.html Joshi RS. “The Inner Root Sheath and the Men Associated with it Eponymically.” Int J Trichology. 2011 Jan;3(1):57-62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3129131/ Lamarck, Jean-Baptiste. “Zoological Philosophy.” Macmillan. London. 1914. https://archive.org/details/ZoologicalPhilosophy Lyons, Sherrie L. “Thomas Henry Huxley : the evolution of a scientist.” Prometheus Books. New York. 1999. McGraw, Donald J. “Bye-Bye Bathybius: The Rise and Fall of a Marine Myth.” Bios, vol. 45, no. 4, 1974, pp. 164–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4607257 “Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963.” The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1963/summary/ Pearce, JMS. “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Hektoen International. Sept. 18, 2020. https://hekint.org/2020/09/18/thomas-henry-huxley/ Schwartz, Joel S. “Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and ‘Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.’” Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 23, no. 1, 1990, pp. 127–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4331120 “Thomas Henry Huxley.” Darwin Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge. https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/thomas-henry-huxley “Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895).” Humanist Heritage. https://heritage.humanists.uk/thomas-henry-huxley/ Tunstad, Erik. “Darwin's Bulldog: Thomas Huxley 200 Years.” Prosa. July 10, 2025. https://prosa.no/artikler/aktuelt/darwins-bulldog-thomas-huxley-200-ar Wyhe, John van. “It ain't necessarily so ...” The Guardian. Feb 9, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.myths See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although the best-known wines of Piemonte are in the south — in Alba, Roero, Cuneo, and Asti – there is a treasure trove of excellent Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo blends northeast of the famed Barolo and Barbaresco in the Langhe. These are small DOCGs and DOCs in the foothills of the Italian Alps that are collectively called Alto Piemonte  – "higher (or upper) Piemonte."   Greatly reduced in status and size, Alto Piemonte today is a collection of small appellations across the foothills of the Alps, in and around the Sesia River and a swath of forests. The region sits in the shadow of Monte Rosa, which at 4,634 meters/15200 ft is the second-highest peak in the Alps.   Map: Alto Piemonte. Credit: Skurnik Wines   Because of the cooling breezes and lower nighttime temperatures, Alto Piemonte is cooler than the Langhe and Roero. That means that some Nebbiolo producers are starting to look northeast for new frontiers for growing grapes. Changes are afoot, which make this region worth knowing about now, whereas before it was more of a novelty! In this show I cover it all.     Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!!  This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts,  and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/   

Sarah is back from the Windy City, and boy are her arms tired. Susie's whole body is tired because she had to lead a cat rescue operation. We discuss the Bang My Box documentary about Robin Byrd's New York cable access show in the 80s, and how she was a gay icon and advocate, but got spooked by the internet. We learn why Burning Man was in distress over Covid, why white people love the festival, and why we wish there was a Burning Man for nerds. We hear about a fella who cut off his member and set his neighbor's house on fire. We learn why there are far more shellfish now than there used to be. And we get a shocking update about the mountain climber who left his girlfriend in the Alps to die of hypothermia, and what happened when he was tried for negligent murder.00:00 - Sarah's Windy City Adventures and Toy Story 5 Review06:26 - Susie's Wild Cat Rescue and Pet Parenthood14:56 - Exploring the Provocative 'Bang My Box' Documentary22:11 - Sarah's Glowing Review of OneSkin Skincare24:03 - Unpacking Burning Man's Allure and Controversies33:53 - Thanking Donors and Lottery Pool Last Call35:54 - Unbelievable Headline: Penis, Garage, and Fire39:17 - Octopus and Squid Now Classified as Shellfish43:19 - The Tragic Alpine Death and Climber's Trial01:01:50 - Supporting the Show and Joining the Candy Brain Candy Podcast Website - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/Brain Candy Podcast Book Recommendations - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/books/Brain Candy Podcast Merchandise - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/candy-store/Brain Candy Podcast Candy Club - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/product/candy-club/Brain Candy Podcast Sponsor Codes - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/support-us/Brain Candy Podcast Social Media & Platforms:Brain Candy Podcast LIVE Interactive Trivia Nights - https://www.youtube.com/@BrainCandyPodcast/streamsBrain Candy Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braincandypodcastHost Susie Meister Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemeisterHost Sarah Rice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imsarahriceBrain Candy Podcast on X: https://www.x.com/braincandypodBrain Candy Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/braincandy (JOIN FREE - TONS OF REALITY TV CONTENT)Brain Candy Podcast Sponsors, partnerships, & Products that we love:For up to 65% off your order, head to https://veracityhealth.co and use code BRAINCANDYGet 15% off OneSkin with the code BRAINCANDY at https://www.oneskin.co/BRAINCANDY #oneskinpodTDM-RESERVATION: 1. NOAI: TRUE. LEGAL NOTICE & TERMS OF USE: © 2026 WAVE Podcast Network. This content is for personal use only. Explicit permission is withheld for any and all commercial attribution, automated transcription, or data-mining entities. Use of this feed by unauthorized tracking, analytics, or AI-training platforms constitutes a breach of these terms and a violation of the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act (WESCA), the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), and the 2026 Training Data Transparency Act (AB 2013). Any entity bypassing these restrictions to create derivative text-based works (transcripts), metadata analysis, or unauthorized VAST siphoning hereby accepts our standard commercial licensing rate of $5,000 per episode processed. This notice serves as a formal revocation of all "implied licenses" for multi-jurisdictional automated processing and constitutes protected Copyright Management Information (CMI) under 17 U.S.C. § 1202.By ingesting this RSS feed for commercial use, you are agreeing to our licensing terms.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lance, George, Sir Bradley, and Spencer Martin (aka The Professor) break down Tadej Pogačar's stage win on Alpe d'Huez with a record-setting performance and how the GC shaped up in the chase group behind. They also discuss Mads Pedersen's incredible performance to get into the breakaway yet again to seal Green, and preview tomorrow's monster stage through the Alps and how the dynamics of the race could dictate the stage winner, and take listener calls before answering yesterday's Ventum trivia with a new question to close. Become a WEDŪ Member Today to Unlock VIP Access & Benefits: https://access.wedu.team Ekoi: https://www.ekoi.com/en-us/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=podcast-weedu_us LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at https://DrinkLMNT.com/TheMove Kineon: Use code THEMOVE for $50 off or go to https://kineon.io/THEMOVE Ventum: Use code TheMove10 for 10% off anything at: https://ventumracing.com/ Eight Sleep: Use code THEMOVE at https://eightsleep.com/themove for up to $350 off. 30 days to try it at home. Free returns if it's not for you. Hyperice: Get 15% off Hyperice products now with code THEMOVE15 https://Hyperice.com

Lance, George, Sir Bradley, and Spencer Martin (aka The Professor) break down Jasper Philipsen's incredible stage win to score his first win at this Tour de France and get within seven points of the Green Jersey. They discuss Philipsen's tough path to the stage win, how Mads Pedersen potentially miscalculated the day, and what Adam Yates' illness means for Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro heading into the Alps. They also preview tomorrow's tricky stage and take listener calls before answering yesterday's Ventum trivia with a new question to close. Become a WEDŪ Member Today to Unlock VIP Access & Benefits: https://access.wedu.team Roka: The Move listeners get 20% off. Just go to https://ROKA.com and enter code THEMOVE at checkout.  LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at https://DrinkLMNT.com/TheMove David Protein: David is offering our listeners a special deal: buy 4 cartons and get the 5th free when you go to https://davidprotein.com/THEMOVE Ventum: Use code TheMove10 for 10% off anything at: https://ventumracing.com/ Eight Sleep: Use code THEMOVE at https://eightsleep.com/themove for up to $350 off. 30 days to try it at home. Free returns if it's not for you.

We're taking a break from True Sunlight this week, but we hope you enjoy this episode of 'Wherever It Leads... Milan' Follow the show at staypes.ky/wherever Tourists sprint to Rome and Florence while one of Europe's most alive cities hums quietly in the north — and that's exactly what makes Milan extraordinary.  This week, writer, author, and Milanese insider Marta Mondelli pulls back the curtain on a city of hidden courtyards, wooden streetcars, world-class aperitivo, and jasmine-soaked springs.  She explains why cappuccino after 11am is a “crime”, why the Milanese party as hard as they work, and why spring open days unlock palaces most visitors never see.  Journalist Mandy Matney and producer David Moses share their own Milan memories — late-night dumplings in Chinatown, a train through the Alps, streets packed on a Tuesday like it was Saturday — while Marta weighs in on Lee Gilley's asylum claim in nearby Turin and Italy's growing conversation around feminicide.  Plus: Lake Como, Turin, and the art of spending your tourism money where it actually matters. Learn More about Marta Mondelli: @martamondelli Reset Stories Podcast @resetstoriespodcast Episode Resources: Festina Lente Milano — Marta's handcrafted candle shop in the Isola neighborhood