Podcasts about Lake Louise

Hello, everyone! My roommate Lara and I just got back from a wedding in Canada, and in this episode, we are going to share details about everything you need to know about Lake Louise, the Fairmont, and this incredible drink we discovered. No, it's not a double, double from Tim Horton. It's much smoother than that! EPISODE NOTES: Ten Foot Henry Fairmont Lake Louise Emerald Lake Fairview Gin Sky Bistro SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to Podcast: iTunes or Android Follow Me: Instagram and Twitter Audio Player

Send us a textLace up your hiking boots and join us as we trek across the breathtaking landscapes of Canada! From the misty coastal paths of British Columbia to the craggy eastern shores of Newfoundland, we're exploring ten of Canada's most spectacular hiking trails that belong on every outdoor enthusiast's bucket list.Our journey begins with the legendary West Coast Trail in BC, where we share insights from friends who conquered this challenging 75km adventure featuring cable cars, ladders, and incredible wildlife viewing opportunities. The trail's lottery system makes it exclusive, but we'll tell you why it's worth trying your luck. We then head east to Alberta's mountain wonderland, exploring both the glacier-studded Berg Lake Trail beneath towering Mount Robson and the ridge-walking paradise of Jasper's Skyline Trail, where snow lingers into June but rewards summer hikers with breathtaking alpine vistas.Not every remarkable Canadian trail requires expert-level skills. We highlight the accessible Plain of Six Glaciers near Lake Louise with its historic tea house, the culturally significant Grey Owl's Cabin Trail in Manitoba, and the moderate Les Loops Trail offering spectacular views near Quebec City. For those seeking true wilderness challenges, we venture into the remote Arctic landscape of Akshayuk Pass in Nunavut, where towering peaks and extreme conditions create an unforgettable 97km adventure available only during the brief summer window. The maritime provinces shine with New Brunswick's Fundy Footpath tracing the world's highest tides and Newfoundland's extensive East Coast Trail showcasing puffin colonies, icebergs, and the easternmost point in North America.Whether you're planning your next backpacking expedition or simply dreaming of Canada's natural wonders, these trails showcase the remarkable diversity of our outdoor playground. Each path offers unique experiences, from wildlife encounters to historical connections like the La Cloche trail that inspired Group of Seven painters. Have you hiked any of these Canadian gems? Email us at hi@supergoodcamping.com to share your own trail tales or questions about exploring the great Canadian wilderness.Support the showCONNECT WITH US AT SUPER GOOD CAMPING:Support the podcast & buy super cool SWAG: https://store.skgroupinc.com/super_good_camping/shop/homeEMAIL: hi@supergoodcamping.comWEBSITE: www.supergoodcamping.comYOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqFDJbFJyJ5Y-NHhFseENsQINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/super_good_camping/TWITTER: https://twitter.com/SuperGoodCampinFACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuperGoodCamping/TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@supergoodcamping Support the show

Feeling overwhelmed and underprepared can create self-limiting thoughts, low-performance, unmet expectations, higher stress, dissatisfaction, and even disillusionment. During this conversation from the fall with the Class of 2024-25 mentors and mentees, we dove into how to strengthen your own mental toughness and mindset to draw out higher performance from others. Looking for more? Read "Mastering Your Mindset" in the May 2025 issue of SAM. Mentors: Ross Boisvert, President and General Manager, McIntyre Ski Area, Manchester, N.H.  Shannon Buhler, Vice President and General Manager, Keystone Resort, Colo. Rich Burkley, CEO, Lake Louise Ski Resort & Summer Gondola, Lake Louise, Alberta Ken Rider, General Manager, Brundage Mountain, Idaho Mentees: Josiah Akin, Maintenance and Rental Manager, Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Ore. Christie Barbour, Lift Operations Manager, Whistler Blackcomb, BC Rob Hallowell, Innovative Environments Manager, Boreal Mountain Resort, Woodward Tahoe, Soda Springs, Calif. Ella Klott, Sales Manager, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo. Sarah Nutt, Assistant Patrol Director, Sunday River Resort, Maine Loryn Roberson, Director of Marketing and Communications, Loveland Ski Area, Colo. Tim Shannon, Director of Skier Services, The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain, Vt. Jenny Weaver, Health and Safety Manager, Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, Calif. Jeremy Wildgoose, Director of Lodging, Schweitzer, Idaho Kyle Wilson, Snow Sports Director, Nordic Mountain, Wis. Rachel Wyckoff, Marketing Director, Shawnee Mountain, Pa. Expert Voices: Paul Thallner, Founder, High Peaks Group Stu Singer, CEO and Founder, WellPerformance Thank you to our premiere sponsor, MountainGuard, for their support of this program. 

The challenge isn't the number of people, it's the number of cars.” In Banff National Park, new transit options are helping visitors slow down and enjoy the mountains without worrying about traffic. Christie Pashby from Banff & Lake Louise Tourism explains how an ongoing transportation campaign encourages shifting into “Park Mode” to help protect this one-of-a-kind Canadian destination and the experiences it provides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Deibold is an Olympic medalist with over 100 World Cup starts under his belt. Alex's success began at the Stratton Mountain School, and then he made the US Team at 18.  While he was on the team, he never totally fit in. The world of snowboarding had a “high school” style popularity system and the fact that he liked the gym and working hard earned him the dreaded jock label is the sea of cool guys. But regardless of the lack of funding, sponsors, or fanfare, Alex was able to make the dream happen. It's a fun episode, and Nate Holland asks the Inappropriate Questions. 4:00:  From everywhere he's lived, travel, getting into snow, Jib Fest, Olympics, the chain of events that gets him to SMS 11:00:  X Games, US Open, talent vs work ethic, not fitting in, the jock label, and Baum    22:00:  Stanley:  The brand that invented the category! Only the best for Powell Movement listeners.  Check out Stanley1913.com   Best Day Brewing:  All of the flavor of your favorite IPA or Kolsch, without the alcohol, the calories or sugar. 25:00:  Snowboarding is like HS, boardercross, getting on the US Team, not making the Vancouver team, and not having financial backing 41:30:   Elan Skis:  Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better. Outdoor Research:  Click here for 25% off Outdoor Research products (not valid on sale items or pro products) 43:30:  Sochi lead-up, struggle, Lake Louise podium, no pressure in Sochi, getting the bronze, opportunities, and post-Olympic hangover     60:00:  Expensive taste, not making the 2018 Olympic team, bad teammates, not going to his last Olympics because of injury Palmer and Nate Holland 76:00:  Inappropriate Questions with Nate Holland

Join Ben and Meagan as we share about our experience vising Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.  Youtube Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYaTC-bdaI&t=581s Use our Get Away Today affiliate link when you're planning your next Disney vacation to get the best deals! Use our code YellowVan for extra savings on your vacatino package. Use our YNAB link for an extra month free! Check out our blog and Etsy shop Shop through our Amazon affiliate link Email us at yellowvantravels@gmail.com Find us on social media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Links in show notes contain affiliate links*

Drop us a message with any questions you may have :)In association with SkiWeekends.com The Ski World News:Tragic News from Avoriaz: A 23-year-old British man tragically died after falling from a cliff in Avoriaz. Sustainable Travel in the Alps: Montagne Verte expands the AlpinExpress initiative, offering discounts for sustainable travel to ski areas in the Morzine-Les Gets region.Mikaela Shiffrin's 100th World Cup Win: Shiffrin becomes the first skier to hit 100 World Cup wins.Where's Best to Ski Now?Austria: Obertauern and the Arlberg region remain in good shape. Resorts like St. Anton and Lech offer great coverage despite slightly below-average snow depths.France: The French Alps, including the 3 Valleys and Portes du Soleil, are seeing excellent snow and sunshine, with near-100% terrain open.Italy: Dolomites like Madonna di Campiglio and Livigno see fresh snow, offering excellent skiing with a mix of sunshine and cold temperatures.Switzerland: Verbier and Zermatt benefit from heavy snowfalls, and conditions are set to improve with sunny weather ahead.Pyrenees: Fresh snowfall improves conditions, especially in Andorra and Baqueira Beret.Scandinavia: Norway and Sweden receive a solid amount of fresh snow, with resorts like Hemsedal and Trysil offering excellent skiing conditions.Eastern Europe: Resorts in Bulgaria and Czechia, like Bansko and Špindlerův Mlýn, benefit from improved snow and spring-like conditions.Canada: Western Canadian resorts, including Lake Louise and Whistler, report near-full operations with favorable snow conditions.USA: The Pacific Northwest, including Crystal Mountain, is receiving significant snowfall, making it a top destination for skiing.Ski Racing Corner with Ed Drake: Ed Drake discusses Shiffrin's 100th win and what it means for her future. He reflects on her dominance and potential competition.Competition Time: Win HH legendary insulated pants, Helly Hansen Odin 40 backpack, Panda Optics goggles, Diablo Bath Polar Print neck warmer, Mizo stainless steel water bottle, and E-ski touring skis!Gear GuideLatest Ski Innovations: Electric-assist skis are here! E-SKIMO: Features motorized treads in skis to make uphill travel 80% faster and reduce muscle effort by 30%. Vipera : Ultra-compact, silent motors with a removable drivetrain.Ski Racing Worldwide with Ed DrakeDestination Spotlight of the Week: Saas Fee, SwitzerlandVillage: Traditional, car-free, with a cozy atmosphere.Skiing: Great for beginners and better intermediates, with plenty of slopes for everyone.Non-Skiing Activities: Snowshoe tours on Fee Glacier. Via Ferrata and zip-lining. Winter hikes and snowshoe tours, sledging runs, Fondue Gondola experience etc Desert Island Ski Resort withSupport the showIn the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us! And don't forget to check us out on the following channels inthesnow.cominstagram.com/inthesnowTikTok@inthesnowmag youtube.com/inthesnowmagfacebook.com/inthesnowTo contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at dom@InTheSnow.com / robert@ski-press.com

Curious about the booming potential of Alberta's Industrial Heartland and its impact on the global petrochemical landscape? Join Victoria Meyer as she speaks with Mark Plamondon, Executive Director of the Alberta Industrial Heartland Association, to uncover the immense benefits of investing in this strategic region. From low-cost feedstocks and world-class carbon management systems to a robust infrastructure and skilled workforce, Mark highlights the unique advantages that have positioned Alberta's Industrial Heartland as a premier destination for major capital projects. Mark discusses significant developments, including Dow's groundbreaking net-zero ethylene manufacturing facility and Shell's advancements in carbon capture projects. The episode also touches on the role of logistical certainty, international investments, and the region's future growth prospects. Additionally, hear about the upcoming Canadian Petrochemical Summit in Lake Louise, which promises to be a vital platform for industry leaders navigating global markets and fostering meaningful connections.  Be sure to check out the full episode to learn more about: A look at the growth of Alberta's Industrial Heartland Breaking down the economics: How feedstock advantages shape petrochemical investment decisions  The role of carbon capture in industrial development - from existing operations to future expansion plans and why timing matters How global supply chain dynamics and port strikes are affecting industrial development, plus insights on Asian investment trends in North America The challenges of navigating uncertainty in a changing political landscape - and how regions work to maintain stable investment environments A discussion on leadership - why stepping up to take clear positions matters and the importance of leading with integrity  "There's so many things that need to line up for a company to reach final investment decision... helping roadblocks out of the way or streamline the process, or just getting the information that they need to make a decision or partnering them with the right people to get their project moving forward, all part of the process here, and that's what we're doing here." - Mark Plamondon  Other links:  Mark Plamondon Episode 145 Alberta's Industrial Heartland's Competitive Edge in Petrochemicals Register for the Canadian Petrochemical Summit this June 17-19 in Lake Louise, Alberta Register for The 40th World Petrochemical Conference by S&P Global this March 17 – 21 in Houston, Texas. The Chemical Show audience receives a special discount of 5%. Register today using code WPC2025ChemShow5%. Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry Subscribe to The Chemical Show on YouTube ***Don't miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player.  ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review. ***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at https://www.thechemicalshow.com 

Note to listeners: Humans of Travel is on hiatus for the winter, with new, full-length episodes resuming Spring 2025. This is a bonus Humans in the Hot Seat Episode, recorded at SmartFlyer's CORE conference in Lake Louise, Alberta, last month. This episode is released in conjunction with a Trade Secrets episode on email marketing, with SmartFlyer's Kayla Douglas. Welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is Emma Weissmann, Executive Editor at TravelAge West, and your host. This week, we are sitting down with Erina Pindar, Managing Partner and COO of luxury travel agency SmartFlyer. Pindar is a veteran of Humans of Travel – her previous episode was recorded in 2020 with former host Valerie Chen. But for her return to the show, we chat all about what it takes to build a successful brand, beyond colors and fonts. How do brands remain authentic, but not "too perfect?" What was Pindar's goals when she rebranded SmartFlyer years ago? Find out this, and more, during our episode. This episode is coming out out in conjunction with a new episode of Trade Secrets, a joint production of TravelAge West and Travel Weekly. On that podcast, we will be interviewing SmartFlyer's Kayla Douglas, director of content, about another unique form of branding: e-marketing. Head on over to the Trade Secrets feed for a listen.Join us next week for an episode with our podcast sponsor, Riverside Luxury Cruises. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE SmartFlyerErina Pindar on Humans of Travel in 2020: SmartFlyer's Erina Pindar on How Her Childhood in Asia Shaped Her Worldview, Plus the 411 on Branding Trade Secrets PodcastContact Pindar on Instagram: @theSmartFlyer @erinapindar From TravelAge West: 5 Things We Learned at SmartFlyer's 2025 CORE Conference ABOUT YOUR HOST Emma Weissmann is the Executive Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly. TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. ABOUT THE SHOW TravelAge West’s award-winning podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacquie Gilson (she/her) has been involved in the interpretation profession for over 45 years as an interpreter, manager, and researcher. She has worked for municipal, provincial, national, and not-for-profit park and heritage organizations. In 2015, she completed her Doctor of Social Sciences degree after studying inspiration in interpretation for her dissertation. In 2020, Jacquie retired after 8 years as the Interpretation Coordinator for Parks Canada in Lake Louise, Banff National Park. Jacquie joins Song Stott and Paul Caputo to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in interpretation.

Send us a textSki News & Updates:Ski Sunday: While it's beloved by hardcore fans, they discuss how it could appeal to wider audiences and promote skiing in general.Ski centers like Ski-Allenheads in Northumberland and Yad Moss in Cumbria are seeing great snow conditions, while Snowdonia has received deep powder.L2A (Les 2 Alpes): €145 million being invested into improvements, including a new gondola and updates to the glacier and beginner areas. A drone show is planned for the new Jandri 3S gondola inauguration on January 17.Top Destinations for Snow & Skiing:Austria: Fresh snow and perfect conditions in Skiwelt, Saalbach Hinterglemm, and Arlberg France: Resorts like Portes du Soleil and 3 Valleys have recoveredItaly: Fresh snow at Madonna di Campiglio and Livigno, with most resorts now 90% open.Switzerland: Verbier and Zermatt boast solid snow, but high winds and rain at lower altitudes challenge conditions at times.Pyrenees: Fresh snow improves conditions in Andorra, St Lary, and Baqueira Beret.Scandinavia: Cold temperatures and heavy snowfall in Norway, with top resorts like Hemsedal and Trysil offering great powder.Eastern Europe: Bansko (Bulgaria) and Špindlerův Mlýn (Czechia) are seeing good snow conditions and well-maintained slopes.Scotland: Snowmaking efforts are keeping resorts like Cairngorm and Glencoe open despite mild weather earlier in the season.Canada: Western resorts like Lake Louise and Whistler Blackcomb are thriving with excellent snow coverage.USA: The Pacific Northwest (e.g., Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass) is experiencing deep powder, while the Rockies and Eastern US are seeing fresh snow.Ski Gear Guide & Competition Alert:Win a GoPro HERO Speciality Accessory Bundle.  To enter, leave a podcast review!Rob and Dom discuss all-mountain ski gear.Men's All-Mountain Skis:Black Crows Camox: Versatile, playful, and responsive at speed, perfect for both groomed runs and off-piste adventures.Salomon QST 92: Lightweight, responsive freeride ski, ideal for side-country exploration and carving.Rossignol Arcade 88: Expert-level ski offering a balance of stability and responsiveness, with Line Control Technology for smooth control.Women's All-Mountain Skis:Line Pandora 85: Lightweight, stable, and great for hardpack conditions, perfect for piste skiers who occasionally venture off-piste.Volkl Blaze 86: Fast and responsive, designed for sporty skiers who enjoy off-piste skiing.Destination of the Week: La Plagne with Mountain HeavenLa Plagne celebrates Mountain Heaven's 21st Anniversary, highlighting their exclusive focus on La Plagne for catered chalets and self-catered apartments.Located in the Paradiski area, La Plagne is a favorite for families and seasoned skiers, offering a vast network of slopes across 11 villages.Mountain Heaven stands out for its personalized service and commitmenIn the meantime Enjoy the mountains :) And Please do leave a review as it's the only way other like minded travellers get to find us! And don't forget to check us out on the following channels inthesnow.cominstagram.com/inthesnowTikTok@inthesnowmag youtube.com/inthesnowmagfacebook.com/inthesnowTo contact us with your suggestions for further episodes at dom@InTheSnow.com / robert@ski-press.com

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Nov. 24. It dropped for free subscribers on Dec. 1. To receive future episodes as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:What There's a good reason that the Ikon Pass, despite considerable roster overlap and a more generous bucket of days, failed to kill Mountain Collective. It's not because Mountain Collective has established itself as a sort of bargain Ikon Junior, or because it's scored a few exclusive partners in Canada and the Western U.S. Rather, the Mountain Collective continues to exist because the member mountains like their little country club, and they're not about to let Alterra force a mass exodus. Not that Alterra has tried, necessarily (I frankly have no idea), but the company did pull its remaining mountains (Mammoth, Palisades, Sugarbush), out of the coalition in 2022. Mountain Collective survived that, just as it weathered the losses of Stowe and Whistler and Telluride (all to the Epic Pass) before it. As of 2024, six years after the introduction of the Ikon Pass that was supposed to kill it, the Mountain Collective, improbably, floats its largest roster ever.And dang, that roster. Monsters, all. Best case, you can go ski them. But the next best thing, for The Storm at least, is when these mountain leaders assemble for their annual meeting in New York City, which includes a night out with the media. Despite a bit of ambient noise, I set up in a corner of the bar and recorded a series of conversations with the leaders of some of the biggest, baddest mountains on the continent.Who* Stephen Kircher, President & CEO, Boyne Resorts* Dave Fields, President & General Manager, Snowbird, Utah* Brandon Ott, Marketing Director, Alta, Utah* Steve Paccagnan, President & CEO, Panorama, British Columbia* Geoff Buchheister, CEO, Aspen Skiing Company, Colorado* Pete Sonntag, VP & General Manager, Sun Valley, Idaho* Davy Ratchford, General Manager, Snowbasin, Utah* Aaron MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer, Sun Peaks, British Columbia* Geordie Gillett, GM, Grand Targhee, Wyoming* Bridget Legnavsky, President & CEO, Sugar Bowl, California* Marc-André Meunier, Executive Marketing Director, Bromont, Quebec* Pete Woods, President, Ski Big 3, Alberta* Kendra Scurfield, VP of Brand & Communications, Sunshine, Alberta* Norio Kambayashi, director and GM, Niseko Hanazono, Japan* James Coleman, Managing Partner, Mountain Capital Partners* Mary Kate Buckley, CEO, Jackson Hole, WyomingRecorded onOctober 29, 2024About Mountain CollectiveMountain Collective gives you two days each at some badass mountains. There is a ton of overlap with the Ikon Pass, which I note below, but Mountain Collective is cheaper has no blackout dates.What we talked aboutBOYNE RESORTSThe PortfolioBig SkySunday RiverSugarloafTopicsYes a second eight-pack comes to Big Sky and it's a monster; why Sunday River joined the Mountain Collective; Sugarloaf's massive West Mountain expansion; and could more Boyne Resorts join Mountain Collective?More Boyne ResortsSNOWBIRDStats: 3,240 vertical feet | 2,500 skiable acres | 500 inches average annual snowfallTopicsThe new Wilbere lift; why fixed-grip; why 600 inches of snow is better than 900 inches; and how Snowbird and Alta access differ on the Ikon versus the Mountain Collective passes.Wilbere's new alignmentMore SnowbirdALTAStats: 2,538 vertical feet | 2,614 skiable acres | 540 inches average annual snowfallTopicsNot 903 inches but still a hell of a lot; why Alta's aiming for 612 inches this season; and plotting Mountain Collective trips in LCC.PANORAMAStats: 4,265 vertical feet | 2,975 skiable acres | 204 inches average annual snowfallTopicsPanorama opens earlier than most skiers think, but not for the reasons they think; opening wall-to-wall last winter; Tantum Bowl Cats; and the impact of Mountain Collective and Ikon on Panorama.More PanoramaASPEN SKIING COMPANYStatsAspen MountainAspen HighlandsButtermilkSnowmassTopicsLast year's Heroes expansion; ongoing improvements to the new terrain for 2024-25; why Aspen finally removed The Couch; who Aspen donated that lift to, and why; why the new Coney lift at Snowmass loads farther down the mountain; “we intend to replace a lift a year probably for the next 10 years”; where the next lift could be; and using your two Mountain Collective days to ski four Aspen resorts.   On Maverick Mountain, MontanaDespite megapass high-tides swarming mountains throughout the West, there are still dozens of ski areas like Maverick Mountain, tucked into the backwoods, 2,020 vertical feet of nothing but you and a pair of sticks. Aspen's old Gent's Ridge quad will soon replace the top-to-bottom 1969 Riblet double chair that serves Maverick now:On the Snowmass masterplanAspen's plan is, according to Buchheister, install a lift per year for the next decade. Here are some of the improvements the company has in mind at Snowmass:On the Mountain Collective Pass starting at AspenChristian Knapp, who is now with Pacific Group Resorts, played a big part in developing the Mountain Collective via Aspen-Snowmass in 2012. He recounted that story on The Storm last year:More AspenSUN VALLEYStats* Bald Mountain: 3,400 vertical feet | 2,054 skiable acres | 200 inches average annual snowfall* Dollar Mountain: 628 vertical feetTopicsLast season's massive Challenger/Flying Squirrel lift updates; a Seattle Ridge lift update; World Cup Finals inbound; and Mountain Collective logistics between Bald and Dollar mountains.More Sun ValleySNOWBASINStats: 3,015 vertical feet | 3,000 skiable acres | 300 inches average annual snowfallTopicsThe Olympics return to Utah and Snowbasin; how Snowbasin's 2034 Olympic slate could differ from 2002; ski the downhill; how the DeMoisy six-pack changed the mountain; a lift upgrade for Becker; Porcupine on deck; and explaining the holdup on RFID.More SnowbasinSUN PEAKSStats: 2,894 vertical feet | 4,270 skiable acres | 237 inches average annual snowfallTopicsThe second-largest ski area in Canada; the new West Bowl quad; snow quality at the summit; and Ikon and Mountain Collective impact on the resort.The old versus new West Bowl liftsMore Sun PeaksGRAND TARGHEEStats: 2,270 vertical feet | 2,602 skiable acres | 500 inches average annual snowfallTopicsMaintaining that Targhee vibe in spite of change; the meaning of Mountain Collective; and combining your MC trip with other badass powder dumps.More Grand TargheeSUGAR BOWLStats: 1,500 vertical feet | 1,650 skiable acres | 500 inches average annual snowfallTopicsBig-time parks incoming; how those parks will differ from the ones at Boreal and Northstar; and reaction to Homewood closing.More Sugar BowlBROMONTStats: 1,175 vertical feet | 450 skiable acres | 210 inches average annual snowfallTopicsWhy this low-rise eastern bump was good enough for the Mountain Collective; grooming three times per day; the richness of Eastern Townships skiing; and where to stay for a Bromont trip.SKI BIG 3Stats* Banff Sunshine: 3,514 vertical feet | 3,358 skiable acres | 360 inches average annual snowfall* Lake Louise: 3,250 vertical feet | 4,200 skiable acres | 179 inches average annual snowfallSunshineLake LouiseTopicsThe new Super Angel Express sixer at Sunshine; the all-new Pipestone Express infill six-pack at Lake Louise; how Mountain Collective access is different from Ikon access at Lake Louise and Sunshine; why Norquay isn't part of Mountain Collective; and the long season at all three ski areas.SUNSHINEStats & map: see aboveTopicsSunshine's novel access route; why the mountain replaced Angel; the calculus behind installing a six-person chair; and growing up at Sunshine.NISEKO UNITEDStats: 3,438 vertical feet | 2,889 skiable acres | 590 inches average annual snowfallTopicsHow the various Niseko ski areas combine for one experience; so.much.snow; the best way to reach Niseko; car or no car?; getting your lift ticket; and where to stay.VALLE NEVADOStats: 2,658 vertical feet | 2,400 skiable acres | 240 inches average annual snowfallTopicsAn excellent winter in Chile; heli-skiing; buying the giant La Parva ski area, right next door; “our plan is to make it one of the biggest ski resorts in the world”; and why Mountain Capital Partners maintains its Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective partnerships even though the company has its own pass.More Valle/La Parva JACKSON HOLEStats: 4,139 vertical feet | 2,500 skiable acres | 459 inches average annual snowfallTopicsThe Sublette lift upgrade; why the new lift has fewer chairs; comparisons to the recent Thunder lift upgrade; venturing beyond the tram; and managing the skier experience in the Ikon/Mountain Collective era.More Jackson HoleWhat I got wrong* I said that Wilbere would be Snowbird's sixth quad. Wilbere will be Snowbird's seventh quad, and first fixed-grip quad.* I said Snowbird got “900-some inches” during the 2022-23 ski season. The final tally was 838 inches, according to Snowbird's website.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 79/100 in 2024, and number 579 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Greetings & welcome back to the podcast. This episode we are joined by Mr. Charlie Locke - Owner of the Lake Louise Ski Resort, and the Locke Stock & Barrel Company Ltd. which includes (among other investments) ranching interests & oil and gas production in the Bearspaw Area, west central Alberta, and in Montana. Mr. Locke was also one of Canada's leading climbers and ski mountaineers during the 1960s and 1970s, which included pioneering climbs on the North Face of Mount Temple, the Ten Peaks at Moraine lake, the Great Divide Ski Traverse from Jasper to Lake Louise in 1967, and over 40 first ascents of Alberta and British Columbia peaks. Mr. Locke also earned a commerce degree from the University of Calgary. Among other things we discussed Ski Resorts, Oil Wells & Mountaineering: 50 Years of Entrepreneurship & Adventure.Enjoy.Thank you to our sponsors.Without their support this episode would not be possible:Connate Water SolutionsATB FinancialEnergy United Upgrade LabsSupport the show

What have we learned from the Jasper wildfire, and the devastating fires before that? Could Banff, Lake Louise, or Whistler burn next?  3:15 | Retired foresters Ken Hodges and Emile Begin wrote letters to the federal government in late 2017 warning of a devastating fire in Jasper National Park. We talk to them on the heels of Ken's testimony before a Parliamentary Hearing related to the July 2024 Jasper fire.   JASPER WILDFIRE EXPLAINED: https://rtrj.info/073024Jasper 52:45 | Did you catch our October 15 episode with psychotherapist Mike Pond and author Maureen Palmer? Real Talker Sheryl responds to their comments on 12-step programs for heavy drinkers.  WATCH THAT EPISODE: https://rtrj.info/101524Soberish 1:04:45 | Real Talker Mary Ann taught for 34 years. She gives us the straight goods on inclusive classrooms after our October 8 episode - The Preschool to Prison Pipeline. WATCH THAT EPISODE: https://rtrj.info/100824RTRT 1:11:45 | It's a PERFECT time of year to stargaze in Jasper! There are a few new elements to this year's edition of the Jasper Dark Sky Festival. We've got you covered in #MyJasper Memories presented by Tourism Jasper.  JASPER DARK SKY FESTIVAL: https://www.jasperdarksky.travel/ EMAIL THE SHOW: talk@ryanjespersen.com  FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj  REAL TALK MUGS, SNAPBACKS, and TEES: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON:   / ryanjespersen   THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Deep in the Rockies in Alberta, Canada, is a small unassuming hut that - unknown to many - houses a teahouse that has been serving hikers since 1904. In the heat of high summer the cabin swarms with hikers in search of a brew. Early or late in the season, though, it's possible to bag the best view in the house on the porch overlooking Lake Agnes before choosing from the impressive menu of loose-leaf teas in relative tranquillity.Joanna Magee owns the teahouse and has to get up at 4.30am to bake the day's supply of bread on an old propane army stove (there's no electric in the cabin). Stocking up on supplies are even more challenging - with all dry goods being helicoptered in once a year and members of staff having to hike into Lake Louise to pick up fresh produce and hike all the rubbish back out. I head there and to its nearest neighbour - the Plain of 6 Glaciers Teahouse - to grab a much-needed brew and to meet the staff whose walk to work is one of the longest but scenic in the country.Also coming up:Adventurer Aldo Kane talks about why he loves the jungle despite being covered in leech bites; figure out how to cut the crap - literally - to see through greenwashing and ensure you travels are truly as eco-friendly as possible; on our run up to the spooky season discover 10 places in Ireland to celebrate Halloween - the original birthplace of the festivities (yes, really); meet the woman who decided to create hand-crafted dolls to try to share her Garifuna culture in Belize - and beyound; get your packing in the bag with my gear chat's tips on buying the perfect daypack and learn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - the Motorcycle Queen of Miami - Bessie Stringfield. Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

✨NEW EPISODE ALERT✨While out in Alberta, Erin Kergen had been working for large public brands, with exposure in program development, creative concepting, to project management and everything in between. While off on maternity leave, she and a girlfriend decided to take over a former general store, naming it after their girls, Pickle and Myrrh. Relocating back to Ontario, she opened her sweet caramel shop with her husband in 2020 and has been happily brewing their delicious handmade salted caramels ever since, growing a large customer base around the world!

Tara Holloway is an Ottawa musician, singer songwriter and after hearing the depth and power of her music, definitely an old soul. In the past decade, Tara has spent time living in Lake Louise, Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. Her guitar acting as a constant companion. Holloway's powerhouse voice that can stop you dead in your tracks. A towering instrument: raw and soulfully weathered, yet capable of precise runs and pitch-perfect delicacy. Her singing is at the centre of her albums, Little Ghosts and Sins to Confess. “I'm obsessed with singing,” the vocalist explains. “That's my favourite thing to do. I love songwriting and guitar playing, and I really enjoy being on stage, but it's the singing that got me into this" Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/5SZTotBsaXN6XOJqQKccit?si=2D_IXIn1R4yKWAtTaJoixw Upcoming appearance  https://www.gctc.ca/events/femmevox6

In this episode, Andrew talks about exciting adventures from the final leg of his summer vacation in Banff, Alberta. He recounts the challenges of planning a trip to the Rocky Mountains, his awesome visits to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and a super-cool jazz concert. Plus, he shares a cute story about an impromptu photo session at Lake Louise! This episode will help you improve your English in the following ways: Listening practice: You'll hear a native English speaker tell a detailed story about travel planning, natural wonders, and cultural experiences. This will improve your understanding of spoken English in a real-life context. New vocabulary: Learn words and phrases related to travel, natural landscapes, and musical performances. Useful expressions: Understand common English idioms such as "smooth sailing," "go with the flow," "up another notch," and "compare notes" in real-life contexts. Canadian culture: Learn about famous Canadian natural attractions, the Banff Center for the Arts and Creativity, and the concept of garage sales in North America. Pronunciation: Listen to the correct pronunciation of place names, geographical features, and music-related terminology, which you can practice yourself. English speaking practice: Join discussions with other listeners on the Culips Discord server for additional speaking practice. Important links: Become a Culips member Study with the interactive transcript Join the Culips Discord server Small-group discussion class schedule (member only)

We've heard it for a few years now. Alberta being referred to as “Hollywood North”, and Calgary is a great place for “celebrity sightings”. In fact, right now Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson are in town filming a major film project! We caught up with Brad Parry, President & CEO of Calgary Economic Development and CEO of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, for his thoughts on what has led to Calgary's growth as a filming destination. Next, according to the latest data from ‘Parks Canada', visitation to Banff National Park has increased by 30 percent over the past decade. Are these tourism levels sustainable, or has the national park reached a tourism tipping point? We tackle the topic with David Matys, VP of Destination Development., Banff and Lake Louise. Finally, it sounds like something out of a ‘comedy' sketch! “Dead Butt Syndrome”. What exactly is it and could you be at risk? We get the ‘bottom line' on this interesting condition from Dr. Ted Jablonski, our ‘on-call' family physician.

Chemmy Alcott is probably the most well-known woman in snowsports in the UK.  After a racing career that took her to four Winter Olympics, she now balances presenting Ski Sunday on the BBC, with bringing up her young family and coaching new aspiring racers.  This special episode is part of an occasional set of podcasts I'm going to be publishing this winter focussing particularly on women in the snowsports industry.  Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout.  SHOW NOTES Chemmy's given name is Chemine (2:45) In Dec 2010 Chemmy suffered a double fracture of her right leg at Lake Louise (5:00) Shortly after Chemmy learned her funding had been withdrawn by BSS (8:45) Third Space helped Chemmy with funding (9:45) Chemmy took part in ‘Dancing on Ice' in 2012, finishing 5th (11:45) BSS said Chemmy's participation was an ‘acceptable' risk (13:00) Chemmy has broken over 40 bones in her career (16:00) Injuries include a dislocated jaw, broken neck, broken back, broken ribs, groin tears, two ACLs, compound tibia/fibula fracture and a broken ankle Chemmy learned to ski in Flaine and takes her family there now (22:00) Her first race was when she was 3 years old (although she didn't win!) (23:30) Chemmy made her FIS debut at Coronet Peak in 1997 (27:30) She won medals at the European Youth Olympics in 1999 in SuperG and GS (28:45) In 2002 Chemmy beat Lyndsey Vonn in Junior Worlds and was 4th overall (29:00) Chemmy took part in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics (29:45) Chemmy competed in all five disciplines: Downhill, Super G, GS, slalom and combined Alain Baxter ‘won' the bronze in Slalom at Salt Lake (31:00) Chemmy finished 11th in the Downhilll at the 2006 Turin Olympics (32:00) At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Chemmy finished 11th in  the super-combined (37:00) Chemmy broke her leg again in the summer of 2013 in Saas Fee (39:30) Sochi in 2014 was Chemmy's fourth Winter Olympics (43:00) She finished 19th in the Downhill, which ‘felt like a gold' (43:15) Lady Gaga is an inspiration (44:00) Chemmy retired in 2014 and started working on ‘Ski Sunday' in 2015 (46:00) Working on the 2018 Winter Olympics, Chemmy teamed up with Claire Balding (46:45) In 2020 Chemmy joined Ed Leigh as one of the presenters of ‘Ski Sunday' (47:15) Listen to Iain's in-depth interview with Chemmy while she was based in Laax (47:30) Listen to Iain's interview with Ed Leigh (49:00) Why isn't there more freestyle coverage on ‘Ski Sunday'? (51:00) Listen to Iain's interview with Zac Carrick-Smith (52:30) On how women take those decisions to find time for themselves (58:00) Listen to Chemmy explaining about her downhill POV camera runs (59:30) Leonardo Da Vinci:  "Once you've tasted flight you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Feedback I enjoy all feedback about the show, I like to know what you think, especially about our features so please contact on social @theskipodcast or by email theskipodcast@gmail.com  If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:    1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  2) Subscribe so every episode will automatically be downloaded for you  3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or take this link

Prioritizing High-Protein Meals On-The-Go   Host: Ali Novitsky, MD Introduction In this episode, Ali Novitsky, MD, returns after an adventurous summer of travel with her family, journeying from Greece to Portland and Banff. She shares insights on maintaining body composition through high-protein meals during her travels. Travel Recap The Novitsky family began their summer exploring Greece's stunning landscapes and culture. They caught an Olivia Rodrigo concert in Portland, a treat for her daughters who are music enthusiasts, and later explored the breathtaking scenery of Banff, Canada, including Lake Louise and the Northern Lights. Her husband Mark, host of The Boatcast podcast and a talented photographer, captured remarkable photos along the way. Episode Focus: High Protein Meal Ideas Dr. Ali discusses how she maintained her muscle mass and body fat percentage with high-protein meals despite two months of travel. Key Points Discussed Strength Training Without Equipment: Dr. Ali maintained her muscle mass by engaging in equipment-free strength training three times weekly. Dietary Recommendations: She indulged in some treats but prioritized protein intake to sustain her body composition. High Protein Meal Ideas: Breakfast: Options include overnight oats with Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, turkey bacon, tempeh, Bare Bells protein bars, and Starbucks egg white bites. Lunch: A protein-first approach with ingredients like grilled chicken, ground beef, tempeh, tofu, and hard-boiled eggs, offering five high-protein lunch ideas. Snacks: Mini meals such as protein shakes, smoothies, and chicken salad, with vegetarian choices like tofu or tempeh salad. Dinner: Reiterate lunch ideas, focusing on protein-rich appetizers and main courses when dining out, with vegetarian entrées supplemented by preferred proteins. Practical Tips: Keep protein sources prepped in the fridge. Incorporate leftovers creatively into new meals. Emphasize whole foods for better digestion and health. Special Offer: Nutrition Training Program for Healthcare Professionals/Coaches Dr. Ali announces an eight-week intensive nutrition training program with a year-long support system, suitable for healthcare professionals, coaches, and anyone interested in metabolic health. The program includes live weekly calls, workout samples, emotional eating training, and body composition training, offering 48 CME credits for physicians. For more details, visit The Fit Collective Nutrition Training or the show notes link. Conclusion Dr. Ali hopes these high-protein meal ideas inspire listeners to maintain their nutrition goals, whether at home or on the go. She closes the episode with a reminder to take care and stay healthy until next Timestamps 00:00:02 - Introduction and Travel Recap 00:02:34 - High-Protein Meal Ideas Overview 00:03:29 - Maintaining Nutrition While Traveling 00:05:04 - Strength Training Without Equipment 00:05:27 - Dietary Recommendations During Travel 00:08:17 - High-Protein Breakfast Ideas 00:14:09 - High-Protein Lunch Ideas 00:18:04 - High-Protein Snack Ideas 00:19:49 - High-Protein Dinner Ideas 00:22:10 - Vegetarian and Vegan Protein Options 00:23:14 - Nutrition Training Program Overview 00:25:11 - Program Details and Benefits 00:26:03 - Conclusion and Sign-Off Resources The Muscles & Mindset Program - 12 months for only $199! Enroll TODAY. Nutrition Training Program for Healthcare Providers is enrolling now! You can learn more HERE. Dr. Ali's Advanced Strength Training program is now available for exercises at a higher level. See the details HERE. Optimal GLP-1 Weight Loss Program - next program starts November, 2024.  Learn more and join the waitlist HERE. Transform® 9.0 enrollment is now open! Get started with your bonus content today. Learn more HERE. Follow Dr. Ali Novitsky on TikTok | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Subscribe to The Muscles and Mindset Podcast on Spotify | Apple Podcasts *Ali Novitsky MD, this podcast, and podcast write-up are NOT providing medical advice. We do not recommend you start any exercise program without first consulting with your doctor!*

(00:00) Family Golf Trips This chapter of "The Weekend Golf Guys" is a lively discussion featuring John Ashton, Jeff Smith, and special guest Kelly Stenson. We explore Kelly's recent golf trip to Scotland with her 15-year-old son, emphasizing the joys and challenges of golfing in Edinburgh and surrounding areas. Kelly shares how they managed to play numerous rounds of golf, taking advantage of the extended daylight hours. We reflect on the value of traveling and playing golf with family, reminiscing about our own experiences and encouraging listeners to create similar memories. The conversation underscores the importance of seizing opportunities to bond over golf, whether it's abroad or within the United States. (13:09) Scottish Golf Trips This chapter takes us on a vivid journey through Kelly's recent golf trip to Scotland. We explore her experiences navigating the narrow, left-hand drive roads and balancing her love for golf with some brief, spontaneous sightseeing in Edinburgh and St. Andrews. Anecdotes about driving challenges and amusing moments with backseat drivers add a touch of humor. We also discuss memorable golf courses like Cruden Bay and Brora, each with its unique quirks, such as foggy weather and animals on the course. Additionally, we touch on the charm of local Scottish towns, their distinctive eateries, and the cultural immersion that comes with exploring beyond the greens. Lastly, we ponder the accessibility of golf courses in Scotland, comparing them to the public courses commonly found elsewhere. (25:15) Golf as a Unifier This chapter takes us on a journey through various experiences with golf, highlighting its unique ability to bring people together. From personal anecdotes about exploring the stunning landscapes of Montana and the allure of Banff and Lake Louise, we transition into the world of online golf competitions, where I reached number five in the world and built lasting friendships. The narrative continues with stories of real-life meetups, including an unforgettable event at Covered Bridge in Southern Indiana, and a touching moment when the mayor welcomed our group with open arms. We explore how golf unites people from all walks of life, whether through charity fundraisers or golf schools in South Carolina. The authenticity and vulnerability required in golf create a level playing field, breaking down barriers and fostering genuine connections. Finally, we reflect on the role of instructors in supporting players, especially when they struggle, ensuring everyone feels included and valued on the course. (34:20) Junior Golf Success and Bourbon Trails This chapter celebrates the achievements of young golfers, particularly highlighting Ava Bunker's impressive performance at the World Juniors in Pinehurst. We reflect on the joy and fulfillment that comes from working with junior players compared to the high expectations placed on PGA Tour players. We also discuss the potential for creating golf travel trails similar to the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky, such as the I-64 golf trail, to attract travel golfers and promote collaboration among golf courses. Additionally, we share personal anecdotes about tasting spirits, from bourbon in Louisville to whiskey in Ireland, and the acquired taste required for brown liquors. The conversation wraps up with a teaser about an upcoming golf question and a mention of travels to Scotland. (39:31) Bunker Play Techniques for Success This chapter explores the challenges and techniques of playing out of deep bunkers, specifically referencing experiences at iconic courses like St Andrews and North Berwick. We discuss the importance of using a lofted club, taking plenty of sand, and maintaining good technique to avoid common mistakes such as falling back or trying to lift the ball. Additionally, we share anecdotes about famous bunker struggles, including Bobby Jones' legendary difficulty at St Andrews, and provide tips like the "hinge and thump" method to improve bunker play. Whether you're a skilled bunker player or still learning, these insights aim to help you tackle even the most daunting bunker shots. (43:55) Greenside Sand Play Technique This chapter explores the importance of mastering greenside sand play in golf, emphasizing the key elements of quality sand and speed control. We share a unique analogy comparing bunker shots to removing a spider from a swimming pool—highlighting the technique of hitting behind the ball to let the sand propel it out. Additionally, we express gratitude for Kelly's return and her travel stories, and we encourage listeners to try the bunker tip the next time they find themselves in the sand. Enjoy this insightful and engaging conversation on improving your golf game.

Zoe Hall is a former teacher and a passionate advocate for wild swimming and the profound impact it can have on mental health and community building. After leaving a stressful career in teaching, Zoe has journeyed around the world, undertaking wild swimming adventures across different continents. She is now the founder of the Dippendales Co., which not only offers unique swimwear sourced from recycled materials but also organizes wild swimming and hiking retreats. Zoe is dedicated to creating inclusive spaces for women in the wild swimming community and promoting the mental and physical benefits that come with embracing the outdoors.Episode Summary:In this absorbing episode of the podcast, Zoe Hall shares her transformative journey from a teacher to the founder of Dippendales Co., highlighting her deep-rooted love for wild swimming. The conversation delves into Zoe's personal experiences, her adventures across the globe, and the inception of her business that intertwines her passion for swimwear design with the empowering activity of wild swimming.Zoe's story is one of daring change and the pursuit of well-being through nature. With vivid anecdotes from her wild swimming adventures in places like Lake Louise, Canada, and the glacial lakes of Bavaria, the discussion illuminates the way these experiences shaped her philosophy towards life and work. The episode also explores the growth of wild swimming as a community and its benefits for mental health post-COVID, along with Zoe's aspirations to make a broader social impact through her retreats and potential charity work.Key Takeaways:Zoe Hall emphasizes the importance of pursuing personal well-being, even if it means leaving a secure career.Wild swimming has been a part of Zoe's life since childhood, leading to her founding the Dippendales Co.Community and inclusivity are central to Zoe's mission, inspiring women to embrace their bodies and the healing nature of water.The growth of the wild swimming community highlights the activity's mental health benefits, especially following the lockdowns.Zoe has aspirations to establish a charity to provide retreat access to those who can't afford it and to potentially manufacture swimwear in the UK.Resources:Instagram: @dipsanddalescowebsite www.dipsanddalesco.comSpecial Thanks to our Sponsors XTRATUF boots! Grab 25% off site wide using the code 24SHEWHODARESWINS25 www.xtratuf.co.ukPlease support the show at www.patreon.com/shewhodareswinsShop merch www.shewhodareswins.com Pod10 for 10% off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

www.atravelpath.com https://delicioats.com/discount/PATH Use Code PATH   Banff National Park Travel Guide Welcome back to Travel Tips! We joined Dedra and Garron to talk about one of the gems of their home country: Banff National Park in Canada. Nestled in the heart of Alberta, Canada, lies a natural wonderland waiting to be explored – Banff. Having grown up not far from this pristine here, they had the privilege of visiting Banff numerous times, each visit revealing new adventures and hidden treasures. With insider knowledge and tips garnered over the years, they are here to guide you through an unforgettable Banff experience. Outdoor Adventures Galore Banff isn't just a destination; it's an outdoor enthusiast's paradise. Whether you're into hiking, camping, snowboarding, skiing, backpacking, or simply exploring with your furry friends (yes, Banff is dog-friendly!), there's something here for everyone. Duration of Stay While a weekend getaway is feasible for locals, they recommend dedicating at least two weeks to truly immerse yourself in all that Banff has to offer. If time permits, extend your stay to three weeks to explore the surrounding area. The Enchantment of Blue Waters Banff boasts stunning azure waters that captivate visitors from around the globe. While Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are iconic spots, they can get crowded. For a more serene experience, head to lesser-known gems like Saskatchewan Crossing in the northern part of the park, where you'll find equally mesmerizing blue waters minus the crowds. Best Time to Visit Timing is key when planning your Banff adventure. Summer, particularly July through August, offers ideal weather for outdoor activities. However, be prepared for potential snow in June and forest fires in August. For winter sports enthusiasts, the period between December and February promises snowy escapades. Getting There and Around Calgary serves as the gateway to Banff, with a scenic drive of about 1 hour and 40 minutes. While Banff town is easily navigable on foot, renting a car is advisable for exploring attractions further afield. Shuttle services are also available for those who prefer not to drive. Currency Exchange and Budgeting Ensure you exchange your currency for Canadian dollars (Loonies and Toonies) before arriving, as foreign denominations are not accepted. Budget around $100-150 per day for a comfortable experience, but savvy travelers can save by cooking meals at campsites and stocking up on supplies in Calgary to avoid inflated prices in Banff. Accommodation Options Finding free lodging in Banff can be challenging, but the national parks offer a plethora of campgrounds for outdoor enthusiasts. Tunnel Mountain Campground is a prime choice for its proximity to town, while the Canmore area boasts more budget-friendly options. Embracing Banff's Nightlife Banff has a small nightlife with bars, great dining, and clubs. That said, many visitors opt for quiet evenings by the campfire, soaking in the starlit sky and relishing the tranquility of nature Chasing Sunrises and Sunsets For unparalleled views, ascend Sulphur Mountain via the Banff Gondola or embark on a mountain hike to witness breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Each vantage point offers a unique perspective of Banff's majestic landscape, so don't miss the opportunity to capture these magical moments. Money-Saving Strategies Maximize your Banff experience without breaking the bank by prioritizing free activities like hiking and stargazing. Limit dining out to a few special occasions, opting instead for budget-friendly meals around the campfire. Stock up on groceries and fuel in Calgary to avoid inflated prices in Banff. Banff isn't just a destination – it's an invitation to connect with nature, embark on thrilling adventures, and create unforgettable memories. So pack your bags, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready to unlock the wonders of Banff. Your next great adventure awaits! 3, 2, 1 Countdown 3 Things to Pack: ·        Marshmallow Sticks ·        Tent ·        Hiking Boots ·        Water ·        Swim Shorts ·        Sunscreen ·        Bear Spray ·        Passport 2 Complaints: ·        Crowds ·        Limited Parking ·        Costs 1 Thing You Can't Leave Banff Without Doing: ·        Beaver Tails ·        Mount Yamnuska   Chapters ·        00:00 Introduction ·        03:30 How Long Should Someone Visit Banf? ·        04:45 Where to find Blue Water? ·        05:30 Best Time to Visit Banff ·        06:45 Transportation ·        08:30 Currency and budgeting ·        10:30 Sleeping Arrangements ·        14:15 Nightlife in Banff ·        15:30 Sunrise/sunset ·        16:45 Money Saving Tips ·        19:30 Restaurants ·        20:45 Nearby Activities ·        23:15 Delicioats ·        24:00 3, 2, 1 Countdown ·        22:45 3,2,1 Countdown   Connect With The Route to Happiness ·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/route_tohappiness/ ·        YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theroutetohappiness ·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671668523352712 ·        Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theroutetohappiness   Near Banff ·        Canmore: https://www.canmore.ca/ ·        Yoho National Park: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho ·        Lake Louise: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/ ·        Icefields Parkway: https://icefieldsparkway.com/ ·        Kananaskis Mountains ·        Mount Yamnuska Hike: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/mount-yamnuska-traverse-and-west-col-descent   Blue Water ·        Lake Louis and Moraine Lake: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/les10-top10/louise ·        Saskatchewan River Crossing   Transportation ·        Calgary Airport: https://www.yyc.com/en-us/ ·        Shuttles: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/explore-the-park/transit-shuttles   Camping ·        Tunnel Mountain: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/camping ·        Canmore: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-CA/d/canada/alberta/canmore/camping/all ·        Very inexpensive camping at Abraham Lake   Sunrise ·        Sulphur Mountain: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/experiences/sulphur-mountain-trail ·        Any mountains or hikes ·        Banff Gondola: https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/banff-gondola/ ·        Lake Louis   Restaurants ·        Park Distillery: https://parkdistillery.com/ ·        Grizzly House ·        Fairmont Hotel: https://www.banff-springs-hotel.com/dine/ ·        Beaver Tails: https://beavertails.com/   Music Music • Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS   Disclaimer *All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.

If you are stumbling upon this podcast episode then make sure to go and check out the episode I have on Lake Louise. We started our honeymoon out at Lake Louise and then spend the second half of our trip in Banff.  We hopped from one Fairmont hotel to the next and it is a hotel that I will stay at again and again when traveling to this area. we had the best time in Banff exploring the town,  skiing two different mountains, riding the Banff gondola, getting massages, having tea, and eating lots of good food. The view at the Fairmont is stunning and be nestled in the mountains is. treat.  I shared lots of pictures and reels from the trip if you want to check those out on my instagram linked below. I hope y'all enjoyed these episode about Canada and can refer back to them if you are traveling to the Canadian Rockies. Support the showAs always thank you for listening TODAY. My LinkTree is the BEST place to find all my links whether you are wanting to follow me on Instagram, purchase online exercise programming, learn more about eXp Realty, shop my looks, or book one of our Airbnbs. This link is the one stop shop for all your needs! https://linktr.ee/madelinecampLeave a review and I will catch you on the next episode!

We started our honeymoon out at Lake Louise. When thinking about places to go for a honeymoon we of course wanted something a little out of the norm and a place that neither of us had even been to before. We travel all day and finally arrives at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. If you are traveling to Lake Louise then this hotel is a must stay. The lake was frozen while we were there but it was still so stunning. We enjoyed skiing, dog sledding, a sleigh ride, lots of good food, and time to relax around the hotel. Listen to the episode to get all of the details from the first part of our trip spent at Lake Louise. Support the showAs always thank you for listening TODAY. My LinkTree is the BEST place to find all my links whether you are wanting to follow me on Instagram, purchase online exercise programming, learn more about eXp Realty, shop my looks, or book one of our Airbnbs. This link is the one stop shop for all your needs! https://linktr.ee/madelinecampLeave a review and I will catch you on the next episode!

Join Alyssa & I as we talk about her 10 year anniversary trip to Banff in Alberta, Canada. In this episode we discuss:The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotelVisiting picturesque Lake Louise and the surrounding hikesEmerald Lake, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake and Lake MorraineThe Fairmont Banff Springs hotel in downtown BanffSeeing the Northern Lights!HIKING BOOK REFERENCED: Best Day Hikes in Banff National ParkThe Rocky Mountaineer train - Rocky Mountaineer Instagram accountBe sure to check-out Alyssa's Banff highlight bubble on her Instagram page: happily.ever.nashville.And special shout-out to Alyssa's travel agent Megan who helped her book her entire trip: megsharesthemagic.PARTNER DISCOUNT CODESSPANX.COM - Use code KGRAVESXSPANX for 10% OFF full-price items and FREE SHIPPING. My current fav travel outfit is the Air Essentials Jumpsuit. DAGNEDOVER.COM - Use code KELSEY20 for 20% OFF full-price items. My current favs are the Dakota Backpack in Large and the Landon Weekender in XL. CHASE SAPPHIRE CREDIT CARD - My preferred points earning credit card and a great card for newbies entering the points & miles space to get started. Open a Chase Sapphire Preferred with my link and earn 60,000 BONUS POINTS after you spend $4,000 in the first three months your account is open.SHOP Kelsey's Travel Favorites from AmazonShare about your trip on the Trip Tales podcast: triptalespodcast@gmail.comBuy me a coffee to show your support for Trip Tales! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kelseygravesFollow Kelsey on Instagram...

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This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Feb. 28. It dropped for free subscribers on March 6. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription (on sale at 15% off through March 12, 2024). You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoHoward Katkov, Chairman and CEO of Red Mountain Resort, British ColumbiaRecorded onFeb. 8, 2024About Red MountainClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Red Mountain VenturesLocated in: Rossland, British Columbia, CanadaYear founded: 1947 (beginning of chairlift service)Pass affiliations:* Ikon Pass: 7 days, no blackouts* Ikon Base Pass and Ikon Base Pass Plus: 5 days, holiday blackouts* Lake Louise Pass (described below)Closest neighboring ski areas: Salmo (:58), Whitewater (1:22), Phoenix Mountain (1:33), 49 Degrees North (1:53)Base elevation: 3,887 feet/1,185 metersSummit elevation: 6,807 feet/2,075 metersVertical drop: 2,919 feet/890 metersSkiable Acres: 3,850Average annual snowfall: 300 inches/760 cmTrail count: 119 (17% beginner, 34% intermediate, 23% advanced, 26% expert)Lift count: 8 (2 fixed-grip quads, 3 triples, 1 double, 1 T-bar, 1 carpet)View historic Red Mountain trailmaps on skimap.org. Here are some cool video overviews:Granite Mountain:Red Mountain:Grey Mountain:Rossland:Why I interviewed himIt's never made sense to me, this psychological dividing line between Canada and America. I grew up in central Michigan, in a small town closer to Canada (the bridge between Sarnia and Port Huron stood 142 miles away), than the closest neighboring state (Toledo, Ohio, sat 175 miles south). Yet, I never crossed into Canada until I was 19, by which time I had visited roughly 40 U.S. states. Even then, the place felt more foreign than it should, with its aggressive border guards, pizza at McDonald's, and colored currency. Canada on a map looks easy, but Canada in reality is a bit harder, eh?Red sits just five miles, as the crow flies, north of the U.S. border. If by some fluke of history the mountain were part of Washington, it would be the state's greatest ski area, larger than Crystal and Stevens Pass combined. In fact, it would be the seventh-largest ski area in the country, larger than Mammoth or Snowmass, smaller only than Park City, Palisades, Big Sky, Vail, Heavenly, and Bachelor.But, somehow, the international border acts as a sort of invisibility shield, and skiing Red is a much different experience than visiting any of those giants, with their dense networks of high-speed lifts and destination crowds (well, less so at Bachelor). Sure, Red is an Ikon Pass mountain, and has been for years, but it is not synonymous with the pass, like Jackson or Aspen or Alta-Snowbird. But U.S. skiers – at least those outside of the Pacific Northwest – see Red listed on the Ikon menu and glaze past it like the soda machine at an open bar. It just doesn't seem relevant.Which is weird and probably won't last. And right now Shoosh Emoji Bro is losing his goddamn mind and cursing me for using my platform focused on lift-served snowskiing to hype one of the best and most interesting and most underrated lift-served snowskiing operations in North America. But that's why this whole deal exists, Brah. Because most people ski at the same 20 places and I really think skiing as an idea and as an experience and as a sustainable enterprise will be much better off if we start spreading people out a bit more.What we talked aboutRed pow days; why Red amped up shuttle service between the ski area and Rossland and made it free; old-school Tahoe; “it is the most interesting mountain I've ever skied”; buying a ski area when you've never worked at a ski area; why the real-estate crash didn't bury Red like some other ski areas; why Katkov backed away from a golf course that he spent a year and a half planning at Red; why the 900 lockers at the dead center of the base area aren't going anywhere; housing and cost of living in Rossland; “we look at our neighborhood as an extension of our community of Rossland”; base area development plans; balancing parking with people; why and how Red Mountain still sells affordable ski-in, ski-out real estate; “our ethos is to be accessible for everybody”; whether we could ever see a lift from Rossland to Red; why Red conducted a crowd-funding ownership campaign and what they did with the money; Red's newest ownership partners; the importance of independence; “the reality is that the pass, whether it's the Epic or the Ikon Pass, has radically changed the way that consumers experience skiing”; why Red joined the Ikon Pass and why it's been good for the mountain; the Mountain Collective; why Red has no high-speed lifts and whether we could ever see one; no stress on a powder day; Red's next logical lift upgrades; potential lift-served expansions onto Kirkup, White Wolf, and Mt. Roberts; and the Powder Highway.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewMy full-scale assault of Canada, planned for 2023, has turned into more of an old-person's bus tour. I'm stopping at all the big sites, but I sure am taking my time, and I'm not certain that I'm really getting the full experience.Part of this echoes the realization centuries' of armies have had when invading Russia: damn this place is big. I'd hoped to quickly fold the whole country into the newsletter, as I'd been able to do with the Midwest and West when I expanded The Storm's coverage out of the Northeast in 2021. But I'd grown up in the Midwest and been skiing the West annually for decades. I'd underestimated how much that had mattered. I'd skied a bit in Canada, but not consistently enough to kick the door down in the manner I'd hoped. I started counting ski areas in Quebec and stopped when I got to 4,000*, 95 percent of which were named “Mont [some French word with numerous squiggly marks above the letters].” The measurements are different. The money is different. The language, in Quebec, is different. I needed to slow down.So I'm starting with western Canada. Well, I started there last year, when I hosted the leaders of SkiBig3 and Sun Peaks on the podcast. This is the easiest Canadian region for a U.S. American to grasp: Epic, Ikon, Mountain Collective, and Indy Pass penetration is deep, especially in British Columbia. Powdr, Boyne, Vail, and Pacific Group Resorts all own ski areas in the province. There is no language barrier.So, Red today, Panorama next month, Whistler in June. That's the way the podcast calendar sets up now, anyway. I'll move east as I'm able.But Red, in particular, has always fascinated me. If you're wondering what the largest ski area in North America is that has yet to install a high-speed lift, this is your answer. For many of you, that may be a deal-breaker. But I see a time-machine, an opportunity to experience a different sort of skiing, but with modern gear. Like if aliens were to land on today's Earth with their teleportation devices and language-translation brain chips and standard-issue post-industro-materialist silver onesies. Like wow look how much easier the past is when you bring the future with you.Someday, Red will probably build a high-speed lift or two or four, and enough skiers who are burned out on I-70 and LCC but refuse to give up their Ikon Passes will look north and say, “oh my, what's this all about?” And Red will become some version of Jackson Hole or Big Sky or Whistler, beefy but also busy, remote but also accessible. But I wanted to capture Red, as it is today, before it goes away.*Just kidding, there are actually 12,000.^^OK, OK, there are like 90. Or 90,000.Why you should ski Red MountainLet's say you've had an Ikon Pass for the past five or six ski seasons. You've run through the Colorado circuit, navigated the Utah canyons, circled Lake Tahoe. The mountains are big, but so are the crowds. The Ikon Pass, for a moment, was a cool little hack, like having an iPhone in 2008. But then everyone got them, and now the world seems terrible because of it.But let's examine ye ‘ole Ikon partner chart more closely, to see what else may be on offer:What's this whole “Canada” section about? Perhaps, during the pandemic, you resigned yourself to U.S. American travel. Perhaps you don't have a passport. Perhaps converting centimeters to inches ignites a cocktail of panic and confusion in your brain. But all of these are solvable dilemmas. Take a deeper look at Canada.In particular, take a deeper look at Red. Those stats are in American. Meaning this is a ski area bigger than Mammoth, taller than Palisades, snowy as Aspen. And it's just one stop on a stacked Ikon BC roster that also includes Sun Peaks (Canada's second-largest ski area), Revelstoke (the nation's tallest by vertical drop), and Panorama.We are not so many years removed from the age of slow-lift, empty American icons. Alta's first high-speed lift didn't arrive until 1999 (they now have four). Big Sky's tin-can tram showed up in 1995. A 1994 Skiing magazine article described the then-Squaw Valley side of what is now Palisades Tahoe as a pokey and remote fantasyland:…bottomless steeps, vast acreage, 33 lifts and no waiting. America's answer to the wide-open ski circuses of Europe. After all these years the mountain is still uncrowded, except on weekends when people pile in from the San Francisco Bay area in droves. Squaw is unflashy, underbuilt, and seems entirely indifferent to success. The opposite of what you would expect one of America's premier resorts to be.Well that's cute. And it's all gone now. America still holds its secrets, vast, affordable fixed-grip ski areas such as Lost Trail and Discovery and Silver Mountain. But none of them have joined the Ikon Pass, and none gives you the scale of Red, this glorious backwater with fixed-grip lifts that rise 2,400 vertical feet to untracked terrain. Maybe it will stay like this forever, but it probably won't. So go there now.Podcast NotesOn Red's masterplanRed's masterplan outlines potential lift-served expansions onto Kirkup, White Wolf, and Mount Roberts. We discuss the feasibility of each. Here's what the mountain could look like at full build-out:On Jane CosmeticsAn important part of Katkov's backstory is his role as founder of Jane cosmetics, a ‘90s bargain brand popular with teenagers. He built the company into a smash success and sold it to Estée Lauder, who promptly tanked it. Per Can't Hardly Dress:Lauder purchased the company in 1997. Jane was a big deal for Lauder because it was the company's first mass market drugstore brand. Up until that point, Lauder only owned prestige brands like MAC, Clinique, Jo Malone and more. Jane was a revolutionary move for the company and a quick way to enter the drugstore mass market.Lauder had no clue what do with Jane and sales plummeted from $50 million to $25 million by 2004. Several successive sales and relaunches also failed, and, according to the article above, “As it stands today, the brand is dunzo. Leaving behind a default Shopify site, an Instagram unupdated for 213 weeks and a Facebook last touched three years ago.”On Win Smith and SugarbushKatkov's story shares parallels with that of Win Smith, the Wall-Streeter-turned-resort-operator who nurtured Sugarbush between its days as part of the American Skiing Company shipwreck and its 2019 purchase by Alterra. Smith joined me on the podcast four years ago, post-Alterra sale, to share the whole story.On housing in Banff and Sun PeaksCanadian mountain towns are not, in general, backed up against the same cliff as their American counterparts. This is mostly the result of more deliberate regional planning policies that either regulate who's allowed to live where, or allow for smart growth over time (meaning they can build things without 500 lawsuits). I discussed the former model with SkiBig3 (Banff) President Pete Woods here, and the latter with Sun Peaks GM Darcy Alexander here. U.S. Americans could learn a lot from looking north.On not being able to buy slopeside real estate in Oregon, Washington, or California The Pacific Northwest is an extremely weird ski region. The resorts are big and snowy, but unless you live there, you've probably never visited any of them. As I wrote a few weeks back:Last week, Peak Rankings analyzed the matrix of factors that prevent Oregon and Washington ski areas, despite their impressive acreage and snowfall stats, from becoming destination resorts. While the article suggests the mountains' proximity to cities, lousy weather, and difficult access roads as blockers, just about every prominent ski area in America fights some combination of these circumstances. The article's most compelling argument is that, with few exceptions, there's really nowhere to stay on most of the mountains. I've written about this a number of times myself, with this important addendum: There's nowhere to stay on most of the mountains, and no possibility of building anything anytime soon.The reasons for this are many and varied, but can be summarized in this way: U.S. Americans, in thrall to an environmental vision that prizes pure wilderness over development of any kind, have rejected the notion that building dense, human-scaled, walkable mountainside communities would benefit the environment far more than making everyone drive to skiing every single day. Nowhere has this posture taken hold more thoroughly than in the Pacific Northwest.Snowy and expansive British Columbia, perhaps sensing a business opportunity, has done the opposite, streamlining ski resort development through a set of policies known as the B.C. Commercial Alpine Ski Policy. As a result, ski areas in the province have rapidly expanded over the past 30 years…California is a very different market, with plenty of legacy slopeside development. It tends to be expensive, however, as building anything new requires a United Nations treaty, an act of Jesus, and a total eclipse of the sun in late summer of a Leap Year. Perhaps 2024 will be it.On “Fight The Man, Own the Mountain”Red ran a crowd-funding campaign a few years back called “Fight the Man, Own the Mountain.” We discuss this on the pod, but here is a bit more context from a letter Katkov wrote on the subject:Investing in RED means investing in history, independence, and in this growing family that shares the same importance on lifestyle and culture. RED is the oldest ski resort in Western Canada and it has always been fiercely independent. There are not many, if any ski resorts left in North America like Red and the success of our campaign demonstrates a desire by so many of you to, help, in a small way, to protect the lifestyle, soul and ski culture that emanates from Red.RED is a place I've been beyond proud to co-own and captain since 2004 and the door is still open to share that feeling and be a part of our family. But please note that despite the friendly atmosphere, this is one of the Top 20 resorts in North America in terms of terrain. The snow's unreal and the people around here are some of the coolest, most down-to-earth folks you're ever likely to meet. (Trying to keep up with them on the hill is another thing entirely…)With $2 million so far already committed and invested, we wasted no time acting on promised improvements. These upgrades included a full remodel of fan favorite Paradise Lodge (incl. flush toilets!) as well as the expansion of RED's retail and High Performance centres. This summer we'll see the construction of overnight on-mountain cabins and the investor clubhouse (friends welcome!) as well as continued parking expansion. We've heard from a number of early investors that they were beyond stoked to enjoy the new Paradise Lodge so soon after clicking the BUY button. Hey, ownership has its privileges…On the Lake Louise PassKatkov mentions the “Lake Louise Pass,” which Red participates in, along with Castle Mountain and Panorama. He's referring to the Lake Louise Plus Card, which costs $134 Canadian up front. Skiers then get their first, fourth, and seventh days free, and 20 percent off lift tickets for each additional visit. While these sorts of discount cards have been diminished by Epkon domination, versions of them still provide good value across the continent. The Colorado Gems Card, Smugglers' Notch's Bash Badge, and ORDA's frequent skier cards are all solid options for skiers looking to dodge the megapass circus.On the Powder HighwayRed is the closest stop on the Powder Highway to U.S. America. This is what the Powder Highway is:And here's the circuit:Fairmont is just a little guy, but Kicking Horse, Kimberley, and Fernie are Epic Pass partners owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, and Revy, Red, and Panorama are all on Ikon. Whitewater used to be on M.A.X. Pass, but is now pass-less. Just to the west of this resort cluster sits Big White (Indy), Silver Star (Ikon), and Sun Peaks (Ikon). To their east is Sunshine, Lake Louise, Norquay (all Ikon), and Castle (Indy). There are also Cat and heli-ski operations all over the place. You could lose a winter here pretty easily.On Katkov's business backgroundIn this episode of the Fident Capital Podcast, Katkov goes in-depth on his business philosophy and management style. Here's another:On bringing the city to the mountainsWhile this notion, rashly interpreted, could summon ghastly visions of Aspen-esque infestations of Fendi stores in downtown Rossland, it really just means building things other than slopeside mansions with 19 kitchens and a butler's wing. From a 2023 resort press release:Red Development Company, the real estate division of RED Mountain Resort (RED), in conjunction with ACE Project Marketing Group (ACE), recently reported the sell-out of the resort's latest real estate offering during the season opening of the slopes. On offer was The Crescent at RED, a collection of 102 homes, ranging from studio to one bedrooms and lofts featuring a prime ski in – ski out location. Howard Katkov, CEO of RED, and Don Thompson, RED President, first conceived of bringing the smaller urban living model to the alpine slopes in January 2021. ACE coined the concept as "everything you need and nothing you don't" …An important component was ensuring that the price point for The Crescent was accessible to locals and those who know and love the destination. With prices starting mid $300s – an excellent price when converted to USD – and with an achievable 5% deposit down, The Crescent at RED was easily one of the best value propositions in real estate for one of the best ranked ski resorts in North America. Not surprisingly, over 50% of the Crescent buyers were from the United States, spurred on by the extraordinary lifestyle and value offered by The Crescent, but also the new sparsity of Canadian property available to foreign buyers.As a good U.S. American, I ask Katkov why he didn't simply price these units for the one-percenters, and how he managed the House-Flipping Henries who would surely interpret these prices as opportunity. His answers might surprise you, and may give you hope that a different sort of ski town is possible.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 15/100 in 2024, and number 515 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

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Want to enjoy an exciting train ride through the Canadian Rocky Mountains? Call Canada Rail Vacations at +1-888-589-3777 to book your next adventure! Go tohttps://canadarail.ca/canadian-train-tours/canadian-rockies-tours to find out more. Canada Rail Vacations City: Calgary Address: 1400 Kensington Rd NW #206 Website https://canadarail.ca/ Phone +18885893777 Email sales@canadarail.ca

S9:E4 – It was our first time crossing the USA/Canada border, and as full-time RVers, we had our whole house in tow. But the gorgeous blue waters of Lake Louise were beckoning, and we couldn't wait to see one of North America's most scenic highways, Icefields Parkway. Come with us to Banff and Jasper National Parks. For more context, check out the video that accompanies this podcast (S9:E4 A Tea House on a Mountain Top? Welcome to Banff) on YouTube (https://youtu.be/sKEwAFZCJKs). Send us your feedback and thoughts via email at travelfomopodcast@gmail.com. Have your own travel story? Attach a voice memo to your email, and you could hear your own voice in a future episode of the podcast. ____ Travel FOMO is hosted by a husband and wife duo, Jamin and Hilarie Houghton. Learn more about them at www.travelfomopodcast.com. Subscribe to Travel FOMO in two different ways: (1) Watch their adventures on YouTube and (2) Follow audibly from wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow Travel FOMO on social media: Instagram: www.instagram.com/travelfomopodcast Facebook: www.facebook.com/travelfomopodcast TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@travelfomopodcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@travelfomopodcast

Rey and Glenn discuss the PS5 Slim, new games, layoffs at Bungie, new VR news, some new reviews, and Glenn tests a new mechanical keyboard for the Mac. 09:10 - PS5 Slim 13:36 - Modern Warfare 3 15:46 - Destiny 2 17:03 - Gran Turismo 7 28:31 - Red Matter 2 34:17 - Survivorman VR 38:57 - Dungeons of Eternity 43:02 - Samba De Amigo: Virtual Party 48:44 - Haunted House 55:01 - Alan Wake 2 1:04:46 - Kill It With Fire VR 1:05:44 - The 7th Guest VR 1:08:32 - Overpass 2 1:10:53 - DriveClub 1:11:32 - Forza Motorsport 1:17:50 - Das Keyboard NEWS: Pete Hines "retiring" PS5 "slim" announced Layoffs at Bungie GT7 gets a “big update”: A new track, Lake Louise, with three layouts Seven new cars, including the 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Nismo 400R New game features, including 50 new challenges for licenses The permanent addition of a dedicated Gran Turismo Sophy mode An update to World Circuits Three Café / Extra Menus A Paddock added to Multiplayer Menu  

This weeks episode we discuss how Nikki is keeping the Alberta economy strong with her daily purchases, how she loves HARD.. mostly loves her things hard. Our cousin was from Australia was in town so we took her to Lake Louise, where she got engaged!! and we were so excited to be apart of the engagement. The year of Nikki is here, what does that mean? She wants to stay in a hotel once a month for a year to celebrate her 40th turn around the world. The theme is F U N. Next we go down a rabbit hole of Smash & Tess, the company we were obsessed with and essentially helped us create this podcast. S&T has slowly started announcing their holiday collection and we are obsessed! Listen in as we look into their launch. Enjoy this weeks banter between Nikki & Shan. Also, don't forget to check us out on Instagram @shopaholicconfessions_Don't forget to LOVE HARD! 

We are back with a new episode of Real Talk with Chad Otterstrom and Mark Sullivan. In this episode we talk about the preseason as well as the beginning of the new snowboarding season. Then we discuss the question, "What is wrong with snowboarding?"   Support independent snowboarding media at http://patreon.com/thesnowboardproject Send us feedback at mark@thesnowboardproject.com    Here is a transcription of the show:   Mark (00:20.844) Today we have another episode of Real Talk on the Snowboard Project. I'm joined by Chad Otterstrom. Chad is a contender for greatest of all time status in the sport of snowboarding. He would never claim that for himself, so I'll just claim it for him. How you doing today, Chad? Chad (00:27.892) Yeah. Chad (00:47.722) I'm good, just, you know, I just moved out of Breckenridge for the season. I'll be back and forth. But I've been living in my truck for the last 16.5 months. Mark (00:57.756) 16.5, okay. You were counting the days, I see. Chad (00:59.963) the Yeah, now I'm back. I'm back and I got a place and you know, for my dogs, I live by a river. It's awesome. I'm doing good. Mark (01:09.464) Okay, well maybe you can explain this. It's like you were living in your truck for 16 and a half months. Why? Chad (01:16.978) Um, because I'm trying to crack the code, uh, of passive income. I was trying to Airbnb my condo and see how that went. And instead of renting a place, I just put a topper on my truck and just went rogue. And, and, uh, that, you know, six months to a year turned into 16 months, which is longer than expected, but, uh, now I've cracked the code and, uh, yeah, I was just going to, yeah, I got a place to sleep. I have a bed. Mark (01:19.535) Mm-hmm. Mark (01:36.22) Mm-hmm. Mark (01:41.772) You cracked the code and you're back in the house? Chad (01:46.186) outside of the back of my truck. Mark (01:47.82) Okay, so you were on the road for 16 and a half months. What's like the coolest thing that you saw while you were on the road? Chad (01:53.274) Um, I saw way too many whole foods parking lots. Uh, I did get hit by a semi and Edwards. I was parked at a rest area and the semi clipped me and then took off. And that cost me thousands of dollars because the insurance didn't cover that because they took off. Um, that wasn't the coolest thing. That was for sure. But, uh, I did, I went to Japan. I went to Canada. I went to Alaska. I went to Mount Hood. I did all these things that didn't require my own home. So, uh. Mark (01:56.684) Okay. Oh. Mark (02:17.372) That's right. Mark (02:21.509) Mm-hmm. Chad (02:22.742) I did all the, yeah, like last year, the only thing I didn't do last year was go to Rick's Grants. And I wanted to put that in the May category. No, it's Colorado, Canada, or Colorado, Japan, Canada, Alaska, Rick's Grants, and then Mount Hood. That would be the ultimate year. Mark (02:29.735) Mm-hmm. Mark (02:40.804) You pretty much like spent the whole year riding. Chad (02:44.49) Yeah, for sure. Mark (02:46.38) Now, is it hard to do works? I know you also are an owner of Academy Snowboards. Was it hard to work for the road or find wifi or whatever? Are we able to pull that off pretty effectively? Chad (02:56.446) Uh, I, you know, what I wasn't able to do was like demos and clinics and things like that. I'd had to do kind of a little more communicating online, but no, I mean, I basically do a lot of the social and organize that. So I, um, I was able to do that wherever I had wifi, which I had everywhere. Mark (03:01.96) Mm-hmm. Mark (03:14.636) Okay cool so it sounds like you were able to maximize your 16 and a half months for your bank account sake. Chad (03:22.546) Yeah, no, I cracked the code. I'm hoping and fingers are crossed, you know the next couple years. We'll see what happens Mark (03:28.216) Okay, so now you've had a couple of months off. I mean, have you been getting ready for this season? What have you been up to? Chad (03:33.858) Um, I mean, I haven't been living in LA going to art shows, but, uh, Mark (03:38.08) Yeah, that's what I've been doing. So, I mean. Ha ha. Chad (03:43.222) No, I, yeah, I mean, what do you do early season? This is the time in the year, like, if you ride till, if you're like really into like riding every day for like meditation is kind of why I do it, but then that ends in July. And you have from July till now to like keep your sanity. So I just find other forms of like, you know, kind of getting out there and doing things. So yeah, I've been, you know, staying in shape. I do, I've gotten into jumping into rivers. It's trending, cold plunging and. Mark (03:59.474) Mm-hmm. Mark (04:12.616) Cold plunging, yes. What's the coldest river you've jumped in? Chad (04:13.974) and it's turning. Oh, it's as close to ice as I can get is what I'm looking for. I want it to be like an ice cube. And I can do like up to five minutes and yeah. And then you do this thing called grounding where you walk around on the ground and then you do, you know, I, yeah, yeah. And then when I do the Wim Hof scene, it's funny cause I listen to a lot of podcasts and then they're telling me what I've already been doing, which is I feel like I'm on the right track, but. Mark (04:21.14) Okay. Mark (04:30.188) like barefooted or something, you're barefoot on the ground. Chad (04:42.878) Yeah, do that and then work out a little bit. Once you're able to hike up hills though, we'll start split boarding just to stay in shape. I'm not a fan of going to the gym, but you're gonna have to a little bit, I guess. Mark (04:54.692) Well, the world is your gym when you're a split-boarder. Ha ha ha. Chad (05:00.696) Yes, this is true. Mark (05:02.816) Yeah, okay. So you're in shape. You're ready for the season. I know resorts are opening, you know, all over the country, but especially in Colorado. I mean, what are you like looking to like get done this season? Do you like goals for this season? Do you like have a list of things that you want to accomplish? Or like, how do you kind of like approach a new season? And like, how do you kind of set yourself up to accomplish things and keep pushing that ball downfield? Chad (05:28.106) Um, pushing the ball down the field. I, uh, well, first of all, I set myself up for a place to live. That's a hard thing to do now in mountain towns because there's, they call it a housing crisis and I think everybody likes to use the word crisis and everything they do these days. We started a production company, you know, with our movies called midlife crisis. So first thing you got to do is find a place to live and then get your season pass. And then, um, yeah, I don't know. Mark (05:46.696) Mm-hmm. Mark (05:56.488) Okay. Chad (05:56.578) just kind of move forward, get the ball rolling. Get your boots broken in, your sticker job done, if you're into getting a good sticker job. Yeah, yeah. Mark (06:02.748) Right? That's all preseason stuff though. I mean, how about for goals for riding? Like, are you like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do 122 foot, you know, 50, 50. What kind of like riding goals? Chad (06:11.278) Oh. Chad (06:15.214) Oh yeah, yeah. Goals. I have, it's just kind of funny, I guess the more aged you become, you get more into like, I wanna ride that mountain as opposed to I wanna do that trick. I think kids are more into I wanna do that trick or I wanna do that challenge rail or I wanna do this and that. But yeah, for me, I have a list of mountains around where I live right now that I wanna go hike and just ride down and enjoy it. I wanna... Mark (06:25.992) Mm-hmm. Chad (06:44.79) Do some more drone filming this year as opposed to GoPro filming. I'm trying to work on figuring out how to make a drone, do a little more follow than, as opposed to your head cam, you know what I mean? And then that, and then yeah, do a lot more split boarding just cause it keeps me in shape and outside and exercising more. Mark (06:48.356) Mm-hmm. Mark (06:58.408) Totally. Mark (07:06.636) Indeed, indeed. And so, you know, I know a lot of people, you're in Colorado, and a lot of people are like, I want to do all the 14ers. Is that kind of your goal? Or is it is it just like, wow, that's a beautiful mountain or that that's got a great line on I want to ride that. Chad (07:21.066) Yeah, I'm more of the aesthetically fun looking line as opposed to the 14ers. There's a lot of 14ers that are not that fun. They're just high mountains and they're far away. It would be cool to kind of go, I do enjoy like kind of go just tacking certain zones off, not exactly every 14er, but just so I could kind of get a lay of the land of Colorado. I went down to this place called Lake City this summer and hiked a 14 year called Uncompatible Peak. Mark (07:43.67) Mm. Chad (07:49.57) And I've never been there. It's kind of like the Eastern San Juans. And that was kind of cool just to go there and see, you could see Telluride from there and you could see a couple of other things. So it's fun, but I'm not into the ticking off teeners lifestyle. I'm more into like, they're fun looking, ripping lines. You know what I mean? Mark (08:07.596) Yeah, totally, totally. Okay. So hopefully, I know you went to Alaska this year. Do you think you're going to make it back this year? Chad (08:15.114) If I do, it will be for fun. Yes, I did go to the natural selection. I stood on top of some of those peaks and you know if I do go back, I'll be going to where you're at the Valdez era area and I'll probably split board and go hike to the top of a you know an area or I'll hitchhike with a snowmobile, you know, something like that. Mark (08:18.353) Okay. Mark (08:30.982) Yeah. Mark (08:40.716) Yeah, yeah, I mean, that's all good. And you know, there's snowmobile rentals, there's other ways to get there. And people are pretty, you know, helpful as far as like helping you bump yourself out to different zones. So hopefully you do make it back. Chad (08:51.722) Yeah. So yeah, no, it was cool. I went there this last winter. I've been there, you know, before, but this last winter, I stood on one of the peaks that you're supposed to ride down as opposed to a blue-green run. And I got to look down. It looked like, you know, you go left and right, maybe backwards and a 2,000-foot run. Looks like a good time, you know? Mark (09:13.128) Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think that the, there's a lot of like challenging type of peaks in Alaska. There's, there's mellow ones too, but you know, I think the thing that Alaska is known for these kind of like high consequence or things that kind of require your focus and attention to the best of your ability. And so that's something that I think sets it apart a little bit compared to a lot of other areas, I think in Colorado you get that too, but sometimes. Maybe you're more worried about like the avalanche conditions and other things than just like the treachery of the mountain face. Chad (09:47.654) Yeah, I mean, you know, Trollhagen's pretty intense too, you know, like, uh, Yeah. Mark (09:53.036) Yeah, but that's like the lift lines and like the line and like the rail, you know, runouts from the rails, that kind of thing. It's a different kind of, you know, gripping type of emotion that you feel in Trollhagen. But, but, you know, it doesn't matter really, like what you find enjoyment in snowboarding. It's like, as long as you're enjoying yourself and you're kind of like. Chad (10:02.876) Yeah, no for sure. Mark (10:14.54) you know, pushing yourself and being in that moment, I think that you can do that in Alaska, you can do it in Trollhagen. And like the same feelings I got, you know, riding on the East Coast as a kid or some of the same feelings I got as I kept progressing kind of the mountains and terrain that I was able to ride. So. Chad (10:30.999) Yeah, it's like catching the feeling, but like you say, everybody says it, the Super Bowl of freeride and freestyle freeriding is in Alaska at the top level. You can catch that feeling anywhere, but if you're looking for it, you can go up there. Mark (10:45.094) Yeah. Mark (10:51.288) We just got, by the way, Chad, we got at my cabin in Alaska, I have a cabin up there as you know, but maybe not everyone knows. Anyhow, we got six. Yeah, yeah, that's true. We got we got six feet of snow this week in Alaska, literally one storm. We got six feet. There's a base now. Chad (10:58.742) I mean if they watch the show you definitely know. Chad (11:09.726) at your cabin so that means probably like 12 feet up where you're at, you know? Mark (11:12.544) Oh more. Yeah, yeah. I mean people are starting to head out. So it's like game on in Alaska right now, which is pretty cool. Pretty early, but yeah, it's going. Chad (11:22.032) Nice, yeah. It's the same with here. Like that's early. If we had a six foot storm here, I've actually ridden a hundred inches at Wolf Creek on Halloween before. Still kind of bony always, even with a hundred inches here, we need 20 feet here to have that boniness go away. But we got blue green groomers. You know, we were, I think it was two weeks ago now that we got first share at A Basin. And... Mark (11:31.217) Yeah. Mark (11:45.632) Okay, let's talk about that real quick. So I know like Nate Dogg, Taylor Tom, yourself, you guys have pretty much gotten first chair in the country, maybe the world, like every year in the last like, I don't even know how many years, how long has it been going on? Chad (12:00.551) Um, Nate likes to claim 31 years. I, uh, yeah, it's interesting though, because I, I mean, trailer Tom has had 31 years. I don't know if they've been consecutive, but you know, he's on, on the page, but I think 31 years would put you at 1992, right? Mark (12:03.036) 31 years of first chairs. Wow. Mark (12:18.941) Yeah, I think so. Chad (12:20.15) And I think Maydog moved to Colorado in 1998. So I'm just saying, I don't know, but I still believe him. I don't know. I mean, I wasn't here, so I can't say that, but I know. No, I think I actually do think that he might've driven out here those years. I'm not sure, so. Mark (12:24.096) Oh. Mark (12:27.628) That sounds like a call out. Mark (12:33.2) You better be careful what you say, because Nate Dogg is your property manager. Ha ha ha. Mark (12:42.982) I don't know Chad, a pipe burst. Chad (12:46.07) So it's great, you know, I think last year it was 25 years. I don't know how that six years popped up on him, but either way, it's a great, um, you know. Mark (12:53.911) So what was that scene like? Like what time did you guys get there? I'm sure you got there like the day before or something. Like what does it take to like get first chair? Chad (13:00.362) Yeah, so these are the rules. Nate's really good at articulating it. I'm going to do my best. So you know, you kind of like go to the resorts, you'll see them, there's no other blowing snow, you go talk to the mountain ops in the parking lots, you know, a couple weeks before, kind of get a feel. And then usually on a Monday or a Tuesday, they like to announce that they're going to open. They usually open on weekends just for crowds, so it's usually a Friday. So if they announce on a Tuesday, Mark (13:25.33) Mm-hmm. Chad (13:27.37) You gotta gun it and go lock down Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday night. Three days. Mark (13:31.452) Three days. Like when does the second person show up? Like if you're there for three days, when does like chair number two show up? Chad (13:39.434) Oh, that usually happens like within, you know, the last day. So then chair number two usually hangs for a good 24, 36 hours. And then, but usually we, this dude Ant has been kind of a fourth member of the crew, but it's trailer Tom, myself, Nate, and this dude Ant. And I did two days and I slipped straight on the ground this time right out in front of the lot or the lift. I have a baby and a mat, but it's a... Mark (13:42.82) Okay. Mark (13:46.335) Okay. Chad (14:07.69) It's just kind of something entertaining to do. It's like a, you know, when you get, like I said, when you need something to do with your life this time of year and you just want something exciting and people to talk to, people are constantly coming through all day long. So you're hanging out with people for like two days, which is fun. Except for, you know, that period from 10 at night till about 10 the next day is freezing cold. If not even six, cause it gets dark. But otherwise, I do negative 40. Mark (14:28.453) Mm-hmm. Mark (14:31.844) So is it like a negative 20 bag that you have to like stay warm in this negative 20? Okay. Negative 40. Okay. Chad (14:37.406) Actually, yeah, I won it at the love games from the satellite board shop love games. I really pushed hard for that because I knew I'd need it. But yeah, I don't know, it's something to do. And then now they're all opening, like resorts are opening. I think Breck opened today, Veil opened today, Keystone's open, Copper opens Monday. So the groomer lifestyle is on, you know what I mean? Mark (14:42.056) Cool. Mark (14:47.662) And that was at. Mark (14:58.796) Right now are they setting up parks or like little rail features? Like what kind of stuff do they have besides like a white ribbon of death? You know. Chad (15:06.206) Um, yeah, white ribbon of life is what we called it. We did. Mark (15:10.429) Oh, that's because you had first chair. If you were on like the 140th chair, you would have been like right ribbon of death. Oh really? Chad (15:17.19) And it was pretty fun. Actually, it snowed like a foot. So it was like kind of slasher pal on the side with groom slasher pal. But they have I think, Keystone has a little hike park, a base and probably has a couple slide bars. And then I don't really know I do know that Breck was on the verge of like kind of ending their park lifestyle. And now I hear they have a four speed, four pack high speed trailer for the five chair was and they're putting a park in with a half pipe this year. I heard. Mark (15:45.916) Really. Chad (15:46.634) I don't know. I'm not going to be around this year to find out really, but we'll see. You know, I think. Mark (15:50.552) Okay. Yeah. And it's not just Colorado, by the way, Chad, like Mammoth opens today. Wild Mountain is open in Minnesota. Killington, I think, is open right now as well. They may have been the first open. I'm not sure if they beat Colorado this year. Okay. And then also in Canada, you got Lake Louise, Mountain Workway. Chad (15:56.359) Oh yeah yeah. Yeah, troll Ogden as well. Chad (16:09.046) I think Abason was the, I think Abason. Mark (16:17.333) Sunshine Village is going to open this weekend and then you got Sommet Saint-Solvier in Quebec is open as well. So I guess there's riding all over America and Canada right now. Chad (16:29.514) Yeah, it's awesome. Everybody's gonna check out for the next five to six months. You know, it's that kind of a life. Mark (16:34.228) Yup. Yeah, well it seems like it's shaping up. I know we have like a Super El Nino coming this year. What does that mean for Colorado? Chad (16:45.29) Um, well last year La Niña was supposed to end, you know, mid late winter. And then El Niño is going to kick in and El Niño is better than La Niña. I don't really know what it means. It has to do with the weather pattern, I think. But, uh, I, uh, yeah, it's, uh, it just means, yeah, more fresh blue green groomer, you know, for Colorado. Mark (16:59.6) Yeah. Mark (17:03.565) More powder. Mark (17:08.909) Okay, right on. Well, it sounds like you're ready though. It sounds like you've gotten prepared as far as, you know, traveling and working out and your sticker job is done. Your board has probably been waxed a couple of times already. And yeah, it sounds like you're ready to get things going here. Chad (17:29.406) Yeah, I mean, if I was in Valdez, I'd be like potato sacking off cliffs, but I'm here. So it's just going to be groomer. I'm excited. Mark (17:38.404) Yeah, well, it should be fun. So have you been checking out any of the snowboard movies this fall? I know there've been, you know, obviously every year, there's like this time of year, there's movies that have been coming out for a couple of months now. Anything standing out to you so far this year? Chad (17:54.538) Um, uh, there's a few there's, I'm, uh, I went to the, I was back in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago and I went to the ride premiere and that was cool because it was kind of an industry event. Uh, and I was going to say the last time I went to a premiere in Minnesota was with Gillian Yoder and I went and saw a fear of a flat planet and the movie never showed up, so we just hung out on like Hannappin or something and he didn't know who I was, but I knew who he was. He would have randomly was back in Minnesota. Mark (18:02.248) Mm-hmm. Mark (18:14.257) Heh. Chad (18:22.934) That was like 1994. And then I went to this premiere in Minnesota this last time, the ride premiere was really good. Jed Anderson, I mean the movie was a great, it was a jib movie. Jed Anderson's awesome and he ended up hitting this rail at the end of his part that my dad is an usher for at the church. It's the cathedral in St. Paul and he had this double line and I was always telling my dad, if you ever see kids hitting the rails out of it on those stairs, don't kick them out. So my dad wasn't there the day they were doing it, but. Mark (18:24.729) Yep. Chad (18:52.886) So that was a good one. And then I see that you wrote East bump up. Mark (18:56.752) That was my favorite like video that I saw just because it had a different approach. It was like somehow fresh and it was like one dude, three shovels, one tripod. That's how I made this. And it was just cool. And like all the shots were steady, no shaky cam because it was on a tripod for all of it. But for me, it was just different. And I guess, you know, I'm less into. a lot of the tricks, you know, I watch a lot of these movies and there's like people doing pillow lines, you know, in BC or whatever. And I love powder riding. But then it's like, wow, Jonathan Moore did that in like 1998. You know, and it was just as good then as it is now. But it's not really that much different now than it was then. And so to me, it's kind of like a little bit of repetition when you see all these people just riding powder or doing basic tricks into powder. It's fairly consistent with the kind of footage we've seen over the last 20 years. And so to me, East Bumfuck was something new. Chad (20:01.166) 100% hold on. I agree with you. I think I really enjoy like he didn't talk in his video but he was kind of telling a story the whole way through. And I love watching that dude ride. He's like pigeon-toed. It seems like he's riding negative three, negative three. And for snowboard movies, I think I was looking earlier the Quicksilver movies up to 1.7 million views. Mark (20:13.126) Yep. Mark (20:19.865) Yeah. Mark (20:29.544) That's a lot of views. Chad (20:30.73) And I think those guys are great, but it was just like you just talked about it. It was like, cool, we saw the same movie last year and the year before and the year before and the year before. But I think that they have the outlet to put it out there. So it got that many views. But I mean, these kids from Michigan, I know this kid, Derek Lemke, Brent Bann and Drake Warner put together a movie that's going to come out in the next couple of weeks. I'm really excited to see it's probably going to be a lot of challenge rails and a lot of dangerous kinks and things like that. But I really enjoy like local movies or people I know or, you know, movies that are gonna have a feel as opposed to like a kind of a been there done that. We owned two movies from here last night and we're like, cool. And that was happened at Buck Hill 30 years ago. You know? Mark (21:15.692) Yeah, but you know you guys actually made a movie this year called Midlife Crisis. What did you do for that one to make it stand out? Chad (21:24.315) Um, we... Um... Chad (21:30.814) We just, you know, we filmed and edited and put it up on slush to make it stand out, I guess. But it's more of an, I would always open it or end it and Blaze would open it and end it as well. And then we would put people in the middle of it, if that makes sense. And it was more about midlife crisis, like vintage snowboarders. And then we would put like the up and coming kids in the middle, you know? So we weren't just like all vintage. Mark (21:59.524) You guys aren't vintage, you guys are like, you know, seasoned. I would say seasoned. Like you're like a fine wine. You've gotten better with age. Yeah. Chad (22:03.166) Season, yeah, Season's a good name, yeah. Yeah, aged, all right. Aged, classic, you know, kind of classic. But yeah, I mean, what did we do to make it stand out? Nothing besides edit, and we made three movies this year called, the first one is Rock Bottom, the second one is Spring Chickens, and then the third one is the full meltdown, a play on MacDog Productions, The Meltdown Project. Mark (22:13.061) Yeah. Mark (22:22.78) Mm-hmm. Chad (22:31.67) and that was in Mount Hood. And then, so we did that and yeah, you know, just pushing forward, we're actually making another one this year. We're gonna do a couple other things. I could ramble on, Blaze is way better at rambling on about it than I am. But, yeah, I am the editor of all the things. I'm the editor, Blaze is the talker. We're trying to make a brand. We're selling T-shirts and hoodies and hats. Mark (22:31.783) Right. Mark (22:51.432) But you're the co-host of this show, so damn it, it's up to you to ramble on. Chad (23:01.434) And we're going to sell t-shirts to the kids and just say, life crisis with the mid crossed out. So we can kind of include everybody. Mark (23:08.473) Okay. Mark (23:11.881) life crisis of living in mountain towns. Chad (23:14.118) Yeah, and then, so we're doing that. But yeah, I mean, it's just something to keep the dream alive, you know what I mean? Something to take away at life as opposed to sit there on the couch. Mark (23:22.669) Yeah. Mark (23:28.104) Well, that's cool. I'm glad you're doing stuff and it sounds like for this year, you're going to try to film yourself with a drone, which seems like it could add like a layer of complexity, but also, you know, just get a whole new kind of, you know, different kinds of shots for the films you're making. Chad (23:44.926) Yeah, no, it should be exciting. I feel like I can sell film or whatever other friends to any kind of a 1500 foot line, uh, the way I'm going to approach it. We'll see if it works. I'm ordering the drone here in a week. So I'm waiting for black Friday so I can get a discount on one, but, uh, yeah, but no midlife crisis is, yeah, we we're actually coming out with a Mark (23:58.442) Okay. Right? That's the time to buy your drones, folks. Clock is ticking. Chad (24:11.81) Blaise and I have full video parts coming out the next week on Slush. It's called Yearbook, where we put some old shots of Friends that didn't make it in like the other movies, not because they weren't good shots, but because they didn't really fit in the narrative of the movie. And then Blaise is going to have a full part. So he's got a 50-year-old full video part, like amazing part. Like I don't think anybody's ever really done that well anyways. Once you get to 50, a lot of people just start turning and give up. So he's got... Mark (24:16.677) Okay. Mark (24:40.956) So like who else is in that category? You got Todd Richards, film and video parts. You got... Chad (24:45.874) Yeah, I don't know. He's not filming video parts, is he? He's filming clips. Mark (24:49.496) I don't know. I mean he had a part in the in the. In the what's called Quicksilver movie. He was in that so. Chad (24:57.218) Oh yeah yeah, I mean what kind of clip was it Parkshots? Mark (25:01.744) I'm not sure I just remember him talking on the chairlift. I think he does a couple of shots. He always does like a switch McTwist. I'm not sure if it was a full part. I kind of like, I kind of fast forwarded through some of that to watch Powder and to watch Travis Rice and then when I was watching Travis Rice, I was actually just watching the mountains that he was riding. So I definitely agree with you on the, on the, you know, getting old and looking at mountains instead of like tricks and riding. So. Chad (25:04.17) Yeah, he's got a couple. Um, he's got a full part though. Thank you very much. Chad (25:26.483) And I mean, Todd does have a part in my, a couple clips in my part that I'm dropping this week. But Blaze has a full part is what I'm saying. Like back country, park jumps, rails. You know what I mean? Like this is like a full four minute, like single part. Full song, yeah, full everything. And yeah, that's what I'm saying. But I mean, I wrote Richard's is. Mark (25:33.319) Okay. Mark (25:40.402) Yeah. Mark (25:45.064) full song. Chad (25:52.634) older than all of us. He's like 53, 54, maybe he's your age, maybe you're older than him. Yeah, so he's, you know, he's in that, you know, probably Tony Hawk era of snowboarders and I like, I rode with him at Woodward this May and he actually, just for, you know, showing up and riding, he warmed up pretty quick and he's pretty good. I think surfing might keep him in shape, you know. Mark (25:57.592) I'm younger than him by a few years. Mark (26:04.637) Yep, completely. Mark (26:18.528) Yeah, yeah, for sure. I know he lives down in Carlsbad, so he's close to the beach, gets to go out any day of the surf. So that's probably pretty good. But you know, right now, aside from all these video parts, it's kind of coming to the end of video season, and we're kind of getting into the beginning of event season. And so I know that coming up in like a week or so, they have that event in, I think it's Innsbruck called Do It Yourself Extreme. Chad (26:25.029) Yeah. Mark (26:47.328) Or Dix, if you will, DIYX. Um, and it sounds like that'll be a pretty good one. Uh, you know, what do you know about the Dix event, Chad? Chad (26:51.34) Yeah. Chad (27:01.335) I mean, yeah, I know that there'll be a lot of dicks there and a lot of not-dicks there. And I hung out with a lot of the kids that went to it last year when I was in Minnesota right before they went and they said it's not really even a contest. They just set up spots in cities. And you know, there's a group of 20 kids that get invited to come up and... Mark (27:18.502) Yep. Mark (27:23.212) Yep, and it looks like Max Warbbington, Benny Malam, Dusty Hendrickson, Zeb, Jib Girl. So it sounds like a lot of the Americans will be there. I'm sure there's a full card of Europeans as well. Chad (27:26.94) Bye bye. Chad (27:36.262) Yeah. It's kind of like an Aaron style, but for jibbing and way more public. If that makes sense, not more as much of an arena style, but if you go and you see the video of it, there's hundreds of people surrounding like a rail or a flaming circle with Dylan Henderson back flip through that circle last year. Um, and they're all just hanging out and, you know, sipping on beverages and having a good time. It looks like a fun early season. Mark (27:46.28) Mm-hmm. Mark (27:56.377) Yeah. Chad (28:06.102) You know, I wouldn't say warm up, because everything they do is pretty aggressive. But the early season, you know, kind of a raw, natural street contest, you could call it. Mark (28:18.548) Yeah, it should be a pretty cool event. It's coming up 16th, the 20th of this month here in November. And then, you know, they also, I saw that they just recently announced the natural selection. And I know that last year you were a judge, so you got to go to BC and Alaska. What can you tell us about this year's natural selection? Chad (28:39.027) Um, the only thing I can tell you is what has been gone on. Spoken to anybody just yet about anything there, but I know there are three stops in Colorado. One down by Durango and two in Crested Butte. So yeah, yeah. Mark (28:54.544) And I think those are for like the duels segment where they have like the riders face off. It says they're going to do it in Switzerland around Crested Butte and the, the what the Irwin Lake Lodge, Red Mountain BC and Purgatory Adventures in Durango. And somewhere in Japan sounds like they're going to be able to do as well. Chad (29:06.623) Yeah. Chad (29:13.262) Yeah, that'll be interesting. And then it looks like two stops in Revy, one at Selkirk's and then one off of the resort where I think they might've built some stuff, but I don't know. And then that's gonna be middle of March. Mark (29:23.201) Mm. Mark (29:27.284) Yeah, that's the 10th to the 17th of March. We'll look forward to that. But I was actually pretty disappointed that there wasn't a Alaska stop because to me it's like Alaska represents the pinnacle of free riding. It's where people can test themselves on like a higher level. And so, you know, and I thought that, you know, they were kind of able to do that last year and then no Alaska stopped this year kind of has me scratching my head because it's like, well, How can it be the absolute pinnacle of free riding if you're not in the pinnacle place for free riding? Chad (30:02.622) Yeah, that's a point. It's, I think they are trying to hone it in and figure things out, I would imagine. I mean, I would imagine that one day they wanna go back to Alaska, you know? For now, I think it's a little bit on hold. I know that the natural selection did have almost a 10-year break anyways, right? So I think that it's just kind of like a wave. It's like life, you know? Like... Mark (30:15.212) Yep. Well... Mark (30:24.432) That's true. That is true. Chad (30:30.398) Some years, it might not be this five feet dropping in Jackson Hole or those pillows like last year at Rebel Stoke, where some years it might be kind of crusty Jackson Hole and Tomahawk King down ball face. So that's kind of how I see it. I think they have the same sights that you do. I think that they're just trying to work out the kinks and make it happen. Mark (30:45.217) Yeah. Mark (30:56.16) Yeah, I mean, I think the thing with Alaska, which they found out probably the hard way this year is that it is crazy expensive and, and there's a lot of curveballs in Alaska and so you can't, you know, you can't really plan things out to the day or the minute nature has the final say on everything in Alaska. And, uh, and so it, it can, it can lead to cost overruns if you're running an event. Chad (31:22.014) Yeah, we were out there, we did a scope day hoping that we, riders would drop. Everybody went up and it just ended up being a rehearsal day that costs like in the fives of thousands, you know, the five figures of thousands of dollars just to go hang out and come back. So yeah, they're figuring it out. You know, they gotta, you gotta get those non endemic snowboard sponsors like, like Red Bull and, and donkey juice and whatever else there is, you know. Mark (31:39.276) Yeah, yeah, so anyhow, but I... Mark (31:50.516) Right. I mean, that's the thing is like a natural selection could bring that kind of free riding and what a lot of the athletes consider kind of like the, the most desirable part of riding, you know, to a larger audience. And so to me, that's like kind of the promise of natural selection. So I hope they can deliver on that this year from Revelstoke and from the dual series, and hopefully they can come back to Alaska soon. Chad (32:06.391) Yeah. Chad (32:19.31) Yeah, we'll see. I mean, there's a whole nother element too of the Olympics kind of buying the scene that they're probably gonna try to get their feet wet in a interesting way that we're gonna be able to watch. I'm more like kind of into sitting in the backgrounds and watching it unfold and enjoying myself snowboarding. These days. Mark (32:40.681) It's crazy that you were in Alaska for like, I think about two weeks last year. And I was there the whole time you were there, we didn't see each other even though we were both hanging out in Valdez. So, but anyhow, well, hopefully you can make it back this year because I definitely know that's a place for you and I think you know it too. Chad (32:50.286) Yeah, for sure. Chad (32:57.873) Yeah, yeah. Honestly, the reason I took that job at Natural Selection was to go stand on a peak and kind of be involved. And now that that's been done, we'll see where it goes, you know? Mark (33:09.132) Yeah, well, I mean, I think that you're one of the most qualified judges they could have. So let's hope they get you back. Chad (33:16.81) Yeah, I kind of like snowboarding, so we'll see. I'd rather, I'd rather ride than judge, but I'm not going to say anything about that. Mark (33:20.569) Okay. Mark (33:26.164) Right, sometimes you gotta judge to ride. Okay. That's true, that's true. Sometimes you gotta not compete to ride as well. Otherwise, they're going to be standing around the top of a, uh, of a half pipe for half your life. Chad (33:28.822) Yeah, no, not really. Sometimes you've got to not judge to ride. Chad (33:37.503) Yeah, yeah, true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that was the hard part about trying to go to the Olympics those years. It was like, wow, you have been complete riding half pipe from, you know, beginning of the year all the way till end of February. And you're like, but now that we've become more of a, you know, expert at figuring out the terrain and where to go and how to ride, you don't really start riding good stuff till after February anyways unless, you know, depending on where you're at. Mark (34:06.38) Yeah, I mean you can in Japan, but that's just like for the powder. Chad (34:10.921) And motorboat and power in Japan is the best. Mark (34:13.076) Yeah. So, you know, I went to dinner last night with Scott Zergabel, who started holding with LeBlanc. You know, Scott? Yeah, he's yeah, he's a really cool dude. And he was telling me last night that ISPO, the European trade show, is going to be November 28th to 30th this year. And I was like, what? Chad (34:20.346) Oh wow. I know Scott, yeah M3 remember? Yeah, M3 I see. Mark (34:36.924) they've moved it now out of January. I remember when it was in March, when I first got involved in the snowboard industry, it was like the beginning of March every year in Vegas and they moved it to Colorado, I wanna say, and then they moved it up to like January or I guess before they moved to Colorado, they moved it up to the end of January. And now in Europe, they've decided to put it in November. Now, it's... Kind of interesting because to me trade shows are kind of dead in America. I went to the outdoor retailer maybe three years ago, maybe four years ago. And it was like the endemic snowboard brands had pretty much given up on, on going to trade shows to kind of, to, to approach shops and to get new orders or try to increase their distribution. And, you know, it occurs to me that like moving the trade shows up to November makes it harder. on small brands, I think it plays to people like Burton who want to run production all year long, or you know, a capita who has their own factory, they want to keep those people employed and not have to like ramp up seasonal laborers and then let them, you know, and lay them off at the end of production season for like six months or whatever. So it makes sense for these like big brands. How does it affect a brand like Academy though, that's what I'm curious about, because it doesn't make sense to me for this like You know, just for like the organic grassroots aspect of the industry, it seems like that really plays into the hands of these like large major brands. Chad (36:06.642) Yeah, I think even Never Summer quit doing, or Burton definitely quit doing trade shows a long time ago. Remember they had their own like, Denver, they had their own showroom there. And I mean, the one in Denver is gone, from what I understand. And I didn't even know Ispo was really still going. It's just, it's more of a, yeah, it's more of an event for people, brands that make a lot of money. Mark (36:13.282) Yeah. Mark (36:27.174) What? Chad (36:34.054) non-independent snowboard brands, I guess you could call it. Like, you know, your Solomons and K2s and Arc'teryx and Smartwools and, you know, North Faces, these brands that, like, that's just kind of part of their program and they do it. But for us, it doesn't really affect us because we just call shops and, you know, we have our reps and we have our, we're pretty self-sustainable. as opposed to these bigger brands kind of have to show face, I guess. Where I mean, it'd be great for us to be there if there was still a Denver trade show, it would be super fun to do because you get to see everybody. But every year, like the shops less and less would show up because it would cost them, you know, $5,000 or whatever to get four of their employees out there to go do loops and get hotel rooms for four days. And food and things would be... Mark (37:29.272) No, it used to be like a family reunion at the trade show. Like every year you'd see people you haven't seen in a year. And then I went like three years ago to the last one I went to in Denver. And it was like, nobody was there. And so it wasn't a family reunion. I was just sitting there. I saw maybe five or seven people that I knew, but literally, I mean, the snowboard industry was absent almost completely. Chad (37:50.174) Yeah, I think that's just e-commerce or whatever you want to call it. Everything kind of went to the internet and your computer and kind of how we are now as opposed to social interaction. Mark (37:56.828) Yeah, it's kind of interesting because even ispo, they used to have 18 trade show halls. And so each trade show hall at ispo was about, I don't know, half the size of the entire si a trade show or outdoor retailer trade show, and they had 18 halls of this and they had also beyond skiing and snowboarding, they would also have like the outdoor industry. And then also even stuff like gym equipment would be at that trade show. But I saw that they have a map and now Um, there are only 11 halls being filled in seven of the halls. They used to fill up with brands and, and people and, you know, and the industry are now empty and they don't even put anything in those halls. And so to me, that's like kind of a sign of the times, you know, between the internet and kind of how the retail environment has changed and, you know, the kind of direct consumer and these kind of macro big box. online retailers, like your back countries or EVOs or whatever. It seems like it's really kind of changed the face of snowboarding as far as like the ability for people to get FaceTime with each other, you know? And to me as a kid, it was like, I would get that FaceTime in a snowboard shop and the sales reps would drop by and we get to hang out with them and understand all the different lines. And then we'd go and hang out after school at the shop. And, and we would have this kind of like. you know, connection with the sport of snowboarding, even in the off season, like five days a week, we'd go hang out at a shop. And to me, it's like, now you get to hang out on Instagram and it's not quite the same thing. Chad (39:39.226) Yup, it definitely is not the same thing. No, splitboarding is the answer, hanging out with your friends is the answer. It's the business. I feel like it's not just snowboarding. I would imagine it's like in every business, right? Mark (39:43.727) Yeah. Mark (39:51.688) Yeah, I mean, I would say every business has faced that, but snowboarding, especially, I mean, I just did some simple math earlier today. And so when I started Snowboard Magazine, there were about 800 snowboard shops that we would distribute to. And then I just looked on Slush the Magazine's website, and currently there's about 216 shops in the country. That's a 74% Percent reduction in the amount of doors, right? That people can walk into to like interact with the culture of snowboarding. And so that's a negative thing. I mean, obviously people are getting it in other ways and other places, but. You know, to have that ability to just walk in and feel that culture of snowboarding. I think that's affected, you know, the. The overall size and scope of the industry and case in point is like. At that time, the overall winter sports business between skiing and snowboarding was about $10.7 billion a year. And now it's about $4.28 billion a year. So despite the fact that 74% of shops have closed in the last 20 years, there's also a 60% reduction in overall revenue. And I would attribute that, and this is me, there's no science behind this or anything, but I would attribute that to... just the lack of people being able to just like make snowboarding like a part of their identity by being able to walk into a snowboard shop five days a week or whatever as a 16 year old kid. That was my identity. I was a snowboarder first and foremost and today you know you do a lot of different things but snowboarding is kind of something you do in your own private time you know when you're sitting in front of your computer something like that. Chad (41:42.426) Yeah, it's, it's true. You got to really, really search for it. I went to actually underground snowboards in Breckener's through their locals appreciation party last night. And there was a few hundred people at the Riverwalk center in Breck and we watched movie premieres and they gave away stuff and you know, but it's still, it's still, you know, it was still the, your, your 200 people as opposed to the thousands of people that live in Summit County. If you think about it. Mark (42:00.173) Old times. Mark (42:10.606) Yeah. Chad (42:11.102) And it is interesting too, like things like lift lines and traffic and things like that have become more centralized or however you want to say it. Like if you look at I-70 coming up to Summit County, if you look at the canyons in Utah or I-80 coming up from San Francisco, they're just packed with vehicles and the parking lots are full and lift lines are crazy and resorts are tracked at, you know, before they even open if you're talking Jackson Hole. Like what is that compared to like what it was when those billions of dollars were being made compared to what they are now? Mark (42:47.416) And it's kind of crazy because it's like, there's less money involved, but there's also this other thing that's going on, like the Lyft Pass products where like, it used to be like to get a season pass at Sun Valley, it was like $3,500, some ridiculous amount of money. And now you can get like one of these kind of group season, epic icon, mountain collective passes, and, and they're affordable for pretty much anywhere. And, and To me, at least it's affected the traffic on the 70, the 80, like all these like road corridors to the mountains, but it hasn't resulted in more money being spent in the sport overall. And so my question to you is, are these past products a good thing? Like, is this good for the industry or is this just a way for the resort companies to make more money in the short term? Is it... Chad (43:24.238) True, they just smart cheeseburgers in real estate. Mark (43:38.224) benefiting in the short term at the expense of the long term longevity and health of the sports. Chad (43:44.614) Um, that's interesting. It's like a wonder where the, if there is, if you could do the comparison on board sales compared to like, you know, resort traffic. Mark (43:55.328) Yeah, we'll look into that further as time goes on. That just occurred to me as we were sitting here talking, but it is kind of a question that I have is like, what's happening to snowboarding? We'll get a little bit more into that. One more piece of news, Slush the Magazine is about to launch Slush the App. And so you can actually download it right now. They haven't promoted it yet, but it's out there. And yeah, and so they have like copies of their stories and magazines online through the app that you can download through the App Store. Chad (43:57.943) Yeah. Mark (44:25.768) So that's kind of cool. Yeah. Chad (44:27.018) That's awesome. I'm gonna be interested to have a Slush the Magazine app on my phone. It'll be my first kind of like snowboard app. What other app? Yeah, yeah, it's like Instagram or Slush. Which one are you gonna click? Facebook. What apps have I been using lately? I've been doing YouTube a lot. Just cause it's, I don't know, whatever. I'm trying to just load everything on my hard drives on YouTube just for fun for some reason. Mark (44:32.824) Yep, just another icon on your phone to make you a snowboarder. Mark (44:56.088) Mm-hmm. You get to like a point of like, you know, where you have enough videos that are getting plays here and there where it really adds up, you know, so the more videos the merrier, I guess. Chad (44:57.462) and I'll... Chad (45:05.097) Hmm. we'll see what happens. But speaking of app, I would imagine this is gonna be on the app, the 2160 by Hirota Ogawara. Yeah. Mark (45:19.188) Yeah, man, I'm kind of torn on the 2160, I gotta say, Chad, because, you know, yes, it is progression. No one's done a 2160 before, and I know you have thoughts on the 2160, but to me, it's like they've added a 180, you know, to what happened before, you know, and I don't know, I mean, Chad (45:23.401) Yeah. Mark (45:46.104) According to you Chad, you're like the matrix is complete now you can stop bullets with your teeth. Is that is that how it goes? Chad (45:52.498) Yes, this is the truth 100% like I thought it was at five, but apparently 2160 is six pins. So this is another 360 pass bullet catching bullets. So that's pretty cool. When I was a coach, I always like to say I would always tell the kids that your trick doesn't count unless you did it on something never touched by a human or modified by human. So how many tricks do you got the kids to be like? Mark (46:11.068) Mm-hmm. Chad (46:16.99) If you went to, you know. and it was like, how many tricks do you got? I bet he might not have any tricks either, but he does have a 2160 and a park jump, but technically somebody else built that kicker for him. So it doesn't really count. He doesn't own that trick, but I do enjoy the more spins, you know, like it's just entertaining. I don't think it's marketable or something that people wanna do, but I like to see. The possibility is pushed in every direction. I wouldn't say it's necessarily good for the sport or for sales, but it's like, why not? I don't know. Mark (46:59.656) I mean, you could definitely define it as progression. It's never been done before. Now it's been done. So that is progression, right? By maybe definition. But to me, it's like there's something missing from that. Right? It's like, when you watch that 2160, I mean, he is whipping around and it's getting closer and closer to helicopter status with each like added 180, but. Chad (47:05.952) Right. Chad (47:20.314) He might, if he put a little tweak on his board, he might like be able to just kind of levitate. You know what I mean? If you think about it, if he puts his board at the right angle, he might actually be able to helicopter and just kind of hang out up there. Mark (47:26.607) Yeah. Mark (47:33.716) Yeah, I mean, that's true. That might be the next level beyond stopping bullets with your teeth, it's just levitating. So we'll have to wait and see where this goes. But to me though, it's like, it's still missing like this essential creative element. It's like back in the day, let's go back to like the early 90s. It's like you watch Jamie Lynn do a method, you watch Chris Roach do a method, you watch Dave Alden do a method, and they were all different tricks, but they were the same trick. And it's like the way that each person Chad (47:38.663) Man. Yeah. Mark (48:03.736) made that trick their own was part of the essence of like, of the creativity of snowboarding. It's like you would put your own mark on every trick you did. And once we got into like nine hundreds and beyond, that's when you kind of stopped making tricks your own. You just had to get it around to the landing, but. I kind of miss the days where it was like your creative approach and how you did it. And I guess that's what I identified with like East bum fuck is like the way that he like just approached making a movie differently. Um, but to me, it's like that creative element doesn't exist when it's just a matter of adding rotations. Chad (48:44.274) 100%. Yeah. I mean, Sean, like, like they like the claims that he was inventing tricks, but like you said, it was it's just not in our eyes is not really the progression we want to see. It's just more rotations. Mark (48:56.344) Yeah, and I do see that there is some progression in the sport. I don't think progression is dead. And by the way, it's like, I don't consider like a 50-50 on a challenge rail necessarily progression, even if you go 20 feet longer than the last guy or whatever that to me isn't necessarily progression, but I do see progression in like the pullback tricks that you see guys, you know, like Marcus Cleveland and Ted Powell doing a little bit and, and I, so I see that as something cool, obviously like natural selection, they're bringing you know, kind of like just back country kind of filming and then making it into full lines where you have to like really do multiple tricks on one face. And so that to me is a kind of progression. And then this other thing to me, where really I see the progression of free riding is in what I consider like adventure free riding, where people are going out and like discovering new areas or exploring to get to these areas and then riding them and then making it back out in one piece. And to me, that's kind of like this. very potentially dangerous, but also rewarding part of freeriding that, that has kind of like really been progressing in the last like, like five or 10 years as far as like people going really to like further lengths. I know people have been using snowmobiles to access areas for about 20 years, but really I've seen like this progression in the last 10 years of crews going out to like new areas and going to places that literally have never been gotten to before. And so to me, that's like a whole new level of exploration and therefore progression to me anyway. Chad (50:31.334) I agree with you. I enjoy watching those movies as more documentary style and in-depth and what's going on. Like I didn't like watching Jeremy Jones's video parts ever. The big mountain, Jeremy Jones until he started telling his story. And then you're like, Whoa, that's pretty cool. Like what you're doing besides that. It was just kind of like, you know, turning down a hill or a steep hill, you know? And, uh, once you hear the story and you hear what's going on behind, it's great. Mark (50:54.285) Yeah, we get- Mark (50:58.968) Yeah, it's like I took it for granted when all those TV movies were coming out in the 90s. You just see Tom Burt on a mountain face a fly on the wall making his way down a mountain. And you didn't really appreciate all the thought and calculation and you know, figuring out what would go into like a big mountain line. And then when Jeremy Jones started talking about that's when I think the regular viewer kind of started to gain an appreciation of what goes on in like big mountains and And really just how a risky it is, but B then how much more calculation you put into each line you're doing. Chad (51:36.11) Yeah, like the story behind it is the progression I feel like. I did notice and I paid attention. I saw a lot of movies come out in the last couple of years, a lot of big brands, like big outdoor brands are sponsoring expeditions. And they do a lot of sponsoring expeditions to a lot of skiers and snowboarders. It might not be the best skiers and snowboarders. So they just go out and struggle and come back and tell their story. That's kind of degression to me. Like a lot of these adventure movies that have come out that Travis and Jeremy put out over the last couple of years have kind of spawned a lot of people trying to go make their own and they don't have the talent that Jeremy and Travis do so it's kind of a boring... Yeah. I see a lot of those on YouTube. I'm like, oh, but they're still interesting to watch. And if they go to cool places, you know. Mark (52:17.037) It's like a watered down version of that progression, you know? Mark (52:25.204) Is it progression if you struggle more? Is that progression? It's like the bigger the struggle, the more the progression. I don't think so. Yeah. Chad (52:31.71) Yeah, like DMX says to live is to struggle, to die is to feel good. You know, but anyways, yeah, yeah. So, but I do, I really love enjoy like, you know, all those climbing adventure movies, as opposed to your standard trick movie that happened here before. But like I said, unless it's very unique, like used bumfuck, or if I personally know them, then I'm excited to watch it. Like I just saw Jed at that. Mark (52:38.504) Yup. Chad (53:00.086) you know, premiere in Minneapolis. And I was like, what's up, Jed? I'm like, we're here for you. We heard you got a two song part. I wanna watch it, you know what I mean? And then my dad was at the usher at the rail at the end of his part. So there was like a little connection there, but otherwise it's just another challenge rail to me when I'm watching it. Mark (53:08.124) Yeah. Mark (53:18.788) Yeah, interesting. Well, you know, we I had another subject that I was going to talk about here, but I think we'll save it for our next episode. I think it's a pretty juicy subject that we could get really into. And so maybe we'll save that for the next time around. But I think we've kind of covered a lot of bases here for the preseason. Is there anything else that you want to talk about? I mean, I think that we got an open mic, we got, you know, an open platform for you to speak your mind, Chad. Chad (53:33.111) Yeah. Chad (53:47.502) Speak my mind, I'm like the more and more I'm involved in the snowboarding industry, the more and more I want to be more involved in just snowboarding, not outside of it, which a lot of brands are these days and I notice it. So I'm really excited at what we're doing with Academy and I hope on the next episode, I plan on this next November, December, I want to go ride Minnesota and then go surf the North Shore of Lake Superior. Mark (54:17.58) Interesting. Chad (54:18.674) And with a wetsuit because I guess it's really good in the winter and my buddy Mark (54:22.5) I got a guy who's like a big Chicago surfer. Now I know that's like kind of an oxymoron to some people, but he's the guy for Great Lakes surfing apparently. It's snowboard or two. So he might be able to show you some spots, some secret spots on the Great Lakes. Chad (54:26.09) none. Chad (54:33.267) Yeah. Chad (54:40.002) Oh, for sure. Yeah, yeah. Like a, well, damaged Duluth. I'm gonna, there's a shop up in Duluth and that's kind of where we're going. We're going to go east of there, but I mean, there are secrets, but they're not because it's so cold up there that no one does it. You know what I mean? Mark (54:42.084) I think they're all kind of secret. Mark (54:57.144) Right. It's not like you're fighting for waves. Chad (55:01.002) Yeah, my buddy Matt that I'm going to do it go surf with he lived in San Diego for 15 years and he's like a you know He's got a sailboat in Mexico and he's like the best place to surf is You know the great lace because no one's there Yeah, you just got to be able to deal with the cold Mark (55:12.856) Really? Interesting. Okay, well, I guess now with all your cold plunge training, you should be ready. Chad (55:18.051) We'll see. Chad (55:21.523) I'm going that's kind of the goal. Yeah. Mark (55:23.596) You know, if you really want to impress me, you're going to trunk it. Right on. Well, thank you for taking the time to jump onto this real talk. This has been real Chad, and I enjoy talking to you, uh, snowboarding. And, you know, I, I've, um, been progressing my, my interest in snowboarding and, and part of that progression though, is, is. Chad (55:27.142) I'll die, are you? Yeah, we'll see. Chad (55:37.642) It has, it's been a couple years. Mark (55:50.132) as you have, I'm less interested in the snowboard industry and, and more interested in kind of what snowboarding can do for the individual, you know, and how that can impact your life and what it can contribute to your peace and happiness in your life. And so I think that snowboarding can still bring that to you. It's just I'm not looking at it through the same lens as I used to, as far as the industry and you know, then this kind of daily in and out of, you know, Instagram posts or whatever. Chad (56:21.002) Yup, you know, there's only one person made for Instagram that's Zeb Powell, you know? Mark (56:25.9) Exactly. It's like you just have to watch what Zeb does and it's like, what are you going to do? What? You know, you can watch Marcus Cleveland too, you know, yeah, there's a there's a handful, but you can get your full fill pretty quick. Just saying. Time to figure out some new ways to sell yourself through Instagram, maybe. Chad (56:33.978) Yeah, yeah, true. For sure. Five. Chad (56:40.846) For sure. Chad (56:45.43) Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean Who knows of my plan this winter is to go snowboarding every day I can and I live in an area where once I leave my house with my cell phone Mark (56:55.076) That's, that's why you're a real contender for goat status is because your passion for snowboarding is like real. And you know, there's a lot of people who like just being around snowboarding for 30 years, there's like a lot of people who like became pros and like, we're all about it, had video parts and all this stuff. And then they lost their sponsor deal or whatever and haven't been seen from since. And to me, that was always disappointing. It's like, were you after the, you know, the accolades or were you after kind of the joy of snowboarding? You know, and for me, I have no question in my mind about you, Chad. You love snowboarding more than anyone else. I know. I think so. Chad (57:32.45) Thank you, I appreciate that. You are correct, snowboarding's not really that hard. So, well it is and it isn't, but some people are really naturally talented and then their passion doesn't really go along with their scene. So once they're done, they're done. And I love it, it's gonna be a good time. It's just a great way to get outside. Mark (57:45.853) Yeah. Mark (57:49.844) Well, apparently we're not done yet with the snowboard project. We're going to keep doing it. And we're not doing it with sponsors anymore because we just want to keep the talk as real as possible. So I think that's a good thing. And I want to thank you all for tuning into our first episode in about nine months. And you got to take a break from time to time. I mean, I literally worked in the snowboard industry from the 19, I think 1991. is when I first got involved and I just, I worked a ridiculous amount of time in it for all these years and it was time for a break, you know, so. Chad (58:28.49) Yeah, I'm down to get back on once we come up with another good list of awesome things to talk about. Mark (58:34.228) I think it won't take long because we didn't even get to the juiciest part of this list this week. So we'll be back soon. I talked to Bjorn, by the way, he wants to jump back on as well. So we'll get, we'll get both of you guys back on here. I'm not counting Bjorn out, but he was busy with Cardiff business today. So he was doing that. There's some kind of snow safety kind of deal in Utah right now. And, you know, he's, he's involved with that. So more power to him. Chad (58:40.138) Oh yeah, yeah. All right. Chad (58:45.65) Nice. Chad (58:52.238) Ah, that's it. Mark (59:01.972) And more power to you, Chad. And I'm glad that you've got a roof over your head, some photos on the wall that you shot and a couple of Vordivox bags behind you. Chad (59:11.462) Those aren't my photos, those are Jeff's. But yeah, a couple of order box bags, so you know. Pretty good gear. Speaking of, well, yeah, thank you. They do have a, I'm not sponsored by them, but they do have a beacon that his voice talks to you while you're searching. It says, go left, go right, start digging. Things like that, I believe so, yeah. It's pretty advanced, you know. Hopefully you never have to have that happen, but. Mark (59:13.904) Okay. Yep, you're ready for any kind of mishap. Mark (59:30.604) Like what, go left, go right, five meters? Really? That is pretty cool. Chad (59:40.706) They do that. Mark (59:41.144) Maybe, maybe for our next episode, we can kind of do a review because it seems like, you know, like all this backcountry technology is still evolving as far as the airbag backpacks, you know, there's the canister ones, the electric ones. There's beacons seem to evolve every year. Now radios are part of the game. Um, they always have been, but they kind of have been refined a little bit by the industry. So maybe we could talk about some of the backcountry tools next time around as well. Cool. Chad (01:00:07.362) That sounds awesome. I'm way into that. Mark (01:00:10.284) Well, thank you everyone for tuning in and yeah, we will be back with some more snowboard projects soon. Chad (01:00:18.539) Thank you. Mark (01:00:19.592) And, uh, Chad, just

We explore the history of Méribel and discover Banff Sunshine Village in Canada and Killington in the States.  Host Iain Martin was joined by Kendra Scurfield (Banff Sunshine Village), Kristel Killary (Killington) and David Lindsay (ESF Méribel and son of the resort's founder Sir Peter Lindsay).  Intersport Ski Hire Discount Code Save money on your ski hire by using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' at intersportrent.com, or simply take this link for your discount to be automatically applied at the checkout. SHOW NOTES Killington opened on 03 November (1:30) Andy Butterworth from Kaluma Ski is in St Anton (5:00) Robin Shah has already been skiing in Verbier (8:45) Jen Tsang is from That's La Plagne (9:30) Save money this winter when you book your ski hire at intersportrent.com and use the code ‘SKIPODCAST' (11:30) The first ever cross-border Alpine World Cup races take place this weekend in Zermatt and Cervinia (13:00) You can read more about the debate about use of diggers on the course (13:15) Sir Peter Lindsay is recognised as the founder of Méribel (14:30) Jean-Marie Choffel is author of the book ‘Méribel since 1938' (15:45)~ Lindsay's business partner was the French Count, Jean Gaillard de la Valdenne (17:45) In 1936 Lindsay and two guides climbed La Saulire on skins and skied down to Brides-les-Bains (21:00) ESF Méribel are launching their ‘Master Classes' for January 2024 (26:00) Iain tested the Carv in Episode 171 (29:45) Kendra has her own podcast: 'For The Love of Winter' (30:00) Ski Big 3 is a joint venture between Banff Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Mt Norquay (34:00) Find out about Banff Sunshine Village (35:00) Kendra skied with Robin Williams at Sunshine Village (39:00) Killington is the largest resort in Eastern North America (41:00) Killington's partner is Pico Mountain (42:00) Listen to Iain's report on skiing in Australia in Episode 182  Over Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov 25/26) Killington is hosting the Women's World Cup (47:30) Discover Cow Power in Killington (48:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlsLiDjc_4 Feedback Amy Stewart: "I've been a long time listener and got to listen to Episode 182 about Perisher and Thredbo. I love it, as a long time instructor over here it's awesome to finally hear about this unique ski area on an international level. This podcast was great through the pandemic when I was over here to keep me in touch with the winter season back in Europe!" Oli: "It was great to meet you at London Snow Show. Great talk. Looking forward to listening to more episodes this winter!" James: "I really enjoy the podcast, with the wide range of topics. Keep up the good work." Hans Weeren: "I just started listening to your podcast. Nice work!" Miranda Slater: "Very big congrats on being honoured with a finalist position. Keep up the good work as you are a great channel." Matt Hayes: "Congratulations on a great achievement for the pod. Hopefully it serves as some compensation and recognition of the time, dedication and quality that you put in." If you like the podcast, there are three things you can do to help:    1) Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify  2) Subscribe, so you don't miss another episode  3) Book your ski hire with Intersport Rent using the code ‘SKIPODCAST' or by taking this link   You can follow Iain @skipedia and the podcast @theskipodcast

Jim recently returned from two weeks in Alberta, Canada including Edmonton, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff.  This podcast is a highlight view of the trip including a gallery of some of the images Jim took on the trip.

Join Pat Williams on a road trip through the Canadian Rockies, where breathtaking landscapes and wild encounters await. From the turquoise lakes to the imposing mountains, every moment is a testament to the beauty of nature. But the unexpected twist will leave you breathless, etching an indelible mark in your memory. Get ready for a journey filled with wonder, adventure, and a thrilling encounter that will leave you longing for more. Can you guess what awaits on this mesmerizing road trip? Let's Roam! Pat is the founder of CyberCletch, which helps its clients build reliable and trustworthy websites. In addition, she travels full-time in North America in her truck camper and flies overseas once or twice a year. Connect with Pat: Website: https://realhomesense.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pat_cletch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cybercletch In this episode, you will: Navigate through an unforgettable journey across the scenic Canadian Rockies. Dive into the essential sights and activities for your bucket list in Vancouver. Learn more about Whistler's unparalleled skiing and hiking experiences. Delve into the historical allure of Jasper town coupled with its wildlife sightings and camping opportunities. Identify the must-see sights and attractions in the mesmerizing Banff and Lake Louise. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Rent a bike and ride around Stanley Park in Vancouver. Visit the Britannia Mining Museum on the way to Whistler. Explore the town of Whistler and enjoy the restaurants and hotels. Take a tram up to the top of Whistler for stunning views and photo opportunities. Hike the trail around the back of Whistler Mountain for a once-in-a-lifetime view of Chicamus Lake. Stop at Mount Robson Provincial Park to see the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and potentially spot wildlife like bears. Explore the town of Jasper, visit the historic buildings, and dine at the restaurants. Stay in a campground or hotel in Jasper National Park and take in the beautiful surroundings. Drive along Medicine Lake and look for wildlife, including bald eagles and their nests. Visit Maligne Canyon and take a guided tour to explore the stunning rock formations and waterfalls. Take a boat tour of Maligne Lake and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Drive the Icefields Parkway and stop at popular viewpoints like Athabasca Falls and the Columbia Icefield. Take a guided tour of the Athabasca Glacier and experience.

Dan took a big road trip up through Canada to Sun Peaks, Emerald Lake, Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper National Parks and we think you should too. Outside of the Alps, this is probably the most beautiful mountain terrain on the planet, and it's not even that far of a drive. Where do you think we should go next? Give us a call and let us know! 425-298-7873!

And on today's episode we are going international as we head up North to Canada to speak with our first hiking couple to come on to the podcast, the husband and wife team of Zack & Allie. You can follow them on Instagram, @henderson.adventuresDuring our chat with Zack & Allie, we chat about the amazing Banff National Park and all the other amazing places in and around Alberta. Zack & Allie share with us about a challenging hike that took 8 hours but they were told it would only take 2 and how they have since reclaimed that hike by completing it multiple times. We also learn about the magic of ice skating across Lake Louise and how the Southern Alberta landscapes share similarities to Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.  Episode Links:Banff & Lake LouiseMoraine LakeThe Boss - Banff's Legendary GrizzlyFollows us Instagram, @HikesandmicsThis episode's music was created by Ketsa, follow him on Instagram @Ketsamusic  Episode Sponsor(s):Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artistsGo check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don't forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.FlipSockz will keep Mother Nature out of your boots with their innovative nylon sleeve.To get your first pair visit www.FlipSockz.com and enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Join My Trip to Banff & Lake Louise! Travel is healing! What's Join My Trip? Group Trips for Travellers Explorers Adventurers Friends Insanely authentic. Incredibly small. Forever memorable. Ways to get in touch with Psychic Medium Christine Gold & Soul Healers Community! Join My Trip Now - only 5 spots available! https://www.joinmytrip.com/en/my-trip... Reiki Reveal Sessions, Intuitive Counseling, Group Mediumship parties, Coaching, Speaking Engagements, and event requests: https://christine.gold --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartledsoulfed/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartledsoulfed/support

On today's show: we hear more about a fire that destroyed the main staff residence at Lake Louise; we head to Carstairs as cleanup continues after a tornado destroyed several homes; Coastal Cowgirl is a new fashion trend somewhat spurred by a way of life here in Alberta. We hear the story.

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on June 13. It dropped for free subscribers on June 16. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe for free below:WhoDarcy Alexander, Vice President and General Manager of Sun Peaks, British ColumbiaRecorded onMay 23, 2023About Sun PeaksClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Nippon Cable CompanyLocated in: Sun Peaks, British ColumbiaYear founded: 1961, as Tod MountainPass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 days; Mountain Collective: 2 daysReciprocal partners: 2 days at Silver StarClosest neighboring ski areas: Harper Mountain (58 minutes), Silver Star (2 hours, 20 minutes)Base elevation: 3,930 feetSummit elevation: 6,824 feetVertical drop: 2,894 feetSkiable Acres: 4,270Average annual snowfall: 237 inchesTrail count: 138 trails and 19 glades (32% advanced/expert, 58% intermediate, 10% beginner)Lift count: 13 (3 high-speed quads, 4 fixed-grip quads, 2 platters, 4 carpets - view Lift Blog's inventory of Sun Peaks' lift fleet) – Sun Peaks will build a fourth high-speed quad, West Bowl Express, in 2024Why I interviewed himBecause this freaking province, man. Twenty-nine ski areas with vertical drops over 1,000 feet. Fourteen soar beyond 2,000. Five cross the 3,000-foot mark. Four pass 4,000. And BC is home to the only two ski areas in North America that give you 5,000 or more vertical feet: Whistler and King Revelstoke. Thirteen BC bumps deliver 1,000-plus acres of terrain, and at least 20 load up on 200 inches or more of snow per season. Check these stats:British Columbia is like the Lamborghini dealership of skiing. Lots of power, lots of flash, lots of hot damn is that real? No duds. Nothing you'd be embarrassed to pick up a date in. A few community bumps, sure. But the BC Bros can stack their power towers – Big White, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Panorama, Red, Revelstoke, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, Whistler, and Whitewater – against any collection of ski areas anywhere on the planet and feel pretty good about winning that knife fight.And yet, even in this Seal Team Six of ski resorts, Sun Peaks looks heroic, epaulets and medals dangling from its dress blues. This is the second-largest ski area in Canada. Ponder that BC ski roster again to understand what that means: Sun Peaks gives you more acreage than anything on the famed Powder Highway, more than Revy or Red or Kicking Horse or Fernie. Turn north at Kamloops, east at Hefley Creek, and get lost at the end of the valley.But Sun Peaks' sheer size is less impressive than how the resort won those big-mountain stats. “British Columbia has probably the most progressive ski resort development policy in the world,” Alexander tells me in the podcast. When he arrived at the bump that was then called “Tod Mountain” in 1993, the place was three chairlifts and some surface movers serving a single peak:Over the next 30 years, Nippon Cable transformed the joint into a vast ski Narnia not only because they were willing to funnel vast capital into the hill, but because the BC government let them do it, under a set of rules known as the B.C. Commercial Alpine Ski policy. While inspiring, this is not an unusual ski area evolution tale for Western Canada. Compare the 10 largest BC ski areas today to the 10 largest in 1994:The acreage explosions at all but Whistler-Blackcomb (which at the time operated as independent ski areas), are astonishing. To underscore the point, check out the same years' comparison for the 10-largest U.S. ski areas:Certainly, the U.S. has seen some dramatic shuffling, especially as Vail and Alterra combined Canyons with Park City and Alpine Meadows with the ski area formerly known as Squaw Valley to form the megaresorts of Park City and Palisades Tahoe. That Big Sky didn't measure on the top 10 in 1994 – the tram didn't arrive until 1995 – is amazing. But the Western U.S., in 1994, was already home to legions of enormous ski resorts. That Heavenly, Mammoth, and Jackson Hole are the exact same size today as they were 29 years ago illustrates the difference between the two countries' attitudes toward ski resort expansion and development. Canada nurtures growth. The U.S. makes it as difficult as possible. Indeed, the reason Big Sky was able to ascend to monster status is that the resort sits entirely on private land, immunizing it from Forest Service bureaucracy and the endless public challenges that attend it.Sun Peaks is a case study in BC's development-friendly policies actualized. More important: the resort's evolution is a case study in smart, transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly development. Alexander explains in the podcast that the long-range goal has been to build not just walkable base villages, but a walkable community stretching from one end of the valley to the other. This is the point that's so often missed in the United States: not all growth and development is bad. The reckless, developer-driven, luxury-focused, disconnected sprawl that is U.S. America's default building mode is terrible and inhuman and ought to be curtailed. Deliberate, dense, interconnected, metered development based upon a community masterplan - which is what Sun Peaks is doing - should be encouraged.This sort of thoughtful growth does not dilute mountain communities. It creates them. Rather than trying to freeze development in time – a posture that only kicks sprawl ever farther out from the mountains and leads directly to the traffic addling so many Western U.S. ski towns – BC has enabled and empowered the sort of place-building that will create sustainable mountain communities over the long term. It's an inspiring model, and one that The Storm will examine intensely as I focus more deliberately on Canada.What we talked aboutRecord skier visits; bringing back that international vibe; touring Western Canada; Sun Peaks' first season on the Ikon Pass; the secret giant; how to dodge what few liftlines the resort has; the Mountain Collective as Ikon test run; Tod Mountain in the early 1990s; ski area masterplanning; Sunshine Village; growing Sun Peaks from backwater to the second-largest ski area in Canada; Nippon Cable, the Japanese lift manufacturer that owns Sun Peaks; why Sun Peaks doesn't use Nippon lifts; why Sun Peaks changed its name from “Tod Mountain” in 1993; an interesting tidbit about Whistler ownership; whether Sun Peaks ever considered joining the Epic Pass; Sun Peaks' masterplan; potential terrain expansions; upgrade potential for Sunburst and Sundance lifts; future lift additions; “the guy who serves the most ski terrain with the fewest lifts is the most efficient”; going deep on the coming West Bowl Express quad and the new terrain that will go along with it; why Sun Peaks retired the West Bowl T-bar before replacing it; better access to Gil's; why Sun Peaks is building the lift over three summers; the amazing Burfield lift, a fixed-grip quad that stretches nearly 3,000 vertical feet; potentially shortening that lift; why Burfield will likely never be a high-speed lift; prioritizing lift projects after West Bowl; converting – not replacing – Orient from a fixed-grip quad to a high-speed quad or six-pack; village-building; the potential major lift that's not on Sun Peaks' masterplan; and potentially connecting the resort to the Trans-Canada highway by paved road from the east.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewIn April, Sun Peaks announced construction of a new high-speed quad in West Bowl for the 2024-25 ski season. The lift will replace the West Bowl T-bar, visible on this circa 2019 trailmap, on a longer line that pushes the boundary away from the 7 Mile Road trail:The resort will lengthen the existing trails to meet the new lift's load point down the mountain, as Alexander explains in the podcast.This will be Sun Peaks' third new chairlift in three years, following new fixed-grip quads at Crystal and Orient in 2020 and 2018, respectively. Sun Peaks approaches chairlift construction in a unique manner, with a history of building lifts as fixed-grip machines and then upgrading them to high-speed lifts later on. Orient, for example, may evolve into a high-speed six-pack that lands several hundred more feet up the mountain. Slowly, deliberately, endlessly, Sun Peaks grows and evolves.While Alexander and his team continue to stack bricks into the resort's foundation, they simultaneously grow the mountain's profile. A few years back, the resort joined the Mountain Collective. Last October, it joined Ikon. And, kaboom: no more secret at the end of the road.That's a good thing. If these BC giants are to thrive, they're going to need help outside the province, which hosts a population of approximately 5 million in an area the size of California (39 million residents), Colorado (5.8 million), and Utah (3.4 million) combined. That means bringing skiers burned out on Summit County and Wasatch liftlines across the border, where big ski resorts continue to get bigger and the liftlines rarely form (outside of the West Coast).I don't want to overstate the scale of what's happening in BC – certainly big projects still can and do happen in America. And even as they grow fat by North American standards, most of the province's biggest ski areas still look like birdbaths compared to the ski circuses of Europe. But imagine if, over the next 30 years, 480-acre Ski Cooper transformed into 5,317-acre Vail Mountain. That is essentially what's happened at Sun Peaks since 1993, where a small community bump evolved into an international destination resort 10 times its original size. And they're nowhere near finished – Sun Peaks' masterplan (pg. 141), outlines a monster facility at full build-out:The Mountain Master Plan … will ultimately include a total of 26 ski lifts, including one pulse gondola, one 10G/8C Combi lift one detachable grip six-passenger chairlift, four detachable quadruple chairlifts, nine fixed grip quadruple chairlifts, four platter lifts and approximately two beginner moving carpet lifts, with a total combined rated capacity of about 41,186 passengers per hour … The overall Phase 4 [Skier Comfortable Carrying Capacity] will be approximately 14,830 skiers per day. … there will be 225 trails providing 177.5 kilometers of skiing on [1,895 acres] of terrain.Here's a conceptual map of Sun Peaks at full build-out:While plenty of BC ski areas have evolved over the past several decades, no one has accomplished the trick more steadily or with such deliberate, constant momentum as Sun Peaks. It was time to check in to see how they'd done it, and what was going to happen next.What I got wrongAs is my habit, I introduced Sun Peaks as defined by our U.S. American measurement system of feet and acres. Which is not that unusual – this is a U.S. American-based podcast. However, as a courtesy to my Canadian guests, listeners, and readers, I should have also offered the equivalent measurements in meters. Only I am a dumb U.S. American so I don't actually know how to do these conversions. Sorry about that.Why you should ski Sun PeaksThe Ikon Pass is an incredible thing. Purchase one in the spring and spend the following winter bouncing across the snowy horizons. Hit half a dozen of the continent's greatest resorts in Utah, big-mountain hop in Colorado, spend a week in Tahoe or skimming between peaks at Big Sky. Or go to Canada – 10 Ikon destinations sit in the northland, and seven of them crouch in a neat circle straddling BC and Alberta: Norquay, Lake Louise, Sunshine, Panorama, Red, Sun Peaks, and Revelstoke:You could complete that circle in around 17 hours of driving. Which is not much if you're rolling through a two-week roadie and spending two or three days at each resort. Some of them could occupy far more time. Sun Peaks can eat up a week pretty easily. But for the resort-hoppers among us, an Ikon or Mountain Collective pass includes days at Canada's second-largest ski area on its ready-to-eat buffet. Here's a look at every Canadian ski area that participates in a U.S.-based megapass:So the first reason to ski Sun Peaks is that you probably already have access to it. But there's something else – you can just go there and ski. As much as I love the ski resorts of Colorado and Utah, they are just too easy to access for too many people. That's great, but skiing in those powder holes requires a certain patience, an expectation of some kind of madness, a willingness to tweak the algorithm to see what combination of snowfall, open terrain, day of the week, and time of day yields the most open path between you and turns.That calculus is a little easier at Sun Peaks: just show up whenever you want and start skiing. Outside of Whistler, the big-mountain resorts of BC resemble the big-mountain resorts of the American West 40 years ago. Endless labyrinths of untamed terrain, no one to race off the ropeline. BC's collective ski resorts have evolved much faster than the market's realization that there is another set of Rocky Mountain resorts stacked on top of the Rocky Mountain resorts of U.S. America. That's a lot of terrain to roam. And all you need is a passport. Go get it.Podcast NotesOn building an alternate route into Sun Peaks from the eastMost visitors to Sun Peaks are going to spend some time traveling to the resort along the Trans-Canada Highway. Eastbound travelers will simply turn north at Kamloops and then right at Heffley Creek. Westbound travelers pass within five miles of the resort's southeast edge as they drive through Chase, but must continue toward Kamloops before turning toward Sun Peaks – nearly an hour and a half on clear roads. There is a mountain road, unpaved and impassable in wintertime (marked in yellow below), and long-simmering plans for an alternate, less death-defying paved path that could be open year-round (market in blue below). Alexander and I discussed this road, and he seemed optimistic that it will, eventually, get built. Given Sun Peaks' record of actualizing the improbable, I share his outlook. Here's a map of the whole mess:On Nippon Cable and WhistlerWhile Sun Peaks presents as an independent ski area, it is in fact part of a Japan-based conglomerate called Nippon Cable. This is primarily a lift manufacturer, but Nippon also owns a number of ski areas in Japan and 25 percent of Whistler (seriously). Read more about their properties here.On Big Bam ski areaAlexander mentions Big Bam ski area, which sits along the Pine River just west of the Alaska Highway and south of Fort St. John. Here's a homemade trailmap that someone codenamed “Skier72” posted on skimap.org, with the caption, “Approx. Trails at Big Bam. Made with Google Earth. Top lift is future quad chair, bottom lift is rope tow”:Big Bam is a volunteer-run, weekends-only organization with 180 feet of vert. You can follow them on Facebook (their last Instapost was in 2014). Alexander mentioned that the ski area had moved from its original location, though I couldn't find any information on the old hill. The place has had a rough go – it re-opened (I believe in the current location), in 2009, and was closed from 2016 to 2019 before turning the lifts on again. They seem desperate for a chairlift. If anyone knows more about the Big Bam story, please let me know.On Sun Peaks spare lift fleetAlexander notes that Sun Peaks “might have the least number of lifts for a resort of our size” on the continent. Indeed, the ski area has the third-fewest number of lifts among North America's 10 largest ski areas:On the Burfield chairliftStow this one for ski club trivia night: Sun Peaks is home to what is very likely the longest fixed-grip chairlift in the world. The Burfield quad rises 2,890 vertical feet on a 9,510-foot-long line. According to Lift Blog, ride time is 21 minutes, and the carriers are 115 feet apart. The lift's hourly capacity is just 470 riders – compare that to the Crystal fixed-grip quad right beside it, which can move up to 2,400 skiers per hour.The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 50/100 in 2023, and number 436 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on May 26. It dropped for free subscribers on May 29. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe for free below:WhoPete Woods, President of SkiBig3, the umbrella organization for Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Mt. Norquay, AlbertaRecorded onMay 4, 2023About SkiBig3SkiBig3 “works in conjunction with all three ski resorts within Banff National Park to allow you access to everything this winter destination has to offer,” according to the organization's LinkedIn page. Each ski area – Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Mt. Norquay – is independently owned and operated.Banff SunshineClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Ralph, Sergei, and John ScurfieldLocated in: Sunshine Village, AlbertaYear founded: Sometime in the 1930sPass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 combined days with Lake Louise and Mt. Norquay; Mountain Collective: 2 daysClosest neighboring ski areas: Norquay (23 minutes), Sunshine (41 minutes), Nakiska (1 hour) - travel times vary considerably depending upon weather and time of day.Base elevation: 5,440 feetSummit elevation: 8,954 feetVertical drop: 3,514 feetSkiable Acres: 3,358Average annual snowfall: 360 inchesTrail count: 137 (25% advanced/expert, 55% intermediate, 20% beginner)Lift count: 12 (1 gondola, 7 high-speed quads, 2 fixed-grip quads, 2 carpets - view Lift Blog's inventory of Sunshine's lift fleet)Sunshine chops its trailmap into three pieces on its website. This is slightly confusing for anyone who isn't familiar with the ski area and doesn't understand how the puzzle pieces fit together. I've included those three maps below, but they'll make more sense in the context of this 2010 trailmap:Sunshine's current maps:Lake LouiseClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Charlie Locke (he first owned the ski area from 1981 to 2003, then sold it to Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, and re-bought it from them in 2008)Located in: Lake Louise, AlbertaYear founded: 1954Pass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 combined days with Banff Sunshine and Mt. Norquay; Mountain Collective: 2 daysClosest neighboring ski areas: Sunshine (41 minutes), Norquay (44 minutes), Nakiska (1 hour, 22 minutes) - travel times vary considerably depending upon weather and time of day.Base elevation: 5,400 feetSummit elevation: 8,650 feetVertical drop: 3,250 feetSkiable Acres: 4,200Average annual snowfall: 179 inchesTrail count: 164 (30% advanced/expert, 45% intermediate, 25% beginner)Lift count: 11 (1 gondola, 1 six-pack, 3 high-speed quads, 2 fixed-grip quads, 1 triple, 3 carpets - view Lift Blog's inventory of Lake Louise's lift fleet)Mt. NorquayClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Adam and Janet WaterousLocated in: Improvement District No. 9, AlbertaYear founded: 1926Pass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 combined days with Banff Sunshine and Lake LouiseClosest neighboring ski areas: Sunshine (23 minutes), Lake Louise (43 minutes), Nakiska (54 minutes) - travel times vary considerably depending upon weather and time of day.Base elevation: 5,350 feetSummit elevation: 6,998 feetVertical drop: 1,650 feetSkiable Acres: 190Average annual snowfall: 120 inchesTrail count: 60 (44% advanced/expert, 25% intermediate, 31% beginner)Lift count: 6 (1 high-speed quad, 2 fixed-grip quads, 1 double, 2 carpets - view Lift Blog's inventory of Mt. Norquay's lift fleet)Why I interviewed himThere are places that make sense, and places that just don't. Lakes and grocery stores and movie theaters and sand dunes and pizza places and interstate highways. As a U.S. American, these things always squared with my worldview. Then I stepped out of the car in New York City at age 19 and I'm like what the actual f**k is happening here? A vertical human swarm in a sprawling sideways nation. Or to take another example: cornfields and baitshops and gas stations and forests. As a Midwesterner I could understand those things. But then Lord of the Rings dropped and I was like what planet did they shoot this on and then I was like OK I guess that's New Zealand.Arriving in Banff is like that. Most visitors travel there via Calgary. Nothing against Calgary, but I'm not sure it's a place that most of us go to on purpose. Skiers drop into the airport, leave the city, drive west. Flat forever. Then, suddenly, you are among mountains. Not just mountains, but the most amazing mountains you've ever seen, striated goliaths heaving skyward like something animate and immensely powerful, spokes of a great subterranean machine primed to punch through the earth like invaders from Cybertron.Here, so surrounded, you arrive in Banff National Park. Within its boundaries: two towns, three ski areas. The towns are tight, walkable, lively, attractive. None of the hill-climbing megamansion claptrap that clutters the fringes of so many U.S. ski towns. Just a pair of glorious grand hotels airlifted, it seems, from the Alps. Two of the ski areas are Summit County scale, with lift plants and trail footprints to match Breck or Keystone or Copper. The third is a quirky locals' bump with mogul fields studded like cash crops up the incline. All framed by those wild mountains.It feels sort of European and sort of fantasyland Rockies and sort of like nothing else on Earth. It is, at the very least, like nothing else in North America. The texture here is rich. Banff's most commonly cited attribute is its beauty. The most consistent point against is relatively low snowfalls compared to, say, SkiBig3's Powder Highway neighbors or Whistler. But there is so much in between those gorgeous views and that modest snowfall that makes these three mountains one of the continent's great ski destinations.Like the towns themselves. In many ways, this is Canadian Aspen, with its multiple mountains knitted via shuttlebus, rich cuisine, walkable mountain villages. In other ways, it is what Aspen could have been. You have to work in Banff National Park to live there – that's the law. The richness that adds to the community is incalculable. Imagine a Colorado so built? No second homes, no runaway short-term rental market. The ripple effects on traffic, on cost, on mood and energy are tangible and obvious. This is a place that works.It's not the only place that works, of course. And many of Banff's bedrock operating principles would not be culturally transferable to the south. Including, perhaps, the spirit of bonhomie that unites three independently owned, competing ski areas under a single promotional umbrella called SkiBig3. Remember when Vail yanked its Colorado resorts out of Colorado Ski Country USA because the company didn't want its dues to support competitors' marketing? What's happening in Banff is the opposite of that. It's unique and it's cool and it's instructive, and it was worth a deep look to see exactly what's going on up there.What we talked aboutThe surprising international markets that Banff draws from; a welcome back to skiing's melting pot; the tradition of the long season at Lake Louise and Sunshine; putting the ski areas' relatively low average snowfall totals (compared to, say, Revelstoke), in context; which of the three mountains to visit based upon conditions; Banff's immature uphill scene and massive potential; growing up in Boulder and ratpack skiing Summit County; the angst of the front-desk hotel clerk; the strange dynamic between ski resorts and their local airports; selling Purgatory to out-of-state tourists; the quirks of living and working in Telluride; the vastly different ski cultures in the two Colorados; the existential challenge of Copper Mountain; the power of Woodward; first reaction to Banff: “how can this even exist?”; defining SkiBig3 and who owns each of its three partner ski areas; how mass transit fills in for ski-in-ski-out lodging; Banff's unique “need to reside” clause that enables workers of all levels to live right in town; the park's incredible bus system; the proposed Norquay gondola up from town; a potential train from Calgary airport to Banff; Norquay's wild North American pulse double chair; the history of Banff's spectacular Fairmont hotels; the history of SkiBig3 and why the coalition has worked; competing with the Powder Highway; how Sunshine gets by with a single snowgun; why Sunshine gets double the snowfall of Lake Louise; why none of the three ski areas has ever hosted Olympic events, even when Calgary was the host city; decoding Parks Canada's lease requirements that ski areas gift their assets to the agency or remove them at the end of their contracts; masterplans; why SkiBig3 was an early adopter of the Ikon Pass and why it's stuck around; why the three ski areas offer combined days on Ikon; why Norquay isn't part of Mountain Collective; why the Mountain Collective has been so resilient after the debut of Ikon; whether the Mountain Collective could add more Northeast ski areas; and why the ski areas have yet to transition to RFID cards.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewIt has always been inevitable that The Storm would enter Canada. Just as it was always inevitable, back in 2019 and '20, that it would outgrow New England. This template, I've realized, is adaptable to almost any ski market. Everywhere there is a ski area, there are skiers talking about it. And there is someone running it. And these two groups do not always understand each other. The mission of The Storm is to unite these them on a common platform.There is a difference, of course, between scaling in a sustainable way and scaling for the sake of doing so. I've been very deliberate about The Storm's growth so far. I started in the Northeast – New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania – because it was my local market and I understood it well. I stayed there – mostly – for two years before aggressively moving West in 2021. I learned to ski as a teenager in the Midwest, and I'd been skiing the West annually for decades, so none of this was new turf for me. Still, I had a lot to learn, and over the past two years, I have secured contacts and hosted a series of podcast interviews that gave me a far more nuanced understanding of every ski corner of the country.Canada was the obvious next move. Culturally, the nations' ski areas are very similar, with a western focus on off-piste powder-bombing and an eastern affinity for grooming. The trail markings, lift systems, and primacy of the automobile-as-access-point are consistent across the continent. And every U.S.-based megapass has integrated a substantial Canadian footprint as a selling point. International border aside, major U.S. and Canadian ski areas are as knotted together as those in Utah and Montana and Colorado.So, where to begin? I wanted to start big. The Storm launched in 2019 with a podcast featuring Killington, the largest ski area in the East. Western podcast coverage began with Taos and Aspen. So Canada starts here, in one of its most glorious locales. Next stop: Sun Peaks, the second-largest ski area in the country. I recorded that one a few days ago. I'd had a Whistler podcast booked too, but their top executive moved to Aspen, so we called it off.So, here we are, in Canada. Now what? Again, I'm going to move slowly. While America and Canada are culturally similar in many ways, they are enormously different in others. The ski regions here are many, vast, and nuanced. It's going to take me a while to get to Quebec, which is home to something like 90 ski areas and a sizeable (for me), language barrier. The country is huge, and while I've traveled to and across Canada dozens of times, I'm not taking for granted that presence equals understanding.I'll probably stop at Canada. That's not to say that I won't occasionally dip into other ski regions, both as a visitor and as a journalist. I've scheduled an interview with the general manager of Valle Nevado, Chile for July. But I don't think I'm capable of expanding this enterprise into other continents without diluting my coverage at home. Canada is purely additive. The region complements everything I already cover in the United States, especially multi-mountain passes. The world's other ski regions are so vastly different and complex that it wouldn't be like just adding more ski areas – it would be like adding coverage of sailing or surfing, completely different things that would only confuse the main plotline.Questions I wish I'd askedYou may wonder why we don't explore specifics of the ski areas as deeply as I normally do, particularly with all three being in possession of significant and well-articulated masterplans. It's important, here, to understand what SkiBig3 is: an umbrella organization that promotes the mountains as a whole. I can pursue more meaningful conversations on granular plans with each operator at a later time.What I got wrong* I intimated that Vail, Aspen, and Telluride were “10 times bigger” than Purgatory. This is grossly incorrect. Purgatory checks in at 1,635 acres, while Vail Mountain measures 5,317 acres, Telluride is 2,000, and Aspen Mountain is just 673 (though it will grow substantially with the Pandora's expansion this coming winter). If you combine Aspen Mountain with Aspen Highlands (1,010 acres), Buttermilk (435 acres), and Snowmass (3,342 acres), they add up to 5,460 – nowhere near 10 times the size of Purgatory. What I meant was that those three ski entities – Aspen, Vail, and Telluride – had far greater name recognition than Purgatory, which is tucked off the I-70 mainline in Southwest Colorado (as is Telluride).* On the other end of that spectrum, I vastly over-estimated the size of Norquay, saying it was 1/10th the size of Sunshine and Lake Louise. At 190 acres, Norquay is 5.7 percent the size of Sunshine (3,358 acres), and just 4.5 percent the size of Lake Louise (4,200 acres).* I said that Mountain Collective “keeps losing partners.” This is true, but it is a fact that must be considered within the context of this complementary note: Mountain Collective currently has one of the largest rosters in its 12-season history (the coalition is down one partner after Thredbo left this year). The pass has continued to grow in spite of the losses of Telluride, Mammoth, Palisades Tahoe, Sugarbush, Stowe, Whistler, and others over the years.Why you should ski Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Mt. NorquayEarlier I compared the three Banff ski areas to Summit County. That's not really fair. Because Summit County has one thing that Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Norquay don't really have to deal with: gigantic, relentless crowds.For two years, U.S. Americans were shut out of Canada. Now we're not. If you've been filling your winters with Ikon Pass trips around Salt Lake, I-70, and Tahoe, you might be wondering what the hell happened to skiing. Man it's so busy now, all the freaking time. I hear you Bro. Go north. It's this weird kind of hack. Like discount America (that exchange rate, Brah). Like time-machine America. Back to that late-‘90s/early-2000s interregnum, when the lifts were all built out and the reigns had been loosened on skiing off-piste, but the big passes hadn't shown up with the entire state of Texas just yet.I exaggerate a little. You can find liftlines in Canada if you do all the predictable things at all the predictable times. And the Ikon Pass and its destination checklist has blown the cover for lots of formerly clandestine places. But these are big mountains with long seasons. Woods tells me on the podcast that the locals' favorite time at the SkiBig3 areas is April. The terrain is mostly all still live but the outsiders stop showing up. If you want to crowd-dodge your way north, you have a six-month season to figure it out.As for the skiing itself, it's as big and varied as anything on the continent. Lake Louise is sprawling and many-sided, with fast lifts flying all over the place and plenty more inbound. Sunshine is big and exposed, and the gondola is the only way up to the ski area, lending the place a patina of wild adventure. Both will give you as much off-piste as you can handle. Norquay is kind of like Pico or June Mountain of Snow King – a very good ski area that's overlooked by its proximity to a far larger and more famous ski area. Don't skip it: the place is a riot, with some of the longest sustained bump runs you'll find anywhere.Together, the three ski areas add up to 7,748 acres. Whistler is 8,171. So, samesies, basically. If you're looking for a place to spend a week of skiing and you're tired of the stampede, here you go.Podcast NotesOn Banff's UNESCO World Heritage sites designationI note in the introduction that Banff National Park is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The designation actually applies more broadly, to a group of parks dubbed “Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.” This includes, according to UNESCO's website, “the contiguous national parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho, as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks…” You can view an interactive map of all UNESCO World Heritage sites here.On Intrawest owning Copper MountainIt can be tempting to consider our current multi-mountain pass allegiances to be inevitable and permanent. So much so that I often stir each mountain's ownership histories up in the flow of conversation. This is what happened when I gave Powder Corp., the current owner of Copper Mountain, credit for installing the Woodward concept on that mountain. Woods pointed out that it was Intrawest, precursor to Alterra, that actually owned Copper at the time of Woodward's debut, and that they had also considered planting the concept at another of their properties: Whistler. Here's a list of all of Intrawest's ski areas, and where they ended up. It's fun to imagine a world in which they'd stayed together:On SkiBig3 Resort masterplansEach of the three resorts has master development plans on file with Parks Canada:Lake LouiseHere is a link to the full 2019 masterplan, and a summary image of proposed upgrades - note that the Lower Juniper and Summit chairlifts have already been installed, and Upper Juniper and Sunny Side are scheduled for a 2024 installation. The Summit Platter is no longer in service:SunshineSunshine's latest full masterplan dates to 2018. The resort proposed amendments last year, and those are still under review by Parks Canada. Here's an overview of proposed major lift upgrades:Mt. NorquaySometimes tracking down these masterplan documents can be like trying to locate Amelia Earhart's plane. I know it's out there somewhere, but good luck finding it. The best I can do on Norquay is this link to their Vision 100 site, which lays out plans to replace the North American chair with a gondola, as shown below:On Marilyn Monroe on the North American chairSo apparently this happened:On the North American chairI wrote about this chairlift a couple weeks back:I've ridden a lot of chairlifts. I don't know how many, but it's hundreds. By far the strangest of these is the North American chair at Mt. Norquay. Once a regular fixed-grip double, the ski area converted it into a pulse lift with chairs running in groups of four. The operators manually slow the entire line as the chairs enter the top and bottom stations (I'm assuming the line is set so that chairs reach the base and summit at the same time). This chair serves some bomber terrain, a vast mogul field with dipsy-do double fall-lines and the greatest views in the world.It's a strange one, for sure:The Storm Skiing explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 46/100 in 2023, and number 432 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

This week we're continuing our tour of Western Canada with Martin Bean, CEO of Roam Transit in Banff, AB. Roam Transit, like many transit agencies in tourist destinations, has a dual role. One is to get the residents of the Bow Valley from Canmore to Banff (who all ride for free by the way) where they need to go, the other is helping the over four million visitors who come to Banff National Park and Lake Louise each year explore the region (and leave their cars behind). Beyond transit passes for hotel guests or people arriving by tour bus, Roam Transit is pretty special in a lot of other ways--and all focused on preserving the natural beauty around them. Roam Transit wraps their buses with pictures of the local wildlife taken by local nature photographers. From deer to elk to bears to martins (a kind of weasel) Roam Transit gives you a taste of what animals are roaming around--some of which you could even run into while in downtown Banff. Because they are in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in the world, environmental stewardship is a big part of how they do things. Their operations facility doesn't have a furnace, but runs off waste wood burned as part of a community heating system. They have over 680 solar panels on the roof that generate enough power to charge up three battery electric buses plus the whole building. There's getting power from a sustainable grid and then there's getting your power from your own solar power grid. Tune in to hear all about these topics plus how Roam Transit works with Parks Canada, trains new drivers, and helps the community leave cars behind to help the environment and congestion. Also on the show: Mike's Minute with Mike Bismeyer, and his special connection to Roam Transit Transit Unplugged TV videographer and director Jaime Cuadra talks about filming the special episode coming up in June on the Rocky Mountaineer excursion train. Check out the Transit Unplugged TV episode from Vancouver, the first stop on Paul's look at transportation in Western Canada. Next week we have Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer and Interim Chief People Officer at LA Metro, talking about getting ready for the 2028 Summer Olympics. And Josh Cohen of Mobility Leadership Advisors on finding the right fit in your career growth. If you have a comment or want to be a guest on the show, email us at info@transitunplugged.com Enriched by Vizzy (00:00) Martin Bean Roam Transit Bow Valley Regional Transit Services (18:30) Mike's Minute with Mike Bismyer (20:12) About future Transit Unplugged TV episodes (25:49) Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged Chapters, images & show notes powered by vizzy.fm.

Welcome to a speedy episode of Travel Connections. Summer Travel? Yes, it has begun! The good news is that travel is back, and I am having a blast, but the not-so-good news is that it doesn't leave time for much else. So instead of an entire episode, I offer you an informative summer travel update and upcoming special guest news. Summer Travel Highlights: We have quite the summer planned. Up first - Travel to Tuscany, Italy, with Tuscan Women Cook. As an ambassador, I am now a part of the team and will support the tours and assist during the cooking demos and while touring. I interviewed Coleen Kirnan, owner and host of TWC, in Season 1; you can listen Here! Meeting my husband in Rome, then travel to Southern Italy to Naples and Amalfi Coast.  Travel to Montana for the Fourth of July! We loved our time last year and scheduled this trip once again! After finishing the holiday festivities, we will take a road trip to Canada. Banff, Lake Louise, and Calgary, Canada - Excited to see this beautiful area and have a first-time experience at the Calgary Stampede. Southern California for a special wedding and 80th Birthday. September: Back to Italy for Suzanne and Tuscan Women Cook! Safari with Collette Travel - Wilderness of South Africa: Safari By Land & Water South America! Continent #6! Also, in this episode, a preview of my upcoming podcast series focused on regenerative travel and Whidbey and Camano Islands, WA. Regenerative travel occurs when visitors arrive with a mindset to leave a place better than before. Why not connect on another level with your visit? Travelers can participate by helping to build a flourishing future for the destination. This series will showcase three business owners on the islands and how they integrate this thoughtful travel philosophy with their guests. The new series begins June 23. Thanks for listening! Make sure you check out the important links: Tuscan Women Cook Calgary Stampede Safari with Collette Collette Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands  

Daniel Buitrago, Brandon Fifield & Emily Thompson bring in the new year with AWP ambassador Erika Smith @alaskaoutdoorgirl   Shout out to new platinum sponsor BHA (Backcountry Hunters & Anglers), BHA pint night, Monday January 16th @ The Palmer Ale house  featuring an on-site AWP live podcast, cheers to 2023, acid reflux nightmare, Emily's Christmas at the fire house and helping community families, Erika's Christmas spent with family on the peninsula, stocking stuffers, Upstream Organics (Palmer, AK), Kettle & Fire broth, Erika & Emily's free bird single life, finding a “Secure” partner, @flyfishinak (Tyler Stortz), Erika's snowmachine blunder at Lake Louise, snow checking sleds for 2023/2024, Backcountry outfitting with Barney's, AMH, Blue & Gold & Powder Hound, Backcountry snowboarding vs. Back Country Skiing, finding love at Costco, get @brando_AWP back on the gram & fuck the haters & bullies, 40-mile Resurrection Pass hike, “The Rally Burger” @ Cooper Landing Brewery, floating the Chulitna River and clear water fly fishing with a mouse, floating Talkeetna to Rabideux Creek, @akbeerbabes, “Days of Gratitude”, living lonely & happy, “Fruit of the Spirit”, Journal your adventures, remember & honor the elders, Soar & Summit, Julian Browns hot pics, Rovco meetups & skintight, Adventure Pages   www.alaskawildproject.com https://www.instagram.com/alaskawildproject/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbYEEV6swi2yZWWuFop73LQ

Lead Guide, Lindsay Andersen,  is the first guest of a three part conversation series with the some of the important people who are in charge of giving you a next level experience when visiting a CMH Lodge for a Heli Skiing Trip.  In this case, the Bobbie Burns Lodge. Even as a teenager Lindsay knew she wanted to be a guide,  often skipping school to go skiing.  She started her career ski patrolling at Lake Louise around the same time she was entering local freeride comps.  She was even featured in the Warren Miller film, "Wintervention".  On her days off, she'll tell you she loves nothing more than going for a good ski tour.   We talk about her 20 year career at CMHI'll tell you, if you get Lindsay as a guide on a trip, you're going to have a good time. #LISTENTOSKIING Our Awesome Partners: CMH Heli Skiing and Sumnmer Adventures, Peak Performance, Fat Tire RMU Mtn Culture Kicking Horse Mountain Resort / Tourism Golden    Everything Happening in the LPP is right here:  https://linktr.ee/LowPressurePodcast

The American Downhillers welcomed the #GOAT Lindsey Vonn onto the Podcast to hear her thoughts on the Downhill Course she dominated for 17 years – winning the DH 14 times – but also to hear her take on development, World Cup rivalries, equipment, coaching, and people telling her she “couldn't do something”. And she dropped nuggets of wisdom throughout. The interview will inspire young athletes, educate coaches, and put a smile on all of her fans' faces!Right off the bat she shares her thoughts on the Course that some people call “Lake Lindsey” and how she was able to create speed on every inch of the course. She was able to “find the rhythm” of the course from day 1 and that translated into a confidence that she could win no matter how many mistakes she would make on a run. Her key to the course? The “Fall-Away” turn that most often separated her from the rest of the field.A lot of the interview centered around the importance of the Mental Skills she had, which seemed more important to her than the technical skills. She was motivated by challenges, competitors, speed, risk, and her ultimate elixir – when somebody told her she couldn't do something! Unfortunately for her rivals, if she heard about someone doubting her abilities, she took that and turned it into inspiration to work even harder!Another takeaway is the fact that she “never skied to have the perfect run”, but always was pushing the limits to see “what she could get away with”. Her view of risk and never wanting to have the regret of not pushing it to the limit is inspiring, but also a peek into the reasons why she sometimes pushed it too far and was injured a lot.We find out how a young 11 year-old from the 300 vertical drop of Buck Hill became the World's best speed skier. She combined her technical skills honed run after run in Minnesota with her speed skills learned on the big slopes of Vail to turn herself into the ultimate speed weapon who went on to win 43 Downhills all over the globe.Doug, Daron and Marco then bring up her focus on equipment and how important dialing in skis and boots is to both a junior and a World Cup Superstar. She talks about how she questioned everything, especially why she couldn't and/or shouldn't use the stiffer Men's skis, and how that lead to her biggest win in Lake Louise – a whopping 1.95 seconds in 2011! Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BEHqBwIrmQOther topics they touch upon include: - Nutrition and how she ultimately found what works for her through many years of experimenting, - How Patrick Riml affected her career and the challenges he has now that he is back with the US Ski Team, - Her thoughts on Breezy, Bella, Trisha and the up and comers on the US Women's speed team, - And she answers the question; Are Downhillers wound too tight or is something just too loose?One of the highlights of the interview was learning the reason behind her start routine of systematically gripping and re-gripping her poles in the starting gate. She ends with sharing her latest workout routines, the way she enjoys skiing these days, and the many things she is involved with to keep challenging herself. This interview is filled with excellent takeaways that will inspire young athletes, guide coaches, and entertain her many fans.

The American Downhiller Podcast is BACK for its second season of educating and entertaining the ski world about what is happening on and off the courses of the world's greatest speed races. Featuring Olympians Doug Lewis, AJ Kitt, Daron Rahlves and Marco Sullivan, the podcast takes you into the starting gates and onto the tracks of the world's fastest races. They will share the behind-the-scenes stories of World Cup racing and also pass along their knowledge to the next generation of speed demons. And along the way, they will invite the Who's Who of Downhill as guests and pick their brains.To kick out of the gate on their first Podcast, their guest is one of the legendary Crazy Canucks Brian Stemmle who's arrival onto the World Cup stage coincided with the retirement of the great Steve Podborski. Brian raced with all four of the hosts and shares his thoughts on this year's World Cup and what's it's like to race Lake Louise as a Canadian.Right out of the gate, the boys talk about the close relationship between the US Ski Team and the Canadian Ski Team from playing hockey together (Canadians ruled) to sharing ski techs and coaches while competing against each other. Early on the teamwork between countries helped both nations gain confidence to compete with the Euros, who did not respect the North Americans at all.Next the hosts dive into their love/hate relationships with their European competitors. Whether it was friendships made on the podium or bonds made in the hospitals, the crew talks about how they formed tight relationships with the “enemies” that helped push them to new heights. Lewis had Zurbriggen. AJ had Heinzer. Daron had the Hermannator. And Marco had Klaus Kroell. Each had a nemesis who inspired great skiing.They then dive into the epic course at Lake Louise and the fact that this may be the last running of this course that has rewarded so many World Cup stars for risking it all. The course has made World Cup legends, but more importantly groomed and taught so many younger racers and prepared them for greatness on the World's stage. The Nor-ams that have been held each year after the World Cup leaves has been such a gift to the development of both Canadian and US racers. The loss of early season Speed training at Lake Louise could be felt for years.Finally, the crew breaks down how to win on the Lake Louise course. All agree that racers have to separate themselves through the Fishnet-Fallaway-Gunbarrel section, but racers can also easily lose it on top and on the high-speed bottom flats. They discuss the optimal Skill-Set of a Lake Louise Winner before each giving their Podium predictions on the Races to be held this weekend up in the great white north.You don't want to miss this inside look at the Opening World Cup downhills on the men's circuit. AND stay tuned for next week's podcast when the boys with have Lindsey Vonn as their guest! Hear from the GOAT herself (who won on this course 18 times), what makes this course one of the best!