Podcasts about olympic valley

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2024 68:39

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!This episode was recorded live at Singletrack's Olympic Valley studios ahead of the 2024 Western States 100.We were joined by Nick Bare and even though this was technically a pre-race interview, so much of what we talked about was only peripherally related to the event, so similar to the Scott Jurek and Sally McRae conversations from that week I wanted to save it for a stand-alone podcast a few weeks on.Specifically, we talk about creating portals online for people to find the sport of trail running, what it means to be a hybrid athlete, some of his favorite books about mental and physical strength, how to make our sport cooler or more memorable, his advice for athletes and creators from a content marketing standpoint, and what's exciting him about a race like Western States.Sponsors:Brooks - check out their new Cascadia 18 shoe and High Point apparel collection (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack)Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order. Additional Links:Follow Singletrack on Instagram, Strava, YoutubeSupport the Show.

Sally McRae | Nike Trail Running Start, Pro Trail Runner Business Considerations, Western States Stories

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 71:03

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!This episode was recorded live at Singletrack's Olympic Valley studios ahead of the 2024 Western States 100.We were joined by Sally McRae who probably needs no introduction. Sally is another person I've wanted to talk with since the inception of this podcast and even though this was technically a pre-race interview, so much of what we talked about was only peripherally related to the event, so similar to the Scott Jurek conversation I wanted to save it for a stand-alone podcast a few weeks on.Specifically, we talk about the trajectory of her career starting with her Nike trail contract signing in the mid-2010s, how to think about the business side of trail running as a creator or athlete, and some of her favorite Western States 100 stories dating back to some of those great Billy Yang films a few years ago.Sponsors:Brooks - check out their new Cascadia 18 shoe and High Point apparel collection (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack)Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order. Additional Links:Follow Singletrack on Instagram, Strava, YoutubeSupport the Show.

Episode 18: Alex Staten & Stefanie Flippin - Alex's Race at Western States 100 as this Year's Gu Energy & Rising Hearts Athlete

The Trail Network Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2024 83:10

On this week's episode, we chat with Alex Staten and Stefanie Flippin. Alex is a trail and ultra runner from Fayetteville, Arkansas, a Diné and Mexican woman, and this year's Gu Energy Labs and Rising Hearts athlete in the Western States Endurance Run. If you followed along with Golden Hour at Western States, you followed Alex's journey from Olympic Valley to Placer High, where she missed the cut off on the track by 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Her day was one of rising above countless challenges and willing her body to the finish line, for reasons far beyond herself. Stef Flippin is a professional trail and ultra runner for Gu Energy labs and lululemon, physician, coach, and podcast host. She had the privilege of being a coach and holistic mentor for GU's and Rising Hearts' diversity runners at this year's edition of Western States. Stef and Alex formed a lasting bond over the last year as a result of Alex's journey to Western States. We hear about Alex's history in ultrarunning, Alex and Stef's coaching relationship, her WSER build, her involvement with Trail Sisters in Arkansas, the partnership between Rising Hearts and Gu Energy Labs, and ultimately, how Alex's day at Western States played out. A special thanks to Osprey for their support. What we talked about: 2:35- Alex's introduction to trail running 7:45- Stefanie's relationship with Gu and passion for coaching 11:10- What was different for Alex for Western States versus her first 100 miler 15:35- Stefanie's experience tailoring Alex's training for Western States 20:00- What Alex's training block looked like going into Western States 27:30- Being involved with the Trail Sisters organnization 34:50- Alex recapping her race start to finish 51:30- Alex's crew during the race 55:00- When cutoffs came into play 1:06:30- Stefanie's view of Alex's finish 1:12:30- Running with Purpose 1:14:35- What's next for Alex The Trail Network Podcast is edited and produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sandyboy Productions Podcast Network⁠⁠

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#34: The 2024 Western States 100 Finishers from the Carolinas

Carolina Ultra Runners Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 81:59

Sign up for the Inferno Ultra! August 3, 2024 just outside Myrtle Beach, SC. 6/12 hr lap challenge. Link to register here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=115602. On this episode, we have four of the five finishers from the Carolinas of the 2024 Western States 100 (Brandon Crews from Asheville, NC politely declined to join, but he got it done in 23:37:46). John Bruno from Easley, SC, Andy Barrett from Chapel Hill, NC, Colleen Jay from Pinnacle, NC and Adam Dickerson from Belmont, NC tell us all about their point to point journey from Olympic Valley to Auburn.

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Scott Jurek | Western States 100 Reflections, Ultrarunning History, Next Steps

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2024 114:22

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!This episode was recorded live at Singletrack's Olympic Valley studios ahead of the 2024 Western States 100. We were joined by Scott Jurek who probably needs no introduction. Scott is someone I've wanted to talk with since the inception of this podcast and even though this was technically a pre-race interview, so much of what we talked about was only peripherally related to the event, so I wanted to save it for a stand-alone podcast a few weeks on. Specifically, we talk about his history in the sport, some of the mental and emotional aspects of being an elite athlete, how someone of his stature in the sport grapples with athletic mortality, and some of his favorite stories with fellow competitors over the years.*Note the audio jumps a bit at a few points in the conversation. I think this was due to the poor internet connection at our studio during the livestream. - FinnSponsors:Brooks - check out their new Cascadia 18 shoe and High Point apparel collection (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack)Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order. Additional Links:Follow Singletrack on Instagram, Strava, YoutubeSupport the Show.

#67 Western States 100 | Race Recap

Choose Strong

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2024 108:12

In this episode, Sally shares about her 4th WSER 100 race! Listen in as she chats about her pre-race events in Olympic Valley, the recap and details of the race, having Makenzie & Eddie as her crew, the BPN team and Nick as crew and pacer, the amazing Choose Strong community and the emotional finish line crossing with Makenzie. Enjoy!! CHOOSE STRONG Strava Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/1249894⁠⁠⁠⁠ All links, discounts, and ways to support the podcast are here. Choose Strong Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://a.co/d/hcwGfcY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sally McRae Strength App: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sallymcrae.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sally McRae YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@sallymcraestrength⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sallymcraemerch.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you would like to send mail to Sally, please send it to the below address: 6771 Warner PO BOX 2051 Huntington Beach CA 92647 Episode Sponsors: Cozy Earth: Get 30% off and a free pair of lounge socks at ⁠⁠cozyearth.com⁠⁠ using code COZYSALLY. Janji: Use code CHOOSESTRONG for 10% off ⁠⁠⁠Janji.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sallymcraepodcast/support

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271 | Asics Superblast 2, Broken Arrow Sky Race Recap

The Drop

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 78:12

Unsurprisingly, it's been a whirlwind of a week as half the team heads out to the Broken Arrow Sky Race in Olympic Valley, while Meg went for it at the Women's Classic 5K here in Baltimore. Also, the Asics Superblast 2 came in for testing, so we give our first thoughts on what may be the most anticipated shoe of 2024. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Lagoon Pillows Get the best night of sleep with Lagoon Pillows. We do. You can save 15% off your first order with code BELIEVE. ➡ ⁠⁠lagoonsleep.com/believe⁠⁠ Cheribundi Tart Cherries are the most antioxidant rich superfruit & also the only superfruit to contain a natural melatonin. Experience the benefits of tart cherry juice and save 20% with code THEDROP ➡ https://cheribundi.com/ LMNT The best hydration supplement out there. Now with all-new sparkling cans! Our listeners can get a free LMNT sample pack with the purchase of any order. Pick it up here ➡ ⁠http://drinklmnt.com/thedrop⁠ INDEX 00:00 Intro 05:12 Broken Arrow Sky Race Recap 52:58 Meg's 5K Recap 1:04:47 Trials Talk 1:10:11 Asics Superblast 2

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Katie Schide and Heather Jackson | 2024 Western States 100 Pre-Race Interviews

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 66:38

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Katie Schide and Heather Jackson stop by the Singletrack studio in Olympic Valley, CA ahead of the 2024 Western States 100 to chat it up about the race, the sport at large, and life in general. Thanks to both of these guys! Special thanks to Brooks, the presenting sponsor of this week's race coverage.Sponsors:Brooks - check out their new Cascadia 18 shoe and High Point apparel collection (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack)Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order. Additional Links:Follow Singletrack on Instagram, Strava, YoutubeSupport the Show.

[ÉPISODE 198] Jasette de geeks avec Nicolas Danne - Western States 2024

Pas sorti du bois

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 65:04

La Western States Endurance Run a lieu ce samedi et vous ne pensiez quand même pas qu'on allait oublier de "geeker" sur le sujet? Les dernières éditions nous ont offert tout un spectacle, et la profondeur du plateau élite de cette année laisse présager une autre journée vraiment excitante à suivre! Les deux gagnants de l'an dernier, Courtney Dauwalter et Tom Evans, ne sont pas de retour cette année, ce qui ouvre le champ des possibles sur l'identité des premiers athlètes qui termineront ce parcours rapide de 160 km entre Olympic Valley et Auburn en Californie. Est-ce que Kathie Schide, 2e l'an dernier et détentrice du second meilleur chrono de l'histoire de la course, reviendra avec une performance éclatante qui lui permettra de monter sur la première marche? Est-ce que Jim Walmsley s'offrira un quatrième titre, après ses triomphes de 2018, 2019 et 2021? Est-ce que l'Américaine Rachel Drake causera la surprise sur son premier 100 miles? Est-ce que les spécialistes de la course en montagne Jonathan Albon et Petter Engdahl viendront prouver leur vitesse pure sur ce parcours roulant? C'est samedi qu'on le saura! Il va faire beau, il va faire chaud et le plus mythique des 100 miles nous en mettra plein la vue. Bonne écoute!CréditsDesign graphique : David HébertThème musical : Frédérick DesrochesIdée originale, production, recherche et animation : Yannick Vézina© Pas sorti du bois 2024

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Dylan Bowman and Jim Walmsley | 2024 Western States 100 Pre-Race Interviews

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 76:01

Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!Dylan Bowman and Jim Walmsley stop by the Singletrack studio in Olympic Valley, CA ahead of the 2024 Western States 100 to chat it up about the race, the sport at large, and life in general. Thanks to both of these guys! Special thanks to Brooks, the presenting sponsor of this week's race coverage.Sponsors:Brooks - check out their new Cascadia 18 shoe and High Point apparel collection (https://www.brooksrunning.com/singletrack)Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.Rabbit - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 20% off your next order.deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order.Additional Links:Follow Dylan on Instagram, Freetrail, TrailConFollow Jim on InstagramFollow Singletrack on Instagram, Strava, YoutubeFollow Brett on Instagram, Strava, Youtube Support the Show.

Fearing and Loathing in Olympic Valley with Billy Yang: A Western States Shitravaganza

Between Two Pines

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2024 30:23

Dom and Andy start a road trip to the starting line of Western States. But after they eat a bag of expired gels and begin to hallucinate, things take several very weird turns. This very special epsiode is chock full of guests, including an interview with filmmaker and dog kidnapper Billy Yang. Plus, get your very own Between Two Pines trucker hat, available now in the UltraSignup merch store. And get 10% off all Janji gear when you use code BTP10.

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Tahoe National Forest's Alpine Meadows and Olympic Valley Fire Protection Project Moves Forward

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 3:34

The project will reduce fuel loading on national forest land northwest of Lake Tahoe, protecting thousands of homes and a crucial source of water for the region.

Ep. 35 - The Devil Makes Three - WinterWonderGrass

Tahoe TAP

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2024 31:04

This week the Tahoe TAP podcast brings you The Devil Makes Three which is headlining WinterWonderGrass music festival - the 8th annual alpine celebration of bluegrass music and springtime in the Sierra being held April 5 – April 7, 2024, at the Palisades Tahoe Resort in Olympic Valley, California. The Devil Makes Three is an Americana band known for their unique blend of “bluegrass” which is described on their website as wandering folk, Delta blues, whiskey-soaked ragtime, and reckless rock ‘n' roll. Their lyrics often explore themes of love, loss, addiction, and the darker aspects of life, drawing from both traditional folk music and contemporary storytelling. The band formed in 2002 in Santa Cruz, California, and consists of Pete Bernhard (guitar, vocals), Lucia Turino (upright bass, vocals), and Cooper McBean (guitar, banjo, vocals). One of the defining characteristics of The Devil Makes Three's music is their raw and energetic live performances, often featuring intricate vocal harmonies and skillful instrumentation. You can witness them LIVE at WinterWonderGrass on Saturday, April 6th, 2024!

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Avalanche Kills Skier At Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort, The League Of Women Voters Of Nevada County Solicits Questions For Candidate Forums

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2024 3:39

Four skiers were swept up by an avalanche at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort in Olympic Valley. A 66-year-old Truckee man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.--The League of Women Voters of Nevada County will hold candidate forums for the March 5 Primary election in late January and is asking the community to submit questions for the candidates. Questions can be submitted by email at info@lwvnevadacounty.org.

S5:E34 Brenda Hillman & Roxi Power talk about Hillman's newest book

The Hive Poetry Collective

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 59:45

Roxi Power talks with Brenda Hillman, winner this month of the Northern California Book Reviewers' Fred Cody Award for Lifetime Achievement, about her 11th book of poetry with Wesleyan University Press, In a Few Minutes Before Later. We discuss her new trans-genre tetralogy about time: how to find calm during the Anthropocene by being in time in multiple ways: sinking into the micro-minutes; performing micro-activism; and celebrating the microbiome. We explore her influences–from Blake to Bergson, Clare to Baudelaire, as well as the less celebrated moss, owls, and wood rats that appear frequently in her eco-poetry. Alive with humor, witness, creative design and punctuation–what Forrest Gander calls “typographical expressionism”--Hillman's poetry teaches us how to abide in crisis from Covid to California fires, living in paradox as a way to transcend despair. Brenda Hillman shares the Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award with with Isabel Allende, Daniel Ellsberg, Michael Pollan, Ishmael Reed, Gary Snyder, Robert Duncan, Alice Walker and others. Winner of the William Carlos Williams Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the International Griffin Poetry Prize (for Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire, 2013), the Northern California Book Award (for Extra Hidden Life, among the Days, 2018) and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Academy of American Poets, Brenda Hillman was born in Tucson, Arizona and has been an active part of the Bay Area literary community since 1975. She has edited an edition of Emily Dickinson's poems for Shambhala Press, and co-edited and co-translated several books. She is director of the Poetry Program at the Community of Writers in Olympic Valley and is on the regular poetry staff ad Napa Valley Writers Conference. Hillman just retired from teaching in the MFA Program at St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA. She has worked as an activist for social and environmental justice. She is a mother, grandmother, and is married to poet, Robert Hass. Photograph by Robert Hass.

Phantom Electric Ghost Interviews: Susan Coelius Keplinger: "The Art and Science of Storytelling in Marketing: How will AI change everything?"

Phantom Electric Ghost

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 63:00

Phantom Electric Ghost Interviews: Susan Coelius Keplinger The Art and Science of Storytelling in Marketing: How will AI change everything? Biography Susan is the founder of Force of Nature, a performance marketing and PE shop. Beyond starting stuff, Susan loves to chase wind and waves in Maui, or play with gravity in Olympic Valley, CA where she lives with her hubby Mark, and two Kiddos, Iver and Aysa. About Susan Coelius Keplinger Susan Coelius Keplinger is a tour de force in the realm of performance marketing. She is the founder of Force of Nature, a premier performance marketing and PE firm, laser-focused on transforming businesses through the potent amalgamation of data-driven strategies and compelling storytelling. A performance marketing rockstar at heart, Susan champions the power of data as the critical compass guiding businesses through today's complex marketing landscape. She brings a bold curiosity to her work, delighting in revealing the hidden truths that lie beneath a company's marketing stack. Her adept 'under the covers' diagnostics and strategic insights have empowered numerous organizations to optimize their operations and significantly elevate their performance. Susan's faith in the power of storytelling is the linchpin of her approach, believing that compelling narratives can illuminate data, inspire action, and deeply connect with audiences. Her success stories span globally recognized brands such as Ring, Molekule, and Gibson, where her data-driven methodologies have consistently delivered transformative results. But Susan is much more than her professional achievements. She is a mother of two, Iver and Aysa, and an unapologetic adrenaline enthusiast. When she isn't revolutionizing marketing stacks, you'll find her harnessing the forces of nature in her extreme sports pursuits. Downhill mountain biking, skiing, and kitesurfing are her sports of choice, with her dual residences in Lake Tahoe and Maui providing the perfect playgrounds. Susan's tenacity was evident early on. As a D1 soccer player at Northwestern University, she set a precedent for her unyielding pursuit of excellence. Her dedication culminated in USA Today naming her one of the nation's top college students in 2004. Today, she continues to be recognized as a trailblazer in her field, with the Fortune Most Powerful Women Community honoring her as a top emerging entrepreneur. Prior to Force of Nature, Susan founded Triggit, an ad technology company instrumental in helping industry giants like Booking.com, Home Depot, and Walmart leverage customer data for personalized ad campaigns. Following the successful acquisition of Triggit by Gravity4 in 2015, Susan co-founded Votes For Students, a non-profit organization dedicated to utilizing internet and email marketing for effective Get-out-the-Vote campaigns. In Susan, you find a rare blend of analytical prowess, creative flair, fearless athleticism, and entrepreneurial spirit. She stands as a living testament to the notion that life, like marketing, is a beautiful game of balancing data-driven strategy with a compelling story. Link: http://susanck.com/ Donate to support PEG free artist interviews: PayPalMe link Any contribution is appreciated: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/PhantomElectric?locale.x=en_US Support PEG by checking out our Sponsors: Download and use Newsly for free now from www.newsly.me or from the link in the description, and use promo code “GHOST” and receive a 1-month free premium subscription. The best tool for getting podcast guests: Podmatch.com https://podmatch.com/signup/phantomelectricghost Subscribe to our Instagram for exclusive content: https://www.instagram.com/expansive_sound_experiments/ Donate to support PEG free artist interviews: Subscribe to our YouTube https://youtube.com/@phantomelectricghost PEG uses StreamYard.com for our live podcasts https://streamyard.com/pal/c/6290085463457792 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/phantom-electric/message

Jenny Q: Western States 100 Debut

Trail Running Women

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2023 65:16

We chat with Jenny Quilty after her WSER 100mi debut in the fastest female field of all time. A quote straight from her instagram @adventuresofjenthar: "18hrs 49min, 11th woman & 100miles from Olympic Valley to Auburn in the fastest women's field yet! I said it last night and it feels the same today, I'm the happiest 11th place woman ever. I knocked almost 1hr off the prior fastest 11th place finish, and that just makes me so darn proud to be a part of this field. I ran a time much faster than I had imagined and learned more about what it feels like to accept and stay in the pain cave. I could not have asked for a more fun day running 100 miles, for only my 2nd time ever & first time at states!" Photo: @thehilaryann More from me @hilsport55 New podcast instagram @trailrunningwomenpod Discount code TRW15 for 15% off at www.janji.com Go to www.athleticgreens.com/TRWP to get 5 FREE travel packs and one year supply of Vitamin D! Get free shipping on any order from Goodr at goodr.com code TRW

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#107: Stories from the Western States 100

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2023 146:32

This was the 50th Year of the Western States 100 that starts in the Olympic Valley and ends at the Placer High School in Auburn. On the chat, we've got three of the four Floridians who took on the course! This year Tyler Peterson, Joseph Pinter, and Zach Hanna crossed that finish line to get that belt buckle. Tyler Peterson has done 100 Milers like the Long Haul 100 here in Florida, the Yeti 100, Burning River 100, Mohican 100, Kettle Moraine 100, Indiana Trail 100, and the Umstead 100. He finished the Western States 100 this year with a time of 25:24:44. Joseph Pinter has done races like the Cruel Jewel 100, Grindstone 100, Massanutten Mountain 100, and the Pinhoti 100. He also ran at the 2019 Western States 100! In 2019, he ran a time of 29:42:39... this year he ran a time of 29:13:11. Zach Hanna has done races like the Hennepin 100, Pinhoti 100, No Business 100, Rio Del Lago 100, and the Umstead 100. He finished the Western States 100 this year with a time of 28:37:16. For almost five decades, the Western States 100 has been home to some of the sport's most amazing and legendary competitions. It's essentially the Super Bowl of the trail running scene in the United States. With more than 1,500 dedicated volunteers helping to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the race has stirred the spirit of runners from all walks of life and from all over the globe.

GRP #86 ESZTER CSILLAG (3rd Place Western States 100 Breakthrough) GottaRunPodcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2023 57:31

Originally from Hungary now based in Hong Kong, Eszter Csillag made the most of her first ever visit to the United States by not only competing in the country's oldest 100 miler Western States 100 but placing 3rd in a very competitive year where records were broken! The mother of two tells the story of how she gained entry into Western States, her vast experience of racing in South East Asia as well as a detailed recount of her race day from Olympic Valley to Auburn. Eszter had an exceptional race year in 2022 where she placed 5th at UTMB and represented her country at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships placing 4th in the long course. We chat about all this and more. Here is Eszter... You can follow Eszter on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/eszter.csillag/ If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review. We would really appreciate it. Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Twitter here: https://twitter.com/gottarun_racing Support us on Patreon here : https://www.patreon.com/gottarunracing

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GRP #85 KATIE ASMUTH (4th Place Western States 100 Experience) GottaRunPodcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2023 60:58

Katie Asmuth is a Saucony sponsored ultra runner and days after her incredible performance at the 2023 Western States 100, we were fortunate enough to chat with her about her epic day from Olympic Valley to Auburn, culminating in a 4th place finish in a year where women created the biggest buzz! After 2 previous top ten performances, Katies describes how this time felt different; she embraced every mile, worked with other top women to tackle the snow pack and arrived at the finish line in her best time yet. We chat about all this and more. Here is Katie... You can follow Katie on Instagram here : https://www.instagram.com/kt_asmuth/ If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review. We would really appreciate it. Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Twitter here: https://twitter.com/gottarun_racing Support us on Patreon here : https://www.patreon.com/gottarunracing

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GRP #84 STEVE DAY (Western States 100 to UTMB) GottaRunPodcast

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2023 52:37

We first spoke with Steve Day in 2022 when he was a guest on our Canadian Trail to Western States series Ep 38. He's back in 2023 to chat about his experience at Western States 100 and his unexpected entry into the 2023 running of UTMB. Norman and Steve chat in detail about their shared experience from the training camp to the start line in Olympic Valley, all the way to the track in Auburn and one thing is for certain, the hype is real! Steve has a solid training plan underway for UTMB. He is looking forward to new experiences including an evening race start and running through the night not once but twice! Here is Steve... If you enjoyed our show please leave a rating and review. We would really appreciate it. You can read Steve's blogs here: Western States Training Camp - https://almostultra.blogspot.com/2022/05/western-states-training-camp.html Western States Endurance Run - https://almostultra.blogspot.com/2022/07/western-states-endurance-run.html Check out GottaRunRacing website here and use promo code GRRPODCAST for discounts - gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Twitter here: https://twitter.com/gottarun_racing Support us on Patreon here : https://www.patreon.com/gottarunracing

#105: Pre-Western States 100 with Andy Jones-Wilkins and Matt Murphy

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 88:05

This year is the 50th year of the Western States 100 in the Olympic Valley. For this episode, we've got “Mr. Western States” Andy Jones-Wilkins back for a second time for the "Pre-Western States Chat" with a Florida runner! He's joined by Matt Murphy who got into the race on June 10th, only a two week notice for the Western States 100. They're also joined by Matt's wife, Karen, who will also be out there crewing and pacing! Matt Murphy has done races like the Holcomb Valley 50k, the Long Play, Croom Zoom, the Javelina 100, the San Diego 100, Sweat Swat n Swear, Colt 45, the Black Hills 100, and the Long Haul 100! His wife Karen, not only does she crew and pace, but she's also ran races like the Skunk Ape's Revenge, the Long Play, Angry Tortoise, Croom Zoom, the Vermont 100k, and the 50 Miler at Umstead. AJW has done the Western States 100 ten times, placing 2nd in 2005. Over his ten years he has placed in the Top 10 numerous times. He continues now with parking cars out at Robinson Flat, cheerleading, announcing, and helping make things happen! He also has his own podcast called "Crack a Brew with AJW!" So whether he's out there on the course, chatting it up with Trail Runner Nation, or writing articles on iRunFar... He's always representing the sport of trail and ultra running well!

Scott Traer and Callie Vinson: Western States 100 Pre-Race Interview for 2023

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2023 59:31

Callie and Scott are both taking on Western States 100 this year. And as a couple, they've spent tons of time together training, preparing, and getting ready to toe the line at Olympic Valley this year. Callie Vinson is an ultrarunner and content creator who has completed the Moab 240, multiple 100 mile races, and tons of other ultramarathons. This will be her first time racing Western States this year, and she has been putting in tons of work to race well, while also documenting her training journey on social media throughout. Scott Traer is an ultrarunner and coach at Run Fastah who is returning for a second time at Western States after securing a top 10 finish at last year's race. He also has tons of notable finishes, such as a Golden Ticket win at Black Canyon 100K last year, and multiple wins and podium finishes. In this episode, Callie and Scott share what it's been like training for the same race as a couple, their strategies for taking on race day, and how they've been preparing their mindsets for race day (spolier alert: Ted Lasso is one of their keys to success). Huge thank you to Callie and Scott for coming on the show! SHOW LINKS: Check out Janji's running gear and use code EVERYDAYULTRA15 at checkout for 15% off: Janji.com Check out the trailer for Know to Run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD9Mz7PMRZIFollow Callie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/callievinsonn/ Follow Scott on IG: https://www.instagram.com/runfastah/ Check out Run Fastah: http://www.runfastah.com/Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/

Tyler Green: Western States 100 Preview Episode for 2023

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2023 37:19

After his last two races at Western States in the top 5, Tyler Green returns to Olympic Valley for the fourth time to lean in on his strengths, improve on his opportunities from the last races, and shoot for the top. Tyler Green is a professional ultrarunner for Nike and is also an ultrarunning coach. This will be his fourth time racing Western States, where he has previously notched up 2nd and 4th place finishes, along with other podium and winning finishes at other incredibly prestigious ultras. In this episode, Tyler shares how he uses mindfulness meditation as a part of his mental training, how his training has been as a new father, and his strategy for race day. Huge thank you to Tyler for coming on the show! Show Links: Check out Janji's running gear and use code EVERYDAYULTRA15 at checkout for 15% off: Janji.com Follow Tyler on IG: https://www.instagram.com/narrowgreenarrow/?hl=en Tyler's Website: https://www.ultrasidehustle.com/ Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/?hl=en

Taylor Nowlin: Western States 100 Preview Episode for 2023

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2023 43:22

Taylor Nowlin is a professional ultrarunner for Adidas Terrax who is returning to Western States this year after placing in the top 10 last year in her debut of the race. After an impressive debut, Taylor is looking to capitalize on the areas she learned the most from in her race last year, while also leaning into the full enjoyment of the race experience. And in this episode, she shares how her training for Western States has differed this time around, her three big areas she's looking to improve on this year, and why she's ditching expectations when she toes the line at Olympic Valley. Huge thank you to Taylor for coming on the show! SHOW LINKS: Check out Janji's running gear and use code EVERYDAYULTRA15 at checkout for 15% off: Janji.com Follow Taylor on IG: https://www.instagram.com/_taymae_/ Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/

Tom Evans: Western States 100 Preview Episode for 2023

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2023 47:11

Tom Evans is a professional ultrarunner for Adidas TERREX and Red Bull, and is returning for his second time to Western States 100 after a podium finish in 2019. He is also coming off a string of impressive performances with a podium finish at UTMB in 2022, a second place finish at Black Canyon 100K, and a win at Snowdonia 50K. Tom is known as one of the most disciplined and intentional athletes in this sport, and this episode gives you a look into his approach to training. He shares a look into how he's prepared for the race, his mindset and how he embraces challenge and pain, and key strategies that he plans to execute on from Olympic Valley to Auburn. Huge thanks to Tom for coming on the show! Show links: Check out Janji's running gear and use code EVERYDAYULTRA15 at checkout for 15% off: Janji.com Follow Tom on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tomevansultra/ Tom's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/thomasagevans Tom's Strava: https://www.strava.com/pros/26891889 Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/

Dakota Jones on Winning Transvulcania, Balancing Pressure and Fun, and Biking to Western States 100

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 63:41

Known as one of the best mountain runners in the sport, Dakota Jones is a professional trail runner for NNormal based out of the Salt Lake City area. Over his career, he has notched up incredible results such as a podiums at Hardrock 100, wins at Javelina Jundred, Canyons 50K, and Broken Arrow, and tons of other races. And most recently, he won the famous Transvulcania race, which was his second win at the prestigious event. Outside of running, Dakota is focused on giving back to the planet, as he is the Executive Director of Footprints, which is a non-profit organization that is an incubator for climate change. In this episode, Dakota breaks down his epic win at Transvulancia, how he's evolved as an athlete over the years through self-awareness, and how he balances pressure and fun when it comes to racing. He also shares his epic plans to bike from Utah to Olympic Valley for Western States 100 in effort to raise money through Footprints to help support climate change activism. Huge thank you for Dakota for coming on the show! Show Links: Check out Janji's running gear and use code EVERYDAYULTRA15 at checkout for 15% off: Janji.com Follow Datoka on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thatdakotajones/ Donate to Footprints: https://runfootprints.org/about Follow Joe on IG: https://www.instagram.com/joecorcione/

Podcast #127: Palisades Tahoe President & COO Dee Byrne

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2023 82:08

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on May 4. It dropped for free subscribers on May 7. 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:WhoDee Byrne, President and Chief Operating Officer of Palisades Tahoe, CaliforniaRecorded onApril 24, 2023About Palisades TahoeClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Alterra Mountain CompanyPass affiliations: Unlimited access on the Ikon Pass; unlimited access with holiday blackouts on the Ikon Base PassLocated in: Olympic Valley, CaliforniaYear founded: * Palisades/Olympic side (as Squaw Valley): 1949* Alpine Meadows: 1961Closest neighboring ski areas: Granlibakken (14 minutes from Palisades base), Homewood (18 minutes), Northstar (23 minutes), Tahoe Donner (24 minutes), Boreal (24 minutes), Soda Springs (28 minutes), Donner Ski Ranch (28 minutes), Kingvale (29 minutes), Sugar Bowl (30 minutes), Diamond Peak (39 minutes), Mt. Rose (45 minutes), Sky Tavern (50), Heavenly (1 hour) - travel times vary dramatically given weather conditions and time of dayBase elevation | summit elevation | vertical drop:* Alpine Meadows side: 6,835 feet | 8,637 feet | 1,802 feet* Olympic Valley side: 6,200 feet | 9,050 feet | 2,850 feetSkiable Acres: 6,000* Alpine Meadows side: 2,400* Olympic Valley side: 3,600Average annual snowfall: 400 inches (713 inches for the 2023-24 ski season through May 3!)Trail count: 270-plus* Alpine Meadows side: 100-plus (25% beginner, 40% intermediate, 35% advanced)* Olympic Valley side: 170-plus (25% beginner, 45% intermediate, 30% advanced)Lift count: 42 (10-passenger tram, 28-passenger funitel, 8-passenger gondola, 8 six-packs, 5 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 10 triples, 8 doubles, 7 carpets - view Lift Blog's inventory of Palisades Tahoe's lift fleet)* Alpine Meadows: 13 (1 six-pack, 3 high-speed quads, 2 triples, 5 doubles, 2 carpets)* Palisades/Olympic: 28 (120-passenger tram, 28-passenger funitel, 7 six-packs, 2 high-speed quads, 1 quad, 8 triples, 3 doubles, 5 carpets)* Shared lifts: 1 (8-passenger Base-to-Base Gondola)Why I interviewed herImagine this: I'm a Midwest teenager who has notched exactly three days on skis, on three separate 200-vert bumps. I know vaguely that there is skiing out West, and that it is big. But I'm thinking Colorado, maybe Wyoming. California? California is Beach Boys and palm trees. Surfboards and San Diego. I have no idea that California has mountains, let alone ski resorts. Anticipating the skis, boots, and poles that I've requested as the totality of my Christmas list, I pick up the December 1994 issue of Skiing (RIP), and read the following by Kristen Ulmer:Nothing is random. You live, die, pay taxes, move to Squaw. It's the place you see in all the ski flicks, with the groovy attitudes, toasty-warm days, wild lines, and that enormous lake. It's California! Squallywood! It's the one place where every born-to-ski skier, at some point or other, wants to move to; where people will crawl a thousand miles over broken glass for the chance to ski freezer burn. The one place to make it as a “professional” skier.My friend Kent Kreitler, a phenomenal skier who doesn't live anywhere in particular, finally announced, “I think I'm move to Squaw.”“So Kent,” I said, “let me tell you what the rest of your life will be like.” And I laid it out for him. …You're curious to find out if you're as good a skier as you think. So you find a group of locals and try to keep up. On powder days the excitement builds like a pressure cooker. Move fast, because it only takes an hour for the entire mountain to get tracked up. There's oodles of cliff jumps and psycho lines. You'd better just do it, because within seconds, 10 other yahoos will have already jumped and tracked out the landing pad.If you're a truly amazing skier (anything else inspires only polite smiles and undisguised yawns), then you land clean on jumps and shred through anything with style. If not, the hyperactivity of the place will motivate you to ski the same lines anyway. Either way is fulfilling.Occasionally a random miracle occurs, and the patrol opens the famed Palisades on Squaw Peak. On those days you don't bother with a warm-up run – just hike 15 minutes from the top of Siberia Express chair and coolly launch some hospital air off Main Chute.There are other places to express your extreme nature. When everything else gets tracked, you hike up Granite Peak for its steep chutes. If the snowpack is good, you climb 10 minutes from the top of the KT-22 chair to Eagle's Nest. And jumping the Fingers off KT-22 seems particularly heroic: Not only do you need speed to clear the sloping rocks, but it's right (ahem) under the lift.At the conclusion of that ski season, teenage Stuart Winchester, a novice skier who lived in his parents' basement, announced, “I think I'm moving to Squaw.” “No D*****s,” his mom said, “you're going to college.”Which doesn't mean I ever forgot that high-energy introduction to California extreme. I re-read that article dozens of times (you can read the full bit here). Until my brain had been coded to regard the ski resort now known as Palisades Tahoe (see why?) as one of the spiritual and cultural homelands of U.S. lift-served skiing.Ulmer's realm, hyperactive as it was, looks pokey by today's standards. An accompanying essay in that same issue of Skiing, written by Eric Hanson, describes a very different resort than the one you'll encounter today:Locals seem proud that there's so little development here. The faithful will say it's because everything that matters is up on the mountain itself: 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.Apparently, “flashy” included, you know, naming trails. Check out this circa 1996 trailmap, which shows lift names, but only a handful of runs:Confusion reigned, according to Hanson:Every day, we set off armed with our trail map and the printed list of the day's groomed runs in search of intermediate terrain – long steep runs groomed for cruising, unmogulled routes down from the top of the black-diamond chairs. It wasn't easy. The grooming sheet named runs which weren't marked on the trail map. The only trail named on the map is The Mountain Run, an expressway that drops 2,000 feet from Gold Coast to the village. And most of the biggest verticals were on the chairs – KT-22, Cornice II, Headwall, Silverado, Broken Arrow – marked “experts only.” We didn't relish the idea of going up an expert chair looking for a particular groomed route down, if the groomed route wasn't to be found. I began feeling nostalgic for all those totem poles of green and blue and black trail signs that clutter the landscapes of other ski resorts, but at least keep the skier oriented.I asked a patroller where I could find some of the runs on the groomed list. He wasn't sure. He told me that the grooming crew and the ski patrol didn't have the same names for many of the runs.Just amazing. While Palisades Tahoe is now a glimmering model of a modern American ski resort, that raw-and-rowdy past is still sewn into the DNA of this fascinating place.What we talked aboutTahoe's megaseason; corn harvest; skiing into July and… maybe beyond; why Alpine will be the later operator this summer; why the base-to-base gondola ceased operation on April 30; snow exhaustion; Cali spring skiing; reminiscing on Pacific Northwest ski culture; for the love of teaching and turning; skiing as adventure; from 49 Degrees North to Vail to Aspen to Tahoe; Tahoe culture shock; Palisades' vast and varied ski school; reflections on the name change a year and a half later; going deep on the base-to-base gondola; the stark differences between the cultural vibe on the Alpine Meadows and Palisades sides of the resort and whether the gondola has compromised those distinctions; why the gondola took more than a decade to build and what finally pushed it through; White Wolf, the property that hosts an unfinished chairlift between Palisades and Alpine; how the gondola took cars off the road; why the base-to-base gondola didn't overload KT-22's terrain; the Mothership; the new Red Dog sixer; why Palisades re-oriented the lift to run lower to the ground; why the lift was only loading four passengers at a time for large parts of the season; snowmaking as fire-suppression system; how Palisades and Mammoth assisted Sierra-at-Tahoe's recovery; candidates for lift upgrades at Alpine Meadows; “fixed-grip lifts are awesome”; an Alpine masterplan refresh incoming; which lift could be next in line for upgrades on the Palisades side; the “biggest experience bust on the Palisades side of the resort”; why Silverado and Granite Chief will likely never be upgraded to detachable lifts; why the Silverado terrain is so rarely open and what it takes to make it live; whether Palisades Tahoe could ever leave the unlimited-with-blackouts tier on the Ikon Base Pass; and paid parking incoming. Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewThis was the second time I've featured Palisades Tahoe on The Storm Skiing Podcast. The first was a conversation with then-resort president Ron Cohen in September 2020, shortly after the ski area announced that it would ditch the “Squaw Valley” name. We spent the entire 49-minute conversation discussing that name change. At the time, the podcast was mostly focused on New England and New York, and a deep exploration of a distant resort would have been a little off-brand.But The Storm has evolved, and my coverage now firmly includes the State of California. Thank goodness. What an incredible ski state. So many huge resorts, so much wide-open terrain, so much snow, so much energy. The Northeast tugs skiing from the earth through technology and willpower, pasting white streaks over brown land, actualizing the improbable in a weird algorithm that only pencils out because 56 million people camp out within driving distance. California is different. California delivers skiing because it's lined top to bottom with giant mountains that summon ungodly oceans of snow from the clouds. It just happens Brah. There aren't even that many ski areas here – just 28, or 29 if you count the uber-dysfunctional Mt. Waterman – but there seems to be one everywhere you need one – LA (Big Bear, Baldy, Mountain High), Fresno (China Peak), Modesto (Dodge Ridge), Stockton (Bear Valley), Sacramento and the Bay Area (all of Tahoe). Among these are some of the largest and most-developed ski areas in America.And none is bigger than Palisades Tahoe. Well, Heavenly was until this year, as I outlined earlier this week, but the base-to-base gondola changed all that. The ski area formerly known as Squaw Valley and the ski area still-known as Alpine Meadows are now officially one interconnected ski goliath. That's a big deal.Add a new six-pack (Red Dog), a sufficient period to reflect on the name change, a historic winter, and the ongoing impacts of the Covid-driven outdoor boom and the Ikon Pass, and it was a perfect time to check in on one of Alterra's trophy properties.Why you should ski Palisades TahoeOne of the most oft-dished compliments to emphasize the big-mountain cred of a North American ski resort is that it “feels like Europe.” But there just aren't that many ski areas around these parts worthy of that description. Big Sky, with its dramatic peaks and super-duper out-of-base bubble lifts. Snowbird-Alta, with their frenzied scale and wild terrain and big-box tram (though they get way too much snow to mistake for Europe). Whistler, with its village and polyglot vibe. And then there's Palisades Tahoe:Nowhere else in America do you stand in the base area and wonder if you should hop on the tram or the gondola or the other big-gondola-thingy-that-you're-not-quite-sure-what-it-is (the funitel) or the most iconic chairlift in the country (KT-22). Or Wa She Shu. Or Exhibition or Red Dog. And go up and up and then you never need to see the base area again. Up to Headwall or Gold Coast or so help-you-God Silverado if it's open. Or up and over to Alpine and another whole ski area that used to be a giant ski resort but is now just a small part of a giant-er ski resort.It's too much to describe or even really try to. In our conversation, Byrne called Palisades a “super-regional” resort. One that most people drive to, rather than fly to. I'm telling you this one is worth the flight. From anywhere. For anyone. Just go.Podcast NotesOn the name changeThe last time I interviewed Byrne, it was for an article I wrote on the name change in 2021:The name change, promised more than a year ago, acknowledges that many Native Americans consider the word “squaw” to be a racist and sexist slur.“Anyone who spends time at these mountains can feel the passion of our dedicated skiers and riders,” said Ron Cohen, former president and COO of Palisades Tahoe, who moved into the same position at Alterra's Mammoth Mountain in June. “It's electric, exciting, reverential, and incredibly motivating. However, no matter how deep, meaningful, and positive these feelings are and no matter how much our guests don't intend to offend anyone, it is not enough to justify continuing to operate under a name that is deeply offensive to indigenous people across North America.”The former resort name was perhaps the most prominent modern use of the word “squaw” in America, skiing's equivalent to the Cleveland Indians or Washington Redskins, two professional sports teams that are also in the process of replacing their names (Cleveland will become the Guardians, while Washington will announce its new name early next year). The update broadcasts a powerful signal to an American mainstream that still largely regards the word “squaw” as an innocuous synonym for a Native American woman.“We know the founders of our resort had no intention of causing offense in choosing this name for the resort, nor have any of our patrons who have spoken this word over the last seven decades,” said Cohen. “But as our society evolves, we must acknowledge the need for change when we are confronted with harsh realities. Having our name be associated with pain and dehumanization is contrary to our goal of making the outdoors a welcoming space for all people. I feel strongly that we have been given the rare opportunity to effect lasting, positive change; to find a new name that reflects our core values, storied past and respect for all those who have enjoyed this land.”It's a long piece, and my opinion on it stands, but I'll reiterate this bit:I realize that many of us learned something different in grade school. I am one of them. Until last year, I did not know that Native Americans considered this word to be offensive. But the resort, after extensive research and consultation with the local Washoe Tribe, made a good case that the name was an anachronism.Cohen came on my podcast to further elaborate. The arguments made sense. What I had learned in grade-school was wrong. “Squaw” was not a word that belonged on the masthead of a major ski resort.The immediate reaction that this is some PC move is flimsy and hardly worth addressing, but OK: this is not a redefining of history to cast a harmless thing as nefarious. Rather, it is an example of a long-ostracized group finding its voice and saying, “Hey, this is what this actually means – can you rethink how you're using this word?”If you want to scream into the wind about this, be my guest. The name change is final. The place will still have plenty of skiers. If you don't want to be one of them, there are plenty of other places to ski, around Tahoe and elsewhere. But what this means for the ski terrain is exactly nothing at all. The resort, flush with capital from Alterra, is only getting bigger and better. Sitting out that evolution for what is a petty protest is anyone's mistake to make.“We want to be on the right side of history on this,” said Byrne. “While this may take some getting used to, our name change was an important initiative for our company and community. At the end of the day, ‘squaw' is a hurtful word, and we are not hurtful people. We have a well-earned reputation as a progressive resort at the forefront of ski culture, and progress cannot happen without change.”Apparently there are still a handful of Angry Ski Bros who occasionally track Byrne down on social media and yell about this. Presumably in all-caps. Sometimes I think about what life would be like right now had the commercial internet failed to take off and honestly it's hard to conclude that it wouldn't be a hell of a lot better than whatever version of reality we've found ourselves in.On federal place names eliminating the use of the word “squaw”Byrne mentioned that the federal government had also moved to eliminate the word “squaw” from its place names. Per a New York Times article last March:The map dots, resembling a scattergram of America, point to snow-covered pinnacles, remote islands and places in between.Each of the 660 points, shown on maps of federal lands and waterways, includes the word “squaw” in its name, a term Native Americans regard as a racist and misogynistic slur.Now the Interior Department, led by Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary, is taking steps to strip the word from mountains, rivers, lakes and other geographic sites and has solicited input from tribes on new names for the landmarks.A task force created by the department will submit the new names for final approval from the Board on Geographic Names, the federal body that standardizes American place names. The National Park Service was ordered to take similar steps.By September, the Biden administration had completed the project. The word persists in non-federally owned place names, however. One ski area – Big Squaw in Maine – still officially carries the name, even though the state was among the first to ban the use of the word “squaw,” back in 2000. While a potential new ownership group had vowed to change the ski area's name, they ultimately backed out of the deal. As long as the broken-down, barely functional ski area remains under the ownership of professional knucklehead and bootleg timber baron James Confalone, the ski area – and the volunteer group that keeps the one remaining chairlift spinning – is stuck with the name.On White Wolf If you've ever looked off the backside of KT-22, you've no doubt noticed the line of chairlift towers standing empty on the mountain:This is White Wolf, a long-envisioned but as-yet-incomplete private resort owned by a local gent named Troy Caldwell, who purchased the land in 1989 for $400,000. Byrne and I discuss this property briefly on the podcast. The Palisades Tahoe blog posted a terrific history of Caldwell and White Wolf last year:So, they shifted to the idea of a private ski area, named White Wolf. In 2000, Placer County issued Caldwell a permit to build his own chairlift. A local homeowners' association later sued the county for issuing him that permit, but, in 2005, the lift towers and cables went in, but construction slowed on the private chairlift as Caldwell weighed his options for a future interconnect between the resorts. To date, the chairlift has yet to operate—but that may be changing if Caldwell's long-term plan comes to fruition.In 2016, Caldwell submitted plans to Placer County for a 275-acre private-resort housing project on his land that would include the construction of dozens of fire-safe custom homes, as well employee housing units, a pool, an ice-skating rink, and two private chairlifts, including the one that's already constructed.After the Palisades Tahoe resorts came under the same ownership in 2012, the plan to physically link them has now become reality. Caldwell is the missing piece enabling the long-awaited gondola to connect the two mountains over his land. Roughly half of the Base to Base Gondola and its mid-stations are on property owned by the Caldwells.“Sure, we could have sold the land for $50 million and moved to Tahiti,” Caldwell says with a laugh. “But we made the decision that this is our life, this is what we wanted to do. We wanted to finish the dream, connect the ski areas and do what we initially set out to do.”Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the general public will ever be able to ski White Wolf.On Alpine Meadows' masterplanByrne and I discuss several proposed but unbuilt lifts at Alpine Meadows, including the Rollers lift, shown here on the 2015 masterplan:And here, just for fun, is an old proposed line for the gondola, which would not have crossed the KT-22 Express:On Sierra-at-Tahoe and the Caldor FireI discussed this one in my recent article for the Heavenly pod.Parting shotThe 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 41/100 in 2023, and number 427 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

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They had how much snow? Learn how one county dealt with 700 inches this season

Across the Sky

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2023 34:08

For many of us, winter snow is an occasional inconvenience. For those living in the Sierra Nevada region of California though, it's a way of life. Placer County stretches roughly 65 miles from the suburbs of Sacramento all the way to the border of Nevada and the shore of Lake Tahoe. Dealing with massive amounts of snow, with few places to move it, is a regular problem here. But this winter was truly exceptional. More than 700 inches of snow fell, making it their second snowiest on record. On this week's episode, Donny Francis, Placer County's Road District Superintendent, talks about what this winter was like and the huge effort that was needed to try and keep the county's roads clear. About the Across the Sky podcast The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by the Lee Weather team: Matt Holiner of Lee Enterprises' Midwest group in Chicago, Kirsten Lang of the Tulsa World in Oklahoma, Joe Martucci of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. Episode transcript Note: The following transcript was created by Adobe Premiere and may contain misspellings and other inaccuracies as it was generated automatically: Hello, everybody. Meteorologist Joe Martucci here with the Across the Sky podcast, Lee Enterprise's national weather podcast. I am joined this week with Sean Sublette from the Richmond Times Dispatch. Matt Holiner in the Midwest. Kirsten Lang is on maternity leave. We wish her the best. She delivered a healthy baby boy not too long ago, so congratulations to her. We miss her. We will see her in a couple of months. We'll be back here on the podcast sometime later in June or July. Guys, this week we're talking about snow. And I know for many of you listening, you're like, Hey, snow season ended a month ago or three months ago. Or if you're like Sean and I, we didn't even have a snow season. But that is a much different story out west. We'll take you to Lake Tahoe, where one town, two homes got 435.4 inches of snow. Another place got over 700 inches of snow, and that is with Donny Francis. He is the road district superintendent for Placer County in California. Was talking to us all about. You may not know Placer County, but you do. Now, one of the towns there that is Tahoe Cities is right at Lake Tahoe. They actually have an interesting mix of the valley areas, the foothills and then these mountains here. We had the pleasure of chatting with him. We'll go over to Shawn. This was quite the episode, especially for us. Shawn, where I think we saw maybe combined like White Point eight inches of snow between Richmond and South Jersey. I mean, yeah, we're our big snow seasons here are 20 or 30 inches you know and they would get that in a day, you know, several hundred inches of snow this year in Tahoe. And, you know, his county there goes from from the Central Valley all the way up toward Lake Tahoe. So have a huge range in elevation there. And they have to serve areas around ski resorts, too. So they have a wide variety of terrain. They've got to handle narrow roads with these population, you know, these small population centers that are densely populated right around the ski areas. And just some of the things that they have to do to get this job done are phenomenal. Well, after this winter and all the snow pictures we were seeing on social media and all the news stories about just round after round, we knew we had to get somebody on the podcast to talk about that, who is out there in the trenches dealing with injury, like somebody from like the Department of Transportation or somebody who's clearing the roads because what does it take to clear hundreds of inches of snow? I mean, where it is just dumping and dumping. So I am so glad that we are on the show because it is truly a unique experience, you know, and this hasn't happened in a long time. So some good stories to share. Yeah. Especially when he talks about the number of hours that that they've worked over the years and taking care to ski resorts. And when he was talking about the ski resorts, I was like, I wonder why they would take care of those, you know, roads right around there. But it's such a huge tourist attraction, obviously, for everybody who's coming. If you can't get to the ski resort, the county is losing out on money from the businesses. And I think I know I have I don't know if you guys saw there is a one photo of the snow actually up to the ski lift, the chairs there on the chairlift where they could even move an chairlift. The snow is so high. So it was it was pretty incredible. So without further ado, we're going to turn it over to Donny Francis. And we're all about this season's snow near Lake Tahoe. So we are here with Donny Francis from Placer County in California. Here he is with the the Public Works Department. He is a road district superintendent. And he has seen a lot a lot of snow all winter and spring long, too. Donny, good to be here with you today. How's it going? It's going good. How are you? Good, Good. We're doing good. You were saying, when we were recording this on April 20th, that it's a nice sunny day in some 80 degree weather. So that'll take out, you know, maybe one or 2% of the hundreds of inches of snow this winter. It's certainly been near record breaking to record breaking across the area. Let me ask you this. And I kind of do I do a couple of road department stories a year, you know, mostly in New Jersey or I should say, all in New Jersey, of course. What's the mindset of your road crews going into the winter and let's just say going into this winter? And what's the morale like after such a tremendous snow season? I know it's still going to be going in parts, but what's the feeling like before and after? I think after, you know, a long summer, it gets pretty hot here, too. A lot of people look forward to winter. And, you know, we got a lot of people in the valley down here that volunteer to plow snow in the snow districts. So we got three snow districts. There's about nine, ten guys per district. So I think a lot of them look forward to it getting up there because they know they're going to make a lot of extra money, get to play in the snow, run heavy equipment. So that's always a morale booster until you get these record breaking storms where guys are stuck up there. You know, we have to put them in a condo or hotel for I think the last stretch was 31 days straight away from their family. So I think some people really dig it. You know, they love it. And some people kind of just, you know, taper off and get tired and you're working 12 to 16 hours a day, maybe noon to midnight or midnight to noon. So it gets tiring. So then, you know, a lot of people look forward to spring and summer after the door. And from from what I see here and this is a total from a cooperative observer program stations associate with the National Weather Service 316 inches of snow in Tahoe City. Donna, I want to be honest with you. I don't know if I've even seen 316 inches of snow in my life in New Jersey, let alone in one winter. I believe Colfax saw 62 inches of snow. Can you give us a lay of the land? What does a county look like geographically and on a climate basis as well, in terms of what you're seeing during the winter months within the county? So we see everything from flooding to, you know, rockslides, mudslides, significant amounts of snow. We go from a valley level, you know, a couple hundred feet elevation where it's flat farmlands, rice growers, and you get a lot of flooding down there. Appear to the foothills. You'll see some snow and then up to 7000 feet on Donner Summit where we got actually this year, record is 730 inches of snow. And we we plow roads at 7000 foot elevation. So to spring serene lakes, we see the most snow there. You know, I think we're we're usually right top most snow in the United States for you know and expenditures and then up to 5 million, you know, a year in snow removal. So we go from valley to mountain, you know, I-80 corridor. You know, Caltrans takes care of 80, but we take care of all the subdivision side roads and everything in Placer County. It's a pretty big area, 1100 miles of roads we take care of. And depending on elevation, you'll get, you know, those 1100, 3 to 500 miles of snow covered roads that we have to plow. Big area. Absolutely. I'm trying to wrap my mind, too, around 730 inches of snow. Now. I'm trying to get an idea of what your workflow is like. Like how often are those plows having to go like, what was the the worst period of it for you? I mean, I'm sure you you've been busy all winter long and into the spring, but what was the busiest stretch for you and how many drivers did you have out and how frequently were they having to clear the roads late February onto, say, the 27th and 28, we got 52 inches of snow in a 48 hour period. We had bad storms in December, late February, just in Tahoe, we have 12 graders with push plows, eight blowers or push plow trucks. It takes just in Tahoe when we go to 24 hour shifts. We did a stretch of 31 days straight where we worked and that takes up to 28 guys to run that equipment around the clock. And then you come downhill this way a little bit, actually higher elevation. When I say down the hill, our farthest north is Tahoe City, but before that's Donner Summit. And there we have four more graders, five Rotary snowball loaders, multiple push plows, because when the snow level drops, it come all the way down here to Auburn. Then we got to get our valley guys with two wheel drive plow trucks down here with chains. And it's just it's go, go, go. 24 seven. Yeah. So Shawn, here in Virginia, again, just for some kind of additional perspective, we know it has not been as busy. The last few few seasons have not been as busy as this year, obviously. But can you speak to how much how much more busy you are regarding time commitments and manpower in terms of getting these things done? I mean, is it is it six or seven times the workflow? Is it one or two times the workflow? Did you have to was there a big hiring to get people? Were you running out of resources in terms of what we've seen in years before this this snow year? How how, how is this tax to resources? I've been here 22 years and it's the worst I've ever seen. We we've had the contract out both for contractors to help us remove snow and plow extra snow. We have school roads we can't get to. You know, some days they don't want to close the school. So we have contractors we've rented, we've rented extra graders and push plows. We don't really hire extra help other than contractors, but we have 80, 80, not 80 men in our road department. And we ask for volunteers every year to go up to sort of the to go volunteer to pull snow. So, I mean, it takes at one at one time there's probably 40, 50 guys working at once just to plow snow. So in terms of the weather part of this, the weather forecast, who are you working with? Who are your weather partners or partner that you're working with throughout the winter? Mostly? Noah Got it. So the National Weather Service. And are you are you actually speaking with them or like are you speaking with them over the phone or is it something where you're just you're you're reading their forecasts on their website? How does that work? And, you know, before this big, you know, let's say your bigger events, how far out are you planning with their forecast? Well, we have meetings with Noah once, twice a year. And when we have these big events coming in, we will team up with the Office of Emergency Services, which they work with the weather, you know, more than we do. So we'll go have meetings with them and just kind of get a game plan together of what we're going to do and even after and how are we going to recover from it. We have people get trapped in their homes. Oh, yes. Sheriff's search and rescue. Everybody's on board to chip in and, you know, help get through the on average, an average year for us is about 215 inches of snow. And this year, you know, significantly more 730. So and I should ask, too, where do you live? Are you living in the mountains or are you down in the valley? I'm in the foothills, actually, so I'm right in the middle of it all. But I've worked in every district we have in my 22 years here. So I've seen the flooding, the snow that we had early winter. We had trees, low snow, which brought down tons of trees. So then we go into tree clearing mode and then we had to hire contractors for that. I think we put out 500,000 for five contractors to help clear roads and and just open it up for emergency services and so we can get thousands there to open the roads. Okay. So here's kind of a another daunting question I have with my little Eastern bias here. So I apologize. But once you remove this snow, where do you put it? I think Midwest. And that's why our way, when you're driving up our roads up there, the walls of snow are like 20 foot high. So it's just a the process, the repeated process constantly work when it's snowing. Plows are on the ground, pushing it to the side. You know, you can ramp it off in certain places, but we don't have right away. We just have road edge. So we plow. We plow. We plow. When you get a break in the storm, then we send all of our rotary snow blowers out, which cut the snow back. We blow it as far back as we can. Sometimes there's some open area. We can blow it. I mean, we have to stick it between houses. For instance, in serene lakes, the walls are 20 feet high and sometimes you don't know where you're blowing it. You have to experience burying in propane tanks, putting it on people's roofs. We blow it windows quite often because you just can't see where it's going. So, yeah, it's a a process of pushing it off the road and then your roads get so narrow, you're down to one lane or you close them. Then you just blow the snow paths back as possible some place. Some places like in Tahoe City, Caltrans has to blow it in the back of dump trucks and hold out because there's just no place to put it. And we almost ran into that this year. We say don't explain that to us one more time because I might have missed. Are you saying you're putting plow and other dump trucks to hold the snow? Is that what you're saying? Yes. So there's some tight little neighborhoods and in cities up there, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, for one, where there's businesses and sidewalks, you get so much snow, you can only plow it so far. Then you have to blow it with a rotary snow blower and blow it in the back of a dump truck and hauling out to a storing staging area. But what guys, basically, they do that every year in Kings Beach in Tahoe City. Wow. It's less than if you're listening to this podcast and you live out in the Mountain West and I'm sure you get it. I think for the three of us here who, you know, we've seen snow, but not snow like that, that that's just a wild experience. We're here with Donny Francis from the Plaza County partment of Public Works. We're talking all about their crazy snow they had this past week. They're on the Across the Sky podcast. Back with you after the break. And welcome back, everybody, to the Across the Sky podcast, Lee Enterprises National Weather Podcast. You can catch new episodes every Monday, wherever you get podcasts or on your favorite Lee Enterprises news website. Here we are with Donny Francis. He takes care of the county roads that surround Lake Tahoe, the same county that Tahoe City is in. That is the one that he is with in the state of California. He is a road district superintendent. He was just telling us in the break here that 4700 hours work between the crews this winter. Can you tell us when your first day of plowing was this winter? And we're recording this on April 20th. So what was the last day that you guys have plowed so far? Well, you can stop me on that one. Oh. Oh, man. On the first day about maybe that would be October, October, November. And then, you know, the storms come and go, or the worst part of the winter was beginning of December and end of February. Last time we plowed snow was actually last Monday. We got a couple inches up on the summit. Right. Okay. And that's April 17th, is what you're saying, that a couple days ago. Roger. Okay. And you were saying you actually plow some of the ski resorts as well. Tell us about that. Well, we have to we have three actually. Tahoma has one to our main ski resorts or Palisades Olympic Valley, which used to be Squaw Valley. They held the Olympics there in the sixties. The Winter Olympics. And then we have Alpine Meadows. So these are ski resorts in Placer County subdivisions. So there's houses, lots of houses, lots of streets. So we plow all the all the roads in and out and the subdivisions, the ski resorts plow their own parking lots, you know, groom their own runs and stuff. But yeah, those are elevations at around like six, 7000 feet in a lot of snow. And Danny, I'm curious when you're in the worst of it, like that period you mentioned at the end of February, how do you prioritize, I mean, when the snow is just dumping and you're trying to get as many people out there as possible? I mean, you're basically I mean, it's just a continuous process going 24 seven. How do you prioritize which areas are getting the most coverage and which areas are you going to most really? Is it by popular action? Is it by how big the road is? How significant is it by how much you just go to the snowiest area and focus on that? I mean, especially being such a large county and when it's snowing everywhere, how do you prioritize which areas to really focus on? Tahoe City. So we have ten zones that we have our own road district department there, and then Colfax has their own and they plow Donner Summit and Scherger. So two Springs area. So they have a few different areas, zones we call them. And then Tahoe City, we have ten zones. So normally you start your zone at point A and B, right? So but on these heavy storms, you just by the time you get halfway through zone, you can't even tell you plowed. So prioritizing by main roads and main accesses. So we'll just go hit school routes main roads, main roads I mean way like Alpine Meadows Road that goes into that huge subdivision, Olympic Valley. So you start out with your main arteries when you get these heavy snowstorms, start out with your main arteries to keep them open for emergencies and stuff like that. And then when you get those open, you branch off into your side streets and stuff and that's all the heavy store. Normally you plow a zone from beginning to end and then you start it all over. And it's just a process because the snow doesn't start sometimes. So you might start your zone by the time you get back there, there's another 12 inches. That's just it. And it's tough for for me to fathom. So let me ask you this. Are there even in a normal year, are there roads that you that are very high elevation that you was like, well, we're just not going to touch these this year. They're not easy to access in the first place. So we just let them go. And if so, are there additional ones in the year like you just had where you're we are like, we just can't keep up with everything. So we're going to make these other ones exceedingly low priority and just let the snow pile up. Is there anything like that going on at all? Rarely, because we have residents that need, you know, access in and out. So we rarely let anything go. But we did this year have to leave some while we concentrated on the main arteries. So yeah, there was roads that were inaccessible for a short amount of time. And you know, they get so much snow where you can't push the snow. So you take a blower out there and you just open it up with the blower and then you got to clean up behind that. So it's just a long process. We're supposed to plow every road once one pass every 12 hours, two passes every 24 hours, and that's just kind of our motto, just to keep everybody safe and have access. You know, you said that you were that you're born and raised in the area you were and Sacramento and then moved to the foothills here. Most of the crews that you work with, the people who you know, are they from the area, do they understand what it is in such a, you know, snow heavy region like Tahoe? Is most of your crews local or do you have people who are coming from around the country or do you and I don't even know, do you have people say, hey, I want to come here because I love plowing snow so much, This is where I want to be. Is this a haven for people who are who love snow plow? We have we have a guy from Maine, actually, he just retired. He splits his time from there. And here now, because he loves the snow so much. You work for us for years and he was the foreman in total. But normally it's just local people from around I'd say around California. I don't think anybody flocks here to work, but it's mostly local people, a lot of people that have grown up here and, you know, they know they know what's happened and where we get snow and where we don't. Do you run up against people who have relocated there recently and really have had to learn what this is all about or most of the people that that are in your service area have been there a long time and they kind of get it. Or do you still run into these people who are relatively new and they're surprised? Yes, that's one of our the biggest problems we have for complaints is people that moved to Tahoe from maybe the Bay Area. And and if it was this year, then they're always calling and when's the plow come? And I haven't seen a plow. You haven't plowed in days. Well, we have a zone or system or plows that we can go to the GP's and we can track and look and see where the plows been so we can say no, it's been plowed, just not another foot since you looked. So yeah, that's a huge hurdle for us is to just to curb the complaints because we've got a young people, young money that moves up there and you know, they want stuff done Now in the winter like this. It's hard to keep up with just a normal winter. It's hard to keep up with. But yeah, we got a lot of new people in the area and they've never experienced snow like this before. So lots of complaints this year. And I'm sure after a winter like this, you know, with so many crews out there plowing for so many hours, I'm sure you've heard a few good stories this season. Is there one in particular, though, from just chit chatting with the guys as they're coming back and forth, coming in for a quick break and going back out? Is there one story in particular from from this season that stands out to you? Not really. I mean, you get a lot of there's a lot of good in that. You get more complaints than you do, you know, pats on the back. But, you know, probably the the best one was when we had the avalanche in the Olympic Valley, a huge avalanche came down and hit some condos. So, you know, of course, they call us to the rescue. We have to get in there and open it up for emergency search and rescue and that. So we had we sent graders out there and blowers, and that was probably the best story of the year, you know, just to help out, you know, save some people and get them out to safety. Comparing this to the record setting storms since they've been recorded, we're number two right now. Behind 1982, they got over 800 inches. There's a story. It's called the 1982 Avalanche Alpine Letters. And that one actually killed some people. That was that was the biggest record setting snowfall ever recorded here. So this was kind of a flashback because I just watched the documentary. And then here we get hit with another avalanche. What I'm coordinating snow removal. So that was a good story. Just to help out, can you give people a scale of about how much terrain an avalanche is, is covering? You know, there's there's been an avalanche. How how big of like a square mile area do you have to go, you know, effectively excavate after an event like this just to a ballpark? I haven't seen anything bigger than probably a square mile. Okay. So usually there is multiple avalanches in years like this. They may come down on the highway. There is a self triggered avalanche control. The Alpine meadows does they set off, you know, compression bombs and cause them themselves. And sometimes it covers our road. We have to clean them up, but don't usually see a lot of avalanches that consume buildings or people, you know. So this was a first for me. Those compression bombs sound similar to prescribed burning for wildfires. They're intentionally set off to to limit something that's unintentional and bigger. And I know that you said that was good. You said that you also brought up the, you know, the record snowfall mount. I believe you said just those in the 1980s. What I'm curious about is could you tell us how technology has changed with plowing snow over the decades, you know, in terms of either equipment or salting or brining even how much weather, as you know, weather forecasting and improvements there has impacted your job? It's changed a lot. Like, for instance, in 82, you know, watching the documentary, you see these old trucks with push plows on it and stuff like how do you even I think that's back when they lost roads or there wasn't enough population up there, they didn't have to plow as much. So it's been getting a lot better. When I started in 2000, I was running a 1959 international snowblower. That's so that was all back then too. Yeah. So, yeah, we've got a lot of new equipment, but yeah, it's changed a lot. We have a lot more equipment. It's too still though. It's not enough to keep up with the population and the houses they're building and, you know, roads and we're getting new equipment constantly. We got new graders this year, we got new blowers, so we're getting up to date with equipment. Finally, I think our oldest piece of equipment is like a 95 blower, which is about done. Yeah, I bet, especially after this winter. And you know, my final question for you, Donnie, is, you know, now that we're getting these warmer temperatures and finally less snow, are there any concerns, though, about all the snow that is still piled up in these massive piles, this huge amount of snow? Are there any concerns now that we're getting these warm temperatures with the melting? What are your thoughts about that? What are your crews doing to prepare for all of this melting snow now, there's already been warnings for flooding like on the Walker River, but that goes off in towards Nevada. If we get the heat, there's no in-between anymore. It seems like with these winters, the summers, it's goes from cold as heck to 100 degrees. And with this much snow up there, all of our reservoirs are finally full or close to. So they're letting water out. Rivers are at capacity, so they're predicting some more flooding from all the snowmelt that's coming because it's already warming up quick. It's like I said, it's going to be 80 this week, so that'll turn to 100 within probably a month. So for us that all we can do is close roads. You know, we don't have the power to to build levees or stuff, but, you know, our state does and they do without some breaches in levees this year because some a lot of flooding and loss of houses and stuff. But yeah, there's already some warnings for the well, this was very eye opening, especially if you live in a place that doesn't get snow. But even for the three of us or who are low on the snow totem pole, Midwesterners and mid-Atlantic people here, it was really interesting to hear your insight. Dani, anything else you'd like to add before we wrap up with the podcast or I just wish I had some pictures to show you and we'll do the video series next time. If you do some photos though, in the next couple of days, shoot us an email. We can we can get some out as we talk about this episode before we release it here, which I'm sure everyone's listening to now, either on April 24th or sometime thereafter. But otherwise we really appreciate the time and hope you guys have a nice long summer break here. And you know, hopefully next winter will be a fun challenge, but hopefully not record setting like this past winter. So thank you again for your time. We really appreciate it. Thank you. And I'll definitely send you some pictures. Awesome. Sounds good. We are going to take one more break then three of us. We're going to wrap it all up here on the Across the Sky podcast. Thanks again to Donnie for the time here. We know things have been slowing down for him, at least on the snow aspect. But like he said, they're now moving into flooding season with all of that melted snow that has to come. But we do hope he does enjoy a nice long summer here. As you look this up, the most snow that I've experienced in a winter season is 68.2 inches. That was in 2010, 2011. And some places didn't even see 10% of that or excuse me, that was only not even 10% of what some places up by him saw for the winter. Still chilly, incomprehensible amount of snow. Now, what what did you think of the interview? Well, you know, the mountains are just a whole nother a whole nother animal of your if you're a plains person like me, you know, in much of the Midwest where it is, it's pretty flat. You get some hills. But, boy, I mean, so when we get a big snow here, you know, you're talking six, eight, and then, of course, you know, noteworthy. So you're talking about a foot 14 inches. But to be talking about, you know, just getting 12 inches in a matter of hours. A matter of hours, and then, you know, another another 12 inches like that's just an everyday thing up in the mountains when you get up into elevation, it is truly incredible how much it snows. You get up into the Rockies or Sierra Nevada and boy, it it it's remarkable because you could see how much snow in just a short distance, how different it can be. When you go from low elevation to high elevation, you get into those colder temperatures and the snow just just piles up. It is, you know, some really challenging weather forecasts out there, some really, really tight gradients on the snowfall forecasts. Now, forecasting snow is always a challenge, but when you're forecasting the mountains and trying to predict and wrap your mind about forecasting, you know, five feet of snow making a forecast for that and then another system coming in right behind it. And so, you know, to Donnie and those crews, I cannot believe how busy they were this winter. But it's important work, too. I mean, gosh, you know, all the people that are being impacted and, you know, people need to get on with their lives, need to get to school, get to work, but they need help to get to work and get to school. And folks like Bonnie and his crews make it happen. So shout out to them for dealing with one heck of a winter again. And there's still so much snow sitting on the ground there. I mean, I just pulled up visible satellite images and I'm just looking at at the Sierra right now, just packed with snow, deep white, bright whites on the satellite imagery, all this snow that's just sitting there in the Sierra. And as you mentioned, that's it's melting and the water is high. So, you know, they have to manage all of that with rising water from the the snow melt. I mean, you were going to talking earlier on, Joe, about how much snow have you seen in the season? The most I've seen is about 100 inches, 110 inches. And that's when I was up at Penn State in the in the early nineties. And it just a brutal, brutal winter in 93, 94. But that was the last time I'd been through something that one white might call a truly bad winter that was brutally cold, brutally snowy. It wasn't here in Virginia, it was the central mountains of Pennsylvania, although you could get you can you get over 100 inches of snow in Virginia and some of the mountains. And, you know, I think you might be able to pull it off in far northwestern Virginia in the higher elevations in Frederick County or maybe in the in the very high elevations of deeper southwestern Virginia, our paths, I-77, But even that that's a tough that's a tough nut to crack, as we used to say. Got it. And we certainly hope that they catch a little bit of a break here, hopefully as all this snow melts, you know, they're not going be just as busy closing down roads. And I know because I mean, I'm sure that, you know, inevitably there's going to be some road closures due to flooding, but we certainly hope it's not going to be a widespread issue and they can relax a little bit. Boy, they they need it after after this winter. Absolutely. All right. Well, I think we're going to wrap it up for this week's episode of the Across the Sky podcast. We'll be back with you next week. And gosh, it's going to actually be May next week, which sounds kind of crazy. This year is flying by last year. I did not think it flew by this year, but we're going to have a whole bunch of guests for you lined up as we go into May. Of course, we have severe weather season getting into hurricane season two. That officially begins June 1st in the Atlantic Hurricane Basin. Three of us, we'll keep you updated as we go on over the next couple of weeks. So thanks again for listening to the Across the Sky podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPF Discussion with Susan Coelius Keplinger

My Perfect Failure

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2023 55:16

MPF Discussion with Susan Coelius KeplingerForce of Nature with Susan Coelius Keplinger About SusanSusan is the founder of Force of Nature, a performance marketing and PE shop. Force of Nature helps companies use data to tell stories and grow their business through quantitative marketing. Previously Susan was Founder and President of Triggit, an ad technology company. Triggit helped big brands like Booking.com, Home Depot, and Walmart leverage customer data to serve personalized ads. Triggit was sold to Gravity4 in 2015. Prior to Triggit, Susan co-founded Votes For Students, a Pew Charitable Trusts funded non-profit dedicated to measuring the efficacy of Internet and Email marketing as a Get-out-the-Vote technique. Susan earned her BA from Northwestern University, where the USA Today named her one of the nations top college students in 2004. The Fortune Most Powerful Women Community named Susan a top emerging entrepreneur. Beyond her entrepreneurial forays, Susan loves to chase wind and waves in Maui, or play with gravity in Olympic Valley, CA where she lives with her hubby Mark, and two groms, Iver and Aysa. On this episode of My Perfect Failure (Force of nature) Founder & CEO and serial entrepreneur Susan provides invaluable insights on how to succeed as an entrepreneur, from overcoming setbacks, the importance of having a coach and therapist and how we can build a business as an entrepreneur that can support or desired lifestyle. Some Of The Areas We Cover · Why being an entrepreneur is a roller coaster.· Why an entrepreneurs work never leaves their brains.· The helpful lessons we can take from our failures as entrepreneurs.· The importance to self-reflect when we take risks.· Why we should embrace confidence and Think Big. Contact SusanConnect with Susan on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/susanck/ Force of Nature (Find Out More about – Force of nature)https://www.forceofnatu.re/ Please Leave A Review Like this show? Please leave us a review here, even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! Paul: Contact Details · Work with me: paul@myperfectfailure.com · MPF Website: http://www.myperfectfailure.com/ · Insta: follow: https://www.instagram.com/myperfectfailure/ · Twitter: https://twitter.com/failure_perfect · Facebook MPF Private Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/377418129517757

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Palisades Tahoe a unique view with Edie Thys Morgan

Where to Ski

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2023 23:05

In today's show we go to Palisades Tahoe formerly known as Squaw Valley. Host of the 1960 Winter Olympics, soon to be host to the Mens World Cup races and home to some of Americas best skiers and a significant presence in US Skiing. with Edie Thys Morgan, a native of Olympic Valley, an Olympic skier, mother to two current racers. Edie writes articles, books and blogs as RacerEx. She grew up in Olympic Valley, raced out of Squaw and brings her husband and kids back here almost every year. Located in Olympic Valley smack in the middle of the Sierra Tahoe Range and only 2.5 Hrs from San Francisco and 8 miles from beautiful Lake Tahoe. Palisades is one of the US's classics. Palisades is known for its huge snow and for sun, its varied terrain and 6,000 acres of excellent skiing across 6 peaks –. The official stats are 2850 of vertical -30% expert, 45% intermediate and 30% beginner all served by 36 lifts. My Favs Best Restaurant - Gold Coast for the view Best Hotel - Squaw Valley Lodge Best Apres - Le Chamois period Get the Buddy Pass Best Run - Anything off the Palisades --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john--morgan/message

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TPM Episode 303: Connery Lundin, Pro Skier

The Powell Movement Action Sports Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 62:54

Connery Lundin's ski career should be as prolific as he's manufactured it to be. This is a kid from Oakland who was so burnt out on ski racing that he decided at 18 that he would never ski. That all changed with the right roommates, who got Connery back into skiing on his terms…and once Connery fell back in love with the sport, he went all in on becoming a pro skier. But, to make things harder for himself, he didn't do much to promote himself off snow…. but that didn't matter, and it all worked out. Connery graduated to his day job of filming with Warren Miller and MSP, and we talk about it all…. Connery Lundin Show Notes: 5:30: Random acts of kindness, Oakland, skiing every weekend, JT Holmes, and ski racing 15:00: Product of Olympic Valley, moving to Tahoe with his mom and going to Sugar Bowl Academy, money, influential skiers, and being competitive 22:00: Stanley: Get 30% off sitewide with the code drinkfast Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there Outdoor Research: The best outerwear ever built just got better 25:00: Bringing twin tips on trips, race results, when he realizes he's not going to make it, quitting skiing, University of Colorado and Tony Siebert 32:00: His first Free Skiing Word Tour event, more contests here and there, and going all in on the pro skier thing 36:00: Moving to Jackson Hole, Powder days at Palisades, Powder Days in Jackson, and networking 41:30: 10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers; they support action sports more than anyone Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better 43:00: Winning the 2015 Free Skiing World Tour, JT the mentor, filming, it's who you know, and the momentum is building 50:00: Injury, does it set his career back, Warren Miller trips, what's next and 55:00: Inappropriate Questions with JT Holmes

GGR #59 MIKE OBERY (Cappadocia Ultra Trail) GottaRunRacing

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2022 53:53

Mike Obery from South Africa was introduced to running by his brother a few years back and since then, he has been on a tear checking off his Western States 100 qualifiers. We met Mike at the Cappadocia Ultra Trail in Turkey and was instantly drawn to his warmth and passion for life. He tells us how Western States 100 has motivated him and is his ultimate ultra goal. Along the way, he has completed some pretty epic races including Ultra Trail Cape Town and Karkloof 100 Miler in South Africa. We have no doubt he will be toeing the line in Olympic Valley, California in the near future! Here is Mike Obery... You can follow Mike on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/mikeobery/ Check out GottaRunRacing website here: gottarunracing.com Check out our YouTube Channel here - https://youtube.com/@GottaRunRacing Check out GRR Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gottarunracing/ Check out GRR Twitter here: https://twitter.com/gottarun_racing Check out GRR Pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.ca/gottarunracing/ Support us on Patreon here : https://www.patreon.com/gottarunracing

Tessa Chesser - Seize the Day, Sugar Velour, Sending it

Dirt Church Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 74:33

Kia ora e te whānau.Tessa Chesser charges. An athlete from a super competitive background playing soccer to now a top-flight trail runner who had a huge 2021 placing in the top 10 at Canyons 100k and taking out third at Javelina Jundred Mile to earn a Golden Ticket to the 2022 Western States. A foot injury laid her low for the big dance even though she lined up at Olympic Valley. This conversation is a cracker, with insights on performance, mindset, and how we can put ourselves next to the most highly disciplined human athletes, but we pale in comparison to the stoke and pure get-after-it-ness of a two-year-old chocolate labrador. Refreshing, candid, and wise, Tessa Chesser is one trail running human being to keep an eye on in the coming years. Enjoy. Episode Links Tessa Chesser Instagram Craft Sportswear Buff Spring Energy Dry MaxLekiLactic Turkey Junior Trail CampCurraNZSOS HydrationSCOTT Running Coros NZJulbo Eyewear UltrAspireirunfarGivealitle for Kerry's Rehab Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on Twitter Dirt Church Radio on Facebook Dirt Church Radio on PatreonCieleFurther Faster New Zealand

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Sierra Watch!

executive director olympic valley

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2022 5:59

Will high-rises and the nation's tallest water slide claim Olympic Valley as their home? Tom Mooers, Executive Director of Sierra Watch, shares the final verdict, 11 years in the making.

Evening News - Thu August 4th, 2022

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2022 24:55

The California Report follows a family as they jump through a convoluted series of hoops to enable their twins to attend preschool, all while paying more for daycare than for their mortgage. We consider the future of an iconic Northern California landscape--will high-rises claim Olympic Valley as their home? Tom Mooers, Executive Director of Sierra Watch, shares the final verdict with Felton Pruitt. We close with an essay by Molly Fisk.

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#43: Post Western States 100 with Andy Jones-Wilkins and Luis Gomez

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2022 74:02

The 2022 Western States 100 has come and gone, and Luis Gomez was one of the few Floridians who crushed it this year. On episode 33, we had a pre-race chat joined by “Mr. Western States” Andy Jones-Wilkins. So without a doubt, we are back again to recap and hash out how that race went down! Andy Jones-Wilkins has done the Western States 100 ten times, placing 2nd in 2005. Over his ten years he has placed in the Top 10 numerous times. He continues now with volunteering, cheerleading, announcing, and helping make it happen! He was also out at the Michigan Bluff aid station where he ran into Luis propped up on a chair getting his feet tended to by the wonderful Tonya Olson! Luis is one of the very few Floridians to have their name drawn for this year's race. This journey covers 6 years of racing and 16 tickets! Luis has done races from the Long Haul 100, Javelina Jundred, Arkansas Traveler, to Bryce Canyon. Not a qualifier race, but also the Keys 100. He did awesome out there running a time of 26:28:58. The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world's oldest 100 Mile trail race. The Run starts in Olympic Valley, California, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, California. In the decades since its inception in 1974, Western States has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests in the world.

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#42: Lindsay Raley and the Western States 100

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2022 97:49

This year Lindsay Raley was one of the three Floridians at the Western States 100 in California. He crushed the course with a time of 29:12:51. Lindsay is no stranger to the distance and challenging courses as he's also finished the Black Canyon 100k twice, the Pinhoti 100, Croom Zoom, Lake Martin 100, and the Bloodrock 50 Miler. He's coached by the man at the finish line, Tom Flahavan who finished 8th place at the 2001 Western States 100. Lindsay had some amazing pacers like Gary Klein (2017 Western States finisher), Tim Angelo, and Michael Klingman. He had the Crew Chief of Candi Jones, his kids Alex and Sam, and his wonderful wife Michelle who also joins us on this episode! The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run is the world's oldest 100 Mile trail race. The Run starts in Olympic Valley, California, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, California. In the decades since its inception in 1974, Western States has come to represent one of the ultimate endurance tests in the world.

Preparing for Western States 100 With Arlen Glick

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 65:49

Often times, there are runners who seem to take the competitive field by storm; winning a ton of races and doing so in impressive times. And today's guest definitely falls into that category, as he's been racking up tons of wins in the ultra scene over the past year. His resume includes winning the 2021 Javelina Jundred to secure his Golden Ticket into Western States 100, winning the Mochican 100 miler, winning the Burning River 100 miler, and winning the Umstead 100 miler. Today's guest is the amazing Arlen Glick! Arlen is an ultrarunner hailing from the great state of Ohio, and is one of the most well known ultra runners from that area. He is currently getting ready to race in this weekend's Western States 100, as it is his first time toeing the line in Olympic Valley for the legendary race. In this episode, Arlen shares how he progressed so quickly in the world of ultrarunning, stories on how he was able to pull off massive comebacks in an ultramarathon, and how he's preparing for Western States 100. Follow Arlen on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/47004437?oq=arle Check out U R Ultra to host your own race (or sign up for one): https://urultra.com/about-ur/

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107. Broken Arrow Race Recap, Western States 100 Stories, and VO2 Max Competitions

Some Work, All Play

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2022 88:09

We got really, really excited about Olympic Valley before talking about takeaways from the Broken Arrow skyraces, the complexity of races that reward VO2 max, how training for other sports can support running (but how that might also hide the true performance drivers), 6 tips for dealing with pre-race anxiety, 4 narratives around the Western States 100, our sleeper picks for podium finishes, the importance of eating enough for male athletes, and thinking about running training in a power-per-stride framework. Plus lots more fun! Make sure you stick around to the very end for the G.O.A.T. pregnancy burp. We love you all! WOOHOO! For a weekly bonus episode, make sure you're subscribed to our Patreon. We love you all! WOOHOO! Support the podcast: patreon.com/swap Try Athletic Greens: athleticgreens.com/SWAP

Episode 104 - Western States Preview with Cat Bradley and Phil Vondra

The Pain Cave

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 81:02

It's that time of year again: Western States! The world's best are gathering in Olympic Valley for the biggest race on the domestic ultrarunning calendar, and we're breaking down our top picks for the Big Dance with former WS100 champ Cat Bradley and her broken hand. We recorded this last week before all the happenings at Broken Arrow this weekend (though I will say we did a pretty good job of calling out some of the best performers to watch) before diving deep into our top 5 men's and top 10 women's picks. Then, Phil and I do a super-quick roundup of some recent Euro and Beastcoast trail news.Beer for this episode: Athletic Brewing Free Wave and Upside Dawn (use promo code JASONF20 for 20% off your first order), Better Booch KombuchaIntro music: "Fine Line" by the BloodlettersOutro music: "When I Was Still Young" by Yard Sale

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#33: Pre Western States 100 with Andy Jones-Wilkins and Luis Gomez