Podcasts about Pacific Northwest

Charles "Chucky Danger" Stephens is a Canadian outdoorsman, researcher, and host of The Danger Zone, an independent podcast dedicated to exploring the unexplained. Based in the rugged wilderness of British Columbia, Canada, Stephens leverages his experience as an avid woodsman to investigate high-strangeness across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. His work focuses heavily on cryptozoology, anomalous phenomena, and anomalous field research, bringing a boots-on-the-ground perspective to topics that mainstream science often overlooks.Through The Danger Zone, Stephens has built a dedicated community for enthusiasts of the paranormal, UFOlogy, and regional folklore. The podcast features a mix of solo investigations, deep dives into historical mysteries, and interviews with witnesses who have encountered the bizarre—ranging from Sasquatch sightings in the deep bush to mysterious lights in the sky. By blending a passion for the great outdoors with an open-minded approach to the supernatural, Stephens provides a compelling platform that challenges listeners to look a little closer at the shadows of the natural world.Spaced Out Radio is your nightly source for alternative information, starting at 9pm Pacific, 12am Eastern.  We broadcast LIVE every night. #UFO #UAP #AlienDisclosure #UFOSightings #UFOCoverUp #Aliens #SpacedOutRadio #Paranormal #UFOCommunity #disclosure -------------------------------------------------------You can now join the Space Traveler's Club;Join us at  https://www.patreon.com/sor_space_travelers_club  --------------------------------------------------------Grab Our Latest Spaced Out Radio Gear At:http://spacedoutradio.com/shop  It's a great way to support our show!--------------------------------------------------------OUR LINKS:TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/spacedoutradio   FACEBOOK:https://www.facebook.com/spacedoutradioshow  SPACED OUT RADIO - INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/spacedoutradioshow  DAVE SCOTT - INSTAGRAM:https://www.instagram.com/davescottsor   TWITCH: https://www.twitch.com/spacedoutradioshow  WEBSITE: http://www.spacedoutradio.comGUEST IDEAS OR QUESTIONS FOR SOR?Contact Klaus at bookings@spacedoutradio.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spaced-out-radio--1657874/support.

The wisdom traditions bear witness that the universe is not some cold place that is indifferent to you. Rather, teachings across the Abrahamic faiths suggest creation is more like a love letter from God — an invitation to intimately know God's divine being and to participate in ongoing creation. Theophany literally means "divine appearance," or "divine self-disclosure." In part I of this two-part teaching, Thomas reflects on how the natural world reveals the divine qualities through beauty and majesty, and in so doing, calls us all into a deeper love. Join Thomas for a 7-day meditation retreat in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. October 19-26: https://lowerlightswisdom.org/upcomingevents/7-day-silent-retreat-2026-october"

What an incredible time to get to meet a friend of the program, BlueTuskr fearless leader and founder Andrew Maff! We talked all about how omnichannel is more important than ever. Ecommerce Marketing is going fast and changing but maybe it's more the same as it was before digital started? Andrew explains why. Hayley Brucker and the NEW is with Scotty O on location from Seattle's Amazon Accelerate! That means we had "What's That Keyword?" game! Always Laugh and Learn with Always Off Brand!  Listen/Watch and share ASAP!       FEEDSPOT TOP 10 Retail Podcast! https://podcast.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/?feedid=5770554&_src=f2_featured_email GUEST Andrew Maff  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmaff/ BlueTuskr - https://www.bluetuskr.com/ QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/ Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 17 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 30 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Mr. Ohsman has been managing brands on Amazon for 19yrs. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Producer and Co-Host for the top 5 retail podcast, Always Off Brand. He also produces the Brain Driven Brands Podcast featuring leading Consumer Behaviorist Sarah Levinger. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley lives in North Carolina.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music "Office Party" available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   "Always Off Brand" is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.  

Washington State documents obtained by The Center Square reveal what looks like a coordinated fraud scheme: childcare providers conspiring with parents to collect taxpayer-funded DSHS subsidies for children who were never brought to care. In case after case, parents signed kids in anyway — and providers reportedly kicked back 30% of their payments to keep the arrangement running.Attorney General Nick Brown is urging anyone with information to report fraud to the state, but Sean argues an inside investigation from the same apparatus that missed this for years won't cut it. An outside investigator — from outside Washington entirely — is needed. The parallels to Minnesota's "Feeding Our Future" case ($250 million stolen, Amy Bach sentenced to 42 years) are impossible to ignore. Fraud doesn't see state lines.Meanwhile, Katie Wilson's office says no fraud investigation was directed in her first week on the job, and SEIU 925's Aaron Hake sent lawmakers a letter urging them to rein in the investigative reporters covering the story. Cameras that showed up at a local daycare found bullet holes in the wall and zero children inside.This story isn't going away — Sean thinks it unravels on a national scale right here in Washington State. Subscribe to @reasonablenews for the Pacific Northwest coverage that needs to be told.#NFRP #WashingtonState #DaycareFraudGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

Vancouver's Old Apple Tree Festival returns Oct. 3 to mark 200 years since the Pacific Northwest's oldest apple tree was planted at Fort Vancouver in 1826. The free event runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with live music, cider pressing, fresh apples, and limited cuttings from the original root system. https://clarkcountytoday.com/story/old-apple-tree-festival-celebrates-200-years-pacific #OldAppleTreeFestival #Vancouver #FortVancouver #HeritageTree #ClarkCounty #CommunityEvents #PacificNorthwest #WashingtonState #TreeConservation #AppleIndustry

—  What does it mean to truly heal—not only mentally, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually? Today, we explore healing as an inner pilgrimage, bringing together ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychology to understand what helps us become whole again. At the heart of our conversation is Hildegard of Bingen's beautiful concept of viriditas—the "greening power" within us—and Alfred Adler's teachings on belonging, courage, purpose, and our deeply relational nature. We'll explore what happens when we feel disconnected from that inner vitality, how our struggles may be pointing us toward something that needs attention, and why healing is about more than simply eliminating symptoms. Danae talks about pilgrimage, creativity, spirituality, belonging, surrender, and the mind-body connection—and how each can become part of our journey back to ourselves. Perhaps healing isn't only about repairing what has been wounded. Perhaps it is about allowing something within us to come alive again—to feel our sap rising and rediscover our natural capacity for growth, meaning, and joy. Valeria sits with Danae Ashley  — She is the author of  "My Sap is Rising: A Pilgrimage of Holistic Mental Health Healing with Hildegard of Bingen and Alfred Adler."  The Rev. Danae Ashley is an Episcopal priest, Adlerian psychotherapist, international speaker, and voiceover actress in the Pacific Northwest. Danae uses art, music, drama, poetry, and movement in counseling, spiritual direction, and creation of ritual. She has written for various online publications, as well as being a contributor to podcasts, books, and producing a play about fertility struggle. Danae's book, My Sap is Rising debuted in March 2026. When not reading, writing, or speaking about Hildegard, you may find her traveling with her husband, making sure their rescue dog is living his best life, dancing with wild abandon to Celtic music, and singing serious karaoke. To learn more Danae Ashley about and her work, please visit: https://www.danaeashley.com/

In today's episode #72 of The Nourishment Mindset podcast, we welcome listener, gardener, renovator, health enthusiast and working Mom/wife extraordinaire, Meghan Robidoux. Meghan graciously shares her health philosophy and story of healing from Lyme disease. And offers some great tips for balancing a full life: she intentionally frames her day around “the one big thing” and no longer uses the word busy to reflect her intention. For Meghan it's all about repetition of select rituals — for example, dedicated family breakfasts, 5 minute piano practices, and the importance of her first and last thoughts of the day. I first met Meghan nearly 20 years ago. We had just moved to the Pacific Northwest for Patrick's finance job, where he worked with Meghan and her now husband, Jayson. My first impression was, this woman radiates great, calm, content energy — hers is a magnetic vibe and I want to know her.Over the years we've all changed jobs, moved multiple times, started families and enjoyed RV adventures. I've watched the Robidoux buy, remodel and sell some great homes. And when I say remodel, picture Meghan with some serious demo equipment in hand. This woman does it all! AND their kids are a delight to be around: Meghan and Jayson are raising them with strong values, sound faith, great nutrition and lots of love and outdoor adventure. You can take ‘em anywhere, and we did recently while sharing time in France: from waterpark to winery; restaurant to antique theater; and Med boat trip to a rough return home to a power outage, there were a total of zero issues. That's a big deal with one family, let alone when two families are sharing but one toilette française!I had the idea to invite Meghan on the show after the most recent avocado oil scandale surfaced because she has a legit, easy and delicious homemade mayo recipe. (Well, to be honest I had the idea to ask for her recipe and Patrick suggested I interview her.) For the record, recently UC Davis authenticity tested 54 avocado oil “only” containing products and found that 48 failed. That's 88% (not the 93% I incorrectly stated during the show, oops)! And includes the mayo brands I've been touting, buying and serving. Yet another story of Big Food substituting cheaper ingredients — in this case inflammatory seed oils, and lying on the label. Disgusting and maddening, yet not at all surprising. Chez Huey is therefore going back to homemade. And you can, too, starting with Meg's fine One Minute Mayo recipe below. But first, here she is with her radiant, fabulous family: FINE RECIPE- Meg's One Minute Homemade Avocado Oil MayoIngredients1 cup avocado oil1 large egg1 tb mustard1 tb white vinegar1 tsp saltfreshly ground pepper to tasteStepsYou'll need a pint sized (or slightly larger) wide-mouth Mason jar and an immersion blender. Ensure the blender fits comfortably through the opening and leave a little room at the top for blending.Add all ingredients into the Mason jar.Place the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the jar. Blend keeping the blender near the bottom at first. As the mixture turns thick and creamy, slowly move the blender upward to incorporate the remaining oil.Cap the jar and refrigerate. Use the mayo within two weeks.In Meghan's words: “One jar. No mess. No mystery ingredients.”A SPECIAL NOTE- Southwest Florida readersThis spring, Patrick and I were asked to consider starring in a two-person comedy with multiple roles each. My first reaction despite my ultimate respect for Frank, the director/co-writer was um, no - way too much work for this working baseball mom and wife. (I performed in a play in 2024, loved it and it completely took over my life.) I emailed Frank back with some show stopping stipulations and to my surprise, he accommodated. Oops! This meant I should at least read the script… well, I/we did and ideas started to percolate. Fast forward to today and we open in Chameleüns this Friday, October 2 on Marco Island at the Arts Center Theater for a weekend workshop with three performances. Here are relevant links below:Buy tickets - thank you for your support!Gulf Coast Life podcast - on air with the co-writers to give the backstory and moreCoastal Breeze article show websiteChameleüns is a comedic love story about how people change within relationships. I primarily play a psychotherapist and Patrick is a collection of my patients. He's additionally a haiku writing snob while I'm an aspiring country music singer (yes, I/we have to sing). And we also dabble in infommerical religion sales. FINE READ-I just finished Dr. Leland Stillman's The End of Autoimmunity and it's fantastic! Here's my review. I have been listening to Dr. Stillman's podcast for over a year now and I truly appreciate his deep dive for the root causes of dis-ease, his courage in challenging the dogma and status quo, integrity and faith. If you have any ongoing health challenges — perhaps despite “normal labs,” considering booking an introductory call with his practice. Do note that like most concierge practices, they do not accept insurance. And as always, I remain 100% independent and discuss and promote only what I believe in; I never take any refferal or other promotional fees.FINE FIND-One of my very favorite kitchen counter items is my Butter Bell. If you don't yet have one of these, it's time to man or woman-up! For about $30 you can always have creamy, spreadable, nutrient-rich butter on your counter. As a reminder, butter is a wonderful source of critical fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as arachidonic acid, which is important for cognitive function, mood regulation, energy balance, muscle growth, wound healing and immune function. My minimum butter consumption is 1 tablespoon a day. If this seems like heresy to you, perhaps you're a new reader. Please check out the work of Dr. Nina Teicholz, whose book Big Fat Surprise, was a life changer for me: the beginning of my awakening and newfound vitalityWhat, what, what??! You haven't yet read The Nourishment Mindset. Really? It's time. Buy it on Amazon or on my FavorFat health coaching site for a signed copy including free shipping.Santé and be nourished, y'all! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit favorfat.substack.com

This week Erin starts us off with a local Pacific Northwest cult case with The Holy Rollers Love Cult/The Brides of Christ. It takes place in the early 1900s and involves a cult, blatant adultery, an attack, assassination attempts, murder, asylums, prisons, and that is just scratching the surface. Then Autumn takes us back to 1600's Salem for the story of Bridget Bishop the first person executed during the Salem Witch hysteria.New episodes are out every Tuesday and listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Magician On Duty Journey returns with Citrus Age (@citrusage) , a Seattle-based musician and selector whose sound moves through dusty melodic house, slow techno and the space between the personal and the ethereal. A lifelong musician, Citrus Age found dance music through the shimmering art cars of Black Rock City, later becoming part of Seattle's Reflect the Glow collective and a presence within the intimate festival culture of the Pacific Northwest. His 20-track Journey unfolds patiently, moving through intricate grooves, psychedelic textures and melodies that seem to hover just beyond reach. The selection brings together artists from across the deeper edges of electronic music, including Mira, Chris Schwarzwälder, Animal Picnic, Midas 104, AVEM and Malü. Rather than chasing a peak, Citrus Age lets the journey reveal itself slowly. Warm, hypnotic and occasionally strange, this is a mix built for the hours when the dance floor becomes less a place and more a state of mind. Magician On Duty Journey by Citrus Age. Twenty tracks. No shortcuts. Just follow the rhythm. Tracklist: 1. Agua Panela (Elfenburg Remix) - Manuel Sahagun, Christ Burstein, Los Cabra 2. Sdm - Nada 3. Water Entity (Ǎvem Remix) - Coss 4. Doodle (Apaj Remix) - Niju, Malü 5. Solar Funk - Glenn Shaw 6. Is SI (Bepo Remix) - Nada 7. Verstimmt (Lui Mafuta Remix) - Malü, Kalypsoul 8. Schwarm (Zhart & Tonda Remix) - Bepo, Kolja 9. Deía (Avem Remix) - Chris Schwarzwalder, Mira 10. Orion - Fake Mood, Mirida 11. Keep it Real - Dr. Parnassus 12. Miijetho - M.ONDE 13. When I Was a Young Girl - K2W0, Her 14. Solea (Planet Caravan Remix) - gázel 15. Willow - Yor Kultura 16. Colima - Huelschoff & Rheinlaender 17. Fortuna - Nugi 18. Überall (Luíz Sabema remix) - Jan Hertz 19. Tumulte - Ektoplast 20. Gravity (Midas 104 remix) - Animal Picnic Follow Citrus Age here: https://soundcloud.com/citrusage https://www.instagram.com/citrus_age https://www.facebook.com/citrusage

Your Crab Pot Is Losing Crab (Here's the Fix)Crabbing is one of the best fisheries in the San Juan Islands, and one of the few that keeps going long after salmon season closes. But a pot that is rigged wrong will lose crab on the way up, or let them walk straight back out while it is sitting on the bottom. This episode is the full setup, every piece, from the bridle to the buoy, plus the four things that make your pot legal in Washington.Episode Overview- Why an angled ramp entry holds crab and a flat entry lets them leave, and which pot to pick- The rope mistake that costs people gear: nylon floats, so it belongs on the bridle and nowhere else- How to weight a pot with a downrigger ball, and the zip tie step that stops your bait shooting out- What actually makes a crab pot legal in Washington waters- Why rot cord matters, and what to do if you lose a pot- The gear that makes crabbing off a boat easier, including mounts and a pot pullerTimestamps00:00 - Why crabbing is the season that keeps going00:26 - Welcome to Fishing for a Reason00:55 - Burnewiin mounts and a quick-switch boat layout01:50 - Why we use a pot puller even for crabbing03:12 - The McKay pots we fish, and why03:48 - The nylon rope mistake to avoid04:30 - No Escape ramps vs Fast Fisher flat entry04:51 - What a GoPro in a crab pot shows you05:10 - Weighting the pot, and the zip tie that saves your bait06:11 - Rigging it: bridle, sea links, 120 feet of leaded line06:49 - What makes your pot legal in Washington07:58 - If you lose a pot, report it08:40 - The mistake that jams your doors open09:15 - The Fast Fisher, and when a shorter soak worksKey Takeaways- Nylon rope floats, so use it for the bridle and leaded line for everything else.- 120 feet of leaded line covers the depths most people crab around here.- Zip tie any weight inside the bait cage, or the drop will push your bait out the top.- Angled ramp entries make it harder for crab to leave; flat entries fish faster but lose more.- Do not over-soak. Crab get out, and a long soak is not a free upgrade.- A red and white buoy with your name and address on the pot is the law, not a suggestion.- Rot cord means a lost pot stops fishing instead of killing crab forever.- A salmon head hung too near the door will jam it open and cost you the whole soak.Resources & LinksMcKay Shrimp & Crab Gear: https://mckayshrimpandcrabgear.comBurnewiin: https://burnewiin.comReport a lost or derelict pot: https://salishseaalliance.org/derelict-gear/WDFW crab regulations: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/crabWant more?Go to https://anglersunlimited.co/gold to learn more about our membership. Monthly expert seminars, step-by-step courses, fishing maps, and a community of 100+ anglers who want you to succeed.About the PodcastFishing for a Reason is the Pacific Northwest saltwater fishing education podcast for new anglers and families who want to catch more salmon, halibut, lingcod, shrimp and crab in Washington waters. Hosted by Jamie & Scott Propst from Anglers Unlimited, each episode delivers practical techniques, local knowledge, and expert insights to help you get off the couch and into the fish. Perfect for relocated professionals, military families, and boaters who are just getting into fishing.

This podcast episode tackles one of the most divisive issues in American politics: Immigration. It features two guests you might not expect to find at the same table: Krist Novoselic, co-founder of Nirvana and founder of Washington's Cascade Party, and Washington State Senator Yasmin Trudeau. Together we ask the hard questions:-Should it be easier or harder to immigrate to the United States? -Does America need ICE? -Can the country secure its borders while remaining a nation that welcomes immigrants? -And after 250 years of immigration, what does it actually mean to be American?Rather than retreating into familiar political talking points, Novoselic and Trudeau start with something more personal: their own families. Trudeau recounts the dramatically different immigration experiences within her family, from Scandinavian immigrants who built a business in the Pacific Northwest to her Bangladeshi mother's painful journey to America. Novoselic, a first-generation American, describes his father escaping socialist Yugoslavia, living in a refugee camp, working in Germany, and eventually immigrating to the United States. Trudeau argues that America desperately needs immigrants while questioning whether ICE should exist in its current form. She discusses migrant labor, H-2A visas, detention conditions, exploitation and the economic realities behind America's reliance on immigrant workers. Novoselic makes the case for a functioning legal immigration system that combines opportunity with expectations. The conversation explores background checks, border enforcement, self-sufficiency and proposals contained in the Dignity Act of 2025, including a potential path toward legal status for some undocumented immigrants already living in the United States. But the conversation ultimately becomes about something bigger than immigration policy: What kind of country does America want to be? For Novoselic, America's defining strengths are its prosperity, pluralism and opportunity. For Trudeau, the enduring power of the American idea is that generations of immigrants continue arriving with the same basic hope: to work, build a life and give their children opportunities they never had. At a moment when immigration has become one of the country's fiercest political dividing lines, this episode asks whether Americans can move beyond fear and slogans and have a serious conversation about borders, dignity, responsibility, opportunity and what holds a diverse nation together. Episode Highlights:-Should immigration to America be easier or harder?-Does the United States still need ICE? Trudeau explains why she questions the agency's role-Border security vs. immigration enforcement -Why both guests believe immigration and economic opportunity are closely connected-America's dependence on migrant farmworkers, caregivers, childcare workers and construction labor-The problems Trudeau sees in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker system-The debate over immigration detention and its financial and human costs -What immigrants should be required to do when entering and living in the United States-Why background checks, violent crime and public safety matter in a functioning immigration system...and more.Listen & Subscribe Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-informed-citizenApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-citizen/id1738680188Watch More:YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdscEVfgjkiNh9YK-0yYiTZN7usLZ4CRConnect with The Informed CitizenWebsite: https://theinformedcitizen.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drphiliplindholmFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drphiliplindholmCreditsHosted by Philip LindholmProduced by The Informed CitizenMusic: “This Party Bussin” by Sound and VisionThis podcast is for informational purposes only and not professional advice.

In this episode of The Evergreen Thumb, Erin Hoover covers everything you need to know about growing garlic in Washington state. She explains the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic, shares her own growing experience, and touches on elephant garlic as well. Erin walks through site selection, sourcing seed garlic, regional planting timing, spacing methods, and mulching for winter protection. She covers scape removal in early summer and when to stop watering before harvest, then closes with guidance on curing garlic for maximum storage life and an overview of common garlic pests and diseases, including prevention tips like crop rotation and separating garlic from onions. Resources mentioned in this episode, along with a full transcript, can be found on our website.  

Growers in the Pacific Northwest have been at the forefront of an explosion in the popularity and availability of radicchio. A new book tells the story.

Oracle just cut another 359 jobs in Washington state — its second significant round of layoffs this year, following 491 cuts in March. The company is pivoting hard into AI, freeing up cash by eliminating the high-paid technical engineers and software developers it once recruited to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle offices aren't closing, but everyone in them might be gone before long.Sean Reynolds calls this the "tech doom loop" — and it fits. As Washington state piles on regulations and taxes that make it one of the most expensive places in the country to do business, companies like Oracle are quietly gutting their Pacific Northwest workforces. Katie Wilson and Seattle's political class have no answer beyond more commissions, more studies, and spending programs that deepen the spiral.Four decades of Democrat supermajority leadership have painted this region into a corner. The commercial real estate collapse spreading from Portland to Seattle, Amazon's steady migration to Bellevue, and Starbucks cutting jobs for Tennessee aren't isolated stories — they're the same doom loop playing out across every sector. Seven thousand jobs lost and counting, with no credible plan to reverse course from the people running these cities.CHAPTERS0:00 Oracle cuts 359 Washington jobs in…1:44 Oracle Cuts 359 Jobs in Seattle3:52 Oracle Keeps Office, Fires Remote…5:01 Seattle's Costs Make It a Layoff Target7:01 AI Replaces Seattle's Software Engineers8:20 Seattle Treats Business as a Tax Spigot9:09 Oracle's AI Debt Drives Nationwide…11:49 Oracle Shed 21,000 Jobs This Year13:16 Big Tech Dumps Puget Sound Office Space14:49 Portland's Big Pink Sold at 87% Discount15:56 Amazon Vacates Seattle for Bellevue16:48 Starbucks Fires Staff Who Refused…17:58 Puget Sound Lost 7,000 Tech Jobs20:00 Challenge Seattle Faces Its Policy…23:34 Seattle's Policies Price Out ResidentsSubscribe to @reasonablenews for daily coverage of the stories Pacific Northwest media won't tell you.#NFRP #OracleLayoffs #WashingtonStateGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

Starbucks is closing another 250 stores across North America — and two of them are in Seattle, the company's own hometown. As the coffee giant boards up locations, independent cafés and bakeries are quietly filling the vacated storefronts. The free market giveth, and the free market taketh away. Meanwhile, those unionized Seattle stores Sean's been watching? Minimum wage can always go to zero.Sean breaks down the full scope of Starbucks' retreat: 627 stores shuttered across North America and Europe last year, now another wave hitting the Pacific Northwest. The company says it evaluates stores on "customer experience and long-term performance" — a polished way of saying the unit economics stopped working. Former employees at closing locations will get severance or transfers to other coffeehouses. Former customers will get a local bakery.This episode also covers the broader layoff wave hitting Washington state: Microsoft cutting 300 jobs from its Xbox and commercial divisions as AI rewrites the economics of tech staffing, and Expedia trimming headcount across its Bellevue operation.CHAPTERS0:00 Starbucks closes hundreds more stores…1:35 Microsoft Leads the Seattle Layoff Wave2:16 Xbox Gaming Nostalgia from a Dad3:27 Microsoft Cuts 300 Washington State Jobs4:49 Tech Sector Bloat Meets AI Automation5:40 Xbox Games Division Shrinks for AI6:56 Expedia Cuts 58 Washington State Jobs8:24 Microsoft and Xbox July Layoff Totals9:42 Starbucks Baristas and the Living Wage11:23 Starbucks Closing Stores in the…12:48 Unionized Starbucks Stores Face Shutdown14:59 Starbucks Moves Headquarters Out of…16:28 Fumbling a Coffee Order GoodbyeSubscribe to @reasonablenews for daily conservative commentary on the Pacific Northwest stories Seattle media buries straight.#NFRP #Seattle #StarbucksGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

Newly released SPD text messages reveal that the five-hour blackout following the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting wasn't a communications breakdown — it was a command decision. According to a source who spoke with Fox 13, Seattle Police Department leadership was ready to brief the public hours earlier, until Mayor Katie Wilson's office stepped in and told them to stand down. A single text captures the moment: "Please wait for her."Mayor Wilson has publicly denied that her office played any role in the delay. Now nine senior SPD leaders' texts tell a different story. Former Chief Shon Barnes's messages have not been released, with the department citing account recovery issues — a detail that echoes the Durkan lost-phone precedent in ways that won't reassure anyone watching Seattle's accountability record.Sean breaks down what the timeline actually shows: why pulling in the governor and other elected officials at a live mass-casualty scene makes zero tactical sense, what the "9:42 — please wait for her" text means for Mayor Wilson's credibility, and what a five-hour communications blackout signals about who is — and isn't — in charge of Seattle.CHAPTERS0:00 'Please wait for her': Seattle mayor…1:47 SPD Texts Expose Five-Hour Delay2:28 Source: Mayor's Office Stopped Briefing3:29 Mayor Wilson Denies Blocking Briefing5:22 Trained SPD, But Who Stopped Them?6:24 Mayor Wilson's Credibility Is Crumbling7:52 Ferguson and Jayapal Deny Involvement10:40 Nine SPD Leaders' Texts Released12:44 Chief Barnes Texts Still Missing13:47 Shooting Night Text Chain Revealed14:36 Who Ordered the Five-Hour Wait?18:36 Why Were Politicians Delaying Answers?20:16 Suspects Still at Large, Weeks Later21:38 Chief Barnes in Dallas That Night23:35 Who Quashed the Press Conference?25:50 Who Is Running Seattle?Subscribe to @reasonablenews and hit the notification bell for daily coverage of what's actually happening in the Pacific Northwest.#NFRP #SeattlePolitics #KatieWilsonGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

Newly released SPD text messages reveal that the five-hour blackout following the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting wasn't a communications breakdown — it was a command decision. According to a source who spoke with Fox 13, Seattle Police Department leadership was ready to brief the public hours earlier, until Mayor Katie Wilson's office stepped in and told them to stand down. A single text captures the moment: "Please wait for her."Mayor Wilson has publicly denied that her office played any role in the delay. Now nine senior SPD leaders' texts tell a different story. Former Chief Shon Barnes's messages have not been released, with the department citing account recovery issues — a detail that echoes the Durkan lost-phone precedent in ways that won't reassure anyone watching Seattle's accountability record.Sean breaks down what the timeline actually shows: why pulling in the governor and other elected officials at a live mass-casualty scene makes zero tactical sense, what the "9:42 — please wait for her" text means for Mayor Wilson's credibility, and what a five-hour communications blackout signals about who is — and isn't — in charge of Seattle.CHAPTERS0:00 'Please wait for her': Seattle mayor…1:47 SPD Texts Expose Five-Hour Delay2:28 Source: Mayor's Office Stopped Briefing3:29 Mayor Wilson Denies Blocking Briefing5:22 Trained SPD, But Who Stopped Them?6:24 Mayor Wilson's Credibility Is Crumbling7:52 Ferguson and Jayapal Deny Involvement10:40 Nine SPD Leaders' Texts Released12:44 Chief Barnes Texts Still Missing13:47 Shooting Night Text Chain Revealed14:36 Who Ordered the Five-Hour Wait?18:36 Why Were Politicians Delaying Answers?20:16 Suspects Still at Large, Weeks Later21:38 Chief Barnes in Dallas That Night23:35 Who Quashed the Press Conference?25:50 Who Is Running Seattle?Subscribe to @reasonablenews and hit the notification bell for daily coverage of what's actually happening in the Pacific Northwest.#NFRP #SeattlePolitics #KatieWilsonGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

Recorded live on September 24th, 2026   Two people making music on the fly… Bugs In The Basement creates improvised musical journeys from an array of vintage and handmade instruments to modern technologies. Recorded live from our basement studio in the Pacific Northwest, each week we experiment in the process of making exploratory music and soundscapes. Unmixed, unedited and unapologetic.   www.bugsinthebasement.com

"Unblinking Eyes" Hosts: Darren Weeks, Vicky Davis Website for the show: https://governamerica.com Vicky's website: https://thetechnocratictyranny.com COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AND CREDITS AT: https://governamerica.com/radio/radio-archives/22680-govern-america-september-26-2026-unblinking-eyes Listen LIVE every Saturday at 11AM Eastern or 8AM Pacific at http://governamerica.net or on your favorite app. DISCLOSURE: AI used for top-of-the-hour newscasts and break bumper music.Flock Safety ALPR surveillance cameras in the spotlight this week as the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing. Trump admitted Congress was controlled by Israel, wants to deport critics of Israel and Zionism. Arizona man loses his house to HOA. Listener calls. In the final hour, Casey Whalen of "North Idaho Exposed" joins us to discuss foreign influence in the 50 state legislatures, and anti-free speech legislation pushed.

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast thinks that yelling “PIZZA!” and “FRENCH FRY!” at a 2-year-old superman straightlining down a green slope is a highly effective ski instruction technique. If you agree, please sign up for my newsletter:WhoBrian Bensch, founder of Snow SchoolersDate recordedSeptember 24, 2026About Snow SchoolersSnow Schoolers, per its website, is an “independent ski school program” that teaches lessons “at any mountain where we've established a revenue-sharing partnership with the ski area.” Skiers sign up for lessons on their Pet Rectangles, like this:Why I interviewed himThat sounds pretty neat, right? Let me go see if Snow Schoolers teaches at my favorite mountain. Snow Schoolers probably does not teach at your favorite mountain. Unless your favorite mountain is 222-vertical-foot Granlibakken, which is about five feet away from 6,000-acre Palisades Tahoe, or 100 vertical-foot Frisco Adventure Park, tucked off highway 9, after 1.5 million-ish skiers exit I-70 on their way to nearby Breckenridge.That is not an indictment of small ski areas, which I love, or Snow Schoolers' business model, which I also love. Rather, it's my way of saying that the only way to sign up for ski school at Palisades Tahoe or Breckenridge is through Palisades Tahoe or Breckenridge. With the strange, grandfathered-in exception of the strange, cobbled-together ski bazaar that is Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington, all major American ski areas (so far as I know) operate with a monopoly over ski school operations on their property. In ways subtle and aggressive, they police and ban rogue instructors who would offer discounted lessons on resort property.There are probably ways to break this system, either through the courts or legislative amendment of the Forest Service leases that 125 U.S. ski areas operate on. Such change sounds radical only in an American context - most European ski areas already operate with multiple independent competing ski schools onsite. Over the past 20 years, technology has challenged monopolies across American commerce. Sports and concert tickets and taxi rides offer two prime examples of power shifting from one central operator to many operators, with benefits and drawbacks for the consumer. Perhaps we will get there with ski school. For now, I see a more practical path for an asset-light, app-based, independent ski school like Snow Schoolers - as the costs of labor, utilities, infrastructure, and insurance pile up, perhaps outsourcing the operation of a ski school is more practical for many smaller, independent ski areas than establishing and maintaining one of their own. That is what you get at Granlibakken and Frisco: Snow Schoolers pays the ski areas a share of each lesson, essentially as rent for the right to operate a ski school on their property. And Granlibakken and Friso don't have to worry about hiring instructors and organizing lessons. There are probably 100 under-resourced ski areas in America where this model could work tomorrow. Brian and I discuss why Snow Schoolers works where it does, and why the model has been slow to spread.TranscriptsThere are two transcripts. Both are generated by robots. Both are helpful and defective in their own unique ways. I do not proofread either of them.Transcript 1: Click the “transcript” button at the top of this article. You can only see this transcript on a computer. Because I don't know why exactly but everything is getting better and dumber all at once it seems. Anyway, this is the transcript that the robots create when I upload the podcast to the internet. The cool thing about it is that you can click on any block of text and the audio will teleport there instantly. The uncool thing about this transcript is that it does not indicate who is talking at any given moment.Transcript 2: You can read this below. This is the transcript that Zoom creates as we record the podcast. The cool thing about this transcript is that it indicates who is talking at any given moment. The uncool thing about this transcript is that the timestamps do not match the audio. Also, you cannot click on this text to move to the associated point in the audio.ZoomStuart Winchester: My guest today founded Snowschoolers in 2014 with the mission to make skiing and riding affordable and accessible for average Americans.00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:11.000Stuart Winchester: and to pay snow sports pros a sustainable living wage.00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:19.000Stuart Winchester: Today, Snowschoolers operates at Grand Lebakken in Lake Tahoe, and Frisco Adventure Park in Colorado, two small ski areas.00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:36.000Stuart Winchester: Last year, Snow Schoolers hosted approximately 6,000 students. He is a good friend of the Storm. He is Brian Bench. Brian, welcome to the Storm. You reached out to me very shortly after I launched in 2019 or 20, and we've been talking for years, and you've helped me out a lot.00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.000Stuart Winchester: With the…00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:45.000Stuart Winchester: digital side of things, which I'm not so good at, so it's awesome to finally get you on and talk some snow schoolers. How you doing today?00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:48.000Brian Bensch: Doing lovely. Can't complain. Always busy, never bored.00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:52.000Stuart Winchester: And that is… yeah, that is a picture out your window of Tahoe, right?00:16:51.000 --> 00:17:00.000Brian Bensch: Yes, that is a, it's called Maggie's Peak, but that's looking at the little lake just next to Emerald Bay.00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:57.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:05.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, which would be sort of north side of the lake, so you'd be looking…00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:03.000Brian Bensch: Oh.00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:08.000Brian Bensch: South Tahoe, kind of on the other side of the corner, like, across from Heavenly.00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:18.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, south, right? I was… I was backwards. So… so on the… up the left side, there would be Homewood, and then up the right side would be Heavenly and Diamond Peak, and at the top is, like.00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:10.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:15.000Brian Bensch: Correct.00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:19.000Brian Bensch: Mostly correct.00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:26.000Stuart Winchester: Or North Star? North Star, Northwood. Okay, alright, uh, before I hurt myself, let's just get into this. So, so Brian.00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:28.000Brian Bensch: Well, we'll get you out to Tahoe soon enough, and then your Tahoe geography will get.00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:31.000Stuart Winchester: It's been a minute. So…00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:40.000Stuart Winchester: What is broken about American ski schools, and how did you try to fix it with snow schoolers?00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:45.000Brian Bensch: Yeah. So I would say similar to, you know.00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.000Brian Bensch: The the general diatribe about, you know.00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:55.000Brian Bensch: The ski industry being kind of broken with lift tickets too expensive and climate change is gonna end the world.00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:07.000Brian Bensch: Not everything is broken, but particularly the most front and center in your face resorts that you know everyone hears about, and you know, makes the quote unquote mainstream news has been broken for a while.00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:15.000Brian Bensch: And, you know, the gist is, if you roll up to, you know, a Tier 1 destination resort.00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:16.000Brian Bensch: Brooke, uh…00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:32.000Brian Bensch: Not only is lift ticket price what it is, but if you are looking for a group lesson, you're looking at a couple 100 bucks. And if you're looking for a private lesson, you're lucky if you can find anything that is under 1000 today. When we started Snow Schoolers, I remember telling people like, you know, a private lesson is $700 or $800.00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:35.000Brian Bensch: Well, now it's roughly double that.00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:51.000Brian Bensch: And I started teaching skiing back in college at the Dartmouth Skiway shout out to Mark and the team there, and you know I thought it was the best job ever making 12 bucks an hour in college, but it is still a minimum wage hourly job.00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:55.000Brian Bensch: Despite the high margins that resorts take.00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, wait, wait, let's, let's pause right there. So over a thousand a day for a lesson.00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:07.000Stuart Winchester: patrollers are making… I think at the Tier 1 resorts, they're probably making more than minimum wage. I think it's probably more in… at least in the 20s.00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:10.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, the, the, go ahead.00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.000Stuart Winchester: Plus tips, but, but.00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:19.000Stuart Winchester: Still, right, so you figure it's $1,200 a day for a lesson, and the instructor's getting, you know, $150 of that, or something. What… why…00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:23.000Stuart Winchester: Why does that model even exist? Like, who would even do that?00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:25.000Brian Bensch: Out.00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.000Brian Bensch: Because…00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:31.000Stuart Winchester: Like, who would work for that? Like, when you, right? Like, why not just give your own lessons?00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:29.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:44.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, well, and there's two sides… two sides of the mark, and I, uh… outside of my passions for skiing, I consider myself sort of a marketplace, you know, guru of sorts. And, you know, on the supply side, or, like, the staffing side.00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:33.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:52.000Brian Bensch: could ever imagine, and there's a reason why people love to teach skiing.00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.000Brian Bensch: One of the, I would say.00:19:54.000 --> 00:20:03.000Stuart Winchester: Hey, Brian, I'm sorry, you froze there for probably about, like, 5 seconds. Um, I don't know if you're on a hard line, or you have good Wi-Fi, or…00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.000Brian Bensch: Okay.00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:11.000Brian Bensch: It's Tahoe Wi-Fi. But it's generally fine, unless it goes out and flickers, but…00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.000Stuart Winchester: Is it?00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:07.000Stuart Winchester: It's Tahoe Wi-Fi.00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.000Stuart Winchester: you…00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:19.000Brian Bensch: I can close a couple tabs, that might help. Or we can just… I don't want you to… I know editing is tough.00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:17.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I think so.00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:22.000Stuart Winchester: No, no, no, you, you, uh, can you plug in, possibly?00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.000Brian Bensch: I don't have an Ethernet.00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:31.000Stuart Winchester: You know, okay, alright. Um, yeah, let's just, yeah, try to close some stuff, and we'll keep going, and at worst case, you can, uh, go off screen.00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:29.000Brian Bensch: Yep.00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:32.000Brian Bensch: Sure.00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:38.000Brian Bensch: To pick back up the… the kind of…00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:54.000Brian Bensch: Why is it, you know, possible for a lesson to cost $1,200 and the instructor only keeps 20% of that? There's two components to it. The first is that, you know, historically there was a glut of ski instructors going back into the 60s, 70s, 80s.00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:10.000Brian Bensch: Uh, you know, the, the quintessential ski bum, uh, is and was a great job, particularly for people that, you know, get the addiction that I know we both have. Um, and so, you know, lessons didn't used to be this expensive, um, just like lift tickets didn't used to be this expensive.00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:29.000Brian Bensch: Um, and so just like being a lifty, being a ski instructor was, you know, maybe a slight step above, you know, requires more training, but it has always been the sort of an entry-level hourly position. Um, and it's certainly not the federal minimum wage at most resorts. Uh, when Vail came out, uh, post-COVID with the $20 an hour kind of cross-board raise.00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:41.000Brian Bensch: Uh, that was great for the industry, not just, you know, Vail Resorts staff. Um, and… but the prevailing wage for, you know, first-year ski instructor is certainly in that $20 an hour range today.00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:45.000Brian Bensch: And, you know, we try to do things differently.00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:49.000Stuart Winchester: Right, but okay, so, but fundamentally to get at the…00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:55.000Stuart Winchester: at this dynamic. I'm a ski instructor. Let's say I'm a great ski instructor, right? And everybody loves me.00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.000Stuart Winchester: And I… I can see that…00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:07.000Stuart Winchester: you know, Northstar is charging $1,000 for a lesson, and they're paying me $25 an hour. I don't know what Northstar pays, so feel free to correct me, Northstar, but…00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:10.000Stuart Winchester: Why don't I as an instructor?00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:25.000Stuart Winchester: just say, well, I'm just gonna go on Facebook and advertise my services, and say, meet me at the Lyft at Northstar, and I'll give you a lesson for $200 for the day, because then I'm making more, and… and we're just… and the consumer's getting a better deal.00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:34.000Stuart Winchester: And then we established this one-on-one relationship. Why doesn't that marketplace exist? Why do ski areas exist?00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:42.000Stuart Winchester: How are they able to do this weird market dynamic, which sounds fundamentally unfair to the instructor?00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:57.000Brian Bensch: Yeah. Well, that question is certainly more or less exactly what I pondered 10 years ago. And how I got into this fun little project called Snowschoolers.00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:03.000Brian Bensch: was the realization that, oh my god, like, why does this exist? Um, and, you know, and…00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:08.000Brian Bensch: 10 years ago, Uber and Airbnb had just become kind of a mainstream thing.00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:10.000Brian Bensch: Um, and so I was like, oh.00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:28.000Brian Bensch: I wonder if we could just connect instructors to students directly and have a little marketplace for ski school. At the time, I knew nothing about, you know, special use permits from the Forest Service and the ski industry broadly. You know, I'd grown up skiing, but I was just a lay consumer skier. The reality is, and very similar to.00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:36.000Brian Bensch: you know a lot of the work you've done this summer going into Forest Service kind of history. The special use permit system.00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:54.000Brian Bensch: effectively grants the resort, at least on Federal lands, where the special use permit exists, a micro monopoly over all business activity at their mountain. And it doesn't have to be that way. If you do go over to Europe, it is a much more laissez-faire free market.00:23:54.000 --> 00:24:07.000Brian Bensch: Um, and most major resorts in Europe have at least four to six, you know, uh, ski schools that operate and compete, and, you know, the average lesson prices are roughly a third, and instructors keep, you know, 50 to 60% of lessons.00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:19.000Brian Bensch: And so it doesn't have to be the way it is. But at at the core it is. It is because resorts have the legal right to be the only ski school of record. And.00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:30.000Stuart Winchester: Right, so just to get ahead of the people who like to point out details, so North Star was a weird example for me to use because it's on private land, it's not on Forest Service land. However, it's owned by Vail Resorts, and I think what you're saying is.00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:44.000Stuart Winchester: even though not every U.S. skier is on U.S. Forest Service land, 125 of them are, it… the fact that that encompasses the majority of our ski terrain has normalized the culture of one mountain, one ski school. Is that fair?00:24:44.000 --> 00:25:01.000Brian Bensch: Correct. And there is maybe a dirty little secret of capitalism that monopolies are great businesses. So Northstar does not want six other ski schools competing and driving the price down because ski school is very, very lucrative to the at least traditional big resort ski model.00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:50.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:09.000Stuart Winchester: So, disruptor Brian comes out and says, alright guys, get out of the way, I am gonna change the world with.00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:19.000Stuart Winchester: snow schoolers and my Uber for skiing app, which I know you don't want to call it anymore, but nonetheless, since you brought up the analogy, let's go back to 2014.00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:22.000Stuart Winchester: Take us into it. What did you do and what happened?00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:32.000Brian Bensch: Yeah. In short, I would say, did a little bit of experimenting with that idea. And, you know, by the end of the first season.00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:43.000Brian Bensch: Learned pretty quickly that the ski resort management does not like the idea. And if you want to be able to ski at places that you love to ski.00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:55.000Brian Bensch: it's probably a good idea to not, uh, not poke the bear too much, so to speak. Um, and so, uh, that first kind of pilot program very much led me into the, uh.00:25:55.000 --> 00:26:14.000Brian Bensch: and and this it was always a snooze. This has been a side project of mine for a while. It's a I would call it a thriving small business. That 1st year I I pretended it was a startup, or I called it a startup, but never took funding and you know that 1st pilot program helped me realize that the only way, if I was going to turn this into real business.00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:07.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:27.000Brian Bensch: was to find a way that was mutually beneficial for both resorts and instructors, uh, and obviously the students. Um, and that led me to, you know, how can I create a revenue share model.00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:41.000Brian Bensch: Uh, where by bringing more new skiers to the mountain, everyone benefits. Um, the resort gets to share the revenue, uh, the student gets a cheaper lesson, and the instructor gets higher pay. Um, and, uh…00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:54.000Brian Bensch: you know, by the time 2016 rolled around I was ready to quit my corporate job and give it a role, and so moved to Tahoe. And you know, without the.00:26:54.000 --> 00:27:04.000Brian Bensch: A gentleman named Brian Schilling out in Homewood. Without him taking sort of a chance on me, snow schoolers would not exist. But Homewood was coming off.00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:22.000Brian Bensch: we'll say a typical bad snow year, and had to let go a lot of their ski school staff the year prior, because I think they were open for, like, 40 days that season, and hiring was a huge priority. Like, they were rebuilding a ski school from scratch, and the reality was the pitch that resonated with Homewood.00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:37.000Brian Bensch: was much less about, can we, like, you know, offer more affordable lessons and increase gear visits that way, but we need, like, we don't know how to hire instructors, we need a bunch of instructors, and this Uber model of.00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:52.000Brian Bensch: uh, pseudo-freelance instructors was attractive to them. Um, and, you know, I told them that, like, I had put up a couple ads and had, you know, 20 people apply within a few weeks, and they're like, ah, that's interesting. Um, and so that led to our first season, uh, which I would say was.00:27:52.000 --> 00:28:06.000Brian Bensch: uh, not a hands-down success at Homewood, um, but I skied nearly 100 days, and it ended up being, uh, Tahoe's second best winter of at least my young adulthood, um, and, you know, you know, no regrets at all.00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:17.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I mean, Homo's a serious mountain. I mean, right on the lake, it's dramatic, it has pretty nice chair lifts. But that didn't end up being the future, right?00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:23.000Stuart Winchester: How did Homewood break down, and how did you…00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.000Stuart Winchester: reassemble…00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:35.000Stuart Winchester: like, sort of rethink the business, uh, on a different scale, and I mean both, like, going smaller to get bigger, if that makes sense.00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:44.000Brian Bensch: Yeah. So the core hypothesis of snow schoolers was always kind of twofold. If you make lessons.00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:52.000Brian Bensch: more interest or demand and potential customers when lessons are affordable.00:28:52.000 --> 00:29:09.000Brian Bensch: I think the same thing is true of lift tickets, and that's why, you know, the places that are still offering $700 lift tickets are thriving. But affordable lessons drives an outsized increase in, you know, lesson visits. And if you pay instructors well, there's no shortage of instructors you can find if you're willing to pay them well.00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:25.000Brian Bensch: What we didn't get right in that 1st year at Homewood was the affordable lesson side of things. We were able to teach lessons at Homewood, but we were offering the normal prices from the year before, which were more or less, I would say, 10% below what Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows up the road was charging.00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:41.000Brian Bensch: Um, and we were not… yeah, we taught a total of, I think, 50 lessons that season, um, which was, you know, better than zero, but certainly not enough to get me too, too excited. Um, and the kind of going smaller to get bigger.00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:45.000Brian Bensch: Uh, it was a function of, uh…00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:57.000Brian Bensch: my my tiny little hill in the woods called Grand Lebakken, that, as someone who'd grown up skiing Tahoe, I had literally never heard of. I think I'd probably skied in Tahoe 500 days at that point.00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:59.000Brian Bensch: Um, but, uh…00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:02.000Stuart Winchester: And it's right by Palisades, right? It's, like, right across the street, basically.00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:17.000Brian Bensch: Not quite across the street. It is two minutes from the lake, but you can't see the lake from Grand Labaquin. So it's literally like tucked in the way, tucked kind of behind a hill. It is between Alpine Meadows and Homewood, if you look at the map. And it's roughly like 10 minutes from both of them.00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:05.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:08.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:23.000Brian Bensch: Um, and as I was winding down that first season with Homewood, I challenged myself, um.00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:39.000Brian Bensch: And, you know, tried to put it on social media, but no one really cared to do a March Madness Sweet 16 circuit, because there, at the time, were 16 unique mountains in Tahoe, and Grand Lebakken was one of the last stops on that circuit, and I forget who told me it existed.00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:34.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:44.000Brian Bensch: Um, but, you know, Grand Lubakken is not a ski resort. Grand Lubakken is a ski.00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:51.000Brian Bensch: Kind of known for its lodging and accommodations business.00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:54.000Stuart Winchester: Hey, Brian, you, uh, you just froze again, but you said Grand Lebakken is a ski…00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.000Stuart Winchester: So just start over from Grand Lebakken is a ski.00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:13.000Brian Bensch: Sure. Grand Labaca is not a ski resort. It is a ski hill or a ski area, as Stuart likes to say. It is two surface lifts. It is roughly 20 acres from the bottom of the hill of Grand Labaca. You can see the entire hill, the entire mountain. What you see is what you get.00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:30.000Brian Bensch: It is not, I would say, exclusively for beginners. The Poma that goes to the top, and it's, I think, roughly 225 feet. I would put it at a solid, you know, a Jackson Hole blue. It is at least a 25 to 30 degree slope.00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:46.000Brian Bensch: and I have seen 12 year olds straight line it and almost die. So it is. It is certainly like there's enough terrain that you could do ski race like training on it, and we do a little bit of that in the winter on weekdays. But it is a ski hill.00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:57.000Brian Bensch: Um, not at all, sort of, no bells and whistles, no high-speed quads, um, just a bunny lift, uh, rope toe, and a, you know, slightly more advanced poma that goes to the top.00:31:57.000 --> 00:32:09.000Brian Bensch: And, uh, spent a good afternoon with, uh, the Parson family back in spring 2017, and I was like, this price is pretty cool, this is cute, and told them about my ideas for ski school.00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:09.000Stuart Winchester: And who are they?00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:25.000Brian Bensch: Chris Parson and Ron Parson. Ron is Chris's father, and has owned the mountain for quite a while, and what Grand Lombachman is known for is, it is more of an accommodations center. It's a lodge and conference center.00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:42.000Brian Bensch: Uh, with roughly, I think, 150-ish units. Um, and the ski hill is an amenity, uh, along with their pool, along with their spa, along with, like, you know, their, you know, uh, dining areas and so forth. Um, and they've operated the ski area and sled hill, um, for…00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:55.000Brian Bensch: I think Ron is — the Parson family is going on maybe 30 years. I hope to convince him that he should come on the pod at some point. But he is —.00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:12.000Brian Bensch: Their family, you know, is the quintessential mom and pop ski hill ski area sort of operators. When I met them, ski school was run mostly with Chris, who had sort of two group lesson slots a day and a piece of paper for people to sign up in the morning.00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:28.000Brian Bensch: And they were like, you know, we could probably be more organized with this. And I was like, yeah, I think I can help you a little bit. And then the season ended and I went home, had made no money. So, you know, my day job has been in marketing.00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:40.000Brian Bensch: for big and small tech companies for a while. Um, and so I went and had to get a big boy tech job again to, you know, pay for rent. Um, and my Tahoe ski lease was up for the season. So, I went back home.00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:39.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:47.000Brian Bensch: you know, wasn't sure if Snow Solutions was going to continue, kind of just assumed it was a one-year thing, and, you know.00:33:47.000 --> 00:34:03.000Brian Bensch: you know, hadn't talked a ton with Homewood, but I knew, like we weren't gonna you know the business wasn't great. But fast forward October 1st roughly, this time of year the Gm. Gives me a call out of the blue, and I pick up. I'm now at my new day job, and I just play it cool. And I'm like, Oh, yeah.00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:19.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, no, we'll run your ski school this winter. Grant Lebakken did, yeah. So the GM of Grant Lebakken picked up and said, hey, you know, we love meeting you in the spring, and you know, winter's around the corner. Let's talk about, you know, what needs to be done for you guys to run ski school for us this year.00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:08.000Stuart Winchester: Grand Labaquin?00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:10.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, okay.00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:14.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm. Right.00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:23.000Brian Bensch: Um, and I remember going home that night being like, huh.00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:33.000Brian Bensch: This is not going to be easy because I'm working 40 to 50 hours a week now at my new job. But skiing in this space is what I love to do.00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:25.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:51.000Brian Bensch: You know, at one point, a quote on the website was the Confucius quote, “If you find a job you love, you'll never work another day.” And, you know, I said, yes, you know, porque no las dos, let's do both. Didn't tell my employer at the time.00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:34:51.000 --> 00:35:06.000Brian Bensch: Because, you know, don't want to give them reason to question how much time you're putting in. But basically worked, you know, spent many nights, and I was a bad developer at the time. So everything snow schoolers is kind of built in-house from a code perspective.00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:55.000Stuart Winchester: Been there?00:35:01.000 --> 00:35:03.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:23.000Brian Bensch: And, you know, I just, every evening from 6 p.m. to midnight, I'd be plugging away to build the Grand Le Bacon kind of new system that we built that first year. And it worked. You know, year two, we taught.00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:38.000Brian Bensch: I think 300 plus lessons, and we did five times more revenue than year one at Homewood. And again, I was, you know, I only taught probably 2% of lessons because I had my full-time job. Christmas was a fun disaster where.00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:47.000Brian Bensch: all of a sudden, we were sold out every single day, and I was like, uh, I guess I need to figure out how to stop selling lessons, uh, because I hadn't really built that into the model the first year, because we were never sold out.00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:48.000Stuart Winchester: Ah, okay, okay.00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:56.000Brian Bensch: But, you know, we made it work and lots of families had amazing, you know, first experiences learning to slide on snow.00:35:55.000 --> 00:36:06.000Stuart Winchester: So let me zoom out and just tell you why I think this makes sense from my point of view, and then you can color that in with with how Graham Lebakken actually achieved it. I look at…00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:13.000Stuart Winchester: something like the Icon Pass, and they have a partnership with Jackson Hole.00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:22.000Stuart Winchester: but Altera doesn't have to own or operate Jackson Hole, and if a lift breaks, it's not Altera's problem, but they get the benefit of Jackson Hole.00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.000Stuart Winchester: on their IconPass. Uh…00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:36.000Stuart Winchester: this model that Grand Lebakken has, there used to be hundreds of ski areas like this, just attached to resorts all across. In this part of the country, there were a ton of them, in the Catskills and the Poconos, and…00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:38.000Brian Bensch: Okay.00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:42.000Stuart Winchester: most of them, I mean, they frankly weren't super interesting hills, but they…00:36:42.000 --> 00:37:02.000Stuart Winchester: Those resorts found that as God running a ski hill became more complex, it wasn't worth keeping all those pieces and parts as an amenity. So in the case of, of Grand Le Bacon, I, I imagine, you know, you have a couple Pomas, so your market is probably like people who wanted to come to Tahoe in the winter, but aren't necessarily skiers, but maybe want to try it.00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:18.000Stuart Winchester: Right? Because no one's like, hmm, should I go to Palisades or Grand Lebakken today, right? Like it's, it's a very unique place. So, but Grand Lebakken, I mean, if they're going to have a hill, that means they also have to have, you know, a rental shop and they have to have a ski school and instructors. This basically.00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:08.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:21.000Stuart Winchester: Takes the whole ski school, all that labor.00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:23.000Stuart Winchester: all the infrastructure.00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:25.000Stuart Winchester: out of it, and I'd imagine you just…00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:41.000Stuart Winchester: Pay, you know, you just write them a check like a lease, basically like a forest service lease where a skier operates and they, they pay based on what they make to the government. So it, it seems to me like ski areas would love that. And I, and I could think of 100 small ski areas in the country where that would work. That's how I'm understanding this is that.00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:44.000Stuart Winchester: Is that fair? And…00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:47.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, I I would say you more or less hit the nail on the head.00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:47.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:37:48.000 --> 00:38:03.000Brian Bensch: The and and the models the operating model that we've sort of developed, that we are sort of most in favor of is, we do ski school. We take full responsibility for ski school and nothing else.00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:14.000Brian Bensch: we've we've we're not obligated, or we don't have to stick with that model entirely. And at our Frisco location, Colorado. We also do all of rentals.00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:20.000Brian Bensch: And but ski school is what sort of what we love, what we care about.00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:34.000Brian Bensch: And you know, in in other past smaller partnerships we've done. We were responsible for even more of operations, grooming and parking and snow removal is.00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:34.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:40.000Brian Bensch: like very underappreciated. How time consuming, expensive those can be.00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:40.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:50.000Brian Bensch: And so I I am very thankful that Gran Lebakken and our partners at Frisco take responsibility for for grooming, and particularly grooming snowmaking.00:38:50.000 --> 00:39:00.000Brian Bensch: um, and sort of the general operations, uh, lift operations and so forth, are… are never gonna be our sweet spot. Um, and we would happily run the, like.00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:57.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:06.000Brian Bensch: like ski school is often the biggest human part of the organization, because you have a bunch of instructors.00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:22.000Brian Bensch: Uh, and you have to, like, you know, herding cats doesn't happen without effort. Um, and scheduling does not happen, uh, without good software, and a human to supervise the software. Um, and so, yeah, that's been our sweet spot. Um, I likewise, uh, think that there are at least.00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:11.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:16.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:35.000Brian Bensch: a few dozen, if not hundreds, of other small ski areas, whether they're surface lift only, or just small with, like, a single fixed grip lift, that, um, that want to do a better ski school program, and we would love to talk to them.00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:53.000Stuart Winchester: So, so Grand Labakin you've been with ever since, so I'm assuming they've been pretty happy with it. Let's jump across the country to another really weird ski area that probably people don't know exists, that we've been talking about, which is Frisco, which is… you pass by it on the way to Breckenridge, but you won't even see it. It's so small, like.00:39:53.000 --> 00:40:09.000Stuart Winchester: You have to drive around this weird road and it's, you know, underneath a hill. And I've not skied there, but I stopped by after they were closed, uh, a couple years ago. So, so that is not attached to a resort. That's, I think, a city park. So you have a completely different demo there.00:40:09.000 --> 00:40:19.000Stuart Winchester: So who is Frisco trying to serve, and how did you meet that need? And it seems like you've had a long-term relationship with them as well.00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:29.000Brian Bensch: Yes. So we're now going to our fifth season with the town of Frisco. And so, yes, it is a municipally managed ski area and tubing park.00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:42.000Brian Bensch: You can't miss the tubing element when you're driving from getting off I-70 and heading to Breckenridge, but very few people will know that there's beginner ski and snowboarding there as well. I've been to Colorado a good handful of times.00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:48.000Brian Bensch: definitely drove by it once and didn't know they were skiing there. And you know a mutual acquaintance.00:40:44.000 --> 00:40:45.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:40:48.000 --> 00:41:01.000Brian Bensch: post-COVID, when I was talking about, you know what, you know, the world's going remote, maybe I can just, you know, expand snow schoolers without me physically being there all the time. Um, and I was like, huh, have you heard of Frisco? I was like, no, what.00:40:57.000 --> 00:40:58.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:07.000Brian Bensch: And, you know, that was probably two months before our first successful season with Frisco.00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:22.000Brian Bensch: Um, the audience they're serving, to your question, is not nearly as local as you might expect for being, like, a town-run hill. Uh, we certainly have some local programs, but their audience is Summit County visitors.00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:15.000Stuart Winchester: Hmm.00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:35.000Brian Bensch: Who primarily are either not skiers yet, not skiers and swimmers yet, or are brand new and want to get their sort of their ski legs on because someone invited them on a trip to Breck or trip to Copper.00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:52.000Brian Bensch: and they're like, well, I've never skied before. You know a lifting. It's expensive, less expensive. B like, can I get my legs like, you know, get my footing somewhere, and we are smack dab in the middle of, you know, 4 major resorts. In addition to Copper Breck, you've got a base and and.00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:52.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:59.000Brian Bensch: and Keystone around the corner, and we are the affordable alternative for Summit County visitors.00:41:59.000 --> 00:42:03.000Stuart Winchester: It's expensive for a rope tail, by the way, it's like $40 for a lift ticket.00:41:59.000 --> 00:42:01.000Brian Bensch: Um, and the town…00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:07.000Brian Bensch: Sure. Expenses is very relative. That is fair.00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:07.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:08.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, okay.00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:10.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, okay, so, so…00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:21.000Stuart Winchester: you established… that's funny, that's not at all what I expected. I thought it would be, like, bust loads of kids, but I guess they probably have deals with Breckenridge or something. So you've had success.00:42:21.000 --> 00:42:35.000Stuart Winchester: at Frisco and at Grand Labaca, and you've had a couple others that you've been in and out of other than Homewood. Tell us about those, and what did work, and ultimately what didn't work about them.00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:46.000Brian Bensch: Yeah. Let's go with — let's stick with the Colorado trend first, and then we'll come back to Tahoe. There's an awesome little mountain.00:42:46.000 --> 00:43:01.000Brian Bensch: that, I think you know, and and didn't. As you think about your the last ski resorts to open or ski areas to open. I actually think Hoedown Hill is the most recently opened new ski area in the country. It's about an hour north of Denver.00:43:01.000 --> 00:43:06.000Brian Bensch: in Windsor, Colorado, and we worked with them for their 1st 2 seasons.00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:15.000Brian Bensch: Um, and we did not work with them last year. Um, still in touch with them, um, but they are a brand new ski area that is, I would say, a…00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:18.000Brian Bensch: a privately…00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:26.000Brian Bensch: run like you. You could say there's similarities to the Grand Lebakken business model, but on a whole other level of, I would say.00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:40.000Brian Bensch: affluence and like target demo. The Hoedown Hill facility is attached to the Raindance National Golf Course, which I'm not a golfer, but I hear it's a tier one destination golf course.00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:49.000Brian Bensch: They want to build, you know, 4 seasons esque hotel there, and it is a we'll say a bourgeois experience that they're going for with some, you know.00:43:49.000 --> 00:44:06.000Brian Bensch: you know, a good culture vibe there. And I think so long as the management team remains committed, it will continue to grow. They are at the IndyPass, so shout out there, like, it's worth a quick visit if you're flying into Denver with your IndyPass.00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:01.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:07.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:44:06.000 --> 00:44:10.000Brian Bensch: Um, and in our first two seasons there, um.00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:12.000Brian Bensch: We did, we did.00:44:12.000 --> 00:44:19.000Brian Bensch: we did okay. But we weren't able to draw the numbers that we saw in Summit County, or anywhere close to them.00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:20.000Stuart Winchester: Hmm. Okay.00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:22.000Brian Bensch: And my conclusion.00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:26.000Brian Bensch: or one of my conclusions is that.00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:39.000Brian Bensch: It is much, much harder to influence the macro kind of tide of skier movements than it is to siphon off.00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:55.000Brian Bensch: not to capture demand in an underserved market in Northern Colorado. You know, it's great that they have Hodown Hill, but there weren't a thousand people looking for affordable lessons in Northern Colorado before Hodown Hill existed.00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:45.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:44:53.000 --> 00:44:55.000Stuart Winchester: Hmm. Okay.00:44:55.000 --> 00:45:11.000Brian Bensch: Uh, whereas there's, you know, thousands of Summit County visitors who want more affordable lessons and just don't take lessons today. Um, and so, like, it was… and same thing in Tahoe. Uh, it was much easier, like, we open up for business and, like, we don't have to do much marketing for.00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:04.000Stuart Winchester: You know.00:45:11.000 --> 00:45:25.000Brian Bensch: for the wave of customers to come in, whereas every customer we earned in, uh, in Windsor and Fort Collins area, sort of, we had to hustle to get. There weren't people, like, already looking for affordable skiing there, because it's… it's a suburb of Denver.00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:21.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, that's true.00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:28.000Stuart Winchester: That's so interesting because I.00:45:28.000 --> 00:45:39.000Stuart Winchester: wrote up, and I talked to the folks at Hood on Hill, and they were opening it. And the way I thought… the way they pitched it to me was more of making skiing accessible for locals at an entry level.00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:49.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, they didn't… I mean, I understood that it was attached to this other resort, but my understanding is it was kind of a low-cost thing for the community. I think one mistake they made, and…00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:53.000Stuart Winchester: Maybe you don't want to criticize them, but I think having four carpets.00:45:53.000 --> 00:46:02.000Stuart Winchester: I think they should have had at least one rope tower or T-bar, like, something to serve the terrain park that wasn't so slow. I think that would have gotten them more…00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:04.000Stuart Winchester: Energy on site.00:46:04.000 --> 00:46:18.000Stuart Winchester: And… and had a multiplier effect. I just didn't… I didn't like the four carpets model. I liked the model of putting a ski area there, because otherwise the closest place is, what, like Eldora, and a lift ticket's 180 bucks?00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:30.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, so… so there wasn't… or you go up to Echo, I guess, but that's a pain to get to. So… so I… I don't know, that… that was my… that's my impression of Hoedown so far, is it was, like, a good idea with bad execution.00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:24.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:35.000Brian Bensch: I I think that there's some fairness to that.00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:48.000Brian Bensch: They did a great job with the terrain park, given the resources available. And yes, like, a rope tower right next to the park is always, like, I think, a good idea. And it's something that the town of Frisco invested in, I think.00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:46:48.000 --> 00:47:05.000Brian Bensch: 3 years ago, maybe 2 years ago, and it has been wildly popular. And you know, rope toes, you know you don't need to convince me. But I'm I'm with you on the rope toes are the most affordable, accessible way for a ski area to like increase uphill uphill capacity.00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:06.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:17.000Brian Bensch: Um, I think the biggest challenge for Hoedown was… and you'd call this bad luck, um, I would say bad luck more than bad execution, but it is at, you know, 6,000 feet, and uh…00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:24.000Brian Bensch: Natural snowfall in an hour north of Denver is not the most plentiful.00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:25.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:28.000Brian Bensch: And they invested heavily in snowmaking, but you can't fight temps.00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:40.000Brian Bensch: And so, in both of our first two seasons at Hoedown, we opened between January 2nd and January 7th, but we missed Christmas both of those years, and it's really hard to, sort of.00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:57.000Brian Bensch: generate momentum for a ski area when you miss Christmas. Um, and, you know, Mother Nature is the biggest determiner of that. Uh, I'm not positive, but I don't think they got open for Christmas last year, and last year was obviously the worst of the three past seasons. So, um, hoping Mother Nature cooperates better for them this year.00:47:43.000 --> 00:47:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:47:53.000 --> 00:47:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:00.000Stuart Winchester: All right, Brian, so you can keep hunting rope toes.00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:16.000Stuart Winchester: You know, I was having this debate with someone yesterday. A lot of the stats you hear when you point back in time, oh, there was 1,200 ski areas and now there's only 500. It's like, well, a lot of them were little rope toes. Like, most of the lost ski areas in Colorado were just little rope toes that existed. The reason they went away…00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:22.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, is, is not because there, there was some catastrophe in, uh.00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:34.000Stuart Winchester: anywhere other than the fact that there just was better ski areas built, and they're kind of boring. Like, when you just… you get over that pretty quick. Like, 100 vertical foot, wide open run, with a rope tow, unless it has some park features.00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:31.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:48:34.000 --> 00:48:47.000Stuart Winchester: you're gonna get over it. And almost all of them, they still exist. And I've been to a lot of them across America, and they're mostly in New England and Midwest, and kind of sprinkled throughout the West, especially in the Pacific Northwest. They're almost all…00:48:47.000 --> 00:48:56.000Stuart Winchester: None of them are actual businesses, almost. Like, they're almost all subsidized, they're a city park, they're owned by a school, they're attached to a resort.00:48:56.000 --> 00:49:01.000Stuart Winchester: My point is, this is not a growth area long term.00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:02.000Stuart Winchester: And…00:49:02.000 --> 00:49:17.000Stuart Winchester: you know, the big ski areas mostly do have really good beginner centers, and they're getting better all the time, right? You see places like Jackson and Big Sky building mid-mountain beginner centers to put people more up in the alpine experience and away from.00:49:17.000 --> 00:49:22.000Stuart Winchester: the chaos of the base. So what I'm getting at here is.00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:24.000Stuart Winchester: Eventually…00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:28.000Stuart Winchester: It seems like you have to get…00:49:28.000 --> 00:49:41.000Stuart Winchester: into a ski area where there's somewhere else to go after the beginner hill's done, right? Or else you're just gonna be teaching pizza French fry forever, and… and I don't think that even the most passionate ski instructor wants to do that, so…00:49:42.000 --> 00:49:49.000Stuart Winchester: And it's funny, because you started at Homewood, and it's like, how do you get back to Homewood is almost the question I'm asking.00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:51.000Stuart Winchester: But I…00:49:51.000 --> 00:50:02.000Stuart Winchester: How do you… First of all, do you agree with that or am I totally missing the point? And second, if you do want to eventually get into bigger operations, what…00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:07.000Stuart Winchester: What are the obstacles to doing so other than the obvious permitting issue we just talked about?00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:20.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, so I would say I 80% agree with you. The 20% carve out would be that Grand Lavaca is still a business and Ron runs it like a business.00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:13.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:16.000 --> 00:50:18.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:27.000Brian Bensch: And the town of Frisco, even if it's town-operated, is a business that, like, reports its P&L, and they're both, like, pretty thriving.00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:33.000Brian Bensch: medium sized businesses. Snow schoolers is a small business. They're they're certainly, you know, 5 to 10 x bigger.00:50:33.000 --> 00:50:42.000Brian Bensch: And and I think that just like, you know, grade school education is a business.00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:41.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:46.000Brian Bensch: There is a steady stream of families.00:50:46.000 --> 00:50:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:46.000 --> 00:51:01.000Brian Bensch: You know, kids that, you know, will hopefully have the opportunity to learn to ski. And, you know, I think there's a world for, you know, bump hills, so to speak, to remain thriving in existence without having, you know.00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:13.000Brian Bensch: the Jackson Hole Palisades terrain to keep people forever. As far as you know, snow schoolers and kind of the the lesson ecosystem.00:51:04.000 --> 00:51:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:07.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:22.000Brian Bensch: I would say vehemently believe there is an underserved market for intermediate and advanced lessons.00:51:21.000 --> 00:51:22.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:37.000Brian Bensch: at, you know, quote-unquote, real resorts. Um, I'd somewhat be lying if I said I had the answer, uh, to how to break into that, because I probably would have done so already, uh, even if this is my part-time endeavor. Um, but the… in a similar manner to.00:51:28.000 --> 00:51:29.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:51:38.000 --> 00:51:44.000Brian Bensch: Uh, you know, how to… you know, we've… we struggled to create demand at Hoedown Hill. Hoedown Hill? Um…00:51:42.000 --> 00:51:43.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:59.000Brian Bensch: It is a completely new endeavor to create demand for that, you know, lifelong skier who skis, you know, 5 to 15 days a year, or maybe even like 10 to 50 days a year, and doesn't think that they need a lesson.00:51:59.000 --> 00:52:01.000Brian Bensch: Um, that is a much sort of.00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:14.000Brian Bensch: harder marketing challenge. But I can guarantee you, unless they are in the top 1% of like wealth. They're not going to pay $1,000. And so that's the like. How do you? How do you like? Come up with the right product?00:52:14.000 --> 00:52:15.000Stuart Winchester: Right.00:52:14.000 --> 00:52:26.000Brian Bensch: And, you know, when I talk to people on chairlifts, you know, fun skiing, I'll often ask, like, you know, hey, when's the last time you took a lesson now? Yeah, when I was a kid. What would you be willing to pay?00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:42.000Brian Bensch: Uh, you know, to get 20% better at your skiing riding today. It's like, yeah, maybe 50 bucks, maybe 40 bucks, 60 bucks, like, you know. Uh, and there's no mountain that offers that, particularly for, like, the one or two hour segment. Um, and, you know.00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:49.000Brian Bensch: I think there's a lot of experimentation that the bigger mountains could do with ski school to serve that sort of.00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:48.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:52:49.000 --> 00:52:52.000Brian Bensch: Latent market, or latent demand, uh…00:52:52.000 --> 00:52:55.000Brian Bensch: I'd love to help, but I'd be lying if I think that.00:52:55.000 --> 00:52:58.000Brian Bensch: Ask a 3rd party to do it for them.00:52:57.000 --> 00:52:59.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:52:58.000 --> 00:53:13.000Brian Bensch: And but you know, in the the only thing I think that I am a believer of Einstein's definition of insanity, and and if you do the same thing over over and over again, and expect different results like that's insane.00:53:13.000 --> 00:53:28.000Brian Bensch: Um, and I'd love to see more experimentation with, like, you know, better serving sort of lessons for people that already know how to ski. Um, because that's what… that's what got me addicted. Uh, becoming an instructor made me realize how much more.00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:23.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I'm.00:53:25.000 --> 00:53:26.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:53:28.000 --> 00:53:37.000Brian Bensch: fun I could have and how much more like I still I want to learn to be a better skier this year uh and like everyone that sort of.00:53:33.000 --> 00:53:34.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I think so.00:53:37.000 --> 00:53:47.000Brian Bensch: really gets sort of addicted to ski instruction. They do it because, like there, it's a lifelong pursuit of learning to like, get better. And most.00:53:47.000 --> 00:53:50.000Brian Bensch: lace gears like don't have that sort of.00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:54.000Brian Bensch: have that spark that I'd love to spread.00:53:51.000 --> 00:53:52.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:53:53.000 --> 00:54:08.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I guess the cynic in me thinks you're never gonna get the robots to ski. Like, there's too much ego in American skiing, especially among the sort of core demographic of males. But what I… I think what I meant more was, like, okay.00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:24.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, Grand Le Bacon's kind of a novelty, and I get that it's a business, uh, that's attached to it. I, how about like Tahoe Donner, right? So it's, it's, it's not a big resort. It's, you know, right next to Sugar Bowl. It's got 500 vertical feet, like five double.00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:31.000Stuart Winchester: Maybe they don't need the hassle of running a ski school, and the…00:54:31.000 --> 00:54:41.000Stuart Winchester: they have locals, right? Because that's a mountain with interesting terrain, even though it's short vert, where parents would want to go and, like, put their kids in ski school while they go off and ski, even if you don't.00:54:41.000 --> 00:54:57.000Stuart Winchester: get the parents. Is there… do you see opportunity in that? Because there's… there's lots of hills like that, which are not, you know, down the Frisco level, but, you know, if you want to go Summit County, so you have Frisco, and you have, like, Keystone Basin.00:54:57.000 --> 00:55:07.000Stuart Winchester: uh, Breck, but then you also have Granby Ranch, and you have Ski Cooper, and it's like, okay, may… or you have Echo Mountain, maybe those places are sort of the logical next.00:55:07.000 --> 00:55:18.000Stuart Winchester: I don't even know if it's possible to get the really big ones, but, you know, do you see any growth in that? Just tiering up, not to destinations necessarily, but sort of like.00:55:18.000 --> 00:55:21.000Stuart Winchester: ski areas that families actually want to ski a whole season at.00:55:21.000 --> 00:55:23.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, um…00:55:23.000 --> 00:55:28.000Brian Bensch: A few things to come back to your earlier question. Not all of ski school is broken.00:55:27.000 --> 00:55:28.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:28.000 --> 00:55:30.000Brian Bensch: I visited Granby Ranch.00:55:30.000 --> 00:55:37.000Brian Bensch: last spring, I believe? Maybe it was 2 springs ago. Um, and I've been to Tahoe Donner many a times. Both of those, uh…00:55:32.000 --> 00:55:34.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:36.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:37.000 --> 00:55:42.000Brian Bensch: mountains have pretty phenomenal ski schools. Like, they don't need our help.00:55:42.000 --> 00:55:50.000Brian Bensch: You know, maybe, you know, maybe there's some cool software things that we're doing that they could, you know, borrow and replicate, but they are thriving.00:55:50.000 --> 00:56:00.000Brian Bensch: learning area programs. And I think there's a like for for the listeners that have, you know, you know.00:56:00.000 --> 00:56:03.000Brian Bensch: young kids that are thinking about when to start in ski school.00:56:03.000 --> 00:56:22.000Brian Bensch: That, I would say, tier of mountain is today, like, if it's not on your radar, it should be, because the affordability, like, they're not gouging people nearly as much as the Tier 1 Icon Epic Resorts are, and every time I've visited them, on a weekend at least.00:56:22.000 --> 00:56:30.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, their fault. They're thriving. And so I don't think that at least the class of the Tahoe Donners and Granbys of the world. I don't think they're broken.00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:38.000Brian Bensch: Other than, you know, yeah, more staff, like, how do you keep scaling? But they are thriving pretty well from what I've seen.00:56:34.000 --> 00:56:36.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I'm.00:56:37.000 --> 00:56:50.000Stuart Winchester: I could still see some operator… you know, I was talking to the guy who revitalized Steeplechase, and he was saying, you know, we don't have a ski school, and I think I may have even connected you guys, but it's like, you sort of have a ski school in a box you could offer them.00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:51.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:57.000Stuart Winchester: Alright, one more ski school question, and then you can make fun of my charts. Um, so… so, Summit at Snoqualmie.00:56:57.000 --> 00:57:11.000Stuart Winchester: and I'm sure you know this, for some reason, because of, like, it's grandfathered in, because it used to be, like, 92 different ski areas, and now it's… it's one. They have competing ski schools there. It's one of the few… might be the only place in America.00:57:11.000 --> 00:57:16.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, that I'm aware of, at least the only major, you know, it's owned by Boeing. And I've asked Boe.00:57:16.000 --> 00:57:25.000Stuart Winchester: I don't know, we don't really want to have that war. You know, it works. But but what do you think of Summit at Snoqualmie?00:57:25.000 --> 00:57:27.000Stuart Winchester: And is it just?00:57:27.000 --> 00:57:40.000Stuart Winchester: a fringe case, and it doesn't tell us anything useful about how we could maybe change American ski school structure. Any thoughts on that? That's right outside of Seattle, by the way, for folks who don't know.00:57:39.000 --> 00:57:40.000Brian Bensch: Yeah, yeah, uh…00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:43.000Brian Bensch: Now, fun, fun fact.00:57:43.000 --> 00:57:45.000Brian Bensch: You know, in my 1st year of.00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:52.000Brian Bensch: researching this space and figuring out what I was gonna do. Uh, the Pacific Northwest, and Snoqualmie in particular, was sort of.00:57:52.000 --> 00:58:08.000Brian Bensch: Number one, I'm like, I need to get up there and figure out, like, what they're doing, why, how they made it work, and how do we do that in Tahoe? That was my, like, year one thesis. I finally got up there just before the world shut down with COVID.00:58:01.000 --> 00:58:03.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:58:08.000 --> 00:58:11.000Brian Bensch: Knocked on doors, had some good conversations.00:58:11.000 --> 00:58:23.000Brian Bensch: And and you're correct like there are at least 6 or 7, maybe even more independent ski schools. They all have their own little lodge building. They're all primarily seasonal programs.00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:33.000Brian Bensch: And they do. They still do a good deal of the sort of transportation coordination. You know that whole market is, you know, Seattle and Seattle suburbs, you know, coming up.00:58:33.000 --> 00:58:36.000Stuart Winchester: Right off the interstate. Yeah.00:58:33.000 --> 00:58:45.000Brian Bensch: to the mountains right off the interstate. It's it's as sort of like convenient as you could imagine. And more or less the answer I got was, we've done it this way.00:58:39.000 --> 00:58:40.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:58:45.000 --> 00:58:48.000Brian Bensch: Uh, but we're not looking to make it more this way.00:58:49.000 --> 00:58:51.000Brian Bensch: And you know they.00:58:50.000 --> 00:58:52.000Stuart Winchester: That was the answer from Boyne or from the ski schools?00:58:52.000 --> 00:59:08.000Brian Bensch: Uh, it was… I would say both. There was a, uh, like, the first party unoperated, like, Snoqualmie Ski School manager, like, told me that. And there was a person who coordinated, basically, was the Boyne representative for the seven other independents.00:59:07.000 --> 00:59:09.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:59:08.000 --> 00:59:11.000Brian Bensch: And it was like, yeah, we're not, you know, we're not inviting new people.00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:18.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, and in case anyone from the ski schools at Summit is listening to this, don't run to Guy Lawrence or Steven Kirchner and be like.00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:13.000Brian Bensch: Um, okay.00:59:18.000 --> 00:59:33.000Stuart Winchester: Stu Winchester said that you said this. I'm paraphrasing, and that's my take, is that they don't want that war. What they said was probably something like, our ski schools do a great job, and we're so happy to work with them. So don't run that back to them. This is just my take on it.00:59:22.000 --> 00:59:23.000Brian Bensch: Yeah.00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:31.000Brian Bensch: Yep.00:59:33.000 --> 00:59:37.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, that they don't want to fight you, and I think they're smart not to.00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:43.000Brian Bensch: Yeah. The thing I would probably acknowledge is when a…00:59:43.000 --> 00:59:47.000Brian Bensch: Sierra is running a…00:59:49.000 --> 00:59:54.000Brian Bensch: a well executed, operationally efficient ski school.00:59:53.000 --> 00:59:54.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:59:54.000 --> 01:00:00.000Brian Bensch: They don't necessarily need third parties to come in and, like, try to do it better.01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:02.000Brian Bensch: Okay.01:00:02.000 --> 01:00:06.000Brian Bensch: However, there is a short term sort of.01:00:06.000 --> 01:00:09.000Brian Bensch: financially motivated incentive.01:00:09.000 --> 01:00:15.000Brian Bensch: to run a, I would say, less at scale, more profitable ski area over time.01:00:15.000 --> 01:00:19.000Brian Bensch: And you know that is sort of.01:00:19.000 --> 01:00:22.000Brian Bensch: what I would attribute to, like, you know, the…01:00:23.000 --> 01:00:37.000Brian Bensch: the non-snow summit at Snoqualmie Mountains that have one ski school and their list prices are $279 for group lesson or $1,299 for private lesson.01:00:37.000 --> 01:00:50.000Brian Bensch: they've decided that it's better for their business to, you know, maximize, like, short-term financials over long-term bringing skiers in the market. Um, and the history of Snoqualmie was, you know.01:00:50.000 --> 01:01:05.000Brian Bensch: Because it was like this, and because the ski schools were busing kids, you know, from school to the mountain afternoon, and, like, handling the very messy logistics and operations, that, like, they saw that as valuable and let them keep doing that.01:01:05.000 --> 01:01:12.000Brian Bensch: But from a business perspective, it's just more profitable, at least in the short term, to teach fewer lessons at higher margin.01:01:13.000 --> 01:01:17.000Stuart Winchester: So to end on this thought on ski lessons.01:01:17.000 --> 01:01:27.000Stuart Winchester: I think they're…

In Episode 687 of Caching in the NorthWest, the Pacific Northwest's geocaching podcast, we explore EarthCaches: the geology-based geocaches that send you to waterfalls, basalt columns, glacial erratics, volcanic landscapes, and coastal formations instead of a hidden container. LANMonkey joins Chris of the NorthWest and witzend to talk through how to find EarthCaches, how to research the geology before you go, how to answer logging tasks correctly, and how to communicate with cache owners so your log stands. Whether you're a beginner geocacher wondering how EarthCaches work or an experienced cacher looking to sharpen your earth science skills, this episode is packed with practical tips for EarthCaching in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and beyond. Join us live every Thursday at 7PM PT and find all episodes at https://CachingNW.com. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Co-Host LANMonkey on Geocaching.com: https://www.geocaching.com/p/?u=LANMonkey  EarthCache Resources EarthCache Program (Geological Society of America): https://www.geosociety.org/what-we-do/in-the-field/earthcache  EarthCache Submission Guidelines: https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/fieldexp/EarthCache/guidelines/home.aspx  EarthCache FAQ: https://rock.geosociety.org/earthcache/faq.htm  New Hiding Guidance for EarthCaches (Geocaching HQ Blog): https://www.geocaching.com/blog/?p=133006 

Seattle's own after-action report on the July 26 Bite of Seattle mass shooting just confirmed it in black and white: "Senior and elected officials distracted sworn staff from completing timely public safety information." The first public briefing didn't happen until five hours after a gunman opened fire — and two internal briefings had already taken place before the public heard a word.Mayor Katie Wilson's office is at the center of this failure. The SPD report calls for pre-designating an on-scene public information officer with "standing public-safety-alert authority," a direct acknowledgment that the existing command structure collapsed under political pressure. Text messages between SPD and the mayor's office are now fueling a "he said, she said" standoff that shows no signs of fading — and Police Chief Sean Barnes has already been shown the door with a $700,000 exit package.Sean walks through every key finding: the report's damning language, the dueling texts, the budget-gutting context behind why SPD was understaffed when it mattered most, and what the new police chief search means for Seattle's public-safety future.CHAPTERS0:00 Bite of Seattle shooting report…2:01 Seattle Report Blames Mayor's Office…2:32 Why the Briefing Delay Still Haunts…3:20 Acting Chief Davis: Mayor's Office…5:43 Why Seattle Can't Trust Mayor Wilson7:04 Jeremy Harris Presses Acting Chief on…8:39 Wilson's Cover-Up and the Resignation…10:11 SPD Report: Officials Blocked the…14:19 Defunding Police Left Seattle Response…18:22 Mayor Wilson vs Police: The Texts…19:14 Chief Barnes Fired With $700K Payout20:15 Wilson Opens Police Chief Search to…22:36 Seattle's Long History of Hollow…24:45 Weekend Shootings Expose Wilson's…28:31 Seattle's Endless Police Chief SearchSubscribe to @reasonablenews for daily Pacific Northwest news, Seattle politics, and the stories mainstream media won't cover straight.#NFRP #Seattle #KatieWilsonGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

Seattle became the first city in the nation to ban AI-driven grocery pricing after the City Council passed the Fair and Transparent Pricing ordinance 7-2. The new law prohibits large grocers from using personal data — browsing history, location, social media activity — to set individualized prices. Mayor Katie Wilson is next in line to sign it.But retailers are already sounding the alarm. The ordinance could eliminate loyalty discounts, targeted deals, and personalized coupons that millions of Seattle shoppers depend on. Sean argues the law is a feel-good political move that will actually drive food prices higher — and Seattle has seen this story before.Meanwhile the city is dealing with runaway grocery and gas prices, rising crime, and an unchecked fentanyl crisis. This is the kind of regulatory theater that earns applause in Seattle City Hall while doing real damage to real shoppers at checkout — and Mayor Katie Wilson is leading the charge.CHAPTERS0:00 Seattle ban on AI-driven grocery…2:02 Seattle Bans AI Grocery Pricing2:37 AI Already Tracks Your Purchases4:10 Seattle's New Surveillance Pricing Law5:11 Instacart's AI Pricing Tests Exposed6:00 QFC Loyalty Codes at Risk Under Ban8:02 Seattle Ignores Crime to Police…9:02 Seattle Grocery Prices Among Nation's…9:51 Retailers Will Kill Discounts to Avoid…11:18 Why Grocers Won't Honor Preserved…13:18 Study Finds 23% Algorithmic Price Swings15:03 Industry Warns Law Will End Loyalty…16:25 Fred Meyer Closures Already Haunt…18:44 Safeway's Defense Misses the Point22:39 Katie Wilson's Two Public Trust BreachesSubscribe to @reasonablenews for daily commentary on Pacific Northwest politics, urban policy, and the stories the mainstream media won't tell you straight. Hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode.#NFRP #Seattle #KatieWilsonGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

In this episode of The Bigspin Fingerboard Podcast, I sit down with Deiondre Moses-Spencer, the owner of Dread Tuning, a Pacific Northwest-based brand that's quickly becoming a favorite in the fingerboard community for its high-quality bushings and tuning products.Deiondre has been involved in fingerboarding for years, but his journey hasn't been a straight line. We talk about getting into the hobby, stepping away and coming back multiple times, starting different brands along the way, and the lessons he's learned from each experience.Dread Tuning officially started in December 2025, making this a really interesting look at someone who is still early in building a brand while already having a long history with fingerboarding. We get into what it's like starting over, what he's learned from previous businesses, his love for the hobby, and how he's approached building Dread from the ground up.We also get into some fingerboard hot takes, the current state of the scene, and plenty of conversation about what it takes to build something in the fingerboard community.Whether you've been fingerboarding for years or you're just getting started, there's a lot to take away from this one.Support the show

9/24/2026 - Pacific Northwest wrestler Brian Cook comes onto to the show! Find out about the wrestling scene in that area, and some of places that you can find Brian wrestling at. Here stories about Buddy Wayne and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kennedy breaks down exactly why fall is the greatest season of the year, celebrating everything from the changing leaves in New York to the perfect pumpkin spice treats. She shares her memories of growing up in the Pacific Northwest, introduces her apartment's year-round skeleton, Bone Franklin, and shares her favorite tips for healthy seasonal baking. Kennedy Now Available on YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.podtrac.com/kstw_yt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@kennedy_foxnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join Kennedy for Happy Hour on Fridays!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWlNiiSXX4BNUbXM5X8KkYbDepFgUIVZj⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ok, had to get this episode out asap. There are huge changes coming to the Fulfillment network at Amazon and we had the two absolute experts join us today live from Amazon Accelerate in Seattle. Pattern COO and VP of Supply Chain walk us through what has changed and how sellers should adapt this holiday season! Unbelievable insights here! Listen/Watch and share ASAP!       FEEDSPOT TOP 10 Retail Podcast! https://podcast.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/?feedid=5770554&_src=f2_featured_email GUEST Rob Hahn  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-hahn-12136736/ Pattern: https://www.pattern.com/   Gues: Andrew Bignell  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bignell-8043091a/ Pattern: https://www.pattern.com/ QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/ Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 17 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 30 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Mr. Ohsman has been managing brands on Amazon for 19yrs. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Producer and Co-Host for the top 5 retail podcast, Always Off Brand. He also produces the Brain Driven Brands Podcast featuring leading Consumer Behaviorist Sarah Levinger. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley lives in North Carolina.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music "Office Party" available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   "Always Off Brand" is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.  

In 1994, eighteen-year-old Brian Canfield was driving along a dark road in the foothills of Washington when his pickup suddenly died. Then something dropped out of the sky. He described a nine-foot creature covered in blue fur, with yellow eyes, a wolf-like face, clawed feet, and enormous leathery wings.For several minutes, the two simply stared at each other before the creature took flight—and Brian's truck inexplicably started again. The encounter would give the Pacific Northwest a new cryptid: Batsquatch. But somewhere along the way, the story changed, moving the creature to a completely different mountain and surrounding it with a mythology that wasn't there in 1994.Tonight, we go looking for the real story behind Batsquatch. Tales from the Shadows Weekend in Lancaster PA CONDEMNED links - https://linktr.ee/CondemnedYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@HauntedAmericanHistoryTikTok - @hah_podcasthauntedamericanhistory.comPatreon- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/hauntedamericanhistory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HAH DISCORD - https://discord.com/invite/bJdbpH3hQm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kyle is in the Pacific Northwest, Alex explains his absence two weeks ago, air traffic control problems, Trump renames AI, flaws in the system, FBI hacked by ShinyHunters, Australia considering ban on smart glasses.

A twenty-two-year-old woman allegedly reported Jesse Calhoun to Portland police after he choked her. According to her father, she had marks on her throat. A report was filed. The case was transferred to another jurisdiction and nothing happened. She disappeared four months later and was found dead in a pond southeast of Portland.Her name was Ashley Real, and she is one of six women Jesse Lee Calhoun is now accused of killing in the Portland metro area between November 2022 and April 2023. Calhoun, a career criminal with two decades of convictions, had been released from prison roughly a year early after Governor Kate Brown commuted his sentence for fighting wildfires. He was forty-one inmates granted early release through that program.The bodies were found across a hundred miles of the Pacific Northwest — in wooded areas, fields, an abandoned barn in Washington, a pond in Clackamas County. Prosecutors allege the first victim, thirty-two-year-old Elizabeth Gibson, was killed in November 2022. Her body has never been recovered. Despite multiple discoveries, the Portland Police Bureau publicly stated the cases were not connected. Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on a parole violation after jumping into the Willamette River. Grand jury indictments started in 2024 and are still coming. The sixth charge — for Gibson — landed September 16, 2026. Calhoun has pleaded not guilty to all charges.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#JesseCalhoun #PortlandSerialKiller #TrueCrimeToday #TrueCrime #Oregon #AshleyReal #KateBrown #KristinSmith #SerialKiller #PortlandFive

In this special internationally recorded episode of The Loan Officer Podcast, host Dustin Owen sits down for an in-depth interview with mortgage coach and mega producer Gwen Swain, who joins him from Nassau, Bahamas, during the highly anticipated Unite 2026 Caribbean Takeover event. Throughout their engaging conversation, Gwen opens up about her inspiring and transformative journey in the mortgage industry, detailing how she started her career earning just $17 an hour as a loan officer assistant and steadily worked her way up to producing an impressive $60 million in annual volume. She thoughtfully discusses her core philosophy of "beginning with the end in mind," highlighting the importance of setting clear, intentional goals, cultivating meaningful and relationship-driven networking opportunities, and making strategic decisions when it comes to hiring and building a strong team. Gwen also offers listeners an exclusive preview of her upcoming keynote address at the event, sharing valuable insights on achieving work-life balance, successfully expanding her team across the Pacific Northwest, and implementing proven strategies for building a sustainable and thriving mortgage business that can withstand the challenges of a dynamic industry. This episode provides a wealth of practical advice and inspiration for loan officers and mortgage professionals at every stage of their careers. TLOP's Originator Coaching:

How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. A former undercover police officer explains what families should know about online predators and the digital evidence that can help bring offenders to justice. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms. For years, Brett Shavers worked undercover investigating drug and weapons organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Then his work took him into another dangerous world: investigations involving child sexual exploitation and online predators. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio Shavers, a former police officer and digital forensics professional, joins the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast to discuss the demands of undercover work, the trauma of child exploitation investigations, and the evidence investigators must preserve to help build a case. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin. Why the words matter Federal law uses the term “child pornography,” but the Department of Justice also calls the images “child sexual abuse images.” That wording makes the reality clearer: the material documents the abuse of a child. When it circulates online, victims may face the knowledge that a record of their abuse remains available to others. Federal law prohibits conduct involving the production, distribution, receipt, and possession of this material. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram. Online exploitation can begin wherever children communicate, including Social Media, games, and messaging apps. An offender may try to move a conversation into a private chat, ask a child for images, or pressure the child to keep the exchange secret. How parents can help keep kids safe Families do not need to understand every app to start an effective conversation. Parents can ask who their children talk with online, review privacy and chat settings together, and make clear that a child can ask for help without fearing blame. The Federal Trade Commission recommends talking early and regularly about online safety; parental controls can support those conversations. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles. Children should know that someone they meet online may not be who they claim to be. If a person requests sexual images, threatens them, or pushes them to keep a relationship secret, they should tell a trusted adult. Suspected online child sexual exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. From a device to a prosecution Digital forensics can help investigators identify devices and accounts, preserve electronic evidence, examine relevant files and communications, and present findings in a form prosecutors and courts can evaluate. Careful documentation matters throughout the process: investigators need to explain where evidence came from and how it was handled. Shavers brings that investigative perspective to a difficult conversation. His career spans undercover operations and the painstaking examination of digital evidence in cases involving children. The episode looks at the human cost of this work while keeping the focus where it belongs: protecting children and holding offenders accountable. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast continues bringing listeners real conversations from the front lines of crime, policing, trauma, survival, and healing. Listen to Brett Shavers on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. Find the episode through the show's Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For information about his digital forensics consulting and industry-specific Books, visit Brett Shavers' website. Please listen, share this Special Episode, and help others discover the realities of hostage negotiation, fallen officers, television police work, and the man behind the badge. Please listen, follow and share this remarkable story. Listeners can find the show across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other podcast and social media platforms. Learn and get access to money saving tips and how to increase your net worth at www.LetSavings.com Download the Free Ebook about ways and tips to improve your  health. You can get the ebook for free at www.LetHealthy.com Listen to the  Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Apple  Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and most major podcast platforms. This episode of the show is brought to you in part by Mars Men. You hit your 30s and 40s, and things start to feel different. Now that I'm in my 60s, I've really noticed the change. My energy drops faster. Recovery takes longer. Workouts don't have the same impact they once did. Most importantly, what worked for me in my 20s simply doesn't work anymore. So, I started looking for answers. Honestly, the testosterone-support space can be confusing, and much of it sounded sketchy. I don't want to become a professional bodybuilder. I just want to look and feel more like the old me. Thankfully, I found Mars Men, and I couldn't be more grateful. Mars Men is made in the USA, third-party tested, and formulated to support healthy testosterone levels, energy and stamina. It's now available at GNC stores nationwide. For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off for life plus Free Shipping AND 3 Free Gifts at Men Go To Mars dot com. That's MenGoToMars.com for 50% Off AND 3 Free Gifts when you checkout. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. PLEASE support our show and tell them our show sent you. Get the Free Clubhouse App, it is Drop In Social Audio. Think of it as your own talk radio show on your phone, and best of all it is free. Be sure to look for me and follow me, that's John J Wiley or @letradioshow you can do all that here. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms. You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website . Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo. Listen to the free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website and through major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other Social Media platforms for more real stories about trauma, survival and transformation. Listen to the Show, share the episode, and follow the latest Radio, Podcast, and News content from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. Be sure to check out our website . Be sure to follow us on X , Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news. Follow the Law Enforcement Today Radio Show and Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube for more powerful interviews with law enforcement officers, survivors, first responders, and others whose lives have been changed by crime and trauma. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. Attributions Brett Shavers Missing Kids D.O.J.  Facebook Facebook Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson unveiled a four-and-a-half-page gun violence prevention plan this week, proposing millions in new spending after a summer of deadly shootings — including the Bite of Seattle attack that killed three people in July and three more shootings over a single Labor Day weekend. The plan calls for faster 911 response times, expanded bicycle patrols in Belltown, north Aurora, Little Saigon, and Rainier Beach, community violence intervention programs, and new "focused deterrence" partnerships targeting what city officials carefully describe as "small groups."Sean unpacks what "small groups" actually means, why a counseling-and-housing approach to gang violence is the civic equivalent of a toddler timeout, and why a city that's hundreds of officers short of where it needs to be keeps reaching for studies and committees instead of badges. The plan is four and a half pages. The problem has been building for years.While businesses — including major employers — pull back from Seattle, Mayor Wilson's office is proposing to spend its way around the one variable that demonstrably works: a fully staffed, empowered police department. San Francisco proved a turnaround is possible when a city decides to enforce the law. Seattle is choosing differently. City Council votes Tuesday.CHAPTERS0:00 Mayor Katie Wilson unveils gun…1:41 Seattle Mayor's Gun Violence Prevention…6:09 City Council Targets Seattle's 0.1…7:42 Gang Violence Rebranded as 'Small…8:40 Seattle's Soft Approach to Gang Members9:53 Seattle Is 500 Cops Short11:16 Mayor Wilson's Four-Page Violence…12:54 Faster 911 Response Times After…14:23 Bike Patrols Planned for Seattle…16:06 Seattle's Focused Deterrence First Steps17:25 The Case for 1,000 Seattle Police…19:18 Seattle Cuts Homeless Shelter Promise…22:55 Council Votes Tuesday on Gang Deterrence24:13 Seattle Tech Leaders Demand Public…29:46 Portland Faces Seattle's Policing…Subscribe to @reasonablenews for daily Pacific Northwest news commentary that doesn't soften the story.#NFRP #Seattle #KatieWilsonGO PREMIUM WITH REASONABLE+ FOR UNCENSORED ACCESS

"To niche or not to niche"?  It's the question almost every woman entrepreneur asks herself, and almost everyone answers it wrong. In this episode, Kimberly Gayle breaks down the two most common — and most misleading — pieces of niching advice: pick one service, or pick one industry. Neither one actually gets you known. Kimberly shares her own story of niching to WHO instead of what or where, including a chapter most people don't know about: thirteen years ago, when she moved from Minneapolis to the Pacific Northwest and had to get known for who she was, completely from scratch. Plus, a real story from inside one of her masterminds, where a woman with over a decade running a brick-and-mortar business realized her real niche wasn't a service at all — it was the exact problem she'd already solved for herself. If you've ever felt invisible despite showing up consistently, this episode shows you why — and gives you a clear, doable way to get specific on exactly who you're for, without picking a random industry or slashing your service list.   Want to hop on a call to discuss building your personal brand? Request your FREE brand call with me below, and we can set up a personal-brand planning strategy call together! In a call together, I will help you get started with a plan to start realizing your goals and dreams so you can build, grow, and monetize your brand! Request your Free Personal Branding Strategy Call Here! https://mountain-cardamom-037.notion.site/2955061b5cdf803790aecbbb4badc5bd?pvs=105 Show Notes: Episode 72: How to Pick Your Niche without Choosing a Service or Industry  Let's Connect Online! Website: https://www.boldlyemerge.com/ Email: kimberly@boldemergencebranding.com Instagram: @boldemergencebranding

Tide vs Current: Why You're Fishing at the Wrong TimeIf you have been planning your fishing day around the tide table, you are reading the wrong instrument. Tide tells you how high the water is. Current tells you how hard it is moving, and that is what decides where the bait sits and when salmon feed. This episode separates the two, shows you where the strongest current actually falls, and gives you a repeatable way to plan any trip in any season.Episode OverviewWhy tide is vertical and current is horizontal, and why confusing the two puts you on the water at the wrong hourWhere maximum current actually falls, according to NOAA, and why it is not at high or low tideWhat hard current does to baitfish, and why that decides the bite window rather than whether salmon are hungryThe roughly two-hour window either side of slack when the food chain is most activeWhere bait goes when it cannot hold in the flow, and why you should fish the lee and back eddiesA screen walkthrough of three tools showing the same place on the same dayHow to apply all of it to September coho in Marine Area 7Timestamps00:00 - What Salmon School students wanted most01:24 - Welcome to Fishing for a Reason01:57 - Tide is vertical, current is horizontal02:38 - Flood and ebb: the vocabulary03:03 - Max current is not at high or low tide04:15 - What slack water actually is05:13 - Why timing is different everywhere06:01 - What current does to the bait07:07 - The two-hour bite window07:47 - Where bait goes when it cannot fight the current08:41 - The 1.5 knot rule09:56 - Three tools, same place, same day13:37 - Applying it to September coho14:11 - Final takeawaysKey TakeawaysTide is vertical, current is horizontal, and current matters more to your fishing day.Maximum current happens between the tides, not at high or low tide.Slack and high tide are not the same moment, and they can be far apart.Hard current pins bait flat to the bottom; slack lets it rise and the salmon move in.Fish roughly an hour either side of slack current.When the current is up, fish the lee and back eddies instead of the flow.A big exchange can mean a harder day, not a better one.Check the current station for the exact place you are fishing, because timing varies everywhere.Resources & LinksNOAA on tides and currents: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.govNOAA tidal current predictions: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaacurrents/stations.html?g=698Island Fisherman Magazine, Fishing Tidal Currents to Your Advantage: https://islandfishermanmagazine.com/fishing-tidal-currents-to-your-advantage/Navionics: https://www.navionics.comWDFW sport fishing regulations: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulationsPrevious episode on coho run timing: https://youtu.be/1rftcbGi7yQWant more?Go to https://anglersunlimited.co/gold to learn more about our membership. Monthly expert seminars, step-by-step courses, fishing maps, and a community of 100+ anglers who want you to succeed.About the PodcastFishing for a Reason is the Pacific Northwest saltwater fishing education podcast for new anglers and families who want to catch more salmon, halibut, lingcod, shrimp and crab in Washington waters. Hosted by Jamie & Scott Propst from Anglers Unlimited, each episode delivers practical techniques, local knowledge, and expert insights to help you get off the couch and into the fish. Perfect for relocated professionals, military families, and boaters who are just getting into fishing.

For seven decades, David James Duncan has immersed himself in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies, coming to know them as places of earthly holiness. Spawning salmon, chittering otters, water ouzels, and humans mucking about in streams have revealed themselves to be not only permutations of wild, intricate beauty, but participants in an endless unfolding of the Mystery. In the tug at the end of a fishing rod, the roar of the spring torrent, David contemplates the very nature of water, the soul, and the universe, and how a cosmology might be improvised in response to a deep experience of place. Read the essay. Discover our sixth print edition, Seasons.Photo by Ron Jude

In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of NFL star Steve McNair, the mysterious circumstances of his death, and the importance of understanding the full story beyond headlines. Next we delve into a chilling case from 1934 in Kisap's Erlands Point, Washington, revealing how a massacre that almost went cold was solved.key topicsSteve McNair's football career and legacyCircumstances surrounding Steve McNair's deathInvestigation and questions about the caseThe importance of understanding a person's full storyDetails of the Erlands Point massacre and investigationChapters00:00Introduction to Steve McNair and today's case02:04Autumn shares her day and personal mishaps07:00Introduction to Steve McNair's early life and football career11:59McNair's NFL achievements and Super Bowl run17:07The tragic night of Steve McNair's death20:00Details of the investigation and questions raised25:14Reconstructing McNair's final hours and events30:12Remembering Steve McNair beyond the headlines32:14Introduction to the Erlands Point massacre case36:01Discovery of the crime scene and initial investigation39:58Media coverage and public reaction to the massacre45:01The investigation, evidence, and unresolved questionskeywords Steve McNair, NFL, true crime, murder case, sports history, investigation, unsolved mysteries, crime analysis, Pacific Northwest, historical crime

If the lights went out, your phone had no service, and the Internet was down, how would you communicate? How would you get news and information? In a major disaster of political disruption, all normal communications could be censored, limited, or gone. Even radio stations, including shortwave stations, could very likely be off the air. Today, Bob welcomes a special guest who heads up an incredible organization called AmRRON.Founded in 2011, the American Redoubt Radio Operators Network (AmRRON) began as a radio communications network to share information and coordinate in response to disasters in the Pacific Northwest. By 2013, members joined from over half of the other states in the US. The American Preparedness Radio Network (TAPRN) on the East Coast merged with AmRRON in 2013.By 2014, AmRRON/TAPRN consisted of members from every state, and now consists of members in Canada, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Japan, and elsewhere. Over the past decade, AmRRON has responded to numerous real-world disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other incidents, providing communications support to those in the affected areas.Now, do you believe in this ministry? If you do, you can keep us on the air as a radio program and podcast by visiting our website. It is vastly more urgent than ever that you do. https://truth2ponder.com/support. You can also mail a check payable to Ancient Word Radio, P.O. Box 7037, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34985. Thank you in advance for your faithfulness to this ministry.

An incredible opportunity to sit down with the co-founder and CEO of Shopware. What a story, creating the company when they were 16rs old or so, figuring out how to solve complicated problems and has been shepherding with his brother into a major global platform. Such a great conversation about how the product is always first and focus is the key to their success. Always Off Brand is always a Laugh & Learn!   SHOPTOBERFEST episodes are brought you by SHOPWARE! For the best ecommerce platform in B2B, there is no other choice to make complex hard customized merchant needs simplified! Go to https://www.shopware.com/en/ Open Source.. Open Commerce, Agentic by design. Huge thank you to everyone at Shopware for making this possible.     FEEDSPOT TOP 10 Retail Podcast! https://podcast.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/?feedid=5770554&_src=f2_featured_email   CO-HOST for these shows! BRENT PETERSON who has hosted and produced TALK COMMERCE for many years. We collaborate on these shows and it is a great mashup!  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentwpeterson/ Website: https://contentcucumber.com/ Podcast: https://talk-commerce.com/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-commerce/id1561204656   GUEST Sebastian Hamenn  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianhamann/ Shopware: https://www.shopware.com/en/ QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/ Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 17 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 30 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Mr. Ohsman has been managing brands on Amazon for 19yrs. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Producer and Co-Host for the top 5 retail podcast, Always Off Brand. He also produces the Brain Driven Brands Podcast featuring leading Consumer Behaviorist Sarah Levinger. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley lives in North Carolina.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music "Office Party" available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   "Always Off Brand" is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.  

In Europe, dogs have been used for centuries for their keen sense of smell to locate prized black and white truffles which can fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars a pound depending on their variety. In Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, using dogs to sniff out truffles is relatively new and growing in popularity. There are even training classes and an annual truffle dog contest held at the Oregon Truffle festival.    Oregon has four varieties of gourmet edible truffles, but there are hundreds of species of these mysterious fungi growing on the roots of conifer and oak trees across the state. So what if you could use a dog’s nose to home in on the odor signatures of all sorts of truffles, not just the commercially valuable ones, for a better scientific understanding of truffle biodiversity? That’s the goal of Heather Dawson, a doctoral student in the biology department at University of Oregon. She trained her golden retriever, Rye, to detect dozens of different kinds of truffles in the Willamette Valley alone. Dawson joined us in March 2025 to share her work and the attention it’s attracting among other scientists and forest foragers.  

Eric Ward knows something about courage. He has demonstrated it for over 40 years, infiltrating alt-right groups in the rural Pacific Northwest to reveal what animates its followers, advancing American scholarship about antisemitism as a gateway to white nationalist movements globally, and speaking out about how this authoritarian moment is a reaction to 75 years of Black civil rights struggles and wins in this country. And now he is asking us to be courageous, to use our words and our actions, to live our values and to let go of the self-imposed fractures within the movements, organizations and sectors that prize democracy. This, Eric tells us, is the path to a future as a multiracial and inclusive America. There are countless compelling threads to what Eric shares on this episode of Power Station, but what resonates most for me is that when we fail to act on this imperative the burden is borne by our most vulnerable communities. Eric tells the story here, powerfully and with a surprising amount of hopefulness and joy. It starts with just showing up.

 Nothing kicks off an excellent suspense novel like a deathbed confession!  Listen in as Elizabeth Goddard and I chat about her latest novel and learn more about the first book in the new Mercy Ridge series. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  I love a great series, and this new one by Elizabeth Goddard sounds awesome!   When the Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard A deathbed confession. A decades-old secret. A mountain that holds the answers--and danger closing in. When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather's deathbed confession connected to her brother's murder, she's determined to protect her remaining family. After further investigation, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she looks for a guide who knows the terrain like the back of their hand. After his father's death in a tragic mountain accident, former Navy SEAL Ryder Goodwin no longer guides for the family business. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her and can't stand by while someone brings danger to his small-town mountain community. Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming storm. When the danger escalates, their search for answers shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it through involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find. This gripping romantic-suspense thriller set in the Pacific Northwest from USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard is a series opener that will sweep you away in a rush of adrenaline. Learn more about Elizabeth Goddard on her WEBSITE and follow her on BookBub and GoodReads. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon YouTube and more!

One from the Archives…   Recorded live on August 11th, 2022   Two people making music on the fly… Bugs In The Basement creates improvised musical journeys from an array of vintage and handmade instruments to modern technologies. Recorded live from our basement studio in the Pacific Northwest, each week we experiment in the process of making exploratory music and soundscapes. Unmixed, unedited and unapologetic.   www.bugsinthebasement.com

What if protecting your family business for the next generation means accepting that your family doesn't always have to run it? What if stepping out of the CEO role isn't giving up control—but becoming a better owner? "I want the business to stay in the family, but does that mean a family member has to lead it?" "How do we bring in outside executives without losing what makes our company ours?" "How do we prepare the next generation to become responsible owners—even if they never work in the business?" "How do we build something that can thrive long after today's leaders are gone?" This conversation gives you a different way to think about the answer. In this episode of The Family Business Show, Michael Palumbos talks with Cort Brazelton of Fall Creek Nursery, an Oregon-based family-owned blueberry genetics and nursery company with operations around the world. Cort and his sister returned to the family business in 2008 and helped transform it from a primarily Pacific Northwest company into an international organization. Since then, the business has grown more than 39X while remaining family-owned. But the bigger story isn't simply growth. It's how the Brazelton family learned to separate family, ownership, governance, and management—and why Cort ultimately stepped away from the CEO position while remaining an engaged owner. As Fall Creek strengthened its governance, the family began building a board primarily made up of independent, non-family directors. Being based in Oregon also gave them access to accomplished business leaders from the broader community surrounding major companies such as Nike and Intel—the caliber of people Cort once wondered would even be interested in joining the board of a family-owned company. Today, Fall Creek is led by professional, non-family executives. For Cort, that structure isn't about distancing the family from the company. It's about giving the business the leadership it needs while allowing the family to think like long-term owners and stewards. Cort shares how his family brought in outside advisors, strengthened independent governance, recruited leaders with capabilities beyond their own, and began preparing the third generation to become responsible shareholders rather than automatically assuming they should become executives. The lesson is simple but challenging: being born into the owning family does not automatically make someone the best person to lead the business. When you separate ownership from employment and executive leadership, you create room to ask a better question: What does the business actually need to thrive? You'll also hear why Cort believes family ownership can be a powerful advantage in an industry that requires investments measured in decades. Fall Creek's blueberry breeding work can take 15, 20, or even 30 years to produce results—making patient, generational thinking especially valuable. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why owning a family business doesn't mean your family has to manage it How separating family, shareholder, board, and management roles can create greater clarity Why Fall Creek built a board primarily composed of independent, non-family directors How Oregon's business community, including talent associated with companies such as Nike and Intel, expanded the caliber of leaders Fall Creek could approach How Cort and his sister helped scale the business more than 39X after returning in 2008 Why bringing in professional leadership can strengthen rather than diminish family ownership How shareholder aspirations can give the board and management direction without family owners interfering in day-to-day decisions Why next-generation preparation should include learning how to become a responsible shareholder How long-term family ownership supports investments that may take decades to pay off Why stewardship means putting the needs of the business, employees, customers, and other stakeholders ahead of personal titles or ego From its roots in Oregon to nursery, R&D, and breeding operations across multiple countries, Fall Creek demonstrates another possible path for a family enterprise: keep the ownership, strengthen the governance, hire the leadership the business needs, and think in generations rather than quarters. If you're navigating succession, wondering whether the next generation should run the company, or trying to build a family business capable of thriving beyond any one leader, this episode offers a practical look at what long-term stewardship can mean.  

In part one of Red Eye Radio with Gary McNamara and Eric Harley, a popular women's sports bar's hypocrisy shows as it disavows the very thing it was meant to support. The Sports Bra also expelled fans wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts, drawing national backlash over its stance on inclusion. The Pacific Northwest establishment first came under national scrutiny after it expelled a group of fans for wearing XX-XY Athletics T-shirts earlier in the month. This spawned a social-media firestorm, with myriad X users condemning the bar for its not-so-inclusive behavior. And upon a deeper look, it's uncertain how much the Sports Bra cares about women's sports at all. Also a late night, last minute House Republican meeting turns into an all-out shouting match. Speaker Mike Johnson summoned top GOP members to discuss suspending the gas tax, but the session got ugly and personal / and Ed Sheeran faces growing backlash as radio station bans songs, protest groups respond to Macklemore's removal. For more talk on the issues that matter to you, listen on radio stations across America Monday-Friday 12am-5am CT (1am-6am ET and 10pm-3am PT), download the RED EYE RADIO SHOW app, asking your smart speaker, or listening at RedEyeRadioShow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musician Kole Galbraith (Peoria Tribe) has spent nearly a decade perfecting his unique blend of electronic and acoustic instrumentation and field recordings to create his signature drone-doom sound. Galbraith's musical roots are grounded in metal, noise, free jazz, and musique concrète. He is earning praises from audiences from the Pacific Northwest to Eastern Europe for his honed sound that finds the beauty in dark and abrasive tones. Composer and violinist Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) calls her approach to music “sculpting sound.” She often composes for visual art exhibitions and multimedia performances. Like Galbraith, Ortman blends field recordings with her own masterful violin playing, which Vogue has described as “transcendent” and “eccentric.” Her music has taken her to stages throughout Europe and led to collaborations with acclaimed Diné ballet dancer Jock Soto, Diné Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Raven Chacon, and many others. She joins us to talk about her live performances, honoring her Apache heritage, and her unique approach to composing. Break 1 Music: Live from Skaņu Mežs, Latvia [EXCERPT] (song) Laura Ortman (artist) Live from Skaņu Mežs, Latvia (album) Break 2 Music: Everywhere On Earth I Roam (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)

On Saturday, the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale will celebrate its centennial anniversary with free admission and activities honoring the museum’s unique history and identity. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Columbia Gorge, visitors can explore the museum’s many collections that include Indigenous baskets and beadwork, sculptures by Auguste Rodin and hundreds of chess sets from around the world. The museum’s sprawling grounds boast a full-scale replica of Stonehenge and sculptures made by Pacific Northwest artists.    The day's festivities also include Romanian folk dancing and music as a tribute to Queen Marie of Romania’s visit to the site 100 years ago to dedicate the museum co-founded by her friend and entrepreneur,  Sam Hill. Three current exhibits showcase the museum’s cultural ties to Romania, including new displays of Romanian pottery and embroidered textiles.    Amy Behrens is the executive director and CEO of the Maryhill Museum of Art. Michael Oros is the master of ceremonies for Saturday’s events, president of the Romanian American Society and a member of the museum’s board of trustees. They join us to preview Saturday’s program and the special exhibits celebrating the museum’s history.   

Such an interesting conversation with Mark McMaster, Head of Sales/Partnerships from MAI Agents. This  incredibly cool new AI tech brings smarter buying on paid media, but uses the best marketers as the guide. So it is performance marketers as agents! They can forecast better, gain efficiencies faster and adapt to the algorithms of google, meta, Bing and more. Always Off Brand is always a Laugh & Learn!   eTail episodes are brought to you by TALKOOT! Go to https://talkoot.com/ to find out how you can scale your content, copy, story telling. Faster Product Content Operations for the AI Era!     FEEDSPOT TOP 10 Retail Podcast! https://podcast.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/?feedid=5770554&_src=f2_featured_email   GUEST Mark McMaster  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcmaster/ MAI Agents: https://www.mai.co Huge Shout Out to everyone at eTail for the great support and giving us the place to record at their great events.    QUICKFIRE Info:   Website: https://www.quickfirenow.com/ Email the Show: info@quickfirenow.com  Talk to us on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quickfireproductions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quickfire__/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickfiremarketing LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/quickfire-productions-llc/about/ Sports podcast Scott has been doing since 2017, Scott & Tim Sports Show part of Somethin About Nothin:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/somethin-about-nothin/id1306950451 HOSTS: Summer Jubelirer has been in digital commerce and marketing for over 17 years. After spending many years working for digital and ecommerce agencies working with multi-million dollar brands and running teams of Account Managers, she is now the Amazon Manager at OLLY PBC.   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerjubelirer/   Scott Ohsman has been working with brands for over 30 years in retail, online and has launched over 200 brands on Amazon. Mr. Ohsman has been managing brands on Amazon for 19yrs. Owning his own sales and marketing agency in the Pacific NW, is now VP of Digital Commerce for Quickfire LLC. Producer and Co-Host for the top 5 retail podcast, Always Off Brand. He also produces the Brain Driven Brands Podcast featuring leading Consumer Behaviorist Sarah Levinger. Scott has been a featured speaker at national trade shows and has developed distribution strategies for many top brands. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-ohsman-861196a6/   Hayley Brucker has been working in retail and with Amazon for years. Hayley has extensive experience in digital advertising, both seller and vendor central on Amazon. Hayley lives in North Carolina.  LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brucker-1945bb229/   Huge thanks to Cytrus our show theme music "Office Party" available wherever you get your music. Check them out here: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cytrusmusic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cytrusmusic/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cytrusmusic SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VrNLN6Thj1iUMsiL4Yt5q?si=MeRsjqYfQiafl0f021kHwg APPLE MUSIC https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cytrus/1462321449   "Always Off Brand" is part of the Quickfire Podcast Network and produced by Quickfire LLC.  

The Tools You Need to Release the Pains of Workplace Trauma and Step into Your PowerCareer coach and holistic healer Mandy Tang understands the growing number of people who are facing unprecedented challenges in the job market and longing to experience joy, creativity, and authenticity at work. Having healed her own career wounds and carved out her dream life, she offers a beacon of hope to all those who are burned-out, stressed-out, dealing with a toxic boss, or otherwise seeking refuge from the storms of corporate America. Through shamanic practices, journal prompts, and self-reflection exercises, she shows how to:• Free yourself from harmful workplace patterns, set healthy boundaries, and release negative energy• Let go of self-blame and create your own closure by rewriting your story• Discover your unique medicine and tap into your power to design your fulfilling new relationship to workMandy Tang runs the popular YouTube and TikTok channels Career Coach Mandy, where she talks about life purpose, career identity, and rediscovering your creativity. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a certified trauma-informed yoga instructor and shamanic practitioner. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.MandyTang.cohttps://www.youtube.com/@careercoachmandyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.