Podcasts about Spira

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is going to cover Midwestern skiing whether you like it or not. Don't worry, Colorad-Bro, it's your turn tomorrow.Welcome to the Storm's short-form, news-focused podcast. Don't worry, I will still write newsletters too. To browse a (robot-generated) podcast transcript, click the “transcript” button above - click on any block of text and the audio will jump to that point in the conversation. Paid subscribers can leave a comment in the article below, or by joining The Storm's chat (also below). I'll respond to some comments in the next episode, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15.The Zoom transcript (click “transcript” above for the Substack transcript, which will zoom to any point in the video when you click on the associated text block; timestamps below DO NOT MATCH THE VIDEO)Stuart Winchester: Welcome to the Storm! I'm your host, Stuart Winchester. It is Monday, September 14th, 2026. Welcome to week two of the New Look Storm Skiing Podcast. If you missed last week, I am still doing the longer form pod.00:15:53.000 --> 00:16:08.000Stuart Winchester: But I'm cutting way back on the frequency of those. Instead, I am doing a shorter, news-focused pod that I release more often, and whenever possible, that I release the same day that I record it.00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:11.000Stuart Winchester: And the reason that I'm doing that is because…00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:19.000Stuart Winchester: the world has changed a lot since 2019, when I launched the Storm Skiing podcast, and when I launched it, there really wasn't anything quite like…00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:26.000Stuart Winchester: what I was doing with the long-form audio stories of a ski area's background.00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.000Stuart Winchester: I've done a couple hundred episodes at this point.00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:31.000Stuart Winchester: I feel like…00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:47.000Stuart Winchester: They're evergreen. But what they don't allow me to do is to really talk about what's happening in a ski area right now. Uh Especially when there's a lot of things happening and there's a lot of pieces and parts shuffling around as there is right now in the Midwest.00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:51.000Stuart Winchester: with multi-mountain passes. So, what I'm doing…00:16:51.000 --> 00:17:06.000Stuart Winchester: is I'm trying out a little bit of a new format today. The format… we're gonna experiment, we're gonna play around with it. Sometimes there'll be a guest off the top, sometimes I'll have a take off the top, uh, sometimes I'll have a guest on for a longer period, and that's gonna be the case today.00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:22.000Stuart Winchester: Because right now there is so much happening in the Midwest with multi mountain passes and different mountains leaving and joining is completely changing the landscape there. So I want to bring in someone to talk to us at length about that. We'll do a couple other fun things as well.00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.000Stuart Winchester: Let's bring…00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.000Stuart Winchester: I'm in now.00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.000Stuart Winchester: And there he is. Can you hear me, Matthew?00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.000Matthew Zabransky: Hey, how's it going, Stuart?00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.000Matthew Zabransky: I can.00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:41.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, I can't hear you. All right. This is a flub, and this is why I haven't heard her.00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:41.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.000Stuart Winchester: Because I am not that smart.00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, you there?00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:50.000Matthew Zabransky: Can you hear me?00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:52.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, yes, I can. Look at that.00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay, perfect.00:17:52.000 --> 00:18:07.000Stuart Winchester: The technology known as headphones. Matthew, this is why you're the production guy, and I generally stick to writing, because I'm an idiot. Alright, I want to introduce today the founder of MidwestSkiers.com.00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:13.000Stuart Winchester: He founded that in 2018, and in 2020, founded MWS Productions.00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:29.000Stuart Winchester: He is making all the Midwest content that I was dying for in the 1990s when I was a teenager living and skiing in Michigan, and the ski mags would completely ignore the region and maybe mention Boyne Mountain or Luton once per year, but he makes.00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:20.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:38.000Stuart Winchester: Top quality content. I link to it all the time in my stuff because no one else quite does it, as well as Matthew Zabranski. Matthew, welcome to The Storm. How you doing today?00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:56.000Matthew Zabransky: I am doing fantastic. Stuart, thank you, first of all, for the opportunity, but more importantly, for also repping the Midwest. I think it's such an important, obviously, region, and you have ties to it, I obviously have ties to it as well, so it's great that we're getting recognition, not only, obviously, in our region now, but on the national, even international scale, so…00:18:56.000 --> 00:19:00.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you so much for doing that. I appreciate it. I'm excited to be here.00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:08.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I love covering the Midwest, Matthew, and I still make it a point to go back and take a Midwest trip every year, because there's…00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:27.000Stuart Winchester: when I'm doing this podcast, there's nothing quite like making relationships, like showing up at, you know, a 200 vertical foothill in the boondocks in Minnesota. People are like, okay, I'll talk to this guy, even though, you know, I've never heard of him. So, but you are 100% Midwest-focused. I cover it where I can and whenever I can.00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:21.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:37.000Stuart Winchester: There is so much happening in the Midwest that we could talk about. I really want to focus today on multi-mountain passes. So…00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:37.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:53.000Stuart Winchester: I'll start by, I'll just set this up and then I'll, and then I'll, I'll let you comment on it. So if you go back about 10 years, there was nothing in the Midwest on multi mountain passes. You know, Vale had started to add a few things to Epic Pass and B Brighton and Afton Alps and Wilmot and such.00:19:53.000 --> 00:20:03.000Stuart Winchester: But the real inflection point came in 2019, when IndiePass came along. 2018, Icon added a couple things. So, right now, I'll give you some stats.00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:09.000Stuart Winchester: Of the 124 ski areas that I have inventoried in the Midwest, that you might have a different count.00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:15.000Stuart Winchester: They're 117 of those are public. 89 of those are public with aerial lifts.00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:28.000Stuart Winchester: 58 of those, although there's a couple that are just surface toes only, so 58 ski areas in the Midwest are now on a national multi-mountain ski pass. 10 on Epic.00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:32.000Stuart Winchester: 11 on Icon, 37 for Indy. So, so to start out with, Matthew.00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.000Stuart Winchester: How has…00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:47.000Stuart Winchester: the acceptance of the Midwest by multi-mountain national passes change the calculus for skiers as they're planning out their winter in the Midwest, compared to what it was for most of history up until just a few years ago?00:20:47.000 --> 00:21:02.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, it's changed dramatically. It's even going back a little bit further. I think the first initial, if you look at the statistics and you obviously know all this offhand, but back when you go back to Vail's acquisition of Wilmont, Afton.00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:19.000Matthew Zabransky: Brighton back in like 2012. I mean, that's really what started to to kick off this like idea of like. Maybe the Midwest has some legs in it, as far as like developing skiers, and then, you know, bringing them into a pass portfolio that could bring them out west. So that was the very early set, you know, early iteration of this. And then, obviously, as we went along, there wasn't.00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:37.000Matthew Zabransky: too many options outside of just the epic pass. But then, like you mentioned, Indie Pass came in, and I knew, and it's you know, as we dive into this, I do want to do a little disclosure here, and like Indie Pass was my very 1st client from a production side of things. So Doug and I, because I I saw the opportunity like there was an absolute gold mine here. I'm like.00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:55.000Matthew Zabransky: Because I got to travel around, that's why I started MidwestGears.com, because we were… we were traveling for my wife's job all over the Midwest, and every time we'd go to a new city, Columbus, Akron, I'd be a pass holder at one of these little ski areas, and I'd be like, holy crap, there's a lot of them here, no one's talking about them.00:21:55.000 --> 00:22:15.000Matthew Zabransky: But you know, once you start to realize there was this many, then you're then you're starting to think, okay, like, why isn't somebody coming in here and starting to develop a past that could actually stand on its own. And that's what we've seen the last, I would say, 5 to 10 years. Specifically, we've seen more people traveling around in the Midwest. You'll catch people at any stereo across the Midwest. That's not their home hill, and that's not how it used.00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:27.000Matthew Zabransky: you go ski or one little local place for the most part, you might do your weekend trip up to Boyne or something, but you would never catch people going to some of these really small places, you know, outside of just the local crew there, so it's been really cool to watch people.00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:45.000Matthew Zabransky: travel and discover, more importantly, the different areas, uh, throughout the Midwest. I think a lot of that had to do with IndyPass's push in the Midwest, because, as we're gonna talk about here in a second, it was an absolute auto-buy. Like, there was not even a question about it. From the day it started, when it was, you know, what was that, $99?00:22:45.000 --> 00:23:02.000Matthew Zabransky: up until even just the last year. It was like you almost just were gonna if you lived in the Midwest, and you like skiing, and you don't. You know you like traveling around checking out new things. There was no reason not to buy it. You'd be silly, basically not to, just because how much saturation there was in the Midwest, which I think is going to lead us into our next conversation a little bit here.00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:04.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so, so the…00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:15.000Stuart Winchester: Just being on the ground, before we get to the shuffling around, you know, I'd imagine you're pretty connected with a lot of pretty hardcore skiers, pretty frequent skiers.00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:13.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:17.000Stuart Winchester: How much has…00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:24.000Stuart Winchester: that a… a season… a multi-mountain pass becomes something that the person in the Midwest just…00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:40.000Stuart Winchester: considers or, or automatically buys it as compared to several years ago where you might buy your local season pass, but, but you, you probably, like you said, you wouldn't go around. And when I lived in the Midwest, actually, I always appreciated how close the areas were, so I would just kind of bounce around a lot for.00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:36.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:46.000Stuart Winchester: for deal days or whatever, back when those were still a thing. But how automatic has it become?00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:42.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:23:46.000 --> 00:24:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Very. I mean, there's people that have been buying the IndyPass specifically now. Up until this season, it was like they were probably on their fifth year of doing it and just continue to. And to be honest, there wasn't any reason not to because the pricing has stayed relatively affordable.00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:17.000Matthew Zabransky: they keep they kept strengthening their pro, their their product. I mean, like they just kept adding more ski areas in the Midwest. And so in in a lot of times the pass would pay itself off within a couple of visits based off of some of the redemption rates that you'd be getting at some somewhere like Lutz and Snow River.00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:34.000Matthew Zabransky: um, those are all, like, you know, $100 tickets, so you buy… you go there once or twice, you get two days of each of them, and basically that's already done. So if you already had one of those trips kind of on there, and if you lived in Chicago, you're going to Granite Peak usually once or twice a year. If you lived in Minnesota, you're going to Lutz.00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:52.000Matthew Zabransky: So it almost became this thing. And then you shuffle in like nubs, knob, and all that. So it it very much was like, yeah, we're gonna buy it every single year, you know, we might not. And some people are hardcore and going to all the places they could. And some people were just, you know. Hey? I'm gonna buy it because I'm gonna go for a weekend, so I might as well. And then I have this option of going some other places.00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:24:52.000 --> 00:25:03.000Matthew Zabransky: it was huge. I mean, I don't… of course, I don't have any of the IndyPass numbers, but I would… I would venture to say that the Midwest had to be a very big portion of their portfolio from the sales and redemption standpoint.00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:20.000Stuart Winchester: So the traditional numbers that Indy has given me, and it's been a couple years since Doug Fish provided these round numbers to me, but he told me about half of their sales came in New England, and 25% came in the Midwest, which is a really big number for a national pass. So you figured the other quarter were coming from somewhere else.00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:05.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000Matthew Zabransky: Cool.00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.000Matthew Zabransky: For… yeah.00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:25.000Stuart Winchester: I always give Doug Fish credit, because he's a Pacific Northwest guy, and…00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:40.000Stuart Winchester: Western skiers just love to hate on the Midwest. Everyone loves to hate on the Midwest. It's like the national pastime. It's like the safe thing to make fun of, and you know, I hope you take that personally, because I always do, and I really appreciated that Doug.00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.000Matthew Zabransky: Is…00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:38.000Matthew Zabransky: I do.00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:55.000Stuart Winchester: Included the Midwest from the start. That first year in 2019, he had Little Switz, he had Crystal, he had Cabre Fay, he had a bunch of other ski areas. Really got big in 2020 when he added Lutzen and Granite Peak. Now, I always say his insight was…00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:45.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:25:55.000 --> 00:26:02.000Stuart Winchester: that Doug's great insight with the IndyPass was realizing there was value in the mountains that are not.00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:08.000Stuart Winchester: super destinations when you put them all together for skiers across the country. He also…00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:23.000Stuart Winchester: the fact that he extended that to the Midwest is huge, because, yes, I… so, before Icon started adding in into the Midwest, which we'll talk about in a minute, I would always say, Indy Pass is the pass to go to in the Midwest, no one else has anything, and everyone would always say, oh, wait, Epic has 10 mountains. I was like.00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:34.000Stuart Winchester: But the Midwest is gigantic. Unless you live in Ohio, they're very spread out, and they're near cities, and there are actually mountains in the Midwest that are more…00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:44.000Stuart Winchester: of, of what you would consider, like, regional destinations. And that, that's your Boyne, Nubs, Lutsen, uh, even, even Spira with the bigger, uh, all the stuff over in the UP.00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:38.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:57.000Stuart Winchester: So Indy really collected them all together, and it was almost too good to be true, because they had over 40 ski areas in the Midwest. Talk about Indy at its peak.00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:02.000Stuart Winchester: And how great of a pass that was for the Midwest here.00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:59.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:17.000Matthew Zabransky: It was too great. We're going to get into this, I'm sure, but I think that's part of the reason for the course correction. There was a moment two or three years ago when I literally turned to Nick, my associate who edits for me and stuff, and I said, with some of the additions they announced at that time, I said.00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:33.000Matthew Zabransky: this is too saturated like it's got to fix itself at some point like it's just. It's too good of a value, and like for skiers, we like anybody that was buying the passes like this is amazing. It makes it like again. It's an auto buy like, why wouldn't you do this? But I knew that this time was going to come at some point. But I'm you know, at least we got to.00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:50.000Matthew Zabransky: to see what it like. The peak of that was for a little while. We got a couple of years. We've got to be happy for that, to be honest. We're starting to see some of those what I'll call course corrections now and and we're going to continue to see this. I mean, you know that every every year it's going to be something new. Someone's changing. It's just kind of the nature of the business. But.00:27:50.000 --> 00:28:02.000Matthew Zabransky: it was not a shock to me when, um, when these changes were announced, uh, both in the spring and then more recently in the last few weeks and stuff, so it wasn't… I kind of saw it coming, it was just a matter of, like, when was it gonna happen.00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:14.000Stuart Winchester: So everyone left… they seemed as though… Epic and Icon seemed like they were just leaving the Midwest to Indy, to take. And I've always thought that Icon's original sin was when they killed the Max Pass.00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:08.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:15.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:30.000Stuart Winchester: And launched the Icon Pass. They brought all the Powder Mountains, all the Boyne Mountains, uh, all the Intra West Mountains, but they didn't bring Granite Peak and Lutzen, which are the biggest ski areas or most modern, however, whatever metric you want to use in Minnesota and, and Wisconsin.00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:27.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.000Stuart Winchester: So…00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:46.000Stuart Winchester: for a long time, Indy just built up this huge coalition. Started to see some cracks last year. Icon had just two mountains, Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands, and honestly, and Boyne has never affirmed this to me, but my hunch is, Boyne said, include our mountains or you don't get Big Sky.00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:40.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:48.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, yeah.00:28:46.000 --> 00:29:01.000Stuart Winchester: So, so, Icon was like, okay, I guess we'll add these stupid little things. Uh, which is not my opinion of them, but I think that's probably what they thought from Colorado, which is why they dropped Lutzen and Granite Peak. So, last year, we started to see the first crack in Indy's armor.00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:55.000Matthew Zabransky: I was like, don't do that.00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:02.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm.00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:12.000Stuart Winchester: when the Icon Pass… they call them bonus mountains, I call them two-day mountains, because that's what they are. If you have an Icon Pass, you get two days of these mountains. Uh, Buck Hill, Minnesota.00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:27.000Stuart Winchester: Uh joined the icon pass as a two day mountain, which for the listeners, that's no, you get no base pass access, you only get full icon access and there are holiday blackouts. So that's what the two day tier is. They added Buck Hill. Uh Indy said, no, you're not allowed to do that. Remove Buck Hill.00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, which is a great little, uh, you know.00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.000Stuart Winchester: kind of trainer hill outside of the Twin Cities.00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:40.000Stuart Winchester: And every square inch is used with very maximum effect. So Indy removed them.00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:53.000Stuart Winchester: Buck Hill has been on Icon, and that was sort of the first… when you first saw that, did you think, okay, here we go, Icon is finally starting to realize the value of the Midwest, and if not, what was the moment that you did think that they got it?00:29:53.000 --> 00:30:09.000Matthew Zabransky: I would, you know, the whole time I've been shaking my head a little bit because it's just ironic to me that Boeing, Boeing, one of the biggest companies in, you know, that started in the Midwest, that literally has its roots here. And I'm just shocked that Icon hasn't.00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:26.000Matthew Zabransky: made this push earlier, and it took this long. But that was like the 1st that was the 1st like mention of that. And the other connection that was really kind of just crazy to me is, there's so many people from the twin cities that go to Big Sky like a lot like you talk to people all over the place. They have cabins up there. They.00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:24.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so. Yeah.00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:42.000Matthew Zabransky: They're traveling there all the time. It's a huge destination for specifically for Minnesota, it seems. So I was always thinking, man, like if they were just to strengthen this pass a little bit in the Midwest, give somebody a reason to, to jump on to the icon pass. They're probably going out to Big Sky anyway.00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:57.000Matthew Zabransky: now all of a sudden, you give them another reason to buy the full pass, you got some… some more local hills, some day… like, weekend trips, you can go up to Lutzen, things like that, and I think that's when… when Lutzen and those guys came on, that was, like, full-blown, that's gonna… that changes everything. Like, everything.00:30:57.000 --> 00:31:14.000Matthew Zabransky: As you know, the lake, Lake Michigan, is a huge divider for the eastern and the western side of what I'll call the Midwest. Basically, if you're on the eastern side of the lake, you're kind of going to stick to mostly your lower peninsula, maybe go up to the UP occasionally. But if you're on the western side over here, in the Minneapolis.00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:31.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, there was really no offerings for Icon, so it really made no sense at that point to buy an Icon Pass. You know, maybe Chicago, you drive up to Boeing, but you're kind of on that cusp there, where it's like, mmm… but I think once they strengthened it this past year, now it's like… it's a fair fight, in my opinion. Now we're.00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:46.000Matthew Zabransky: You know, which one is gonna make more sense for you, or your situation, which it was not, it didn't used to be that way, it just, there was never an opportunity for most people that were on this side of the lake, or in Minneapolis. Sometimes it didn't make sense, unless you're going out to, you know, Big Sky for a week and a half, it, you know.00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:50.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so just a little background for the listeners.00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm.00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:52.000Stuart Winchester: Boyne Mountain and and.00:31:52.000 --> 00:32:08.000Stuart Winchester: what they call the Highlands at Harbor Springs. I'll call it Boyne Highlands because no one knows what I'm talking about when I say the Highlands. So Boyne and Boyne Highlands are two of the nicer ski areas, more built up ski areas in Michigan, and they were long on Icon. Uh, Lutzen and Granite Peak.00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, this…00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:14.000Stuart Winchester: that, uh, Midwest Family Ski Resorts, which owns Lutzen and Granite Peak, bought, immediately took.00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:25.000Stuart Winchester: four old riblet lifts, put in a high-speed six-pack, the first one in the UP. So, those three ski areas had been indie anchors in the Midwest for years.00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:24.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:30.000Stuart Winchester: This year, for 2026-27 winter, they're going as 5-7 day…00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:42.000Stuart Winchester: mountains each on Icon and Icon Base, and so they are leaving the Indy Pass as a result of that. Now, Icon has also added some more two-day mountains. I'm gonna put those to the side for a second.00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:50.000Stuart Winchester: How big of a loss was Lutsen and Granite Peak and Snow River for Indy Pass in the Midwest?00:32:51.000 --> 00:33:06.000Matthew Zabransky: It's it's an easy question. I mean the answer just like, go look at the comments on the thread when it was announced, and you could just read how an impactful it was. And I think that was my argument when people started talking about like, Oh, they're you know, hey? Like they're leaving. They're leaving us in the dust, and we we don't like them anymore.00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:29.000Matthew Zabransky: It's probably justified. If you guys are this upset about them leaving, it means they probably had a little more leverage than they should have in that past portfolio. And I think it to that. And again, I don't know that it needs, like, a passion never be so strong, in my opinion. And I'm talking about the business side of things. You're not talking about the skier. Trust me, if I was, like, just skiing Matthew, put my skiing thing on, I'd be like, yeah, absolutely.00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:25.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:28.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Uh, but from the business side, as an area owner, operator, you gotta look at it, like, what kind of value are we getting back out of this pass? Are we the ones carrying your product? Like, that's the other thing to think about, too, right? We don't… you don't always necessarily want to be the top dog in the pass lineup. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't. Uh, and in this case, I think that they…00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:56.000Matthew Zabransky: they were carrying that pass line up, and I think nothing speaks more to the volumes of how upset people were when they came off of the pass.00:33:56.000 --> 00:34:00.000Stuart Winchester: So we're… I've kind of looked at this as it's…00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:12.000Stuart Winchester: sucks for Indy, it's probably good for the consumer in the long run, because, like you said, you never want too much market concentration, so now you have… you have the Snow Pass coming up, which is… which is Snow Partners in two days…00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:05.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:28.000Stuart Winchester: at each mountain. There's none in the Midwest yet, but I suspect there may be at some point. Right now, they're mostly in the Northeast. And then you have Icon. So, before, I think a lot of people in Michigan probably had Icon, because you could use it for the Boynes, but like you said.00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:44.000Stuart Winchester: if you're not from the Midwest, you're probably just thinking it's like a big square, but there's a lake there, and you can't… I mean, you can take a ferry over it, but it takes all day, right? You have to go to Ludington, and it's like a whole thing, right? So really, you have Michigan, the Lower Peninsula, and then you kind.00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:33.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:58.000Stuart Winchester: Wisconsin. So, you live on the west side of that, I believe, like, around the Minnesota-Wisconsin line. How immediately did you see people say, okay, well, now, yeah, let's consider Icon that maybe never would have before?00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:04.000Matthew Zabransky: I think the original, like, when it first was announced, there was just a lot of, like.00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:17.000Matthew Zabransky: oh man, this sucks. Like, now what? You know, what do we do? Because the initial reaction was like, well, I'm not gonna auto-buy this now, I gotta think about it a little bit more. I'm curious because I haven't… it's still so fresh, to be honest, and I haven't, like.00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:07.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:32.000Matthew Zabransky: but to, like, really figure that question, like, the answer to that question out, but I have… the one thing I have been seeing is a lot more people starting to weigh those options, right? They're starting to look at the passes differently now. Now it's, like, not just, like, we're gonna pick up Indy automatically and, you know, whatever might throw a different pass on there. Now they.00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:26.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:49.000Matthew Zabransky: think about, how am I using my pass? Am I going up to Lutzen for a weekend or 2? Does it make sense for me to just get an icon pass? Am I a pass holder at Lutzen, and want to add it on now that that's an option, and maybe do an out west trip, or if you're granted peak. So I'm starting to see more people analyzing.00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:35:49.000 --> 00:36:03.000Matthew Zabransky: in an area where they haven't before. So I'll be curious to see this upcoming season will be a really good test to kind of figure out, like, where are those numbers starting to shift a little bit. But, um, from my first reaction is I have a feeling that there's gonna be a pretty big drop in IndyPass sales in the Midwest.00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:20.000Matthew Zabransky: For that reasoning. Um, and then I do think there's gonna be a bit of a spike, um, in, in IconPass sales. I don't think it's gonna obviously affect much on the Michigan side, Lower Peninsula side of things. I think that'll stay pretty stable. But I think this side, for sure, this market, Minneapolis specifically, a little bit of Chicago.00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:25.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, but I would expect to see a pretty good little spike in sales on the IconPass side.00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:35.000Stuart Winchester: So, Lutzen and Granite Peak, I think, huge losses for India. Snow River, less so, just because Powderhorn is right next door, and it's kind of the same size, and it's, you know, gets the same s.00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:30.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm.00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:32.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:53.000Stuart Winchester: Continued building by Icon after that announcement, and, and some, and some continued bleeding by Indy. So, so Icon had a Giants Ridge, which is an excellent ski area up in Minnesota. It's, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it's worth it. Uh, Devil's Head, which is a nice, uh, Madison ski area, and then.00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:45.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:36:53.000 --> 00:37:10.000Stuart Winchester: in Michigan left Indy to join the Icon today, so those all joined Icon today. And then Indy also lost Little Switzerland, Nordic Mountain, and Crystal Ridge in Wisconsin. As of now, they are passless. So, you know, those are small ski areas, but they're really important sort of urban.00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:21.000Stuart Winchester: collectors, but do you worry, Matthew, and I'll say, Indy still has 37 ski areas in the Midwest, but do you worry that their coalition is splintering a little bit, starting to fall apart?00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:17.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:40.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, a little bit. So I'm going to dance around this as carefully as I can because I have connections with all these owners, operators, and I talk to them on a regular basis, so I kind of know more than I probably should. But I'll try to navigate this the best that I can.00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:36.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:56.000Matthew Zabransky: with… when IndyPass started, Doug Fish and the team did a really nice job of making sure that when they signed a ski area on, that they were being very, very intentional about its location, what… who was serving, and then when they would add another person on, a lot of times they would even approach.00:37:56.000 --> 00:38:04.000Matthew Zabransky: some of the nearby ski areas, and be like, hey, we're adding so-and-so, or making sure that those partnerships were all, you know.00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:22.000Matthew Zabransky: You're not too close where you're starting to monopolize business in different ways. I'll talk a little bit more about this in a second. So that was the approach for many, many years. However, I noticed a pretty big change a handful of years ago when it became more about a statistical difference than building those partnerships and.00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:41.000Matthew Zabransky: making those owners feel valued, if that makes sense. So it was like, okay, how can we just continue to pump numbers, get more? And in that process, what happened was a lot of ski areas in a small geographical area. And why has that caused a lot of issues for owners and operators? Is the idea of the IndyPass was, yeah.00:38:41.000 --> 00:38:50.000Matthew Zabransky: to create value with a portfolio of ski areas across the Midwest to rival that of, like, you know, other multi-mountain passes.00:38:50.000 --> 00:39:06.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, but what some of the owners and operators were starting to see was that instead of skiers buying a season pass at their local ski area, what they would do is buy the Indy Pass, ski two days at the ski area that would have been their local ski area, and then.00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:03.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:22.000Matthew Zabransky: You know, in some cases, like in the Twin Cities, you have a handful that are within a two hour drive. So then it became this thing of like, oh, we're starting to see RR like personal season passes drop for then people that are using IndiePass redemptions to treat it as if it were basically a season pass.00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:12.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:40.000Matthew Zabransky: I'm summarizing a lot there. There's a lot, like, to dive into, like, the details, but I can't, unfortunately, go into too much of that. But I think you can probably get the idea of why that was a little bit frustrating for some, um, owners and operators. So they really had to take a deep dive into some of those numbers and start to look at, like.00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:25.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:26.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:50.000Matthew Zabransky: Where are these people coming from? How are the redemptions being used? And then, you know, how is this pass either, you know, net positive or net negative for us? And, you know, I always tell everybody, it's…00:39:50.000 --> 00:40:00.000Matthew Zabransky: the ski business is, you know, Stuart, is just a very, very low margin business, and it is a business. Like, at the end of the day, like, they have to treat it like…00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:22.000Matthew Zabransky: you know, like you gotta find out where you're losing money, or is there opportunity? And that assessment has to happen on a yearly basis. And sometimes when they run it for their business, they might be finding out that this might not be a great option for them. Or maybe it was, and things have changed. And now it's not so. It's an ongoing assessment. And like I was mentioning earlier, this is going to be a game that is going to play out over the next 10 years, probably where people are going to be switching teams all the time. And.00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:28.000Matthew Zabransky: and just get used to it. I mean, this is gonna be the way it is, unfortunately or fortunately, you know.00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:31.000Stuart Winchester: If you're Indy, what's your next move to try to build your coalition back up?00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, I think the biggest thing they need to do is get some sort of anchor on this side of the lake. I mean, you've got Nub's Knob on Lower Peninsula, which is a great offering. I think that that really does anchor that side for sure. Over here, you gotta start eyeing up some areas that would serve as that anchor ski area. I know Whitecap was added.00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:49.000 --> 00:41:04.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, which is good, but I think, like, you gotta think about, you know, what is that replacement for? You know, what is that replacement for Granite Peak? And it immediately comes to mind, like, a Cascade, right? Or one of those. And we all know, like, it's just gonna be a tough sale for some of these operations, because it's always that, like.00:40:59.000 --> 00:41:00.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I think so.00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:09.000Matthew Zabransky: If you're an anchor skier, you've probably got a good operation and a good thing going already, so…00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:29.000Matthew Zabransky: you know, what is the pitch? Why should I join your indie pass? So it's always this give and take a little bit, but, you know, given that we've had a bunch of ski areas now come off of indie, there might be an opportunity to fill that little bit of a void and be kind of that new anchor spot that would then highlight that side of the lake. I don't know. It'll be curious to see kind of how things play out, but.00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:37.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, I think we'll see a little bit of this course correction go on for the next year or two, and then I think maybe we'll see some moves in the future. It's hard to say.00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:43.000Stuart Winchester: That was really good, so I'm gonna extend that question. If you're Icon, what's your next move in the Midwest, and if you're Epic?00:41:45.000 --> 00:42:02.000Matthew Zabransky: If if I'm icon, what I'm circling right now to be quite frank is somewhere in the Chicagoland area. There's an opportunity there, and I don't, you know, of course. What is it? We don't know, but I think if you could add an offering like a full offering to which is a little bit tricky to do. But yeah, like you think of something like.00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:24.000Matthew Zabransky: Cascade, Devil's Head, one of those areas, if you can get it into, like, a full area where you can now grab that Chicago market and have it really well solidified, because right now you're kind of in a, you know, it's about four hours from up to Granite Peak, and then Boeing the other way is something like that, five or something. So you're kind of in that weird dead zone there, so I think there's still a huge opportunity to grab that market, which obviously is a huge market of skiers and s.00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:15.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm. And if you're Epic, I mean, they have all city stuff, so what do you do if you're Epic?00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:29.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, I mean, I think Epic's playing the card that they want. The one thing that I am curious to see with Epic is not necessarily that, it's what's gonna happen with some of these smaller regional ski areas that have kind of been left in the dust a little bit. Paley Peaks is the first one that comes to mind when you start to think about this Snow Creek.00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:46.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:42:49.000 --> 00:43:06.000Matthew Zabransky: These ones that are just kind of in no man's land a little bit. They kind of got brought in with the Peak Resorts acquisition. I'm not sure that they necessarily wanted some of these ski areas, but they came in as a package deal as part of that. So it's just gonna be kind of interesting to see. They need a lot of reinvestment over the next, you know.00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:23.000Matthew Zabransky: 10 to 15 years, for sure, if not even sooner than that. So it'll be curious to see kind of how they approach those sort of areas in those regions, because some of those are in their own land like there is no ski area relatively close to some of them, or a couple of hours to the nearest ski area. So it'll be curious to see how they leverage that going forward.00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, Matthew, I could sink into that one for about two hours and we could have a talk. I'm going to have to bring you back for that one. But for now, let's move on. And some of the folks who may not be familiar with the Midwest, we're going to talk about some of our favorite Midwest ski areas in just a moment. First, I want to tell you that this podcast is brought to you today by Profile Search International.00:43:44.000 --> 00:44:03.000Stuart Winchester: Profile Search is the only talent acquisition firm in the entire world that is 100% focused on the ski industry. They have used their intimate understanding of skiing and related industries, and of available candidates worldwide, to place hundreds of transformational leaders at the best and most progressive ski areas over the past.00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:19.000Stuart Winchester: 30 years. Profile Search has offices in the US and Canada, and they find and negotiate with the right leaders for their team. If you want to reach out to Profile Search, you can find them at profilesearch.com, and you can get their email or phone number there, or send me a note and I will.00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:26.000Stuart Winchester: make that connection for you. That is profilesearch.com. All right, Matthew, I gave you a challenge.00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:43.000Stuart Winchester: Or, or homework or something. I don't know. I'm sure you didn't have to think too hard about this, but we are going to break down our five favorite Midwest ski areas. We each have five. We'll, we'll start with five and, and, uh, and we'll take turns. Now, these are not what we think are the best necessarily because that's a whole different.00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:47.000Stuart Winchester: Conversation and I tried to think about.00:44:47.000 --> 00:44:59.000Stuart Winchester: If you've never skied the Midwest and are only going to ski here once in your life, where would I tell people to go? So, Matthew, I'll start with you. What is your number five favorite Midwest ski area and why?00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:14.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah. So I'll just just key this up with like, yeah, I agree with you. I went with kind of like I took an approach of uniqueness. There's different things that I enjoy about this years for different reasons, and I'll obviously unpack them as we kind of go through number 5 for me was perfect north slopes.00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:08.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:15.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:32.000Matthew Zabransky: And at its face, you might not think that that's… it's, you know, it's a ski area right outside of, uh, Cincinnati, um, and the southern tip of Indiana down there. And for, you know, for people that have never heard of it, they'd be like, why does this… why is this even on here? Uh, but the moment that you visit there, I think it all becomes very clear. Their throughput.00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:51.000Matthew Zabransky: their snowmaking capacity, their operations. It is a gold standard when we think of how to run a ski area in extremely challenging conditions and environments. Perfect North is the one that comes to mind. The way that they can move people through their rental department is phenomenal. The way that they can have a stable season based off of where they are.00:45:51.000 --> 00:46:08.000Matthew Zabransky: is just absolutely mind blowing. And they've been doing this since day one. So this isn't something that they have. You know they're new to. They've been doing this for many, many, many decades now at this point. So it's it's definitely worth a visit. Their train's really good as well. They have some Olympians that have come out of there just some some good stuff going down at at perfect north slopes.00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:23.000Stuart Winchester: I'm so glad you said Perfect North, because I did not include it on my list, but I think they are one of the best operators in the country. My number 5 is Chestnut, Illinois, and everyone's… you know why, but everyone's gonna say, Illinois? Like, what does it matter with you?00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:23.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:29.000Stuart Winchester: It is so unique, because you get up there, and it's about 500 vertical feet.00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:45.000Stuart Winchester: and you ski down to the freaking Mississippi River. It is… there is nothing else like that in American skiing. It is such a gorgeous view, and there's a train that goes by, and, and, and… the lift system is fantastic. Bunch of, you know, really maintained quads.00:46:45.000 --> 00:47:00.000Stuart Winchester: They have bars, which I like, which most Midwest ski areas don't, but they've retrofit them. Their grooming is phenomenal. Terrain's really good, steep and varied, and then one of the best things is on the backside, and the name of this probably is escaping me, it's like the backyard or something.00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:48.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah. Okay.00:46:58.000 --> 00:47:00.000Matthew Zabransky: Uh, far side.00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:15.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, yeah, so they have a terrain park that could be its own ski area, and it has a lift by itself, and so all the badly behaved teenagers go over there and throw cans around and smoke. Maybe it was just the day I was there.00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:02.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:20.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, but, but my number five is Chestnut, Illinois. Uh, number four, Matthew.00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:37.000Matthew Zabransky: This is gonna be. This is gonna be a deep cut here, and I'll give you my reasoning. So I'm a sucker for community rope toe ski places like it. It warms my heart every time every year there's at least one or 2 that I go to every time I show up. It's just the kids are so excited to show me around.00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:25.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:47:27.000 --> 00:47:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm. Oh, love it.00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:38.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:47:37.000 --> 00:48:00.000Matthew Zabransky: They're so passionate and it really brings me back to why skiing is important and what it really is about, right? We talk about the steeps and all this fun stuff all the time, but like when you go to these places, there's just to see a kid just in jeans or whatever it may be after school ripping down. It's so fun. So one of my favorite, if not my favorite rope to ski area in the entire Midwest is a place called Hickory Hills. It's in Traverse City.00:47:59.000 --> 00:48:00.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:18.000Matthew Zabransky: It's a beautiful setting overlooking the bay, and they have just all ropes and one conveyor, and it's stacked. And it was one of the first ski areas in the Midwest to offer night skiing, which I thought was really, really cool as well. Obviously, not a lot of vertical, maybe 200 feet of vertical, depending on which rope you're going on, but it's one of those places you just show up.00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:12.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:48:18.000 --> 00:48:30.000Matthew Zabransky: And they've reinvested, as recently as 2018, they built a new lodge, new snowmaking, and you just show up there, and you're just like, it brings you back to that, like, oh yeah, this is some good skiing, like, just…00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:37.000Matthew Zabransky: fundamental, good stuff, you see kids ripping around after school, it's like, it's what I think of when I think of, uh, rope tow places.00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:42.000Stuart Winchester: And long live the rope tow. I mean, it is amazing that I think they run five or six there, right?00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:46.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, I think they have six total, I believe, yeah.00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:59.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I've been there in the summer. I've never skied there. I used to ski at Sugarloaf down the… down the road till that went out of business. My number 4 is one you already mentioned, Matthew. Whitecap, Wisconsin. I just love this crazy ski area. It is…00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:51.000Matthew Zabransky: Yo.00:48:59.000 --> 00:49:04.000Stuart Winchester: I like to be confused when I'm skiing. I like it when a ski area…00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:05.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:22.000Stuart Winchester: Kind of hides its secrets and has lots of little trails and the trail map doesn't quite match up with the, with what you actually see. And, and there's lifts all over the place and there's little pockets and there's, you can tell that they don't care if you ski in the trees. And, and, and Whitecap is, is one of the most confusing ski areas I've, I've ever been to and I love.00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:23.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:40.000Stuart Winchester: it's in the great snow pocket off of Lake Superior, gets 200 or more inches of snow average per year, which is a good thing, because they don't have a lot of snowmaking, uh, there. But I really, really love Whitecap, and by the way, we did not share ours before, so we may have some crossover here. So, uh, what's your number 3, Matthew?00:49:38.000 --> 00:49:39.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:55.000Matthew Zabransky: Number three, I am going with a ski area that I think people around here would know, but I think people on the other side of the lake would not. And it is going to be Welch Village. Welch Village is an area that just, you look at the numbers, you read the stats, and you're like, this place…00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:51.000Stuart Winchester: Mmm.00:49:55.000 --> 00:50:15.000Matthew Zabransky: cannot be that good. But it really is. It skis so much bigger than the stats suggest. I think it's about 300 feet of vertical. They have like 50 something runs. But I think what Welch Village has that a lot of skiers don't is the amount of terrain variation and stepping that they have is just phenomenal for beginners, and the fact that it's only about 40 minutes from the Twin Cities.00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:31.000Matthew Zabransky: is amazing. So they have basically a run for every progression. If you want super steep, now obviously it's only 300 feet of vertical, so it's gonna be a handful of turns, but they have that. If you want something very, very gently sloped, they got that, and basically everything in between. And it's just one of those areas that is a perfect.00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:24.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:41.000Matthew Zabransky: Kind of like just outside the urban reach, right? It's not like in your backyard, but it's close enough where you can easily go for a few hours and just a perfect place to learn how to ski and snowboard.00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:57.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I love Welch Village. I was super impressed when I went there a few years ago, and it's not too far from Vail's Afton Alps, so you can do both in a day easily if you want to, but Welch Village, first-rate operation, absolutely one of the best in the Midwest. My number three is a nostalgia play, and I'm gonna say Boyne Mount.00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:44.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:50:57.000 --> 00:51:13.000Stuart Winchester: The reason I love Boyne Mountain is not because of the fast lift, so they were the first six-pack in North America, and, you know, they put in the first eight-pack in the Midwest, and there's a lot of history there. The first chairlift in the world is there. They moved it from Sun Valley.00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:23.000Stuart Winchester: the single chair from Sun Valley back in the… in the 40s, and it's now the Hemlock double chair. But what I love Boyne Mountain is because when I… back in the 90s, when I lived in Michigan.00:51:23.000 --> 00:51:30.000Stuart Winchester: they would stay open into May. And back then, there was no social media, so no one knew about it, so I'd show up, and there would be…00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:26.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:47.000Stuart Winchester: not kidding, 10 people skiing, and they would be running that six-pack all day, and they would let it bump up, and just run idiots to light, and it's where I learned how to ski moguls, and I've always just been tremendously fond of Boyne for that reason. So while it is one of the nicest ski areas in the Midwest, just on its own terms.00:51:32.000 --> 00:51:34.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:51:47.000 --> 00:52:02.000Stuart Winchester: It's also very steep. It's just, I have that feeling of, you know, that memory of skiing in my t-shirt in May in 1996, you know, down the moguls at Boyne Mountain with five other people, and it was just, it's one of my favorite ski memories ever, and the fact that they.00:52:02.000 --> 00:52:13.000Stuart Winchester: empowered that and did that. When they lost money, there's no way they didn't lose money doing that. It just speaks a lot to the spirit that still animates that company, even though it's a bigger company now.00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:16.000Stuart Winchester: Number two for you, Matthew.00:52:16.000 --> 00:52:31.000Matthew Zabransky: We'll get to this, I'm sure, at the end, but it's cool to see some of that going full circle. I don't want to give too much away. We'll get into that in a second. Number two for me is a pick that I think is going to change a lot this year, specifically because of the new lift alignment, and that's Marquette Mountain.00:52:17.000 --> 00:52:19.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah, yeah.00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mmm.00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:50.000Matthew Zabransky: They have phenomenal terrain up there, they get great snow, and the thing that was always just missing was a little bit of polishing around the edges, and I think they're finally getting to that point now with, uh, you know, a lot of snowmaking investments over the last handful of years. This new chair from Dolphin Meyer, uh, triple gonna run up basically the center of the ski area, and I think it's really gonna change the way that this.00:52:50.000 --> 00:53:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Uh, previously, it was divided into kind of two almost separate pods. It kind of had this weird split down the middle. It was kind of hard to navigate. But given that this one's gonna go right up to the center there, you're gonna be able to get full top-to-bottom access a lot more easily, be able to access a lot more of the terrain across the port, the entire, you know, trail map off the front side there.00:52:54.000 --> 00:52:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:53:07.000 --> 00:53:23.000Matthew Zabransky: and I think it's 1 of those that like it. This they have the terrain, and there's not many areas in the Midwest that have the terrain. It's usually the other way where it's like, Yeah, okay, we have. You know the infrastructure. We have the location, but we don't have the steeps, or we don't have the trees, or whatever it may be.00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:16.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:53:23.000 --> 00:53:34.000Matthew Zabransky: It's a Marquette, good city up there in the UP, really the only major city in the UP, but they have a good demographic up there. And I think with the changes that they're gonna see this year with the new lift, it's gonna be really fun to watch.00:53:27.000 --> 00:53:28.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:44.000Stuart Winchester: Not only do they have the terrain, they have the snow. I mean, they're another one of those Lake Superior. They don't get quite as much as up in the Keweenaw or Snow River, but they do get a fair amount.00:53:36.000 --> 00:53:38.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, yeah.00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:45.000Matthew Zabransky: They do.00:53:45.000 --> 00:53:54.000Stuart Winchester: So my number two, I'm kind of going chalk on these last two, so you can probably guess what my number one is. My number two is a very obvious one, and that's Lutzen.00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:56.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:53:54.000 --> 00:54:10.000Stuart Winchester: You know, for, for folks who have never been to Lutzen, it, first of all, it has a gondola. Now, now it's more of a transit lift. It goes more sideways than up and down, but it does have, is it eight or 900 feet of vertical? I think 800 and, or you could ski down to, yeah, of lift served vertical. And the.00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:54:05.000 --> 00:54:07.000Matthew Zabransky: It's… yeah.00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:26.000Stuart Winchester: enormous. It's really four separate mountains and it goes in all different directions and they have two six packs and they have that Gandhi, which is fairly new. I think within the last 10 years, they built that to replace their older one. Uh That is one of the best run ski areas in the Midwest. Another one that will stay open into May.00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:42.000Stuart Winchester: when they can. Oh, and speaking of views, I mean, the view off of Moose Mountain of Lake Superior just knock you on your ass. It is so good. I really love Lutzen Mountain, which takes us, Matthew, to your number one ski area in the Midwest.00:54:42.000 --> 00:55:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Man, man, this is one, and it's funny ‘cause I'm working on this video right now, and it's a place that every time I leave this ski area or while I'm at this gear, I just have a smile on my face the entire time. It has nothing flashy, but they do everything right, and that's nub knob. I mean, you go to this place and you just…00:54:42.000 --> 00:54:44.000Stuart Winchester: Favorite ski area.00:54:59.000 --> 00:55:00.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:17.000Matthew Zabransky: It's just crazy to me that we were working on this video and my editor, Nick, we got to the end of the video and I mentioned like, “Oh, it doesn't have any high-speed lifts, but it almost feels like it does just because of the way that they're aligned and the way the traffic flows and the way that the runs are cut and everything.00:55:17.000 --> 00:55:34.000Matthew Zabransky: It feels like another one that just, you read the stats and you're like, okay, that sounds decent. But then you get on site and you're just like, this is just a really well run ski area. Snowmaking is always top notch. Grooming is amazing. Lifts spin, they don't stop very often. I mean, everything is just really well polished.00:55:31.000 --> 00:55:33.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:45.000Matthew Zabransky: the core skiing experience, and they really nail it, and again, it's one of those, like, every time I come off the hill there, I'm just like, man, that was a great day of skiing, even if, you know, it's raining outside, I feel like.00:55:43.000 --> 00:55:44.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:45.000 --> 00:56:01.000Stuart Winchester: And as a… just to underscore how good of a scary it is, it's right across the street from Boyne Highlands, and it has been, you know, obviously its whole time, but for a scary to succeed, a lot of times, a smaller scary will fail next to a big corporate area, but Nubs has managed to flourish. Matthew, we actually had no crossover, because.00:55:46.000 --> 00:55:47.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:55:49.000 --> 00:55:51.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:56:01.000 --> 00:56:16.000Stuart Winchester: as you can probably guess, is Mount Bohemia, and I'm sure that's probably why you left it off. Uh, Mount Bohemia, for the folks who are not familiar with it, I wrote an article last year, I called it, Mount Bohemia, the scarier the Midwest deserves, because when Mount Bohemia opened in 2000, it.00:56:02.000 --> 00:56:03.000Matthew Zabransky: Hey.00:56:04.000 --> 00:56:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:31.000Stuart Winchester: And it has 900 feet of vertical. They do not groom. They have no snowmaking. They get 300 inches annually. It's all, almost all, glades. Their glading is some of the best I've ever seen anywhere, because there's a lot of underbrush in Michigan.00:56:20.000 --> 00:56:22.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:56:31.000 --> 00:56:48.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, the place is an absolute riot. Talk about culture. You get on the ground and you're like, oh, what's here? They don't even have a proper base lodge. It's, it's all these yurts and then they have this giant complex of hot tubs for some reason that, that everyone's always in there drinking beer and.00:56:48.000 --> 00:56:55.000Stuart Winchester: And the skiing is just… it's great! It's… it's… there's nothing else like it anywhere in North America, where there's just…00:56:55.000 --> 00:57:12.000Stuart Winchester: that much just free skiing available off of a lift, and Lonnie, the owner, has been on a couple times, and I cannot say enough good things about Nubs Knob, including… and I'll let people do their own research on this, but their season pass is $117, or $99 for… you don't want Fridays and Saturdays, and you get all kinds of reciprocals with it, so…00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:16.000Stuart Winchester: It's not a bad multi-mountain pass on its own. So…00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:14.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:57:15.000 --> 00:57:30.000Matthew Zabransky: I was so. I was so nervous the 1st so I went to Bohemia last year for the 1st time ever, and I it has been on my list forever, and I keep like I want to hit it right, because I don't want to like. Just go there and not be able to ski everything. And the entire time I've been super fortunate to see a lot of amazing places in in North.00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:26.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah, yeah.00:57:30.000 --> 00:57:49.000Matthew Zabransky: And I was super nervous it was not going to live up to the hype, because I was like, this place is hyped up so much, there is no way that it is going to live up to the hype, and it absolutely did. It's one of the most unique scary areas that you'll ever go to, the operations, the bus system, the hot tub. Nothing makes sense there, but it all does in a weird way. It's an absolute riot.00:57:49.000 --> 00:58:04.000Stuart Winchester: I couldn't have said any better. I always tell people, if you ski one place in the Midwest in your life, make it Mount Bohemia. All right, now, Matthew, what I want you to leave us with today is… I imagine, maybe deliberately, you didn't mention any of these ski areas, but one of the…00:58:04.000 --> 00:58:15.000Stuart Winchester: things that you do an awesome job with every year is covering the race to open in the Midwest. So, so tell us about the race to open. Who's involved?00:58:15.000 --> 00:58:19.000Stuart Winchester: When it generally takes place and how you cover it.00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:35.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, so the race to open is a pretty big deal across the Midwest. It was something that before I started this website and YouTube channel, I did not really realize a lot, but the Midwest is always usually fighting for one of the first areas to open in the entire country on occasion. It really just depends on the weather.00:58:35.000 --> 00:58:52.000Matthew Zabransky: But what

Send me a messageIt's easy to get stuck in a loop of negative thinking. Overthinking, complaining, replaying old pain. Some of us live there for years. This is the simplest gratitude practice I know for getting out.Think of one thing you love. A person, an object, anything at all. Then ask what made it. And then what made that. Keep going, and gratitude stops being something we have to search for. It becomes impossible to avoid.That one question opens into everything else here — presence, impermanence, the oneness of all things, and what the traditions call enlightenment, which is nothing more mysterious than an awareness wide enough to see how it all connects.Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is recycled, rising and falling. And nothing we truly love is ever lost.If you've been looking for a way to stop overthinking, quiet a critical mind, or just find one thing to be grateful for on a hard day, start at the beginning and go slowly.CHAPTERS0:00 The loop we get stuck in0:57 Start with one favorite thing1:38 Now ask what made them2:41 Infinite things made everything3:38 Gratitude with nothing left out5:36 Where did all of it come from7:01 There is no past and no future8:19 There is no future happiness9:13 Life is like waiting for test results9:51 The breath is the doorway11:00 Choosing where we rest our attention12:03 Expanded awareness15:42 The fight on the sidewalk and the view from space16:18 We are not one small life17:07 How consciousness rises19:20 The practice20:02 This is enlightenmentPlease enjoy other episodes where I share meditation techniques, tips and spiritual lessons from around the world for peaceful and stress-free living. Remember to subscribe to stay up-to-date.Video podcasts are available at https://www.youtube.com/@ToddPerelmuter#gratitude #meditation #spiritualawakening #mindfulness #onenessFor the days when life feels like too much, these 4 free books are for you. Get the free 4-books bundleIf my words have ever touched your heart or helped you through a hard moment, I'd be deeply grateful for your support in keeping this podcast alive. Support the PodcastAnd if you'd like to explore these ideas in greater depth, you can find all of my books here.

Are you sick and tired of living your life from a script that somebody else wrote? In this video, Prof. Spira takes you on a walk down a real American fast-food strip — what he calls "Spira's Inferno" — and breaks down the three steps to deprogram yourself from the death culture and the pus and mucus matrix. Instead of moralizing about junk food, or trying to change a system that was never built for your health in the first place, this video shows you how to observe it, decode it, and step out of it. Prof. Spira walks past the drive-thrus, the gas stations, the logos and the slogans, and reads the propaganda back to you — an environment engineered to make poison effortless and vitality difficult. You'll learn why cravings are not simply a willpower problem, why the hell loop of poison, sickness, and more poison keeps repeating, why Brother Air told him pizza was "slave food" back in 2002, and why Prof. Spira teaches that physiological liberation is the real key. Inside this video, we cover: * Step 1 — OBSERVE: how to walk through the chaos and see it clearly, without judgment* Step 2 — REALIZATION & RELEASE: how the old programming gets unwired * Step 3 — ACCEPTANCE: why trying to change hell is what keeps you stuck in it* How to decode food propaganda instead of consuming it * Why the hell loop of poison, treatment, and more poison repeats* What it means to be "a battery in somebody else's machine" * Why pus and mucus-forming foods sit underneath the whole system* Why alcohol, tobacco, and processed foods are so easy to get, and real food is not * How the Transition Diet and the Mucusless Diet Healing System offer a way out* Why physiological liberation is the goal, not moral superiority If you're serious about learning the Mucusless Diet Healing System and want support applying it in real life, use the links below: Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Mucus-Free Life is an educational platform exploring the Mucusless Diet Healing System. Content reflects study and experience and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your diet, fasting, or health practices. Peace, Love, and Breath!

Are you dealing with inflammation in your hands, knees, hips, ankles, sinuses, head, gut, or joints? In this video, Prof. Spira breaks down the Mucusless Diet Healing System perspective on systemic inflammation and why it may not simply be “normal aging.” Instead of looking at inflammation as a random symptom that appears in isolated areas, this video explores Arnold Ehret's deeper concept that inflammation can be understood through obstruction, systemic constipation, mucus-forming foods, acidosis, and blocked elimination. You'll learn why the body's avenues of elimination matter, why the kidneys, colon, skin, and bowels must be supported, and why the Transition Diet is a practical bridge for moving away from pus and mucus-forming foods. This is a clear introduction to understanding inflammation through the lens of elimination, transition, and physiological liberation. Inside this video, we cover: * Why inflammation is not presented as the body's natural baseline * Arnold Ehret's concept of disease as obstruction * The role of pus and mucus-forming foods * Why meat, dairy, starches, and processed foods are discussed in the MDHS framework * Why kidney filtration and colon cleansing matter * How green juices, lemon juice and distilled water, internal bathing, and rational fasting fit into the system * Why the Transition Diet is the practical path instead of extreme overnight change If you're serious about learning the Mucusless Diet Healing System and want support applying it in real life, use the links below: Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Register for the fasting workshop: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/fasting-workshop Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Mucus-Free Life is an educational platform exploring the Mucusless Diet Healing System. Content reflects study and experience and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your diet, fasting, or health practices. Peace, Love, and Breath!

Are you tired of chasing one symptom after another without ever getting to the root? In this video, Prof. Spira breaks down the universal healing blueprint taught through Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet Healing System. Instead of looking at headaches, inflammation, constipation, congestion, pain, cravings, and chronic discomfort as separate problems, this video explores the deeper MDHS concept that many symptoms can be understood through obstruction, systemic constipation, and blocked elimination. You'll learn why the Transition Diet is not just a food list, why “food as a tool” matters, and why opening the avenues of elimination is central to the Mucusless Diet Healing System. This is a practical introduction to moving beyond symptom-chasing and beginning to understand the body through the lens of elimination, transition, and physiological liberation. Inside this video, we cover: - Why treating symptoms alone can become a never-ending cycle - Arnold Ehret's concept of disease as obstruction - The role of pus and mucus-forming foods - Why the Transition Diet is the practical bridge - How elimination, kidney filtration, colon cleansing, and rational fasting fit together - Why the Mucusless Diet Healing System is a full system, not just a diet If you're serious about learning the Mucusless Diet Healing System and want support applying it in real life, use the links below: Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Register for the fasting workshop: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/fasting-workshop Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Mucus-Free Life is an educational platform exploring the Mucusless Diet Healing System. Content reflects study and experience and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your diet, fasting, or health practices. Peace, Love, and Breath!

Are you tired of dealing with bloating, heartburn, gas, acid reflux, and other digestive issues? In this video, Prof. Spira breaks down one of the most important principles in Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet Healing System: proper food combining. Most people eat as if the stomach is a garbage disposal, throwing together meat, bread, fruit, dairy, desserts, drinks, and random foods all in the same meal, then wondering why digestion feels heavy, acidic, and chaotic. This video explains why cleaning up your diet is not only about what you eat, but how you combine foods, when you eat them, and how much space you give your body between meals. Prof. Spira shows why fruit should be eaten by itself, why combination salads matter, why drinking with meals can interfere with digestion, and why dietary organization is a major part of the Transition Diet. If you've ever felt like your stomach is overloaded after meals, this video will help you understand why simplicity, timing, and proper food combinations can make such a major difference. Inside this video, we cover: * Why your stomach is not a garbage disposal * How bad food combinations can contribute to bloating, gas, and heartburn * Why fruit should be eaten by itself * How to structure a two-course transition meal * Why combination salad is a foundation in the Transition Diet * Why meal timing and spacing matter * Why drinking with meals can disrupt digestion * How the no breakfast plan fits into Ehret's system * How dietary organization supports long-term transition Stop throwing everything into your stomach and expecting clean digestion. Nature works through simplicity, order, and proper timing. Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is based on Prof. Spira's study and practice of Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet Healing System. It is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes related to your health.

Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Are you dealing with brain fog, anxiety, mental heaviness, low vitality, or the feeling that your mind never fully clears? In this video, Prof. Spira breaks down the Mucusless Diet Healing System perspective on brain fog and anxiety, and why these issues may not simply be caused by “nutritional deficiencies.” Instead of looking at brain fog through the lens of B12, iron, protein, calories, macros, or supplements, this video explores Arnold Ehret's deeper concept that many symptoms can be understood through obstruction, systemic constipation, mucus-forming foods, acidosis, and blocked elimination. You'll learn why the body's avenues of elimination matter, why Prof. Spira emphasizes cellular constipation from head to toe, and why the Transition Diet is presented as the practical bridge for moving away from pus and mucus-forming foods. This is a clear introduction to understanding brain fog, anxiety, and vitality through the lens of elimination, transition, and physiological liberation. Inside this video, we cover: Why brain fog and anxiety may not be deficiency problems Arnold Ehret's concept of disease as obstruction What Prof. Spira means by cellular constipation Why pus and mucus-forming foods are discussed as the foundation of obstruction Why the additive principle of nutrition may miss the deeper issue Why supplements, calories, macros, protein, B12, and iron are challenged in this framework How the Transition Diet helps create permanent physiological change Why rational fasting, proper food combining, meal spacing, and elimination practices matter Why opening the avenues of elimination is central to the Mucusless Diet Healing System How Prof. Spira connects brain fog, anxiety, vitality, and physiological liberation If you're serious about learning the Mucusless Diet Healing System and want support applying it in real life, use the links below:   Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Mucus-Free Life is an educational platform exploring the Mucusless Diet Healing System. Content reflects study and experience and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your diet, fasting, or health practices. Peace, Love, and Breath!

Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Are you trying to improve your health, build vitality, or explore fasting without jumping into dangerous long fasts before your body is ready? In this video, Prof. Spira breaks down why the Transition Diet is the practical foundation of the Mucusless Diet Healing System, and why long fasts are not the first step in becoming healthy. Instead of forcing extreme water fasts, dry fasts, or trendy cleanses, this video explores Arnold Ehret's deeper approach to rational fasting, physiological transformation, and slow, methodical, permanent change. You'll learn why Prof. Spira describes the body as an “air-gas engine,” why breath and oxygen are central to life, and why the digestive system is viewed as secondary to the respiratory system. This video also explains how fruit, juices, mucus-free foods, short-term fasting, and the Transition Diet can be used as tools to support elimination without pushing the body into unnecessary danger. Inside this video, we cover: Why long fasts are not the first step in becoming healthy How to transition your diet without dangerous long fasts Why rational fasting is different from extreme fasting Arnold Ehret's concept of the body as an air-gas engine Why breath, oxygen, and elimination are central in this system Why fruit and mucus-free foods are discussed as cleansing tools How the Transition Diet creates slow, methodical, permanent change Why improper fast-breaking can make fasting dangerous Why short-term fasts can help build experience before longer fasts How cravings, obstruction, and compromised intuition can affect your choices Why trendy cleanses often fail without transitional methodology How to build vitality without forcing extreme fasting practices If you're serious about learning the Mucusless Diet Healing System and want support applying it in real life, use the links below: Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Mucus-Free Life is an educational platform exploring the Mucusless Diet Healing System. Content reflects study and experience and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your diet, fasting, or health practices. Peace, Love, and Breath!

Do you struggle with intense cravings even when you're trying to clean up your diet? In this video, Prof. Spira breaks down an advanced Transition Diet technique he calls the “Preemptive Strike.” Instead of waiting until cravings become overwhelming, this method teaches you how to work with the body strategically before you lose control. Many people try to force their way through cravings with willpower, fasting, or extreme restriction, but that approach often leads to relapse. Through the Mucusless Diet Healing System, Prof. Spira explains why transition is not just a food list, but a practical methodology for changing your habits, your physiology, and your relationship with mucus-forming foods over time. You'll learn why cravings often follow predictable patterns, why transitioning too fast can backfire, and how mucus-lean foods can sometimes be used strategically to stay grounded while continuing to move forward. This is about building a sustainable path instead of relying on perfection, pressure, or white-knuckling your way through the process. Inside this video, we cover: * Why cravings are not always solved by willpower * What the “Preemptive Strike” method means * How to stop cravings before they turn into relapse * Why transition diet methodology is the foundation * How mucus-lean foods can be used strategically * Why moving too fast can create mental and physical pushback * How to build more control, awareness, and long-term consistency If you're tired of losing control every time cravings come back, this video will help you understand a more realistic and sustainable way to approach the transition process. Book a clarity call for Transition Diet Bootcamp: https://live.mucusfreelife.com/bootcamp-apply Join the Mucus-Free Life Membership: https://go.mucusfreelife.com/join-ytc Join the newsletter: https://bit.ly/mfl-fb-join Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is based on Prof. Spira's study and practice of the Mucusless Diet Healing System. It is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes related to your health.

ESSENTIEL, le rendez-vous culture présenté par Sandrine Sebbane. Elle reçoit : Myriam Spira pour son livre « L'envol de la mémoire » aux éditions Grasset  Thierry Maugenest pour son livre « Dans l'ombre de Cézanne – La résistance à château noir » aux éditions Hervé Chopin À propos du livre : « L'envol de la mémoire » paru aux éditions Grasset  Betty, résistante, a vingt et un ans lorsqu'elle est arrêtée à Bruges, en mars 1942, pour avoir dissimulé un poste émetteur clandestin. Elle est déportée au camp de Ravensbrück puis de Mauthausen. Joseph, juif et résistant, est arrêté quelques mois plus tard, Gare du Midi à Bruxelles, et déporté à Auschwitz-Birkenau. C'est après leur libération, à bord d'un train de la Croix-Rouge, que Betty et Joseph se rencontrent. Cinq enfants grandissent dans l'ombre de ce couple singulier, beau et meurtri. Cinq enfants pour reconstruire une famille décimée, celle de Joseph, dont le père et les quatre frères et soeurs ont été assassinés dans les camps. Petite, Myriam Spira écoutait ses parents raconter : la faim, le froid, les souffrances, la douleur des expériences médicales. Mais aussi leur combat pour la vie, l'espoir de retrouver une existence normale. Cet héritage douloureux imprègne l'âme des enfants qui connaîtront le mal-être existentiel, et la difficulté à devenir parents à leur tour. Autant de symptômes d'une transmission souvent indicible. Myriam Spira nous offre le récit rare d'une " deuxième génération ", l'histoire de sa vie déportée dans les souvenirs de ses parents, mais aussi de sa reconstruction : à quarante-six ans, grâce à une volonté féroce, elle obtient sa licence de pilote privé et part seule survoler les camps, pour comprendre, maintenant adulte. Et raconter à son tour. Un récit bouleversant. À propos du livre : « Dans l'ombre de Cézanne – La résistance à château noir » paru aux éditions Hervé Chopin L'histoire inconnue de ces artistes, héros de l'ombre, qui ont organisé la Résistance à Château Noir. Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, des peintres se retrouvent dans une singulière bastide provençale où Cezanne vécut les dernières années de sa vie. Ensemble, ils parlent d'art, jouent aux échecs et décident d'entrer en résistance. Quand ils découvrent un carnet ayant jadis appartenu au grand artiste aixois, le cours de leur vie va changer. Au même moment, une famille poursuivie par la police de Vichy vient frapper à leur porte... Comme un pont sur le temps, Château Noir interroge et porte mystérieusement tous ceux qui y résident. Entre les derniers jours de Cezanne et la terreur de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, l'auteur nous interroge sur la place de l'art en temps de guerre et nous conte l'histoire encore inconnue d'hommes et de femmes d'exception.

Send me a messageDo you feel like you're constantly rushing through life?In this podcast, we explore why our fast-paced mentalities — not our actual lives — are making us miserable. We often treat our daily responsibilities like hurdles to get over, rather than doorways to the present moment.What you'll learn:- How to shift from a "have to" to a "get to" mindset.- Why "wanting" your reality is the key to ending suffering.- 3 practical ways to slow down your thoughts and find inner stillness.- Why meditation creates spaciousness in even the busiest day.Slowing down isn't about doing less; it's about doing what you do more fully. When we slow our thinking, we naturally reduce anxiety and invite true peace into our lives.Please enjoy other episodes where I share meditation techniques, tips and spiritual lessons from around the world for peaceful and stress-free living. Remember to subscribe to stay up-to-date.Video podcasts are available at https://www.youtube.com/@ToddPerelmuter#mindfulness #slowliving #innerpeace #spirituality #meditation #toddperelmuterFor the days when life feels like too much, these 4 free books are for you. Get the free 4-books bundleIf my words have ever touched your heart or helped you through a hard moment, I'd be deeply grateful for your support in keeping this podcast alive. Support the PodcastAnd if you'd like to explore these ideas in greater depth, you can find all of my books here.

 "Pick an immersive subgenre, and I think that it can be made better by the escape room model." For the Season 11 finale of Reality Escape Pod, we're turning the spotlight inward. After years of writing reviews, producing podcasts, running RECON, hosting Tours, and building a community around immersive experiences, we asked our audience a simple question "What do you think?" Hundreds of you responded to the Room Escape Artist audience census, sharing how you engage with our work, what you want more of, and where we can improve. Lisa Spira, editor-in-chief of Room Escape Artist, data wizard, and David's wife, joins us on the podcast to for a deep dive into the census results. We received over 200 responses to our massive audience survey covering topics ranging from audience demographics and favorite content formats to the future of escape rooms, the rise of immersive experiences, community feedback, and some honest critiques. We gained perspective on what our audience enjoys, their awareness of REA content, and how they consume immersive experiences. Some results were truly surprising, including how many escape rooms the average participant plays per year. We also asked for your feedback, critiques, and worries. We addressed many of the criticisms with honest and candid replies about why some aspects of Room Escape Artist have changed over the years. We also acknowledged times when we got things wrong and explained the reasoning behind the editorial schedule and structure. I really enjoyed sharing this behind-the-scenes look at Room Escape Artist. I thought the most interesting parts of this episode were seeing how much thought goes into the choices behind the content we put out, why certain reviews get written, why some trends excite us, and how difficult it is to serve a global community with wildly different interests. This was a conversation about growth, and the future of Room Escape Artist, REPOD, and the escape room industry. When it comes to escape rooms, there is room for different kinds of play. We're seeing experiences that blur the lines between escape rooms, theater, games, and adventure. As David puts it, "The medium continues to evolve, and that's exactly what makes it exciting." I couldn't agree more. Whether you found us through reviews, podcasts, RECON, Tours, or somewhere else entirely, we appreciate being part of your escape room journey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the census and share feedback, and to those who support our community and continue listening.     Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and the Reality Escape Convention. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Reality Escape Convention Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026. RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

This week it's just Steven and Devon holding down the fort while Ben is away, which means the conversation somehow manages to jump from guitar maintenance to Star Wars collectibles to post-apocalyptic murder mysteries without missing a beat. Real Life Devon spent part of the week giving some attention to an old Kelly-style guitar that had been fighting him for years. After wrestling with the floating tremolo system, he explains the joys and frustrations of guitar intonation and why getting everything properly adjusted can feel more like engineering than music. With the guitar finally behaving itself, he's been spending time learning Vivaldi's Summer, proving once again that classical music can be every bit as metal as heavy metal. Meanwhile, Steven returned from a Disney trip with a collection of souvenirs that may or may not require their own dedicated shelf. The haul includes a Spira gift card, a BB-series droid, a C-series droid head popcorn bucket, a Grand Holocron, a new Star Wars font hat, and nearly every Kyber crystal available. Unfortunately, despite collecting the entire rainbow, none of the elusive secret crystals made their way home. Such is the way of the Force. Future or Now Devon dives into Paradise on Hulu, starring Sterling K. Brown. What initially appears to be a political thriller quickly reveals itself to be something much stranger. Without spoiling too much, the series combines a whodunit mystery with a post-apocalyptic setting and some surprisingly deep character development. The show's vision of "The American Dream Underground" becomes one of the most fascinating aspects of the story, and Devon argues that the character work is what truly elevates the series above similar mystery shows. The conversation also briefly touches on Hoppers, now available on Disney+. The verdict? It's definitely strange. Whether that strangeness is good or bad may depend entirely on your tolerance for Pixar-style weirdness. There may also be connections to the Pixar Theory, but there simply isn't enough time to open that particular can of worms. Steven brings an interesting study examining the real-world effects of popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. Researchers analyzing Fitbit data discovered that while patients successfully lost weight after starting the medications, many also became less physically active. Daily step counts and exercise levels declined, raising concerns because these drugs can reduce muscle mass alongside fat loss. The findings highlight an important reminder: losing weight and maintaining physical fitness aren't necessarily the same thing, and preserving strength remains a critical part of long-term health. Links Paradise (IMDb): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27444205 Weight-loss medication activity study: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260614011841.htm   This episode covers everything from guitar maintenance and Disney loot to dystopian mysteries and the surprising relationship between weight loss and physical activity. Just another normal week on Science Faction.

We play through Chapter 2 of Final Fantasy X-2, which highlights that the tertiary characters of Spira are not that compelling.

What if the habit that determines your future health isn't complicated at all—but simply the one most people keep postponing? In this conversation, Prof. Spira and Jake Gallon break down a core principle that's often overlooked in modern health culture: feeling “fine” does not mean you're well. Long before symptoms appear, the body gives signals—and ignoring them is how people quietly end up dependent on hospitals, procedures, and lifelong interventions. You'll hear why: Waiting for a diagnosis is already too late “All-or-nothing” thinking destroys long-term progress Elimination—not stimulation—is the foundation of real vitality Simple daily habits matter more than extreme protocols Health is built through consistent action, not intellectual debate This isn't about fear. It's about responsibility, awareness, and choosing a different path—now, not later. If you've ever said, “I'll start next week,” this conversation is for you. Become part of the Mucus-Free Life Membership for structured learning, community support, and long-form teachings:

Myriam Spira « L'envol de la mémoire » (Grasset) Betty, résistante, a vingt et un ans lorsqu'elle est arrêtée à Bruges, en mars 1942, pour avoir dissimulé un poste émetteur clandestin. Elle est déportée au camp de Ravensbrück puis de Mauthausen. Joseph, juif et résistant, est arrêté quelques mois plus tard, Gare du Midi à Bruxelles, et déporté à Auschwitz-Birkenau. C'est après leur libération, à bord d'un train de la Croix-Rouge, que Betty et Joseph se rencontrent. Cinq enfants grandissent dans l'ombre de ce couple singulier, beau et meurtri. Cinq enfants pour reconstruire une famille décimée, celle de Joseph, dont le père et les quatre frères et soeurs ont été assassinés dans les camps. Petite, Myriam Spira écoutait ses parents raconter : la faim, le froid, les souffrances, la douleur des expériences médicales. Mais aussi leur combat pour la vie, l'espoir de retrouver une existence normale. Cet héritage douloureux imprègne l'âme des enfants qui connaîtront le mal-être existentiel, et la difficulté à devenir parents à leur tour. Autant de symptômes d'une transmission souvent indicible. Myriam Spira nous offre le récit rare d'une " deuxième génération ", l'histoire de sa vie déportée dans les souvenirs de ses parents, mais aussi de sa reconstruction : à quarante-six ans, grâce à une volonté féroce, elle obtient sa licence de pilote privé et part seule survoler les camps, pour comprendre, maintenant adulte. Et raconter à son tour. Un récit bouleversant.Musique : Idan Raichal « Le rêve des autres »Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Most people judge their health by how they feel. But feeling “fine” doesn't mean your body is clean, balanced, or truly healthy. In this conversation, Prof. Spira and Jake Gallon break down a simple but overlooked truth: real health is revealed through elimination—not symptoms, lab theories, or trends. You'll learn: Why regular bowel movements don't always mean proper elimination How mucus-forming foods quietly stagnate the body over time Why wiping, residue, and sluggish elimination are warning signs—not normal How the Mucusless Diet Healing System prioritizes observation over guesswork Why “all-or-nothing” thinking destroys progress—and how rational transition restores it This discussion challenges modern health confusion and brings the focus back to cause and effect, simplicity, and personal responsibility. Health doesn't require endless studies, supplements, or extreme diets. It requires understanding what leaves the body—and what doesn't.

In today's episode, we spoke with Alexander I. Spira, MD, PhD, FACP, FASCO. Dr Spira is co-director of the Virginia Cancer Specialists (VCS) Research Institute in Fairfax, director of the VCS Thoracic and Phase I Program, chief scientific officer of NEXT Oncology, and a clinical assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.In our exclusive interview, Dr Spira discussed the significance of the December 2025 FDA approval of amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj (Rybrevant Faspro), also known as subcutaneous amivantamab, for the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) across all approved indications for amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant). He noted key data from the pivotal phase 3 PALOMA-3 trial (NCT05388669), which showed that subcutaneous amivantamab combined with lazertinib (Lazcluze) had a more favorable safety profile compared with intravenous (IV) amivantamab plus lazertinib and was noninferior to the IV formulation in terms of efficacy. Dr Spira contextualized these trial findings within the larger EGFR-mutated NSCLC treatment paradigm and explained how this formulation of amivantamab addresses a previously unmet patient need.

What happens when you step back and really look at what we call “normal” food culture? In this video, Prof. Spira and Brother Air walk through the Rib Festival to observe the human condition in real time. What they see isn't just food—it's habit, addiction, conditioning, and a culture that no longer questions what it consumes. This isn't about shaming people. It's about seeing clearly. At the Rib Festival, you'll notice: How excess and addiction are treated as entertainment How “normal” eating habits are socially reinforced How public money supports destructive food culture Why this way of eating leads to decline, not vitality Why real change starts with controlling what you put in your mouth The conversation moves beyond food and into something deeper: life culture vs. death culture. When eating becomes automatic and unquestioned, vitality fades. When awareness returns, so does choice. This video invites you to pause, observe, and ask a simple question: Is this really the path you want to follow?

Zach sits down with David and Lisa, long-time partners and leaders in the escape room world, to explore what thousands of hours of collaborative problem-solving have taught them about communication, conflict, and teamwork. They talk about why escape rooms reward kindness over brilliance, why “being right” is a losing strategy, and how the habits that help teams escape under pressure are the same ones that help couples thrive in real life. From debriefing mistakes without blame to celebrating small wins—even when you lose—this conversation offers a surprisingly practical framework for building resilient, collaborative relationships. Key Takeaways Escape rooms reward communication and kindness, not intelligence or dominance The fastest way to lose—both in games and relationships—is trying to win alone Healthy teams normalize double-checking, feedback, and shared responsibility Conflict works best when it happens after the pressure, not during it Strong partnerships focus on learning from mistakes, not litigating them Celebrating small wins matters—even when the overall outcome isn't perfect Mutual respect and curiosity are foundational to long-term collaboration Guest Info David & LisaPartners in life and business, David and Lisa are leading voices in the escape room community. They have played more than 1,300 escape rooms worldwide, built a global community of players, and help people experience collaborative play through reviews, tours, and industry leadership. They are the team behind Room Escape Artist, a trusted resource for discovering high-quality escape rooms around the world, and they also run curated escape room tours that bring players together across cities and countries. Website: https://roomescapeartist.com Email: contact@roomescapeartist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Zach sits down with David and Lisa, long-time partners and leaders in the escape room world, to explore what thousands of hours of collaborative problem-solving have taught them about communication, conflict, and teamwork. They talk about why escape rooms reward kindness over brilliance, why “being right” is a losing strategy, and how the habits that help teams escape under pressure are the same ones that help couples thrive in real life. From debriefing mistakes without blame to celebrating small wins—even when you lose—this conversation offers a surprisingly practical framework for building resilient, collaborative relationships. Key Takeaways Escape rooms reward communication and kindness, not intelligence or dominance The fastest way to lose—both in games and relationships—is trying to win alone Healthy teams normalize double-checking, feedback, and shared responsibility Conflict works best when it happens after the pressure, not during it Strong partnerships focus on learning from mistakes, not litigating them Celebrating small wins matters—even when the overall outcome isn't perfect Mutual respect and curiosity are foundational to long-term collaboration Guest Info David & LisaPartners in life and business, David and Lisa are leading voices in the escape room community. They have played more than 1,300 escape rooms worldwide, built a global community of players, and help people experience collaborative play through reviews, tours, and industry leadership. They are the team behind Room Escape Artist, a trusted resource for discovering high-quality escape rooms around the world, and they also run curated escape room tours that bring players together across cities and countries. Website: https://roomescapeartist.com Email: contact@roomescapeartist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do so many people bounce between extreme diets… yet never truly regain their vitality? In this conversation, Prof. Spira and Jake Gallon break down why “all or nothing” thinking quietly destroys progress—and how ignoring the transition leads people back to the very habits that broke their health in the first place. This video explores: Why extreme diet swings create short-term relief but long-term damage The difference between mucus-forming vs. pus-forming foods How constipation, stagnation, and poor elimination block real healing Why the Mucus-Free Diet Healing System is a system, not a trend How rational transition, not force, is what restores vitality over time If you've ever felt confused, stuck, or tempted to jump from one diet extreme to another, this discussion will help you zoom out, regain clarity, and understand why the middle path works. This isn't about chasing the newest diet trend. It's about building sustainable health, clear thinking, and real vitality—the way nature intended.

2026 Dating Trends with the "Digital Matchmaker"Are you ready to "outsmart Cupid" in 2026? In this episode of the Cupid's Coach podcast, host Julie Ferman sits down with a true industry rockstar: Julie Spira, America's top online dating expert and founder of Cyber Dating Expert. With four decades of digital innovation and media experience, Julie Spira has watched every major trend shift—from the dial-up days of AOL to the AI-driven world of today.The two Julies dive into Spira's latest feature article, "Dating Trends to Expect in 2026," which outlines why singles are now demanding clarity, consistency, and emotional substance over surface-level thrills. Whether you are navigating a "gray divorce," re-entering the dating world after being widowed, or curious about the new role of AI, this episode is a masterclass in modern romance.Inside this Episode:* The 2026 Recalibration: Why "emotional safety" is replacing high-octane chemistry and performative "love bombing".* Gray Divorce as a Gateway: Viewing a late-life split as a "courageous recalibration" rather than a failure.* Widowed & Ready: Giving yourself permission to find companionship without guilt and why the "two-year rule" is officially outdated.* The "Tiny Town" Dynamics: Exploring dating in community-driven markets like Palm Springs versus the freeway-focused grind of Los Angeles.* The Digital Shift: How daters are using AI as a "warm-up tool" for pre-date nerves and why crowdsourcing your dating life on Reddit is going by the wayside.Join us for a candid look at the future of connection. It's time to stop playing games and start finding the partner who treats you right on a Monday morning—not just a Saturday night.Read the Full Article: Check out Julie Spira's Dating Trends to Expect in 2026 at CyberDatingExpert.com.#CupidsCoach #DatingTrends2026 #GrayDivorce #CyberDating #EmotionalSafety #RelationshipAdvice #Matchmaking #JulieSpirahttps://cyberdatingexpert.com/2026-dating-trends/

Why do so many people lose momentum—even after switching to a plant-based or mucus-free approach? In this conversation, Prof. Spira and Jake Gallon break down the hidden mistake that causes people to fall off the path: the “all or nothing” mindset. Chasing extremes may feel powerful at first, but over time it drains vitality, stalls elimination, and pushes people right back into the habits that made them sick in the first place. This video explores: Why ignoring the transition sabotages long-term progress How extreme diets create temporary relief—but long-term damage The difference between species-specific eating and a healing system Why the middle path is the only sustainable way forward How to protect your energy, digestion, and consistency over time If you've ever felt confused, stuck, or tempted to jump from one extreme to another, this discussion will help you reset your approach and move forward with clarity.

" I love shining a light on escape room creators and telling their stories." For the last 10 years, Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist has been tracking the growth of the US Escape Room industry and publishing industry reports. For our Season 10 finale episode, Lisa joins us to talk about this year's annual report. New this year is a collaboration with previous REPOD sponsor Morty, an app that tracks individual games as well as escape room companies. Through this collaboration, Lisa was able to look at additional metrics, including revenue. The 2025 Industry report is available on the Room Escape Artist website, and Lisa shares deeper analysis on this episode. Some interesting trends noted include consolidation of ownership, and expansion of immersive gaming business models. We also talk about some interesting stats, including which days might be better for an escape room company to go dark; it's not what you would expect! We close out the episode with some musings on exciting new design trends in escape room design, trends we don't care for, and where we think the escape room industry is headed. Whether you're an escape room owner, aspiring to work in the escape room industry, work in the immersive entertainment field, or just a data-loving enthusiast, the REA US Escape Room Industry Report is a must-read. This is the last episode of Season 10. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back with a new season of REPOD in the spring of 2026. Meanwhile, consider joining our Patreon for access to our library of Bonus Aftershows and Spoilers Club episodes.   Episode Sponsors We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG's Playhouse, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.   Support Us On Patreon Today Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we've been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014. We help players find the best experiences, and push the industry forward with well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room and immersive gaming content and events. By becoming a Patreon supporter, you're not just backing a blog — you're fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. Access exclusive Patreon content such as: The Bonus Aftershow The Spoilers Club Early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles. Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.   PG's Playhouse If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG's Playhouse recreates a fun game night, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what's game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes. Each episode features a puzzle packed with wordplay and trivia, a short chat with the guest, and a segment exploring an interesting topic. I hope you'll take a listen and play along with us at PG's Playhouse.   Buzzshot Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.   COGS COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when. Special Offer for REPOD Listeners: REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Steve Ewing Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht  

Jon's Kickstarter LinkSummaryIn this conversation, Jon Spira discusses his new book 'I'll Settle for Nothingness: Conversations with Mike Hodges', detailing the genesis of the book, his friendship with the legendary filmmaker, and the exploration of Hodges' versatile career. The discussion covers many things including the making of 'Morons from Outer Space', the challenges of unproduced films, and the emotional journey of writing the book. Spira also shares insights into Hodges' legacy, his experiences with the BFI, and the Kickstarter campaign for the book's publication.TakeawaysThe book is a collection of conversations with Mike Hodges.Jon Spira's friendship with Hodges developed through their shared love of cinema.'Morons from Outer Space' is a film that has gained a cult following despite its initial failure.Hodges was a versatile filmmaker, working across various genres.The Terminal Man is a significant film that was poorly marketed and overlooked.Hodges had many unproduced films that reflect his creative vision.The BFI is preserving Hodges' legacy through his film archive.Spira aims to honor Hodges' memory through this book.The emotional journey of writing the book was profound for Spira.The Kickstarter campaign is a way to celebrate Hodges' work and legacy. This podcast is completely independent and made possible by listener support. If you'd like to help me keep making these episodes, you can join my Patreon community here: https://patreon.com/jamiebenning Watch more on YouTube:Check out the Filmumentaries YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes clips and extra content: https://youtube.com/filmumentariesAll my links

Episode 770: December 13, 2025 playlist: The Legendary Pink Dots, "(Return of) the Eternal Optimist" (The Legendary Pink Dots Xmas Special 2025) 2025 [self-released] Laura Cannell, "Three Kings Sing in the Woods" (Brightly Shone the Moon) 2025 Brawl Paula Kelley, "Cities Light The Streets For You" (Cities Light The Streets For You (Holiday Single)) 2025 Wharf Cat Nina Nastasia, "Handmade Card" (Handmade Card) 2018 [self-released] Low End Activist, "Time Vampire" (Airdrop III) 2025 Peak Oil Marielle V Jakobsons, "Warm Spring" (The Patterns Lost to Air) 2026 Thrill Jockey Throwing Muses, "Hate My Way (live at Club Babyhead, July 25, 1992)" (Live In Providence) 2025 Fire Gareth Davis and Scanner, "Structure Of Statements (Radio edit)" (Songlines) 2025 Moving Furniture Olof Arnalds, "Tar i morgunsarid" (Spira) 2025 Bella Union Insides, "Shade" (Shade/Crumb Dropper) 2021 [self-released] Kodax Strophes/Martyn Bates, "Flowers" (Christ In The House Of Martha and Mary) 2025 Hive-Arc COH and Wladimir Schall, "Snowflakes" (Covers) 2025 Hallow Ground Email podcast at brainwashed dot com to say who you are; what you like; what you want to hear; share pictures for the podcast of where you're from, your computer or MP3 player with or without the Brainwashed Podcast Playing; and win free music! We have no tracking information, no idea who's listening to these things so the more feedback that comes in, the more frequent podcasts will come. You will not be put on any spam list and your information will remain completely private and not farmed out to a third party. Thanks for your attention and thanks for listening.

Pat yourself on the back—because walking the path of physiological liberation is no small feat.

I fredags så hade dramafilmen "7 steg" premiär och jag fick den stora äran att prata med huvudrollsinnehavarna Veronica Maggio och Joel Spira några dagar innan premiären! Veronica Maggio gör inte bara sin skådespelardebut, utan hon har även skrivit manus till filmen tillsammans med filmens regissör Andreas Öhman. Hör Veronica och Joel berätta om hur det var att spela in filmen, hör på mig när jag pratar om vad jag tyckte om filmen och stäng inte av när jag börjar tjata om Guldpodden, Patreon och/eller Youtube...:P  Håll till godo!

For me, music is one of the core components that contributes to the enjoyment, and engagement, of a video game title, and this episode is our latest deep dive into some of the classic soundtracks from those games.  In today's episode, we'll look specifically at the music, and story, of Final Fantasy X, as I'm joined by our resident FFX sponsor, Iso!   This one is a little bit different from our standard Sounds of the Classics episodes, in that we'll be diving really deep into the story and lore of Final Fantasy X, so if you haven't played that particular epic title yet, be warned - there will be spoilers here.  For those who have experienced the game before, though, this will hopefully be a comforting return to the world of Spira, as we listen to a bunch of songs, and discuss the amazing narrative, of Final Fantasy X. Join the discussion on Discord! Want more Classic Gaming Today?  Sign up as a patron at Patreon.com/ClassicGamingToday!  

In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Nate McClennen and Hayley Spira-Bauer explore the transformative potential of AI, media literacy, and personalized learning in reshaping education. The lively conversation discusses how generative AI can reduce teacher workloads, foster high-agency classrooms, and create opportunities for meaningful human connections. The conversation also dives into the importance of media literacy as a core skill for navigating today's digital landscape, empowering students to critically evaluate information and thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Tune in to discover actionable insights on building innovative, student-centered learning ecosystems and preparing learners for the future. Outline (00:00) Introduction and Guest Introduction (01:50) AI's Impact on Teacher Workload (03:41) Increasing Human Connection and Learning Ecosystems (10:23) Reimagining Cross-Curricular Teaching (14:27) Student Agency and Self-Directed Learning (31:49) The Role of Content Knowledge and Skills Links Watch the full video here Read the full blog here Hayley Spira-Bauer Website LinkedIn Fullmind Learning Can't Wait Podcast  

In this weeks' Scale Your Sales Podcast episode, my guest is Leore Spira.   Leore Spira is a Revenue Operations executive and advisor, and GTM strategy leader with over 15 years of experience in B2B SaaS. She specializes in scaling startups, aligning cross-functional teams, and transforming insights into execution. Known for her strategic vision, operational rigor, and data-driven leadership across marketing, sales, and customer success.   In today's episode of Scale Your Sales podcast, Leore emphasizes the importance of aligning people, processes, and technology, and shares why understanding both the business ecosystem and internal stakeholders is key to sustainable growth. They also discuss the evolving role of AI, the value of empathy and transparency, and how to balance automation with a human-first approach to customer relationships.   Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcast, Leore Spira.     Timestamps: 00:00 Adapting Business Practices for Growth 07:09 Proactive Pre-sale and Marketing Strategy 10:09 Collaborative Pipeline Focus 13:56 AI for Streamlining Dashboards 17:24 Enhancing Team Support with AI 21:00 AI: Efficiency Over Expansion 26:19 Customer Journey and Success Focus 28:35 Mutual Evaluation in Sales Strategy 33:00 Leadership's Role in Organizational Impact 34:58 Data-Driven Survival Strategies     https://www.linkedin.com/in/leorespira/     Janice B Gordon is the award-winning Customer Growth Expert and Scale Your Sales Framework founder. She is by LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovating Sales Influencers to Follow 2021, the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Customer Experience Nov 2020 and 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021. Janice helps companies worldwide to reimagine revenue growth thought customer experience and sales.   Book Janice to speak virtually at your next event: https://janicebgordon.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/janice-b-gordon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceBGordon Scale Your Sales Podcast: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast More on the blog: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/blog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicebgordon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScaleYourSales And more!   Visit our podcast website https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast/ to watch or listen.

Welding isn't just sparks and heat—it's an essential (and often misunderstood) part of modern manufacturing. In this conversation, Ami Spira, General Manager of Civan Lasers USA, joins me to talk about the state of the art in welding technology and why laser welding is making such a big impact.We cover how different welding methods work, what makes laser welding unique, and why Civan's dynamic beam shaping enables new capabilities that weren't possible before. We also dig into the engineering behind keyhole formation, melt pool control, and how to join dissimilar materials like aluminum and copper without compromising strength or conductivity. If you're designing or building physical products, there's a lot to take away here.This isn't surface-level talk. It's a deep dive into the physics, materials science, and decision-making that go into modern manufacturing—and the cool engineering work that's pushing it forward.About AmiAmi Spira is the General Manager of Civan Lasers USA. He's been with the company for over seven years, previously leading marketing and business development efforts before taking on the US leadership role in early 2024. Ami's background spans B2B photonics, law, and business, but what stands out is how clearly he understands both the technical and strategic side of building something meaningful.About Civan LasersCivan Lasers is pioneering Dynamic Beam Laser (DBL) technology, making it possible to weld thick and complex materials with speed, precision, and control. Their high-power, single-mode lasers with programmable beam shaping are enabling new possibilities in manufacturing, from automotive to aerospace to additive.WebsiteLinkedInKey TakeawaysTraditional welding methods (like arc welding and MIG/TIG) are still widely used, but they have limitations in precision and speed.Laser welding uses a highly concentrated stream of photons to deliver fast, precise joins with minimal heat-affected zones.Dynamic beam shaping allows engineers to tailor the weld geometry, reduce defects, and join dissimilar or difficult materials.Laser welding is unlocking new possibilities for materials like high-strength aluminum, diecast alloys, and copper-aluminum connections.The ability to control the melt pool and keyhole in real-time is critical for quality and repeatability.Manufacturing and design go hand-in-hand. Engineers who understand welding limitations can design better, more efficient parts.Advances in automation and AI are reshaping how welding processes are developed, optimized, and executed.Real innovation doesn't just happen in new product design—it's alive and well in how we build things, too.ChaptersIntro to Laser Welding and Civan's RoleWelding Basics: Arc, Friction, and LaserChallenges of Material Properties and Dissimilar JoinsWhat Makes Dynamic Beam Shaping UniqueHow Lasers Penetrate Thick Sections with PrecisionDesign for Manufacturing: Why Welding Considerations MatterDiecasting, AI, and What's Next for Welding InnovationReflections on the Role of Engineering in Building the Future

Ready to begin your pilgrimage across the land of Spira to defeat Sin and save the world? You're definitely going to need the Final Fantasy X “Counter Blitz” (green/white/blue) preconstructed Commander deck from the new Universes Beyond set, Final Fantasy! To help you along the way, check out our $50 upgrade guide, showing you 10 cards to add and 10 to take out. We'll give you everything you need to play games so good, your friends will demand a sequel! -------- Support the show and become a Patron! Be a part of our community, receive awesome rewards, and more! https://www.patreon.com/commandzone -------- RAYCON: Raycon's latest model of Everyday Earbuds are better than ever! To save 15% on your entire Raycon order go to: https://www.buyraycon.com/command    AUDIBLE:  New members can try Audible now free for 30 days by texting COMMAND to 500-500 or visiting https://www.Audible.com/COMMAND     SHOPIFY: Power your business with Shopify. Start your one-dollar-per-month trial period today by going to: https://www.shopify.com/tcz  -------- CARD KINGDOM: The Command Zone is sponsored by Card Kingdom! If you want to receive your cards in one safe package and experience the best customer service, make sure to order your Magic cards, sealed product, accessories, and more at Card Kingdom: http://www.cardkingdom.com/command  ARCHIDEKT: Discover, build, catalog, and playtest on Archidekt, the deck-building website that makes it easy to brew brand new lists or manage your old favorites. Go to http://www.archidekt.com/commandzone to get started today!  ULTRA PRO: Huge thanks to Ultra PRO for sponsoring this episode! Be sure to check out their amazing APEX sleeves and super classy MANA 8 product line. If you want to keep your cards protected and support the show, visit: https://ultrapro.com/command -------- Relevant Links: Josh Murphy: Twitter: @alsonamedjosh Bluesky: @alsonamedjosh.bsky.social “Counter Blitz” Precon Upgrade Deck List:  https://archidekt.com/decks/13139583/cz_676_counter_blitz_precon_upgrade Mono-Blue Battle | Extra Turns 53: https://youtu.be/S318WdrTiko -------- Follow us on TikTok: @thecommandzone Follow us on Instagram: @CommandCast Follow us on Bluesky: @commandcast.bsky.social Follow us on Twitter: @CommandCast @JoshLeeKwai @jfwong @wachelreeks Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commandcast/ Email us: commandzonecast@gmail.com -------- Commander Rules and Ban List: https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list -------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices