Staying inside the guardrails with Jeff Banks of Aspect Avy

Oct 1, 2024

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Fall is here and winter is right around the corner! Welcome back to Season 9 of The Avalanche Hour Podcast.

In today's episode, Caleb sits down with IFMGA guide and co-founder/CEO of Aspect Avy, Jeff Banks. Jeff's mission in life is to help people do dangerous things -the safest way possible. He's happiest when he's in the mountain mountains helping people live long & adventurous lives.

Jeff has a 20+ year career working as an avalanche professional in the realms of avalanche forecasting, explosive work, and guiding. Jeff is an AMGA instructor team member and examiner in addition to the avalanche training he teaches to the US Special Forces. He has spent 16 winters guiding and skiing in Chamonix, has been a US Ski Mountaineering Champion, and former head coach of Colorado's Olympic Development Nordic Team. Jeff lives in Crested Butte, Colorado with his daughter.

Jeff and Caleb chat about some pivotal moments in Jeff's career that gave him pause about the amount of risk he was taking on while skiing and ski guiding in avalanche terrain. This spurred him to think about a better way to approach traveling in and near avalanche terrain. Aspect Avy was born out of this and Jeff unpacks what this new tool has to offer to winter backcountry enthusiasts.

Thanks to the sponsors of this episode:

Wyssen Avalanche Control

Gordini

Open Snow

Propagation Labs

Check out the ski that Jeff helped design with Romp Skis. The Romp Shepard 99 was designed to meet his needs as a mountain guide. From deep powder to steep frozen corn -They're his all time favorite ski in every condition. It's what the U.S. Special Forces use & about 20 of his guests. They will change your skiing & possibly alter the course of your life.