The Avalanche Hour Podcast

Whether we are celebrating, processing, or grieving an event in the mountains, many of us reach for a drink to help us along the way. Alcohol is steeped in our culture as a whole, but can become especially amplified in ski and mountain culture. What happens when it gets out of control for some of us? In today’s episode, several of your hosts from the podcast share their stories of how they came to give up alcohol in recent years. Wes, Sean, and Caleb are joined by Jake Hutchinson to give their perspectives on their relationship with alcohol. Laura McGladrey sat in on the conversation and added some reflective perspective towards the end of the chat. The hope of this episode is not meant to shame or preach, but simply to share our stories and reflect on how alcohol has impacted our careers and personal lives. We hope that this episode will help someone out there who may be struggling with some of the same issues we have faced. Websites: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.aa.org/ Responder Alliance: www.responderalliance.com Warriors healing network: https://warriorshealingnetwork.org/ Redside Foundation: https://www.redsidefoundation.org/ Mountain Muskox: https://www.mountainmuskox.com/ Funding: American Avalanche Association Resiliency Fund: https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/a3-resilience-grant Climbing Grief Fund: https://americanalpineclub.org/grieffund Literature: https://thisnakedmind.com/ https://www.aa.org/the-big-book Music in this episode is provided by Gravy with the track Shabbadoobah from the album Mountains, Valleys, Places Between. You can find his tracks at gravytunes.bandcamp.com. Artwork by Mike Tea, miketea.com Episode produced by Wes Gregg

Known as the ‘Godfather Of Freeskiing’, Mike Douglas is consistently listed by media outlets as one of the most influential skiers of all time. He began his career as a mogul skier on the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team in the early 1990s. In 1997, he developed the first high-performance twin-tip ski, the Salomon Teneighty, and his freeskiing career was launched. Dubbed the New Canadian Air Force, Mike and his crew of Canadians revolutionized the sport with their tricks at ski resorts across the globe. He even has a signature tick - the D Spin. Mike has appeared in more than 50 ski films, was named Powder Magazine’s ‘Male Skier Of The Year’ in 2003, and was the voice of skiing at the X Games for 14 years. In 2004, Mike founded Switchback Entertainment - a video production company specializing in outdoor adventure films and commercials. He launched the groundbreaking web series, Salomon TV, in 2007 and has produced/directed more than a dozen award-winning films including The Freedom Chair, Tempting Fear, Eclipse, Snowman, Guilt Trip and Fountain Of Youth. From 1997-2017 his role as a marketing consultant and ambassador for Whistler Blackcomb helped propel the organization to the top of the ski resort rankings. He has been named ‘Favourite Whistlerite’ 7 times by the readers of Whistler’s local newspaper, Pique Newsmagazine. Today, Mike is a married father of two, and splits his time between raising his family, skiing professionally, producing/directing films and commercials at Switchback Entertainment, and environmental advocacy work. He is the former Board Chair for Protect Our Winters Canada - an environmental group focused on fighting climate change. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. You can find him on social media at: Instagram: @mikedski Twitter: @mikedski Facebook.com/mikedouglas Music for this episode by Gravy @gravy.tunes www.switchbackentertainment.com Sam and Me – Overcoming Climate Anxiety https://youtu.be/itPEPpiMojc?si=E5pLii2ZitxllkDW www.protectourwinters.ca www.protectourwinters.org www.wyssenavalanche.com www.gordini.com www.sixpointeng.com

In this episode, Caleb sits down with Rob Coppolillo. Rob is an IFMGA guide, avalanche educator, and author of The Ski Guide Manual (among other titles). Rob talks about his progression to become a pinned mountain guide, tips his hat to some folks who influenced him along the way, and chats about living and ski guiding in Europe. We discuss some ideas on effective avalanche education as well as what went into writing his books. Rob reflects on a couple close ones....and then reflects on reflecting (debriefing!). We hope you enjoy! Music on today's episode is Ketsa: "40 something" and "Anvil" Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode: Wyssen Avalanche Control Gordini Propagation Labs

Part 2 of Caleb Merril and Dom Baker’s conversation with Eirik Sharp – the President of the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA). In part 2 Eirik shares his experiences from a diverse career in almost every corner of the avalanche world. From ski patrol to research, ski guiding to avalanche forecasting in remote places – Eirik has tales to tell and thoughtful reflections to learn from. Dig in to this gem of a conversation. Eirik is a long-time avalanche professional based in Whitehorse, Yukon. Originally from Norway, he grew up skiing backcountry and has worked in the snow for 18 years as a researcher, forecaster, educator, consultant, and ACMG ski guide. He has an M.Sc. in GIS with research focused on applications of machine learning to avalanche mapping. He currently works on the Alpine Solutions Avalanche Services engineering team, specializing in terrain modelling and avalanche risk assessment. However, he still gets out into the field to support industrial operational avalanche risk management programs as much as he can through the winter. Eirik is passionate about supporting, promoting, and elevating professional avalanche practice in Canada; he worked for ten years as an instructor with the Canadian Avalanche Association’s industry training program and has served as President of the CAA since 2022. Music for this episode by Gravy @gravy.tunes Episode produced by Wes Gregg at Trigger Backcountry Adventures www.avalancheassociation.ca www.wyssenavalanche.com www.gordini.com www.beaconguidebooks.com

Caleb Merril and Dom Baker are joined by Eirik Sharp – the President of the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA). CAA is the professional organization that ensures a high standard of practice for avalanche workers in Canada. The CAA Industry Training Program is registered private post-secondary training institution that provides the professional level avalanche training for avalanche practitioners in Canada. The CAA also provides the information sharing system for avalanche operations in Canada and beyond – InfoEX. In part one Eirik talks about the CAA history, membership structure, avalanche education and the unique challenges of being a software provider. CAA members may work in any number of different facets of the snow and avalanche world, from guiding to education, patrolling to avalanche forecasting, and for operations such as ski resorts, heli, cat or ski touring operations and industrial or transportation settings such as mines, pipelines, highways or railway. This broad set of avalanche practitioners are united by a common training stream, a daily information exchange, and a common standard of practice. In large part this has all been coordinated by the Canadian Avalanche Association Eirik is a long-time avalanche professional based in Whitehorse, Yukon. Originally from Norway, he grew up skiing backcountry and has worked in the snow for 18 years as a researcher, forecaster, educator, consultant, and ACMG ski guide. He has an M.Sc. in GIS with research focused on applications of machine learning to avalanche mapping. He currently works on the Alpine Solutions Avalanche Services engineering team, specializing in terrain modelling and avalanche risk assessment. However, he still gets out into the field to support industrial operational avalanche risk management programs as much as he can through the winter. Eirik is passionate about supporting, promoting, and elevating professional avalanche practice in Canada; he worked for ten years as an instructor with the Canadian Avalanche Association’s industry training program and has served as President of the CAA since 2022. Music for this episode by Gravy @gravy.tunes Episode produced by Wes Gregg at Trigger Backcountry Adventures www.avalancheassociation.ca www.wyssenavalanche.com www.gordini.com www.beaconguidebooks.com

In this episode, Dr. Sara Boilen sits down with Caleb to discuss the broad topic of human factors. We explore the concept that acknowledgment and awareness of our human factors (the perception of our situation and environment, cognitive biases, and heuristic traps) may not be enough. While the concept is embraced within our community, perhaps we lack the tools and framework to deal with them as they will ultimately arise in all backcountry adventures. Sara provides some tools to start this work for yourself and amongst your touring partners. She was fresh back from presenting at the Wyoming Snow and Avalanche Workshop and reflected on some presentations that hit home for her. Music by Gravy. Dr. Sara Boilen is a clinical and forensic psychologist and the owner of Sweetgrass Psychological Services in Northwest Montana. She earned her doctorate from the University of Denver where she researched the impact of rock climbing on women’s sense of hope and courage. She founded Sweetgrass Psychological Services ten years ago to meet the growing need for accessible and affordable mental healthcare in Montana. She later founded Well Montana, a nonprofit aimed at meeting all Montanans wherever they are in their mental wellness journey. She is the board chair of SheJumps and in her free time engages in research, theory development, and education for the avalanche community that she holds dear. She spends her days alternating between testifying in forensic cases, supervising bright trainees in her clinic, providing therapy to clients, and tromping up mountains typically with some sort of dessert in her bag. She lives with her partner and their dog, Klaus, outside of Whitefish, MT. The Monkey Business Illusion: https://youtu.be/IGQmdoK_ZfY?si=GjADdF8qSBsyDUkN "Your gonna be glad I brought two cookies" recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/salted-butter-and-chocolate-chunk-shortbread Sara's favorite chocolate cake recipe: https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/02/the-i-want-chocolate-cake-cake/ Sara's Human Factor MadLibs: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58daf985e3df28fd7e577a10/t/6539b5d58835e52841e6839d/1698280920164/Mad+Libs.png WYSAW recording: COMING SOON!

Today's episode features Peter Bilous. Peter is a yankee who resides in Wanaka, New Zealand. He has spent 70-plus seasons playing and working in the snow. He has ski tour and heli-ski guided all across the globe throughout his career and has had a big hand in professional avalanche education in New Zealand. Peter is the Avalanche and Snowsports program manager at Otago Polytechnic where about 90% of New Zealand's Pro courses take place. We chat about what has gone into the development and progression of the program. Peter recounts a close call in an avalanche and some of the contributing weather, snowpack, and human factors that played a role. Finally, he talks about some of the accomplishments of his two sons in the Freeride World Tour and Olympics! We hope you enjoy! Music by Ketsa: "Turn it on" and "Plus 9" Otago Polytechnic Avalanche Safety Program: https://www.op.ac.nz/study/avalanche-safety/ ISSW Proceeding Archive by Year: https://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-science/workshops.php Thank you to Wyssen Avalanche Control and 6 Point Engineering for their support for this episode.

Ken Wylie, an IFMGA guide and human hazard management expert, shares his gripping personal story of surviving a tragic avalanche in 2003. He discusses the critical decision-making processes in hazardous situations and emphasizes the importance of resilience and personal growth. Wylie reflects on his journey of healing, the lessons learned from the experience, and the need for community engagement in the outdoor realm. He encourages guiding professionals to prioritize communication and integrity over achievement, fostering a culture of openness in high-stakes environments.

As Season 7 of the podcast comes to an end, this episode is a bit of a smorgasbord of guests. First we hear from Dara Miles who reached out after hearing the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale episode. Dara started the Colorado ATES project and stops by to tell us more about it. We then dive into a conversations with IFMGA guide Gary Kuehn and Ian Snape from Frontline Mind. They are running a "resiliency scan" amongst snow and avalanche professionals to find out more about our profession as a whole in terms of our reactions to stressful and difficult situations. To wrap up the episode, Kevin Grove, Co-Chair of the 2023 ISSW swings by to give us a glimpse as to what to expect at the Bend International Snow Science Workshop coming up in October. It's been a pleasure hosting and producing the podcast this season, and I couldn't have done it with a little help from my friends. Thanks to all the contributing hosts that shared the load with me: Dom Baker, Sean Zimmerman-Wall, Wesley Gregg, Matthias Walcher, and Brooke Edwards! Also a huge shout out for the production help from Wes and Cameron Griffin. The podcast wouldn't be possible without support from companies such as Wyssen Avalanche Control, Athletic Greens, Six Point Engineering, CalTopo, and Backcountry Nav. Links: Colorado ATES Project Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087388533494 Frontline Mind: www.frontlinemind.com TAKE THE RESILIENCY SCAN SURVEY HERE: https://collector.sensemaker-suite.com/collector?projectID=141065e1-09dd-48f5-be2a-10158efd03a7 ISSW2023: https://www.issw2023.com/

In today's episode, we're thrilled to host Melis Coady, who has just triumphantly wrapped up her 7th season as the executive director of the Alaska Avalanche School. With over two decades of experience in the challenging fields of mountaineering and avalanche studies, Melis has since emerged as a prominent figure in outdoor education, bringing her deep knowledge to roles such as a mountaineering instructor, climbing guide, and wilderness medicine instructor. Making her home in Talkeetna, Alaska since the late 90's, Melis first navigated the intricate world of snow and avalanches through daring expeditions in Alaska. These experiences laid the groundwork for her career, leading to her role as a climbing instructor for the renowned NOLS and Alaska Mountaineering School. Her determination and expertise then propelled her to become a high-altitude mountaineering guide, amassing a formidable tally of ascents on Denali, Foraker, and countless other peaks. Melis' adaptability and thirst for new challenges also led her to become a climbing ranger in Denali National Park, where she worked for four summers educating climbers, safeguarding natural resources, and serving as a vital member of a technical rescue team. This adventurous spirit even took her to the South Pole, where was working as an arctic guide for Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions. In this enlightening episode, Brooke and Melis delve into what makes Alaska a uniquely potent and effective classroom for avalanche education. They also explore the intriguing use of the expedition format as a means of teaching formal avalanche courses. With her profound experience and relentless passion for outdoor education, Melis imparts invaluable insights into the world of mountaineering and avalanche safety, making this episode a must-listen. Socials: The Avalanche hour Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/theavalanchehourpodcast/ Melis - https://www.instagram.com/akavalancheschool/ Links: Alaska Avalanche School - https://alaskaavalanche.org/ Sponsors for this episode: Wyssen : https://www.wyssenavalanche.com/en/ Crew: Host - Brooke Shiny Edwards - https://www.instagram.com/wildworldwanderings/ Executive Producer - Caleb Merrill Producer - Cameron Griffin - https://www.instagram.com/backcountrycam/ Donate: The Avalanche Hour Podcast - https://www.theavalanchehour.com/donate The American Avalanche Association - https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/donate Music: By Ketsa - https://ketsa.uk/ Intro: New Highs Old Lows Music outro: Percussive Melodies 4