Mind the Track

Jenna Dramise, a former professional halfpipe snowboarder and orthopedic physician assistant, shares her journey from Las Vegas slopes to Tahoe’s trails. She talks halfpipe tricks, endurance racing, bikepacking Nevada’s Toiyabe Crest, and recovering from serious injuries. Jenna also remembers meeting Kyle Smaine, the avalanche that took his life, rebuilding trust in the backcountry, and creating the Smaine Fund to support young outdoor athletes.

Dusty Tahoe trails, tangled wing-foiling lessons, and a new alpine connection from Pines to Mines headline a lively outdoor conversation. The crew explores “Friction Country,” honors the unforgettable Guy Eriksen, debates pre-shred music and quitting work for perfect powder, praises Mount Bohemia’s backcountry model, and takes aim at crowded surf lineups and South Park’s e-bike chaos.

Bike polo, El Niño hype, catastrophic mountain floods, and the Hawk Fire set the stage for a wild ride. Stories include a Lake Tahoe river otter attack, an AI-planned Mount Shasta rescue, and fresh antitrust trouble for Vail Resorts. Plus: Edward Abbey, restaurant leftovers, fasting, pay-to-park trails, podcast speed, Sweet Caroline, ski-bowl songs, and van-life travel.

Wildfires and evacuations around Reno–Tahoe and the surge of a record-strong El Niño dominate the weather and trail outlook. A mysterious campaign of poisoned trees in Incline Village sparks outrage. New trail access and gondola bike policies shake up local riding, while calls to stop the Greenlink North power line prompt community action. Plus lots of colorful listener call-ins and gear chatter.

KP Pawley, Reno truck-camper builder who lived full-time in rigs and drove the Pan‑American Highway. Harry Wagner, journalist and vehicle tester with long-term overland experience. They compare vans, slide-in campers and rooftop tents. They debate winches, tires, diesel versus gas and common mods that backfire. They share best used-vehicle bargains and practical kit for real-world adventure rigs.

When it comes to mountain bike races, nothing captures the essence of the sport better than the Downieville Classic. Since 1995, the Classic has evolved with mountain biking’s growth, challenging riders with soul crushing climbs and rocky, rugged descents pushing both rider and bike to their absolute limits. As one of the only point-to-point races left in America, the Downieville Classic is the ultimate test of what it takes to be a well-rounded mountain biker. Add in a historic Gold Rush-era town perfectly preserved in time, the Classic is as unforgettable to spectate as it is to participate. In Episode 92, the boys sit down once again with Marc Cosbey, aka Uncle Coz, who first arrived in Downieville with a mountain bike in 1990, helping make the Classic what it is today. Not only has the Downieville Classic made a huge impact on the sport of mountain biking, but thanks to the efforts of people like Coz, the event has helped keep this small town of 250 people from losing its identity long after the booms of gold and logging played out.    5:35 – Cosbey gets his first mountain bike in 1990 and his first clipless pedal experience12:00 – Discovering Downieville and meeting Greg Williams for the first time14:55 – Cosbey’s first experience riding the Downieville downhill from Packer Saddle18:00 – What was Cosbey’s first impression of Greg Williams?20:30 – In the early days, mountain bikers in Downieville were considered outsiders22:30 – Working at Yuba Expeditions and driving mountain bike shuttles28:00 – Mike Ferrentino entering the Downieville scene and doing trail work30:50 – Starting the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) in 200338:05 – Shoveling more than a mile of snow that almost canceled the race in 201145:26 – 15 year-old Henry O’Donnell beating Mark Weir in the Downieville Classic49:33 – The legend of Mark Weir and his reign of domination in Downieville53:48 – What impact has Downieville had on the sport of mountain biking?57:38 – The story of “Taze Bro” and winning “That Guy” award in Downieville1:02:20– “Ron’s House of Big Air” River Jump, “Cozmo’s Wild Island” and the Log Pull1:09:15 – Who was the most badass woman in the Downieville Classic?1:10:43 – The 2002 Single Speed Mountain Bike World Championships in Downieville

A long‑running volunteer project reopened a 32‑mile high‑alpine bike route after eight years of brushcutting. They recount a 13‑hour shuttle ride across remote ridgelines, wild weather and a dramatic mechanical failure on the final descent. Conversation touches on rescue dog Guillermo, bike gear and maintenance tips, land stewardship, and dreams to extend the trail further north.

His co-workers know him as Gordon, but when he’s not working – which is often – his secret alter ego is Gordo, and all Gordo wants to be is outside. Whether it’s sailing, surfing, foiling, skiing, running, biking, swimming 22 miles from Catalina to San Pedro or hiking 2600 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, Gordo Clute has never in his life worked more than he can play. Over a successful 30 year career in shipping sales, Gordo elaborately lived a lie, being perceived as a dedicated hardworking employee when he was instead outside playing, his real dedication focused on finding the flow state we all seek. Gordo’s dedication runs so deep that he secretly moved his entire family to Mammoth for three years when his boss thought he was living 10 miles across town from work headquarters in Orange County. In Episode 90, we chat with ultra-Core Lord and Mind the Track superfan Gordo Clute, and the many life hacks he’s developed in shirking work to prioritize play, time with family and putting his mind in the track. 3:00 – Summer shenanigans and tourist dodging in Tahoe5:30 – Introducing Gordo Clute core lord superfan of MTT10:20 – The benefits and drawbacks of riding dirt bikes14:30 – Learning about Gordo’s background in sailing, ship captaining and becoming a ski bum17:00 – Solo endurance swimming 22 miles from Catalina to San Pedro starting at midnight and swimming solo 12 miles across Lake Tahoe23:30 – Who is Gordo Clute? There’s no information on the internet about him. Man of mystery.26:30 – Secretly moving his family to Mammoth from Orange County without his boss knowing29:00 – Gordo’s secrets to slacking success so he could be outside playing instead of working33:30 – “Diarrhea” – the magic word to get you out of any work jam37:00 – Coping with the redundancy of doing sales to make it work for an outdoor lifestyle40:10 – Buying ski resort lift tickets with the work credit card and expensing season passes for clients that he could end up using44:00 – Training clients, playing offense versus defense and using procrastination to your benefit46:00 – The “Action Required – Not Really” flowchart – using procrastination to test importance49:20 – Shirking work and getting paid to do as little as possible52:10 – Time is the most valuable thing in existence. The only thing you can’t buy back.53:50 – Getting into mountain biking in the 1970s in Marin County at the dawn of the sport55:30 – The stress of crafting a life built around lies and being busted while caught in a lie1:02:00 – Two years into “funemployment” without a full-time job1:04:00 – Using Waymo as a wing foiling shuttle1:11:00 – Uphill vs downhill trail traffic – who has the right of way?1:21:10 – Lightning round questions with Gordo1:23:30 – Gordo’s ice cream man story, except he’s the propane man in Mexico1:25:55 – Burning Man – Gordo went from anti to pro Burning Man1:29:00 – Attempting to through hike the Pacific Crest Trail 2600 miles1:37:00 – Mountain biking the PCT with a permit after having to drop out with foot issues1:47:30 – DOPE or DERP – fireworks on the Fourth of July1:48:50 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

The pollen is thick, kids are out of school, the tourists have invaded Tahoe and temperatures are soaring, which means only one thing – summer is here. In Episode 89, Trail Whisperer recaps a mountain bike road trip out to the California coastal town of Eureka while Pow Bot fun hogs on Lake Tahoe with his wing foil. The boys stand corrected by listeners about their Strava rant, California considers instating an official Bruce Lee Day, people are dying from foraged mushroom poisoning, the Ice Cream Man is back again, and TW recommends seeing Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. The boys also tackle the “Bieber-ification” of trails, aka, making them lame by dumbing them down, and how this act of Bieber-ing trails is a microcosm of society at large getting dumber, as evidenced by how easy Jeopardy questions have become. Also, TW ASS rants about preservationists protesting efforts to allow chainsaws in Wilderness areas so volunteers can clear a maintenance backlog many thousands of fallen trees deep. Plus – only two 10% off coupons for any new bike at Start Haus in Truckee remain! Just use the password CORE LORD and save. 2:20 – What are we going to do when we hit episode 100?3:00 – For newer listeners of MTT, go back and listen from Episode 1.5:00 – The pollen is thick. The tourists are here. It’s hot out. It’s SUMMER.7:45 – Recapping the Lost and Found Gravel Bike Event in Portola.8:55 – Drop into the Start Haus – 2 CORELORD 10% off a new bike discounts remaining!12:00 – Recapping a road trip to Eureka, California and riding Hatchery Ridge trails.22:15 – Foil Bot has been local fun hoggin’ and finally wing foiling properly.28:00 –Marlette Flume trail and Chimney Beach is back open after 5PM on weekdays.31:00 – Follow up on Strava – Pow Bot shares a Strava confessional.34:30 – How you can shut off the heat map on Strava so it isn’t shown publicly.38:00 – “Bumblies” is what they call clueless city people in the mountains in the UK.39:30 – California State Assembly bill will potentially create an official Bruce Lee Day.41:20 – Mind the Mycelium – 50 cases of mushroom poisoning including 4 deaths.44:10 – 2N Benn calls in with a PSA – don’t make new trails going around snow and down trees.46:50 – Don’t shortcut the trail or make it easier or more lame – aka – “Bieber-ing” the trail.53:20 – American culture is getting dumber and Jeopardy questions are getting easier.58:00 – Another ASS Rant about the Ice Cream Man.59:30 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – Seeing Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.1:05:50 – The Grit podcast having their intro song being flagged for copyright infringement.1:09:10 – Forest Service is considering allowing chainsaw use in federal Wilderness areas.1:16:00 – Motorized users are most often hated because of the noise factor, not the act itself.1:17:40 – Support your local non-corporate ski hill this winter and buy a non-Mega ski pass.1:21:55 – Met a welder who builds cloud seeding machines to increase winter snowpack.

Spring trail projects and a busy Memorial Day filled with moto rides and snowy summit skis. A wild rescue story involving an 18-month-old sparks a debate on risky backcountry choices. A rant about Strava heatmaps and trail secrecy heats up. New local bike shop sponsorship and a secret-password bike discount make for big news. A comedic “You Might Be a Core Lord If” roast and gear debates round out the conversation.