

Mind the Track
@Pow_Bot and @trail_whisperer
An adventure podcast about chasing powder on skis and snowboards in winter, hunting singletrack loam on mountain bikes in summer, profiling the “core lords” of the outdoors in the Lake Tahoe region and fostering the culture of mountain life through education and experience in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 16, 2024 • 1h 55min
Dope or Derp with a bit about TRPA | E47
As fall colors hit their peak in the Sierra Nevada, the guys chat about a variety of topics, highlighted by sharing some new must-ride trail beta on Buzzards Roost Ridge and Mill Canyon/Lost Cannon loop, news of the Forest Service not hiring seasonal employees in 2025 and what it means for the public, the ups and downs of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) with traffic, congestion and a lack of emergency evacuation planning in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the announcement of Homewood Resort not opening this winter after TRPA called out mega-billionaires trying to privatize the resort and a mountain bike pilot program on Mount Tam being squashed by eco zealots. Listeners also call into the 888 COR LORD hotline with some observational rants, the guys share their opinion of what a “core lord” actually is and the boys introduce a new segment on the show – Dope or Derp? 2:50 – Can you say “Indian Summer” to describe warm and calm fall conditions? Bumper crop of pine nuts in the Toiyabe this fall.6:40 – Clearing Marysville Canyon trail, a feeder trail up to the Toiyabe Crest Trail.10:00 – “Forest Bathing” – nothing beats being in an aspen grove in fall colors.12:00 – Conway Summit on 395 is the Los Angeles/Bay Area tourist border line.14:30 – Driving to Lundy Lake and hiking up to the May Lundy Mine.15:45 – Driving over Lucky Boy Pass from Hawthorne, NV to Bridgeport, CA.17:30 – Riding the resurrected Buzzards Roost Ridge trail near Quincy.22:00 – Riding the 14-mile Lost Cannon-Mill Canyon trail loop near Walker, CA, part of the Orogenesis and Sierra Camino trail route.25:30 – The summer of close call fires in Reno/Tahoe. Mill Fire, Bear Fire, Davis Fire, Quilici Fire.30:50 – US Forest Service will not be hiring any season employees for 2025, except fire personnel. This will have huge impacts on campgrounds, trails and all avalanche centers.35:00 – US public lands are an international draw for tourists around the world and our public lands are woefully underfunded.37:00 – Playing some calls from the COR LORD hotline. Wing foiling, ebike rant, sharing more detail when describing locations of trails and backcountry skiing lines.1:02:30 – Marin County debacle. Pilot mountain bike trail program on Mount Tam was about to go live when a group of eco zealots sued to suspend the program.1:08:00 – Lake Tahoe is the third oldest freshwater lake in the world. 2.5 million years old. Hurricane Helene dropped an equivalent of all the water in Lake Tahoe on the Southeast.1:12:00 – Tahoe Regional Planning Agency – TRPA – accused of perpetuating negative impacts from recreation when they are tasked with minimizing negative impacts. The construction of the East Shore trail and the impacts from increased tourism.1:15:00 – East Shore trail from Incline Village to Sand Harbor has become overrun with tourists.1:18:00 – There is no emergency evacuation plan from the Tahoe Basin in the event of a wildfire. How do you evacuate millions of tourists from the Tahoe Basin in an emergency?1:23:30 – The other side of TRPA – Homewood Resort announced they are not operating winter of 2024-25 because of a conflict between public and private access to the resort.1:32:00 – COR LORD CALL-IN questions: What is the definition of a Core Lord? If you had a suffer a natural disaster loss, would you rather lose everything in a fire or flood?1:38:30 – A new segment for Mind the Track – Dope or Derp? Oakley goggle glasses. Skinning up a ski resort for exercise. A ski resort in Ruby Mountains near Elko.1:52:00 – A closing comment about Artificial Intelligence – AI.

Sep 23, 2024 • 2h 14min
Life as a Fire Lookout | Emily Kachorek | E46
Recorded at 7,250 feet elevation atop Mount Hough near Quincy, California, in Episode 46 the boys talk to Emily Kachorek about her first summer as a fire lookout for the Plumas National Forest. Sitting in the three-story tower for 10 hours a day, 10 days in a row, Emily talks about spending time alone and the inspiration for creativity that comes from solitude. She also talks about her background in biology and conservation and her new gig spotting fires. Prior to being a lookout, Emily raced bikes professionally, was a co-founder of Squid Bikes and her love of cycling, art and creativity blended with a punk rock vibe fostered the vibrant cyclocross scene in Sacramento, along with some of the raddest paint jobs ever rattle-canned onto a bicycle. The boys also do a few listener shout outs and answer questions related to encountering bears on the trail and whether or not you should listen to music while riding.3:00 – Recording from Mountains to Meadows at Plumas Sierra County Fairgrounds in Quincy.6:10 – Recording up on Mount Hough with Emily Kachorek as a fire lookout.7:10 – What are the biggest solo adventures Trail Whisperer and PowBot have ever done?10:10 – The importance of solitude and being introverted.11:10 – Listener shout outs. How do you handle a close bear encounter? Is it socially acceptable to listen to music with earbuds while riding?26:00 – Fires going off all around Tahoe over the last few weeks – Davis Fire, Bear Fire, Verdi Fire.28:30 – Emily Kachorek interview in the Mount Hough fire lookout at 7,250 feet elevation.31:50 – How did Emily end up becoming a fire lookout?37:30 – Mount Hough lookout – a three-story lookout with control room level, kitchen level, lookout level, complete with an Osborne Fire Finder41:03 – Living in a metal box on top of a mountain during a lightning storm and standing on the lightning stool.44:30 – Sunsets in the fire tower are much like sunsets on the ocean, you’re watching it set over the horizon. The pod was recorded on the cardinal sunset day, September 21.48:00 – Emily’s youth growing up in San Diego and finding bikes in Davis during college.53:10 – Emily’s daily routine as a fire lookout – 8 hour day, 10 days on, 4 days off.1:00:30 – What do you do when you see smoke in the forest?1:08:45 – The history of fire lookout towers in the United States, the Lost Sierra is known as “the land of the lookouts”.1:12:15 – Emily’s introduction to cycling while attending UC Davis as an undergrad studying Environmental Biology and Management, then later a Graduate degree from Sacramento State in Conservation Biology, then spent a summer in Guyana in the Amazon studying conservation and native populations.1:18:00 – Started racing road bikes right after grad school, then got a contract to race professionally, and was on the national team racing in Europe.1:23:30 – Transitioning from road racing to racing cyclocross, and fostering a culture of bikes in Sacramento with GHETO and Squid Bikes.1:29:50 – Tom sees a shooting star, and the angled glass panels of the Mount Hough tower.1:33:00 – Emily’s creativity and artistry channeled through the birth of Squid Bikes.1:41:00 – Trail Whisperer’s experience with spray painting his own Falconer bike using Spray.Bike paint.1:46:30 – Painting bikes as a blank canvas and a creative outlet, and finding a new outlet after leaving Squid, working on print making and carving.1:49:10 – The Southern Arizona landscape in Patagonia, Arizona and its inspiration for Emily’s art and the process for creativity through working at it every day.1:58:00 – Hiking the Arizona Trail and stewarding for the Arizona Trail Association.2:04:30 – Is Emily going to be a fire lookout again next year?2:08:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

Sep 9, 2024 • 1h 40min
Tahoe is the Best | E45
Despite a hot, dry and smoky September, Trail Whisperer and Pow Bot reunite after a month off to compare living in Colorado against Lake Tahoe and how much better we have it in the Sierra Nevada than in the Rockies. Not only weather and snowpack-wise, but also fewer people, less busy trailheads, more affordable cost of living and a wider range of recreational options. The boys also talk about the new sport of wing foiling, running the Rim to Reno trail, e-biking the Rubicon Trail, remembering Mammoth weatherman Howard Sheckter, getting fired up for the inaugural Mountains to Meadows trail festival in Quincy, CA and experiencing a rare snowfall in August in the Sierra. On the topic of snowfall, what indicators are you seeing right now that tells you a big – or not so big – winter is coming to Tahoe? Call 888 COR LORD, leave us a voicemail and let us know! 3:30 – Rock Shox Flight Attendant – mountain bike suspension powered by AI5:00 – All about wing foiling and foil boards.12:20 - @misterbennetts – foiling in the Molokai Challenge in Hawaii.19:30 – Trail Whisperer is a little down on mountain biking right now. Hot, dry and dusty.21:45 – It snowed in Lake Tahoe in August.25:45 – Trail Whisperer and Swan John went for a trail run on Rim to Reno trail in Mount Rose Wilderness.30:20 – Remembering Howard Sheckter – The Dweeb Report – Mammoth Weather page – Mammoth’s legendary weatherman and ski addict.34:35 – What is a haboob?36:20 – Riding e-bikes on the Rubicon Trail for a Tahoe Quarterly story.43:00 – The history of Rubicon Trail, Rubicon Springs and the trail’s status as a county road.48:45 – Pow Bot’s Ice Creek Lodge barrel of sewage story.53:30 – Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is having their inaugural Mountains to Meadows trail festival at Plumas County Fairgrounds – Sept 19-22. Buy a trail building pass for Friday or Saturday for $50 and get a full weekend festival pass. Quincymountainstomeadows.com for more info.1:00:20 – September 28 – Buzzards Roost Ridge trail day – resurrecting a historic trail.1:05:00 – Call 888 COR LORD and tell us what you’re seeing to indicate a big winter coming!1:07:00 – Comparing living in Colorado to living in Lake Tahoe. Pros and cons of both.1:27:45 – Breckenridge, Colorado is anti e-bike, the complete opposite of Lake Tahoe. The benefits of allowing pedal assist electric mountain bikes on trails.1:36:45 – Tahoe season ski passes, Ikon Pass gains access for passholders to Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Aug 19, 2024 • 1h 40min
“That was for Roger” | James Adamson | 2024 Breck Epic | E44
In Episode 44, the second and final installment of coverage from the Breck Epic six-day mountain bike stage race in Breckenridge, Colorado, Trail Whisperer and Adam Mahomed document a week of suffering, random shenanigans and high elevation hypoxia. They also document the trajectory of their good friend James Adamson, who ended up finishing second overall in the Men’s 40+ category as well as second in the Enduro category. James’ big day was Stage 5 on Wheeler, the most feared day because of its grueling hike-a-bike up to 12,500 feet, then a technical and treacherous descent all the way back to Breckenridge. James was down 20 minutes on the leader, and in that one stage, he reeled back 17 minutes, going out of his own body, unleashing a performance that astonished everyone. Everyone seemingly, except himself. This episode is randomness mixed with purpose, insight and inspiration. And suffering. A lot of suffering.

Aug 10, 2024 • 54min
Breck Epic Special Feature | Preview with Adam Mahomed and James Adamson | E43
In Episode 43, Trail Whisperer is on assignment in Breckenridge, Colorado with a special edition of Mind the Track covering the Breck Epic, a six-day mountain bike stage race featuring some of the most amazing high alpine singletrack in North America. But unfortunately, for the first time, the pod is without Pow Bot this week. Avid listener and an old friend of Kurt’s who’s been coming to Breckenridge for 25 years, Adam Mahomed co-hosts this Breck Epic course preview episode where they chat about what to expect over the six days, suffering at high elevation, preparing for unpredictable weather, and getting some inside knowledge on the six stages from local resident James Adamson, who used to be a Tahoe core lord back in the day before moving to Breck in 2018.

Jul 31, 2024 • 2h 8min
The Doldrums of Summer in Lake Tahoe | E42
In the midst of record-breaking heat, out of control wildfires, brazen bears and dry, dusty blown-out trails, the boys catch up on a grab bag of topics including Pow Bot’s harrowing adventure sailboat racing on Lake Tahoe, Trail Whisperer’s week of trail work spent in the Toiyabe Range with no cell service, a recap of the Downieville Classic, whether you should buy an SL-style ebike or a “full power” ebike, Trail Whisperer’s new bike day and whether or not he likes “mullet” style mountain bikes, the modern world of social media and how to break away from the stranglehold of Meta, the start of the Summer Olympics in Paris with lame mountain bike courses and the greatest surfing wave ever, Pow Bot’s recent rediscovery of hiking and his relationship with the same mountain from summer to winter and Trail Whisperer’s struggle to stay amped on riding his mountain bike through the hottest and dustiest part of the summer. The boys also do some listener shout-outs and play the first 888 COR LORD call-in voicemails from listeners. 2:50 – Pow Bot enthralled with the Golden Hour and sunsets, enjoying the cooler weather after a record breaking heatwave.4:45 – Trail Whisperer is not motivated to ride his mountain bike because of hot and dry and blown out the trails have been.7:30 – Pow Bot thumbs a ride at Emerald Bay and got picked up by a county sheriff, and Trail Whisperer shares his story of being interrogated in the back of a police car.10:30 – Bears in Lake Tahoe and Sierra County are out of control, breaking into homes, schools and peoples’ cars, leading Sierra County Sheriff’s Department to euthanize several bears.13:40 – 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris kicks off – the mountain bike course is lame, Teahupo’o is the surf venue, one of the greatest and most dangerous places on the planet to surf.18:45 – Fire season is in full swing in the Sierra Nevada – Gold Complex Fire in Portola and Park Fire in Chico are two big ones.24:45 – Shout out to Zeke Lunder of The-Lookout.com – a great fire info resource.28:15 – Climbers, mountaineers, skiers bodies are being found in melting glaciers after being missing for decades.31:00 – Two horses die during the Tevis Cup event on Western States Trail.34:20 – Ebike banter. Buying an SL eMTB versus full power eMTB. The long-term health of riding an ebike versus the peaks and valleys of spiking your heartrate on a mountain bike.42:10 – Type 1-3 Fun comes from the Dirtbag Diaries.44:45 – COR LORD Call-in Hotline – Superfan #1 - Scott Kessler and Gordo48:15 – Trail Whisperer watching a documentary on the history of the Grateful Dead, and how they have always controlled their content and media.51:00 – Modern social media, Meta controls everything. Trying to make a direct line of communication with your followers and cut out the third party like Meta.55:00 – Chas Smith – Welcome to Paradise Now go to Hell – Cocaine and Surfing – getting shut down by Meta after a satirical story about a cocaine shark.59:00 – Trail Whisperer was in the Toiyabe Range of central Nevada for an entire week with no cell service working on the Toiyabe Crest Trail.1:08:00 – Pow Bot’s crazy sailing adventure on Lake Tahoe with John Morrison.1:20:30 – NEW BIKE DAY for Trail Whisperer – Santa Cruz Bronson1:27:00 – Pow Bot made a heartwarming Instagram reel tribute to Carson, his dog.1:31:50 – Downieville Classic Recap and riding moto in Downieville. Lost Sierra Endurance Race – a running race in Downieville on a Saturday.1:50:00 – Pow Bot has been getting into hiking, Hike Bot. Seeing terrain he skis in the winter in the summer and how different it looks.1:59:00 – What’s coming up the next couple weeks? Trail Whisperer goes to Breck Epic and ebiking the Rubicon Trail.

Jul 10, 2024 • 2h 5min
Western States Endurance Run | Trail Running with Jenelle Potvin & Steve Martelli | E41
In a shift away from skis and bikes, Episode 41 profiles two Truckee trail running core lords, Jenelle Potvin and Steve Martelli and their passion for ultra distance running events like the Western States Endurance Run. Just like Western States itself, this episode covers a lot of ground from how the couple had their first date on a seven hour trail run, to the history of the Western States trail, to preparing for a 100 mile adventure on foot with the support of an incredible trail running community. Steve also shares his emotional story of spiral fracturing his femur at mile 70 in the 2023 event after a nine year journey to be accepted into Western States. The boys also chat about the historic July heatwave hitting Lake Tahoe, the Reno Rodeo, listener shout outs and a tribute to PowBot and his wife’s dog Carson who recently passed after nearly 15 years of putting his paws in the track. 2:30 – Historic July heat wave hits Lake Tahoe and Reno just after the summer solstice.5:00 – Kurt went on a multi-day rafting trip to the Deschutes River in Oregon.6:40 – The joys of trail running – simplicity, no gear required. Just go running.9:50 – Truckee Dirt Union rallies a crew for the Truckee 4th of July parade. 11:30 – Building trails for everybody. Including all user groups into trails and not discriminating against trail users. 13:50 – Listener shout outs – JT Robinson, Alex Horgan, Rob McCormick, Nate Melen.17:00 – Trail Whisperer and Burning Man19:00 – Rainbow Gathering disaster in Plumas National Forest. 22:00 – The Sphere in Las Vegas.23:00 – Trail Whisperer recommends Reno Rodeo – The Wildest and Richest Rodeo in the West.25:10 – PowBot and his wife say goodbye to their dog Carson.28:47 – Introducing Jenelle Potvin and Steve Martelli – hardcore trail runners. 41:00 – How do you go from a 10 mile run to doing a 50 mile trail run?43:30 – When Steve and Jenelle met – on the trail running Western States trail. 48:00 – What does it take to be a pacer in a running event?53:45 – How do you stay cool in 100+ degree temperatures during Western States Endurance Run?57:45 – The history of the Western States trail and the Tevis Cup horse race. 1:06:00 – Western States race in big snow years when the course gets rerouted. 1:09:40 – How do you qualify and get accepted into the Western States Endurance Run?1:13:40 – How do you run a 100 mile event when your longest run has only been 30 miles?1:18:15 – There are six sections to the Western States trail – The Canyons break the most people.1:20:50 – Steve’s story of running the 2023 Western States event and spiral fracturing his femur at mile 70.2:00:40 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

Jun 13, 2024 • 2h 4min
Trails are the Dopamine | Chris McNamara | E40
In the world of big wall climbing and wingsuit BASE jumping, @chris_mcnamara was a leader and innovator, claiming the first wingsuit BASE jump of the Grand Canyon (where he almost died twice in the same jump) and one of the youngest people to ever climb the West Face of El Capitan. As the founder of Supertopo, which evolved into GearLab, McNamara’s interests also evolved beyond climbing and the dangers of BASE jumping. It was when he moved to Lake Tahoe over a decade ago and discovered trails, mountain biking and specifically TAMBA, where he found his new passion. Always the dopamine-fueled thinker and dreamer obsessed with first ascents, “BushwhackNamara” immediately started asking “what if”? What if there was a mountain bike singletrack around Lake Tahoe? What if there was a trail from Susanville to Mammoth called Sierra Camino? What if there was a mountain bike trail from Canada to Cabo called Orogenesis? The dopamine was flooding his brain with possibilities, and a decade later, Chris and his wife Tor have been instrumental in funding the trails renaissance happening in Lake Tahoe.2:00 – Recording in the Toyota Sunrader RV up on top of Monitor Pass off Highway 89.3:30 – Introducing Chris McNamara, legendary big wall climber and early wing suit BASE jump pioneer and now a big trails advocate.7:00 – Chris and his obsession with long distance trails, and the Orogenesis Trail, a trail from Canada to Cabo, as well as the Sierra Camino.10:00 – The dopamine fix associated with thinking and ideas. A book – Molecule and More talks all about. Dopamine is about novelty and surprise.13:00 – UNPACK THE BAG – The Downieville fatal bear attack story made international news.18:00 – PowBot is no longer using Squaw anymore in reference to Palisades Tahoe.23:00 – Truckee Dirt Union Loam Masters Party24:50 – 1 (888) COR-LORD Listener Hotline – 267-5673 - Call in and leave us a message!30:00 – Smashing rear wheels, trail tools and hip mounted hand saws34:00 – SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE CLEARING TRAILS!35:45 – Shout out to Eric Ramin at Brewer’s Cabinet for hosting Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and to Chris’ company GearLab.36:30 – June is now officially Mountain Biking Month state of California thanks to the efforts of CAMTB. Similar to the Access Fund in the climbing world.39:00 – Hero dirt in Verdi. Could it be Hunga Tonga?41:45 – What is Petrichor? The earthy scent of dry soil after a wetting rain.45:00 – The history of GearLab as a company, by way of Supertopo and rock climbing guide books.56:30 – How did Chris find South Lake Tahoe?1:01:50 – Parallels between the cultures of rock climbing and mountain biking. The Camp 4 Education. Learning about how little you can spend and still be happy.1:16:00 – Chris believes singletrack trail is one of the greatest returns on investment ever.1:18:00 – Finding trails after being a climber, wingsuit BASE jumper and paraglider.1:23:00 – Dreaming up the Sierra Camino, the Orogenesis Trail and meeting Gabe Tiller, starting with riding mountain bike legal singletrack all the way around Lake Tahoe.1:25:45 – Riding the Charity Valley Trail from Hope Valley to Markleeville. Working with Alpine Trails Association on dreaming up connections.1:37:50 – The challenge of federally designated Wilderness and figuring out how to route trail around Wilderness areas for legal mountain bike use.1:40:00 – Fundamentalist views that are driving Wilderness policies, banning mountain bikes and dividing recreationists who all want the same thing.1:52:00 – Charity Valley trail is a recent mountain bike discovery that is destined to be legendary in another 10 years.2:00:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

Jun 4, 2024 • 1h 45min
Fred Stamm has a Posse | Truckee Bike Night | E39
In Episode 39, the boys sit down with @fresh_hamm , the founder of @truckeebikenight and Tahoe’s favorite underground mountain bike adventure rides, Giro di Stammina. Since he was tall enough to ride, Fred’s life has revolved around bicycles, taking his Dad’s fancy road bikes for long rides as a teenager with nothing more than some paper maps, a few quarters (for the pay phone) and a desire to get lost and find himself again. After being exposed to the devoted cycling community while attending Caly Poly in San Luis Obispo, Fred was inspired to bring similar community gatherings on bikes to Truckee, including Truckee Bike Night (first Thursday of each month) and Giro Di Stammina. The boys also discuss the confirmed first fatal bear attack on a human in California history, which happened in Downieville last fall, and a recap to the 2023-24 winter. 2:00 – The seasons have flipped, no more skiing, it’s all about bikes.3:00 – Trail Whisperer has been hiking and flagging new proposed trails in the Peavine Maze area north of Verdi.6:50 – Pow Bot turns 51 and Trail Whisperer turns 47.8:30 – Introducing Fred Stamm – Founder of Truckee Bike Night.11:30 – Has mountain biking gone too far? Red Bull Hard Line – a canyon gap too far.14:10 – The first documented fatal attack by a black bear on a human in California history confirmed in Downieville. Shout out to the Mountain Messenger newspaper.24:00 – Two brothers attacked by a mountain lion in Georgetown, California while hunting for antler sheds, one of the brothers died.25:40 – Bears in Lake Tahoe are reportedly diabetic because of all the sugar they eat.29:50 – Pow Bot shout out – been loving the listener reviews. Crash Davis and Rachel Davis – big fans of the pod. We need to turn our volume up.32:50 – PUBLIC NOTICE: Jackass Ridge is closing for the entire summer on June 10. Please do not ride the trails on Jackass Ridge including Donkey Town.36:10 – Ski season is officially over. Recapping the season. Pow Bot’s takeaway: He’s not going to buy an Epic or Ikon Pass next year. Would you get Mount Rose or Sugar Bowl?41:30 – All about Fred Stamm and bicycles. The story of Fred and Kurt racing each other in the Santa Cruz Criterium in 2004, the first time they met each other.48:00 – Fred is the unofficial mayor of Truckee when it comes to bikes and good times.49:30 – As a kid, Fred started riding his Dad’s road bikes and riding long distances.56:50 – Fred attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for college, studying engineering.58:00 – The inspiration for Truckee Bike Night came from Bike Night in SLO, every first Thursday of each month.1:02:00 – Truckee Bike Night has as many as 300 people show up on bikes.1:06:20 – All about the Giro di Stammina – also inspired by the Giro di SLO.1:09:00 – The Giro di Stammina gravel ride out by the ghost town of Bodie, California.1:17:00 – Where does the inspiration for putting on community bike rides come from?1:22:00 – Stammina on Castle Peak, on the Toiyabe Crest Trail and in Pinecrest.1:23:20 – Fred’s day job is working for Placer County as a civil engineer.1:26:50 – Riding Pinecrest and the terrifying drive over Sonora Pass Highway 108.1:32:00 – Riding dirt bikes in Kingston, Nevada in the Memorial Day ride with Battleborn Adventures.1:37:00 – Truckee Bike Night starts and finishes at RMU (Rocky Mountain Underground) on Donner Pass Road.1:43:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

May 24, 2024 • 1h 32min
Keep it Goofy | Taylor Carlton | E38
“Where have all the goofy people gone?” – asked @trail_whisperer to Episode 38 guest, Taylor Carlton. As a lifelong snowboarder who emigrated to Truckee from Michigan in 2005 after almost moving to Colorado, Carlton has witnessed the changes in Truckee firsthand working as a real estate agent through the wild times of COVID when “everyone bought everything”. Most of Truckee’s new residents bring a more serious and competitive personality, displacing many of the core lord, ski bum types who never took themselves too seriously, just like Carlton. Despite this changing of local culture, Carlton holds on to his goofy snowboarder roots, chief among them is being the co-founder and ringleader of the Rally for Rocker backcountry slalom competition-slash-party held every April on Donner Summit, a fundraiser for the future Rocker Memorial Skate Park; an event he was mistakenly arrested for by federal law enforcement in its second year, one of many funny stories Carlton shares with listeners.2:00 – Introducing Taylor Carlton, organizer of Rally for Rocker.6:00 – The story of skiing into Frog Lake Huts during the tail end of a big storm.12:00 – How did Taylor end up in Tahoe coming from Michigan?15:30 – Michigan has roots in snowboarding – the Snurfer, Jake Burton, Brett Kobernick19:30 – The transition from park and slopestyle riding to backcountry snowboarding21:00 – The insane progression of snowboarding and crazy tricks in events like XGames22:00 – Athleticism, relatability and inspiration. Crazy tricks are not relatable to the average rider.25:00 – Warp Wave film era – Aurora Boardealis and A Place Called Kookabunga – Gray Thompson and Eric Messier.30:00 – Truckee since COVID – Taylor’s perspective as a real estate agent in Truckee and the seriousness of new residents.36:00 – The insanity of the real estate market in Truckee during COVID – Everybody bought everything.40:50 – Taylor’s roof on his house had an ice dam and it turned into a leak that destroyed part of his house with water damage.47:00 – Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty – did an analysis about value of Tahoe homes compared to other mountain towns across the list – maybe Truckee was extremely undervalued.52:30 – May 5th Snowstorm – Craziness at Palisades Tahoe – mayhem in the parking lot.57:30 – Witnessing backcountry skiers in steep terrain with no avalanche safety gear.59:45 – All about Rally for Rocker, in memory of Steve “Rocker” Anderson.1:05:00 – Taylor’s story about getting arrested by U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement.1:12:00 – Story of Mike D, flying his airplane over the event and dropping money.1:19:20 – Why does Truckee need another skate park? The one Truckee has is incredibly dangerous. Shout out to Colin Robinson for planning Rocker Memorial Skate Park.1:23:00 – Donate to Rocker Memorial Skate Park – rockermemorialskatepark.org1:26:15 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?1:30:00 – Find Taylor Carlton – tahoemountainrealty.com - @shadtothebone