The SnowBrains Podcast

Season 6, Episode 92

Sasha Berkovich grew up in the Soviet Union at a time when nothing came easy, and nothing in skiing was handed to you. If you wanted gear, you had to barter for it. If you wanted to ride a rope tow, you had to build it, you had to scrap together old engines, scavenged parts, and whatever rope you could find. Sometimes the only currency that worked was vodka. Skiing wasn't a hobby for Sasha back then; it was ...

Season 6, Episode 91

Brian Lazar is the Deputy Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. He's been studying snow and avalanches for more than two decades, working as a forecaster, guide, educator, and researcher across Colorado, Alaska, all of the mountain west, all over South America, including Patagonia. At the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, he's one of the people responsible for the avalanche forecast...

Season 6, Episode 90

Andrew Gast is the General Manager of Mt. Ashland ski area in southern Oregon. This is a very special ski resort because it is not-for-profit. Its one and only goal is to serve its community to the best of its abilities. This episode explores everything Mt. Ashland, along with how non-profit ski areas work in general.Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On FacebookOn Instagram On ThreadsOn SnowBrains.comThis episode wa...

Season 6, Episode 89Dan Abrams is the Co-founder and CEO of Flylow. Dan started Flylow with a simple idea—make ski gear that can actually survive the kind of abuse real skiers are putting it through. What began as a garage project between ski buddies has become one of the most respected independent outerwear brands in the mountains, built by skiers, for skiers. Dan is a lifelong skier, gear nerd, and entrepreneur who has helped def...

Season 6, Episode 88Mike Rogge is the editor and owner of the Mountain Gazette, one of the most iconic outdoor publications ever made. Rogge revived the Gazette from dormancy in 2020 and turned it into something truly special - a huge format, beautifully written, unapologetically independent magazine that celebrates mountain life in its rawest form. He is also a lifelong skier, storyteller, and creative force who has helped shape s...

Season 6, Episode 87Madison Rose Ostergren is a ski racer turned big mountain charger, redefining what it means to ski with style, power, and soul. She's starred in Warren Miller films, Teton Gravity Research films, she drops massive Teton lines, and she's built a life that blends art, grit, and fearless creativity.

Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snowbrainspodcast/On Instagram: https...

Season 6, Episode 86Matt Sterbenz is the guy who lit a fire under modern freeskiing. He founded 4FRNT skis, built a brand out of a Salt Lake City garage, and proved that when riders design the gear, the whole sport changes. Matt turned rebellion into innovation, built a cult following, and helped define the look and feel of independent skiing. This episode of the SnowBrains podcast is brought to you by Mt. Bachelor.Mt. Bachelor is ...

Season 6, Episode 85

Kilian Jornet is one of the greatest mountain athletes in history, a world champion sky runner, legendary alpinist, and endurance icon who keeps redefining what's possible in the mountains. His latest project, States of Elevation, is a staggering 31-day journey linking 72 14,000-foot peaks across the continental United States, all under human power. He crossed some of North America's most rugged terrain,...

Season 5, Episode 84

Hilary Eisen is the Policy Director for the Winter Wildlands Alliance and is a passionate backcountry skier and ice climber. In her role at Winter Wildlands Alliance, she leads the organization's policy work, focusing on the protection of wild winter landscapes while advocating for quality human-powered snowsports experiences. Her responsibilities include analyzing and responding to public land management pr...

Season 5, Episode 83

This week, the Manging Editor of the Farmers' Almanac, Sandi Duncan, sat down with SnowBrains CEO & Founder Miles Clark to talk about all things long-range winter weather forecasting. The Farmers' Almanac releases a yearly winter weather prediction every August that signals the looming start of the ski season in North America. Their winter forecast is generally SnowBrains.com's most popular artic...

Andrew McLean is a legendary ski mountaineer, author, inventor, and Big Mountain Scientist. In 2017, Powder Magazine voted Andrew as one of the "48 Most Influential Skiers of All Time." Andrew is one of the best ski mountaineers on the planet, having skied first descents on every continent and has been featured in a myriad of ski movies, including the Big Mountain Skiing documentary "Steep." Andrew is the invent...

Season 5, Episode 82

Jeremy recently became the CEO of the X Games and has been tasked with revolutionizing the company to create the first action-sports league. He is a former World Cup Freestyle Mogul skier who saw a number of World Cup wins and two appearances in the Olympics. At the same time, he attended the University of Colorado Boulder and was an All-American wide receiver and return specialist. After retiring from Freestyle...

Season 5, Episode 81

Sam Anthamatten is a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide and one of the very best freeskiers on Earth. Sam competed on the Freeride World Tour, where he finished 2nd overall in his first season. Sam is very adept in big, steep, technical skiing, but he can do it all in the freeride style. Sam paired up with Jeremy Heights to create the hugely successful La Liste movie, where they attempt to ski 15 of the bigges...

Season 5, Episode 80

Anna DeMonte is a ski mountaineering athlete who in June 2024 captured the Women's Ski Fastest Known Time (FKT) on 15,766' Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France. 9,000' vertical backcountry days are normal for her and recently she has been average over 25,000' of human-powered vertical a week. The craziest part - she's only really been skiing for 5 years.

This episode of the SnowBrains podcast is brought to you by Club ...

Season 5, Episode 79

Erin Sprague became Protect Our Winters' (POW's) CEO at the beginning of 2024. Since then, she has spearheaded the organization and movement of outdoor recreationists fighting climate change. POW's mission is to "depoliticize the climate discussion and bring together those from all backgrounds to advocate for the outdoor spaces we love most." Before working at POW, Erin was the youngest wom...

Season 5, Episode 78

Kai Jones has been in Teton Gravity Research films since he was 11 years old. He went pro at 12, signing with Red Bull, one of the most sought-after athlete sponsors in the world. He is now a mere 18 years old yet is one of the most famous freeskiers on the planet. He just released his first-ever documentary, Falling Into Place, which documents his big injury and recovery and return to skiing.

This episode of th...

Season 5, Episode 77

After spending over two decades in the non-profit and start-up spaces, Stephanie Cox took over as CEO of the National Ski Patrol with the goal of modernizing and advancing the organization. She has been focused on revitalizing the operations, recruitment, training, and inclusiveness of the National Ski Patrol while shifting the organization in alignment with the growing outdoor industry.

This episode of the SnowB...

Season 5, Episode 76

Ted Ligety is one of the most iconic figures in US Alpine Skiing. He's a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist as well as a five-time World Cup Overall Giant Slalom Champion. Ted dominated the World Cup between 2004-2018 with 25 World Cup wins and 52 podiums across five disciplines.

This past October, Ted joined DPS Skis as the Head of Product Performance, where he is helping to create and test skis at their head...

Season 5, Episode 75

This week, two representatives joined us from the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) to discuss its current conflict with Park City Mountain Resort owner Vail Resorts. Katie Lips is the President of the PCPSPA and Quinn Graves is a business manager of the PCPSPA. In addition, Katie and Quinn highlighted what it takes for the ski patrollers of the largest ski resort in the United States to ke...