Afterglow, A Mountain Storytelling Podcast

In our eighth and final episode, we sit down with skiing icon Glen Plake. As a pioneer of the extreme skiing movement, Plake is most well known for his seminal appearances in the classic Greg Stump films including Blizzard of Aahhh's, the Maltese Flamengo and License to Thrill.

With his signature mohawk, Plake is arguably the most recognizable and most well known skier in the world. Over three decades he has maintained a love for all disciplines of the sport and a drive that has kept him timelessly relevant. It is safe to say, whether skiing 8-000 meter peaks, recording for Warren Miller Films, or traveling the country as part of his "Down Home" Tour, Plake has spread the love of skiing to millions across the globe.

Many of Glen's physical accomplishments have been well documented. In our chat, I wanted to learn more about him as a person. Plake occupies the rare air of hero status for many skiers. In our conversation I quickly realized that he is a historian of skiing, someone who has seen three decades of the evolution of a sport.

Glen is indeed one of the brightest shining lights we've ever had the chance to chat with, and our conversation does not disappoint.

In episode seven we sit down with rock climbing legend John Long. Long is most well known as one of the Stonemasters, a group of California rock climbers who, fueled primarily by LSD and Jimi Hendrix, pushed the sport to risky and adventurous new heights during the 1970s.

John Long's list of rock climbing accomplishments occupies a place of magnitude that borders on myth. A big wall pioneer, Long was the first person to ever climb Yosemite's most iconic route, the Nose, in a single day. He also owns the second one-day ascent of El Cap, a five hour blast on the West Face. He's also the first person to ever climb a 5.13-rated route and put up visionary test pieces like Astroman that were years, if not decades, ahead of their time.

Now in his late sixties, John is a tremendously insightful, reflective and philosophically inclined man. Our chat shines the light on John Long the person, and he talks openly, honestly and at length about a life well lived. He also talks about his regrets, epiphanies, struggles and ultimate wisdom.

We've always found John's writing to be unflinchingly honest, self-deprecating and absolutely beautiful. To be able to sit down with one of rock climbing's biggest heroes was an extreme honor and tremendously enlightening.

In episode six we sit down with highly accomplished ultra running personality Rory Bosio. Rory’s ascension in the ultra running world began in 2013 at what is arguably the most difficult mountain race in the world, the French Classic Ultra Trail du Mt. Blanc. It was here that a relatively unknown runner from Tahoe City, California smashed the women’s record by over two hours. She also became the first female to ever place in the overall top 10 positions of the race.

To silence any doubters, Rory returned to the race to win it again one year later. In doing so she became the first woman to ever win back to back UTMBs. And while Rory has finished in second place at the famous Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, has run across the French island of Corsica and won numerous 50-mile races around the globe, she is a person who is cut from a different cloth.

Rory runs solely because she loves it. She is a free spirit with a rarely seen zest for life. As you might guess, Rory doesn’t follow carefully designed training and nutrition plans but rather moves in the mountains to her own rhythm.

Caroline Gleich has consistently pushed the envelope in the high alpine environment of the Himalaya. She has also pushed it at home in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. In 2017 she became the first woman to descend all 90 lines of "The Chuting Gallery," Andrew McLean's guide to steep, extreme skiing in the Wasatch.

She has also skied Cho Oyu, the 6th tallest peak in the world, summited Mt. Everest and skied the three tallest peaks in Ecuador, in one weekend.

Despite her accomplishments, Caroline has consistently had to battle misogyny, sexism and doubters at an unprecedented level for a professional athlete. We talk about these topics at length in our conversation, as well as the larger gender-bias implications in the outdoor space.

Caroline tells us about the vitriol of the cyber-bullying she has experienced throughout her career, and more importantly, how she has chosen to combat and beat it. We also talk about the importance of her family, how losing several close friends in the mountains drives her to this day, anxiety and depression and her outspoken defense of environmental and social causes.

We think you will enjoy this intimate and insightful chat with one of the most accomplished ski mountaineers and fantastic persons of our day.

If the name Dierdre Wolownick doesn't sound familiar to you, you aren't alone. Wolownick is Dierdre's maiden name, but she is indeed the mother of Alex Honnold, the greatest rock climber to ever grace the sport.

While we do talk about Alex and his motivations, Dierdre's story is much deeper than merely being his mother, and she also has a much different origin story than most of our guests. Having grown up in a post World War II Polish immigrant family in New York City, she struggled to break the mold of what children, and particularly girls, were allowed to do.

In her mid 20's, Wolownick made the decision to move to California, where she married and began a family. But the struggle continued, and she tells us, in both our conversation and her book "The Sharp End," that she longed for connection her entire life.

Dierdre and I talk about her ultimate redemption, which she discovered through rock climbing and running. It was through these sports that she experienced a rebirth, but not until her mid 50's.

Dierdre's tale is a beautiful one in which the phoenix does indeed rise, in her case up the proverbial walls of Yosemite Valley as the oldest woman to ever summit famed El Cap.

Imagine spending nearly 20 years traveling to remote corners of the globe, on a non-existent budget, in order to compile images of famous climbers and mountaineers. Jim Herrington has committed a large portion of his life to accomplish just this. In the process he has created a staggering work of photographic beauty that will be cherished by climbers for many generations to come.

Herrington's seminal work "The Climbers," captures portraits, in stunning black and white analog film, of prominent climbers from the "Golden Age." These iconic pioneers were primarily active from 1920 to 1970 and pushed the ceiling on a fringe and dangerous sport.

The list of subjects in Herrington's book is staggering. They include some of the brightest lights to ever tie into the sharp end of the rope, including Fred Beckey, Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, Reinhold Messner, Ricardo Cassin, Jules Eichorn and many, many more.

Through his evocative work, Herrington challenges our own concepts of aging and mortality, obsession, determination and what it truly means to live a life well lived. In our wide ranging conversation he touches on all these topics and more, as what as he learned from his subjects. We also talk at length about the influence the work had on him, his background and fascination with early Sierra Nevada climbers, how his other professional passion, rock and roll, exhibits many parallels to climbing and more.

I view Jim as a steward of climbing and mountaineering history and I think you will sincerely enjoy a glimpse into the mind of someone whom the climbing community owes a massive debt of gratitude. Jim is a soulful guy with a beautiful lilting voice that can only be found in the South. That voice makes the stories of these iconic climbers sound even more grand and wonderful. Enjoy!

In S3:E2 we go deep into the mind, heart and soul of veteran heli ski guide Lel Tone. Known as the consummate local hero in North Lake Tahoe, California, Tone has been a ski patroller at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows for over 24 years.

During this time she has become a leading authority as an instructor for the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education and co-founded the popular women's S.A.F.E. A.S. avalanche safety clinics.

Tone is an Alaska fishing guide, has beaten a Navy Seal on a reality television show, worked a pit crew for off-road motorcycle races and guided the biggest names in the ski and snowboard business with Warren Miller Films. One would think someone with this type of pedigree would be burly and perhaps unapproachable. On the contrary, Tone carries herself with an open heart and a wonderful degree of kindness and compassion rarely seen in this day and age.

We talk at length about her role in a male dominated profession, how she deals with failure, her spirituality, what it means to be vulnerable and how a devastating divorce allowed her to rise from the ashes of life.

We hope you enjoy an insightful conversation with one of the most badass and caring people to ever grace the ski industry.

We're excited to welcome you back for another deep dive into the mind, heart and soul of eight amazing and world renown adventure athletes. We kick off season three of Afterglow with Jeremy Jones, an absolute deity of the snowboard world.

For those of you who know Jeremy, he needs no introduction. For those listeners who haven't heard of Jones, he has been a snowboarding icon for nearly three decades and is someone who epitomizes everything good and soulful about the sport.

During his extended career he has appeared in over 60 films while becoming the godfather of big mountain snowboarding. He has also create his own highly successful snowboard brand and been nominated by National Geographic as an "Adventurer of the Year."

IN 2007 Jeremy founded Protect Our Winters, an organization that we view as one of the last great hopes for fixing our climate crisis. Jeremy and his amazing group of climate advocates are dedicated to reversing global warming by uniting the winter sports community.

What we find most revealing about Jeremy, however, is that he is one of the most humble, ego-free, down to Earth humans you could ever meet. He's quick to point out the strengths of others, downplay his accomplishments and shine the light on the powerful passion of the everyday rider.

The truth is that Jeremy Jones is a special person. We hope you enjoy our chat with the insightful and soulful icon.

We're back with Season Three of Afterglow, A Mountain Storytelling Podcast. Starting Monday, November 18th, we'll release weekly chats with some of the biggest names in the outdoor industry. Join us for another round of long-form conversations that travel deep into heart, mind and soul of world renowned adventure athletes.

Subscribe today ... and tell a friend.

In our 8th and final episode of season two … we sit down with Barry Blanchard, one of the most bold and accomplished alpine climbers the world has ever seen.

Blanchard is best known for his dangerous, cutting-edge ascents on high alpine faces across the globe. Many of Barry’s first ascents were well before their time and have consequently become test pieces for generations following in his footsteps. Most notably, these include the first ascent of Infinite Patience on the Emperor Face of Mt. Robson, the first ascent of the North Pillar of North Twin, a first ascent on the North Face of Les Droites, and a heroic attempt on the 15,000-foot Rupal Face on Nanga Parbat.

He is perhaps most well known for outrageous alpine climbing feats with partners Mark Twight, Steve House, David Cheeseman and Scott Backes. The “brotherhood” as they are often referred to, actively challenged death on bold and cold alpine faces in what can only be considered a golden era of alpine climbing.

We talk at length about his death-defying alpine climbing feats amidst a life wrought with hardship, personal struggle and ultimate redemption.

Barry and I take a deep dive into how growing up fatherless in a mixed race family led to his rebellious alpine climbing mentality, how the closest bonds in his life have been realized through the power of partnerships, and how the great spirit has guided him on cold faces in order to abate the lethal risk of alpine climbing.

Barry refers to alpinism as “pushing the door of a radiant, dangerous cathedral” and his philosophical take on the sport can be summed up in one beautiful and simple quote from his book “The Calling:"

BARRY WRITES “WHAT BINDS US IS THE BOND OF BROTHERS, LINKED BY THE BELIEF THAT ACTION IS VIRTUE AND BY COMMITMENT TO CLIMBING MOUNTAINS VIA THEIR MOST COMPELLING LINES, IN SMALL PARTNERSHIPS, WITH ONLY THE THE TIME-HONORED ACCOUTREMENTS OF A ROPE, A RACK AND A PACK.”

I hope you enjoy a deep and intimate conversation with one of the most fascinating, kind and intellectual people I have ever had the honor of recording with.