The United States' Mountain West region contains eight of the top ten states with the highest suicide rates in our country. The suicide rate in the Rocky Mountains is nearly three times the national per capita average, earning the Rockies the nickname, “The Suicide Belt.” But the mountain community doesn't talk about this. Why? Because mental health struggles don’t fit into the carefully curated "best outdoor life” aesthetic. Longtime Telluride, Colorado resident Ben Marshall knows this all too well. Daily panic attacks, anxiety, and depression derailed Ben’s life in his early twenties. After receiving professional treatment and building positive mental health, Ben began to work for Tri County Health Network, a non profit that focuses on mental health services. Ben’s ongoing goal is to help clear away the stigma that shrouds mental health in the mountains. Because truly, this is a life or death issue. 
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Kill The Stigma, Save Yourself

More fun than a powder day. Riskier than leaping from a mountain. Weirder than a week on the playa. From the creators of The Dirtbag Diaries, Paddy O'Connell and Elizabeth Nakano take you on a wild traverse of the ideas that define the outdoor community and the stories behind them. No topic is taboo.

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Wilderness

Well, pals. Elizabeth and Paddy are moving on from the show, so Safety Third is closing up shop. But, before we go we’d like to say thank you and goodbye. And remember, Safety Third. Always and forever.
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Goodbye, Pals!

In our third and final episode of The Love Traverse mini-series we explore how couples have fostered their love through the decades. Marriage counselor Hannah Eaton returns to illuminate the issues couples face and the positive characteristics of long-term partnerships. Mountain guides Adam and Caroline George describe how outdoor pursuits have shaped their 13 year marriage and parenting. After 20 years together, heli ski guides Adrienne and John Schaefer use communication and balancing interdependence to thrive. And snowboarding legends Bonnie and Jim Zellers, who’ve been together since 1984, exemplify how a relationship grows richer and more fulfilling over time.

Love, as it turns out, does not have an expiration date.
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The Love Traverse: The Long Haul

In romantic comedies, the story always begins with a 'meet cute' — a charming first encounter that leads to a wonderfully cheesy romance. But do those really happen in our outdoor community? And after that initial meeting, what’s the reality of building off that first connection? In episode two of our Love Traverse mini series, Real Life Rom Com, climbers Annalissa Purdum and Kris Hampton revisit the beginning of their relationship. Professional matchmaker Annie Mayo and marriage counselor Hannah Eaton illuminate the relationship path and shed light on meet cute truths and myths. And in her first year of marriage, OUT There Adventures founder Elyse Rylander talks about the concrete practices she and her wife use to grow together. Because love is not a movie — real life is much more romantic. 
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The Love Traverse: Real Life Rom Com

We are diving deep into dating, love and relationships in our mini-series, The Love Traverse. Our outdoor community faces a unique set of hurdles when finding and keeping love. The mountain town dating pool can often seem like a murky puddle. Dating is difficult. Apps abound, but do they work? In episode one, Dirtbag Romance, we investigate how outdoor folks are dating. Writer and stand-up comedian Sidni West deploys humor on her hunt for love. After seven years of living in a van, photographer and climber Austin Siadak’s romantic life looks different now that he’s renting a home. And self-described "outdoor adjacent" Nory Emori dissects her fleeting partnership with a van lifer. When you’re devoted to the outdoors, how do you also devote yourself to finding love? And how do you hold on to it? First things first, you try. 
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The Love Traverse: Dirtbag Romance

When Ann Yoshida began physical therapy following an accident that paralyzed her, she was told that the goal of rehabilitation was to 'regain normal function'. But that just didn’t resonate with her. Ann was motivated by goals that went beyond the norm. She became an Paralympian paddler, a World Champion, and the first-ever adapted athlete inductee in Hawai'i’s renowned Waterman Hall of Fame. And she did all of this while earning a Bachelor's degree in speech pathology, a Masters in rehabilitation counseling, and a Doctorate in occupational therapy. She knew she had the ability to go beyond normal. Ann wanted, and earned, the extraordinary.
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Kill The Stigma, Save Yourself

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