Live It Up with Mountain Life

The briefest history of Great Lakes surfing according to Grumpy Bob: The Wyldewood Surf Club was formed in 1965 out of Port Colbourne, Ontario and from its very beginnings was an international club with both Canadian and American members. Wyldewood Surf Club member Bob Sobering (AKA Grumpy Bob) began surfing in 1970, then picked it up again in the '90s. He’s a divisive figure in the Great Lakes surf scene. And in 2017 when Colin Field interviewed him for the Mountain Life Annual story "The Fifth Coast," he was as opinionated as ever. Those opinions have got him in a lot of hot water (pun intended) over the years, but even his main nemesis agrees this interview is worth listening to. 

“You should air it,” said a guy who repeatedly fought face-to-face with Grumpy Bob. “It’s history and it’s important.”

Host: Colin Field

Mountain Gazette owner, publisher, and editor Mike Rogge is on the front lines of preserving print media and promoting the value of an analog experience. The Gazette is currently tallest poppy in what seems to be a fairly healthy ecosystem of magazines aimed at outdoor people who understand the power of a physical experience and want something tangible out of life. He also really loves skiing. mountaingazette.com

Host: Feet Banks

Imagine losing everything in the wilds of the Northwest Territories. That's what happened to Chris Larkin. After living for two winters alone in a cabin in the wilderness, his canoe capsized on the infamous Mountain River. Larkin lost everything except his knife, a couple of matches and the clothes on his back. There were over 200 kilometres between him and civilization. 200 kilometres of relentless, wild terrain. The mighty Mackenzie River lay between him and salvation too. For the next ten days he struggled towards salvation. He made it. But only just. And to this day, he remembers those ten days as the most meaningful of his life. Host: Colin Field.

They call Jazmine Lowther "the Gazelle." Not because she grazes on grasslands and can grow antlers out of her head, but because she's very fast and nimble. An all-round mountain athlete and member of The North Face team, Jazmine has recently been turning heads as an elite ultra runner, competing with the world's best on 50km to 100 km courses around the globe. She also writes about endurance training, nutrition, women’s health, motivation and more. jazminelowther.com. Host: Feet Banks

Feet Banks connects with Stan Rey, a master of the goggle tan and one of the most personable professional freeskiers in the game. Always ready to joke around in front of the camera and happy to share the stoke or his knowledge with anyone who needs it, Stan is a natural-born backflipper who grew up mostly in Whistler and has raced gates, ski cross and into the hearts of freeski fans around the world with his charm, skills and philosophy of putting fun first.  PARENTAL ADVISORY: 3 naughty words in this one.

Host: Feet Banks.
 
Links discussed in this episode: WB Magnetic movie,  the Enemy Lines race, and Stan's Youtube channel. 

Today's guest is legendary ski mountaineer Greg Hill. Back in 2010 he was all over ski media; he climbed and skied two million vertical feet, climbing 71 mountains in both North and South America over 266 days of ski-touring. He was the first North American to climb and ski 40,000 vertical feet in 24 hours and he even set a world record of 50,000 feet in 24 hours. Simply put, the man is a machine.

Since those accomplishments, he's dedicated much of his time to being a better human being from a carbon footprint perspective. His film Electric Greg followed his attempt to ski 100 peaks without burning any fossil fuels.

Today Greg is mostly snowboarding (always up for new challenges) and continues promoting a more environmental approach in the mountains.

We talk about his beginnings in the ski world and where he's going in the future.

Host: Colin Field.

Mercedes Nicoll has competed in four winter Olympics for women’s halfpipe, and seven world championships. She’s been the Canadian National Champ five times, has eight world cup podiums and is a shining example of what it means to love competition and the camaraderie of sport. These days she’s a coach, a writer, a public speaker, an organizer of fun, and host of the podcast Dropping In with Mercedes Nicoll. Fun fact: Feet Banks once saw Shania Twain pause between songs at a stadium show in Vancouver and get the entire audience on their feet as she gave Mercedes a shout-out. That kind of street cred is hard to beat.  WARNING: A couple of bad words in this one. Mercedesnicoll.com
Host: Feet Banks

Today’s guest, Geoff "Gully" Gulevich, is an absolute legend of the freeride mountain bike world. This guy rode in Rampage years ago and continues to stretch out his pro riding career into something nearly every human on earth could envy: he rides bikes for a living. I definitely want to be Geoff Gulevich when I grow up.

Early in 2023, Geoff busted his femur in 17 places, but he’s back on the bike and as stoked as ever to get after it.

Host: Colin Field

Katie Burrell is a comedian, writer, director, actress and creator of numerous online videos and skits such as Influencer, Dream Job, Still Solo, Toxic Mountain Bike Girlfriend and more. She's one of the most recognizable figures in the ski community and has broken new ground using comedy to poke fun at, and invite people into, the sports we love. Katie’s first feature film, Weak Layers, opened internationally in early 2024 and she’s here talking about betting on herself and her ideas to make the leap from ski scene celebrity to the hallowed grounds of Hollywood and beyond.

Host: Feet Banks

(Note: This episode contains profanity.)  www.katieburrelltv.com

Mike Hopkins grew up in Rossland, BC where he learned to ride bikes and ski like we all wish we could. He absolutely rips. He started his career as a professional skier, then moved over to pro mountain biking. Working on the influential film Lifecycles was all the inspiration he needed to morph his career slowly but surely to a behind-the-lens kind of guy.  Now he can do it all: Film, ride bikes, ski, scout locations, source props, the list goes on. He’s a filmmaker and creative concept creator who continues to make rad films, whether they're straight-up commercials or inspiring insights into why people do what they do.

Host: Colin Field.