Along one of the best stretches of the Truckee River for fishing, a private landowner in Hirschdale has been blocking legal public access by placing no trespassing signs below the high water mark of the river. Longtime Hirschdale resident Matt “Gilligan” Koles, who’s been a fly fishing guide on the Truckee River for more than two decades, has been fighting these illegally placed signs, as well as dealing with aggressive intimidation tactics involving drawn firearms by the landowner. The Truckee is considered a navigable river, meaning the public has legal access to the river below the high water mark. Nonetheless, the illegally placed signs have not moved, and the intimidation has scared most of the public away. In response, last fall, Matt and a group of fly fishing friends formed @truckeeriverpublicwaters – a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to protecting legal public access to the Truckee River. In Episode 63, the boys chat about the importance of the Truckee River, a bit of its history, a little about fishing and a lot about the access struggle community members in Hirschdale have been facing and what we as the public can do to ensure legal access is preserved.

2:00 – PowBot growing up fishing for Walleye and Northern Pike in Michigan.

7:25 – Trail Whisperer growing up fishing at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

13:00 – The importance of the Truckee River to the Reno/Tahoe region.

16:45 – Truckee River public access issues are happening in Hirschdale.

19:35 – The story of OTB and Deer Creek trail access issues.

24:00 – Public vs private land access issues and knowing your access rights.

27:35 – More reminiscing about Cape Hatteras.

29:10 – Whatcha been riding?

30:45 – Truckee River Trivia – the river doesn’t start in Lake Tahoe, there’s an Upper Truckee River.

31:35 – Introducing Matt “Gilligan” Koles and Truckee River Public Waters.

35:30 – Senator Newlands (Newlands Act) bought a bunch of land and diverted the Truckee River.

38:45 – Matt’s story moving to Hirschdale and creating Gilligan’s Guide Service.

43:30 – What makes the Truckee River so special for fly fishing?

46:10 – Lake Lahontan and the origins of the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout – a native prehistoric fish.

48:09 – Some unique facts about the Truckee River.

49:45 – The Paiute Tribe of Pyramid Lake, water rights, drought and the reservoir system feeding the Truckee River.

55:00 – Truckee River Public Waters – preserving public access along the Truckee River.

56:30 – The current public access issues people are facing currently in Hirschdale.

1:05:15 – The confusion over the “high water” mark on the Truckee River.

1:19:00 – The Hirschdale bridge is the main access point for the Tahoe Pyramid Trail.

1:22:00 – What should the public do regarding legal access to the river in Hirschdale?

1:25:30 – What if you get harassed by a landowner? What should you do?

1:32:16 – How can people help support Truckee River Public Waters?

1:34:25 – All fisherman are liars and the Truckee River is hard to catch big fish.

1:38:20 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

In an age where local journalism is struggling to survive, Lake Tahoe is fortunate to have Julie Brown Davis, a West Shore native and staff writer for SFGATE who exclusively covers Lake Tahoe. As the daughter of ski bums who moved to Tahoe in the 1970s, Julie grew up skiing Homewood and Alpine Meadows, worked her first journalism gig at the Sierra Sun and eventually became managing editor of Powder Magazine. After a handful of years as a freelancer, Julie has returned to her journalism roots as a staff reporter, and she isn’t afraid to take on the big, controversial stories. On Episode 62 the boys chat with Julie about stories including infamous bears, the crush of tourists amidst the changing face of Tahoe, the role of TRPA, the negative effects of the season ski pass from mega resorts, recent federal staffing cuts and the potential impacts it will have on Tahoe tourism, the effect AI has on journalism and why corn is the new pow.

2:15 – Happy Mother’s Day!

8:00 – Introducing Julie Brown Davis – professional journalist who works as the SFGATE Tahoe editor.

13:00 – Trail Whisperer and his former life as a freelance writer for Chevron.

14:20 – What kind of gasoline should you put in your vehicle?

19:00 - The problem with bears in Lake Tahoe and all the bear stories Julie has reported on.

29:20 – Julie’s youth growing up on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe in Tahoma.

35:42 – Julie’s path to getting into writing as a profession and her first job at the Sierra Sun and Tahoe World, later writing for Moonshine Ink and going to UC Berkeley for graduate school.

41:45 – Going from an unpaid intern to managing editor at Powder Magazine and Transworld.

46:46 – What print magazines and newspapers do you subscribe to?

52:14 – Being a full-time employee for SFGATE as the Lake Tahoe region beat reporter.

57:28 – Is there a sustainable future for recreation, traffic control and parking in Lake Tahoe?

1:00:20 – Is the cheap season pass from IKON and Vail Resorts good for mountain communities?

1:06:55 – What is a better model for digital media – paywall or free content that’s ad driven?

1:11:15 – Julie’s story about the history of Graeagle, California and the West family who owned Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay.

1:15:30 – Doing a story about the wolf pack situation in Plumas and Sierra County.

1:19:31 – Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make reporting quicker and easier, but it isn’t developed enough to replace good journalists.

1:22:20 – Reporting on federal staffing cuts to the U.S. Forest Service and the negative impact it will have on the summer tourism season in Lake Tahoe.

1:28:05 – Road construction, new bridges, new bike paths, tons of traffic and the TRPA transportation plan.

1:31:00 – Lightning round questions for Julie.

1:16:30 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

The 888 COR LORD phone line has lit up the last couple of weeks, and the boys address numerous calls from listeners with questions about backcountry skiing, DOPE or DERPs including wearing full Lycra while mountain biking in the backcountry, riding a splitboard inbounds at a ski resort, blasting music on a Bluetooth speaker while riding and tracking vert skied at a resort and posting to Strava. The boys also talk about the recent closure of all trails in and around Marlette Lake and Spooner Lake State Park for the next two summers and beating the tariff price increases coming with outdoor gear. Trail Whisperer gets chainsaw certified, ASS rants about people saying “could care less” instead of “couldn’t care less” and gets his first snowboard lesson from Pow Bot at Donner Ski Ranch. 

3:20 – Pow Bot gives Trail Whisperer snowboard lessons at Donner Ski Ranch. 

11:30 – You have to ride the chairlift to become a better skier before backcountry skiing. And if you want to be a better mountain biker, don’t ride the chairlift.

18:20 – Trail Whisperer gets chainsaw certified by the U.S. Forest Service.

21:50 – Pow Bot starts riding his mountain bike after spring skiing burnout and Trail Whisperer almost gets attacked by a swarm of bees. 

25:50 – Listener feedback and 888 COR LORD call-ins – Fritz from Calpine – Kirkwood closing day, pond skimming. 

31:10 – Shred the Gnerd – wants to get into backcountry splitboarding and is seeking advice about what to do in the off-season to prepare. 

37:26 – Mystery Non-NARP – DOPE or DERP – Full Lycra kit in the backcountry?

46:10 – Gordo – about to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail over the next 5 months and a bit about the book “Born to Run” and the 5 finger shoes.

52:20 – Steve emailed us about the 10 Shredmandments and people doing dumb things.

56:30 – Nevada State Parks shuts down all trails around Marlette Lake for two years.

1:03:10 – Washoe County Releases Mount Rose recreational trails survey – 

https://engage.zencity.io/washoe-county-nv/en/engagements/580ebe44-fd70-4b4d-a9e2-bc0c593d55f6?utm_medium=referral

1:04:50 – How are you going to beat the increase in outdoor gear costs due to tariffs?

1:09:00 – DOPE or DERP – Riding a splitboard at a ski resort.

1:12:55 – DOPE or DERP – Tracking vert skied at a resort and posting to Strava.

1:16:25 – DOPE or DERP – Bluetooth speakers while riding.

1:21:30 – ASS RANT – could care less vs couldn’t care less. 

1:23:55 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – Ethiopian Jazz – Mulatu Estatke. Shout out to Myles at Incline Spirits.

Few families in the Lake Tahoe region have had more of a positive impact on recreation than the Fish family. Ben and Amy revived the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) in 2010, and started both the 60-mile Rose to Toads epic and Corral Night Ride. Their son Max, about the same age as TAMBA, grew up alongside the organization, and as soon as he could walk, he was on two wheels in dirt, two sticks on snow and a trail tool in hand working last year as a paid employee at Bijou Bike Park, a park designed by Ben. Since November 2016, Ben and Max have skied and snowboarded every month through pow, ice, corn, sun cups, rocks, man-made snow and even the Caldor Fire, reaching 100 consecutive months in February. On Episode 60, the Fish family talks all about TAMBA, the process of their 100-month snow adventure, the importance of bike parks and adventuring together as a family.  

2:00 – It’s Corntastic! Trail Whisperer makes his first turns as a snowboarder.

4:30 – Recording at Kirkwood at the Reid household with Ben, Amy and Max Fish.

9:00 – Ben and Amy started Rose to Toad’s and Corral Night Ride.

11:45 – The history of Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA).

15:53 – Max recalls his earliest memories with TAMBA and Bijou Bike Park.

17:30 – The concept of “radical families” – not letting children slow parents down from having adventures.  

20:30 – Max talks about The Smaine Fund - created in memory of Kyle Smaine - and becoming a ski racer.

22:45 – Recounting 100 consecutive months of skiing and snowboarding, starting in November 2016. Only 6 months were not in the Sierra Nevada.

26:26 – Dave Webster - “The Daily Wavester” – surfed every day for 40 years, catching at least 3 waves each day, totaling 43,923 waves.

29:30 – What patches of snow in the Sierra Nevada hold the longest into the summer?  

31:25 – Skiing during the Caldor Fire.

33:30 – Using ebikes to access ski areas like Heavenly, Tioga Pass and Mount Lola.

35:25 – Some of Ben’s favorite memories from 100 months of skiing.

38:30 – What have they seen over the last 8 years with snowpack and climate change?

46:30 – Max’s love of the Gunbarrel 25 event at Heavenly and Kurt’s experience at the Gunbarrel.

53:00 – Max’s transition from freeriding to competitive ski racing.

54:30 – Odd mountain biking footwear – Tevas, cowboy boots, Vans and five finger shoes.

57:10 – Max working last summer as a paid employee at the Bijou Bike Park and Ben’s work as a landscape architect in designing the bike park.

1:00:00 – The importance of bike parks to a community and to developing skills.

1:03:35 – Do you feel more comfortable jumping through the air on skis or on bikes?

1:07:50 – Amy wants to learn to play drums and her long, stupid ride exploits.

1:10:45 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – What are you listening to right now and when Ben and Amy met at a punk ska show in high school.

1:14:45 – The concept of learning a new sport and getting better and Trail Whisperer’s experience making his first turns as a snowboarder.

1:19:55 – What new sport or hobby would you like to learn? Most want to learn wing foiling, e-foiling and wake foiling.

1:23:30 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:26:30 – New trails TAMBA is working on to get excited about – Lost Lake, Meeks Ridge, General Creek are highlights.

BAM! KERPOW! From winter to spring in a matter of a couple days, the boys chase the change in season with an East Side pow mission and new trail construction on Mount Hough. Pow Bot laments the “get off my wave” localism culture of surfing that’s creeping into splitboarding, Trail Whisperer ASS rants about @sugarbowl opening Palisades to only elite athletes in a competition and the disdain he has for National Parks, a listener critiques Pow Bot for using “jazz hands” while snowboarding and Trail Whisperer gets his very first splitboard after being a lifelong skier. The boys chat more about wolves, public river access issues in Hirschdale, five finger shoes, DOPE OR DERP Nordic skiing and the favorite sounds snow makes when you’re slashing it.

2:40 – Spring has sprung!

3:40 – All about boots and shoes and Trail Whisperer’s love of Vibram 5 finger shoes.

11:40 – Pow Bot does an east side Sierra Nevada pow hunting mission.

14:10 – The territorial “get off my wave” surfing mentality and culture creeping into backcountry skiing.

16:55 – Trail Whisperer works a 40 hour work week for the first time in years.

20:35 – New trails on Mount Hough in Quincy.

24:10 – Pow Bot is back to being a weekend warrior after a winter off from work.

27:10 – Listener feedback – more about the wolf conversation. Nevada issuing moose hunting tags for the first time in history.

37:00 – DOPE OR DERP – Jazz Hands when snowboarding. Tanner on Insta says Pow Bot uses his hands too much while snowboarding.

39:30 – Pow Bot got his love for jazz hands from some of the best surfers in the world – Tom Curren’s first wave at Jeffrey’s Bay.

41:30 – Trail Whisperer gets his first splitboard!!

50:05 – Pow Bot learns about the concept of onomatopoeia.

52:10 – Favorite sounds that snow makes when slashing pow.

56:15 – Lauren on Insta – group of fishermen in Hirschdale fighting with a private landowner over public access to the Truckee River.

58:50 – DOPE OR DERP – Nordic Skiing

1:04:30 – ASS RANT – Sugar Bowl opens Palisades for only one day, and for only elite athletes in the Silver Belt competition. Never opened to season passholders.

1:11:50 – DOPE OR DERP – Planning a vacation around a national park in 2025 and an ASS RANT about national parks.

1:21:30 – Swan John gets inducted into the Western Washington University sports Hall of Fame for rowing

1:27:57 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – Lady Gaga is on Pow Bot’s shit list because she stole the Mayhem logo from Matt Biolos and his surfboard brand, …Lost and Mayhem.

1:34:15 – When our favorite sports like surfing, snowboarding and mountain biking go mainstream, but still keeping the identity and culture of the sport.

1:38:03 – Event calendar over the next few weeks – 10th Annual Rally for Rocker on 4/26, SBTS Spring Epic in Quincy on 5/15-18, Truckee Dirt Union Loam Masters Rally 5/23-24.

April arrives with 3 feet of new snow in Lake Tahoe, making it feel more like January than spring. PowBot recaps his best tour of the year at Lassen National Park while Trail Whisperer breaks his snowmobile. The boys give some listener shout outs and play some 888 COR LORD call-ins, diving deeper into whether or not solo backcountry skiing is dope or derp and if a van is better suited for adventures than a pickup with 4 Wheel Camper. They also discuss the show’s intro and outro songs and where all the sound bites came from, decide which of the five senses are most important to them, chat about corner crossing over private land and the controversial reintroduction of the gray wolf into northern California. The show ends with a song called RNO by Trail Whisperer’s old band, Man Downstream, paying tribute to the Biggest Little City in the World.

3:00 – Spring is here and it’s still winter! Sinter. Apriluary.

5:30 – Lots of snow up on Packer Saddle. Downieville Downhill isn’t going to melt out until late June at earliest.

6:40 – PowBot’s PowDar was firing on all cylinders and scored pow at Lassen National Park.

17:00 – Trail Whisperer breaks his snowmobile.

21:38 – Any good April Fools jokes? @powderbuoy and @tahoefund

25:55 – Listener feedback and shout outs about ebikes and west shore skin tracks.

31:00 – 888 COR LORD Call Ins – Solo Backcountry Skiing and Van Life vs 4Wheel Camper life.

50:11 – 888 COR LORD Call Ins – Gordo calls us out on season passes. You don’t buy a season pass to ski pow.

55:50 – Sammy G asks: What are the Mind the Track intro and outro songs? Who’s the artist? And what are all the soundbites at the beginning?

1:10:20 – The Five Senses – which is the most important to you and which one could you not live without?

1:21:20 – Corner Crossing between public and private land is deemed legal by U.S. District Court.

1:28:30 – Sierra County issues state of emergency for the California Gray Wolf.

1:45:00 – DOPE OR DERP – skinning up the face you are going to ski back down.

1:48:48 – Outro – RNO by Man Downstream

Recapping a polarizing winter that has been “clear and still” – either literally clear with no snow and still with no wind, or snow clear up to your ass and still snowing, the boys catch up on a number of topics including PowBot’s surf trip to Costa Rica, Trail Whisperer’s Death Valley four wheeling adventure and helicopter skiing, the sketchy last month of avalanches and the lack of stoke for resort skiing. The boys DERP local ski resorts for their season pass money grab of selling next years pass in March, they also DERP @palisadestahoe for leaning on local law enforcement to bust ski pass poachers. The ASS rants about social media and the unnecessary steepness of West Shore skin tracks and ponder why skins haven’t improved that much in the last 10 years. The boys also play some 888 COR LORD call-ins from listeners.

2:00 – Recording from the Tahoe City Transit Center in PowBot’s new van.

4:20 – Recapping a banger couple of days skiing the West Shore of Lake Tahoe.

10:20 – PowBot witnesses public hate for the Tesla Cybertruck.

14:20 – Trail Whisperer takes the Land Cruiser four wheeling in Death Valley then goes to Tonopah to stay at the Mizpah Hotel.

21:20 – Trail Whisperer goes helicopter skiing.

25:40 – Skiing in the Toiyabe.

26:25 – PowBot goes surfing in Costa Rica

34:55 – The boys have been down on the ski resort experience this year, too busy everywhere.

39:20 – DOPE OR DERP – Do you buy next year’s ski pass now in March?

46:00 – ASS rant about the state of social media and podcasting.

55:40 – Tom has an encounter on his flight home from Costa Rica related to the podcast.

58:45 – ASS rant about the unnecessary steepness of West Shore skin tracks.

1:01:40 – Why have skins not improved that much in the last decade?

1:05:20 – DOPE OR DERP – Alterra and Vail leaning on local law enforcement to prosecute ski pass poachers.

1:13:05 – ebiker gets stranded for 30 hours in rural Texas after her ebike battery died and PowBot’s story of his ebike dying in Downieville.

1:16:00 – Listeners call into the 888 COR LORD hotline, talking about attainable, approachable backyard adventures.

1:23:55 – Shout out to Alenka Vrecek – new article in Adventure Sports Journal about her Tahoe to Baja ride.

1:25:10 – Trail Whisperer restores a vintage road bike and takes it for a ride.

1:33:34 – The recent rash of avalanche incidents and fatalities since early February.

With a focus on simplicity, minimalism and human-powered adventure, Nick Russell embodies what it is to be a free-spirited, big line splitboarder while making a living at it. Russell has eschewed guidebooks for true adventure, hunting for big lines and pow based more on a feeling than a calculation. This organic approach to becoming an expert in the backcountry takes years and more than a couple sandbag missions, but in the process creates a deeper connection with the land and with his comrades. Russell’s most recent mission, captured in the Patagonia Films feature Papsura – Peak of Evil, along with his partner Jerry Mark and filmers Morgan Shields and Blake Gordon, claimed a first splitboard descent on an iconic line in the Indian Himalaya, a month-long mission that exceeded all expectations – a rare occurrence PowBot refers to as “The Jerry Effect”, related to the late Jerry Garcia. The boys also chat about the state of public lands in the midst of an onslaught against government agencies, with Russell encouraging listeners to call (202) 224 3121 and tell your local elected officials what you think about the drastic cuts against the Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.

4:45 – Introducing Nick Russell – core lord big mountain splitboarder.

8:30 – Follow up to the butt vest discussion – Nick endorses the concept of the butt vest.

15:15 – A little more about who Nick Russell is. Redefining big mountain splitboard freeriding.

18:00 – Starting out in Utah’s Wasatch and the organic process of getting into splitboarding.

25:00 – Living simply, minimalism to reduce expense and maximize free time….filming their Alaska adventure, a film called “Free” on Vimeo.

28:40 – Finding pow based “on a feeling” and the resulting Fun scale – Type 1, Type 2, Type 3.

37:30 – All about the Papsura film mission, spending a month in India to ski one line.

41:20 – The added complexity of having a film crew while accomplishing such a huge mission.

46:30 – “The Jerry Effect” – Not just with the Grateful Dead, but also in Nick and Jerry’s Papsura mission – everything went perfectly and according to plan.

58:00 – Reviewing the last week of avalanche conditions in Lake Tahoe and how Nick navigates dangerous snowpack and staying out of avalanche terrain when it’s high risk.

1:07:30 – Becoming more conservative in the wake of a serious injury falling into a crevasse in Alaska on Mount Saint Elias.

1:12:45 – How does a line that’s so difficult to ever ski make the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America?

1:17:10 – Coping with the loss of friends in the backcountry over the years and the draw of social media FOMO feeding into dangerous situations.

1:23:35 –Nick’s take with the state of public lands and current federal workforce firings and budget freezes. Call 202 224 3121 – tell your local elected representatives what you think about what’s happening to our public lands.

1:33:00 – The potential silver lining in the recent attacks against our government and public lands.

1:37:25 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:39:30 – Trail Whisperer and PowBot recap the discussion with Nick Russell.

1:42:00 – Recapping the recent four-day trip to Frog Lake Huts.

1:48:40 – PowBot encounters the Zoa Engineering Backcountry Tow Rope on the West Shore.

1:59:40 – Shout out to HeavyDSparks and the Diesel Brothers for recovering the plane wreckage and the victim’s body from Mount Jefferson with their Blackhawk helicopter.

After a weeks-long dry spell in January, the first day of February bring a week-long series of atmospheric river storms to the Lake Tahoe region, with a foot of rain, multiple feet of snow and hurricane force winds. PowBot recaps his Canadian hut trip, giving kudos to Big Sky resort and reminisces on atmospheric river storms of the past while Trail Whisperer rants about tire chains and the evil empire of Amazon. Al Powcino makes his return with another Powderiffic Snow Report, the boys are compared to Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show, TW raves about a George Carlin documentary, lots of listener shout outs and a few Dope or Derps including the Butt Vest, electric snow bikes and wearing hunting gear for skiing.

3:00 – PowBot returns from his Canada Powder Highway trip.

4:30 – Recording right during the arrival of a big Atmospheric River event in the Sierra Nevada, after an extended period of very dry weather.

6:00 – Recapping PowBot’s ski hut trip to Golden Alpine Holidays in British Columbia.

8:40 – The five most important things to know about preparing for a Canada ski hut trip.

19:45 – The incoming Atmospheric River and huge amounts of rain.

21:50 – Going to the birthplace of Mind the Track, Frog Lake Huts near Donner Summit.

23:40 – Al Powcino’s Powderiffic Snow Report.

26:45 – ASS rant about chained up cars and semis on the freeway.

28:45 – The current storm is reminiscent of the 2016-2017 winter when there was terrible flooding on Donner Summit and at Donner Lake.

34:45 – Listener Shout Outs! And PowBot shouts out his experience at Big Sky in Montana.

42:38 – Stavros asks “What avalanche course would you recommend taking?”

46:04 – Jed loves reggae music and Stick Figure, Mount Bachelor getting bought by ski bums and Truckee in the Wall Street Journal.

49:50 – Nate said the boys are the old men on the Muppet Show, Waldorf and Statler.

53:30 – Carl turned us onto @powderbuoy on Instagram – weather buoys in the Pacific and correlation to winter storms.

55:05 – Matt sent us a link to a recent plane crash in the Toquima Range on Mount Jefferson.

58:35 – J.T. Robinson – Backcountry Etiquette and Mentorship video about 10 Shredmandments - youtube.com/watch?v=ubGHAb3Y_VM

1:01:50 – DOPE OR DERP? – The Buttvest.

1:08:00 – DOPE OR DERP? – Wearing hunting apparel for skiing.

1:13:00 – DOPE OR DERP? – Moonbike Motors electric snow bike.

1:16:55 – DOPE OR DERP? – Tire chains.

1:22:45 – Keith recommends the film “Camera Corner” about Wende Cragge – on YouTube by The Radavist.

1:23:55 – Ben asks, what’s the best quiver beater mountain bike? The 130mm rear travel trail bike. Specialized Epic Evo and Stumpjumper Evo, Pivot Trail 429, Ibis Ripley, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Yeti SB120.

1:32:00 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – Keith recommended RadioParadise.com – live streaming of music 24/7, KEXP.org in Seattle and KOTO in Telluride.

1:37:50 – Trail Whisperer recommends watching George Carlin’s American Dream.

1:41:30 – Trail Whisperer recommends Buy Now – The Amazon Shopping Conspiracy.

1:44:10 – The federal funding freeze and how it will affect recreation.

1:45:40 – Two thumbs up for the new Reno Vista trail on Peavine Mountain. Super fun!

Two weeks into his Powder Highway road trip, PowBot calls in from Revelstoke, British Columbia to chat about life on the road in the new van, the differences between the U.S. and Canada when it comes to snow and ski culture, hiring a ski guide in Whistler to go big in the Blackcomb backcountry and interviewing “Trailhead Tim” Gibson, who PowBot met at the trailhead and suddenly became his backcountry partner in bagging the Aussie Couloir in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. Also, the boys Dope or Derp snow stake cams, backcountry skiing solo, the magnetic Snow Strip product and reggae music.

3:00 – Catching up with PowBot on his road trip to the Powder Highway of Canada, calling from the Revelstoke Rec Center parking lot.

8:30 – Trail Whisperer in Downieville.

10:00 – Avalanche Canada is saying “it’s time to consider getting into bigger terrain” – it’s GO TIME in the alpine! Favorable clear high pressure weather all week.

13:00 – Pow Bot’s road trip so far – Mount Bachelor, Stevens Pass, Whistler, Duffey Lakes.

18:45 – Vail Resorts is having a PR nightmare. Youtube Peak Rankings financial breakdown of Vail Resorts. Park City Mountain Resort Ski Patrol is on strike and Vail wouldn’t give them a $2/hr pay raise.

21:40 – PowBot arrives in Whistler/Blackcomb and stays at Riverside RV park. PowBot hires a ski guide from Altus Mountain Guides, Tim Ross, to take him touring off the Blackcomb glaciers.

25:00 – How does Canada differ from United States when it comes to skiing culture?

28:35 – What is Pow Bot’s boondock overnight parking plan?

29:30 – Parking and skiing at Joffre Lakes area, a Canadian Provincial Park. PowBot helped unstuck the local plow truck driver, Danny, a backcountry skier who plows the lots for skiers.

33:00 – PowBot meets Trailhead Tim and skis the Aussie Couloir with him.

37:55 – How do you know when you meet a stranger that they will be a good ski partner?

39:35 – Dope or Derp? Skiing solo. PowBot skied the Seven Steps to Paradise on Rogers Pass by himself and it was the dopest tour of his life.

49:24 – In order to ski parts of Rogers Pass you have to take a backcountry travel test.

52:45 – New iPhones have a text to satellite feature, eliminating the need to have something like a Spot or Garmin InReach.

54:45 – Dope or Derp? The Snowstrip - A magnetic rack that goes on the side of your vehicle so your skis/board doesn’t fall and hit the ground.

57:55 – Dope or Derp? Reggae Music – Tom’s been listening to a bunch of reggae. Stick Figure, Arise Roots, John Brown’s Body and 10 Foot Ganja Plant. David Lee Scales and Chaz Smith of The Grit podcast think reggae is derp. Bob Marley is The Legend for a reason.

1:04:55 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – Ross – listener recommending Tycho and Khruangbin.

1:09:20 – Dope or Derp? – a listener Derek wants to know what’s up with snow stake cams.

1:16:25 – Last Saturday, tail end of the holiday, one of the busiest days of skiing in Tahoe ever due to the snow stake cam.

1:20:25 – The sleeper pow days are the best days – the snow stake cam isn’t always accurate.

1:21:40 – PowBot recorded a conversation with Trailhead Tim after their adventure on Aussie Couloir and the concept of “risk shaming”.

1:30:50 – A conversation with Tim Gibson at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park – living van life and skiing in Canada.

1:36:20 – Quitting the corporate life, retiring and living the ski bum van life full time.

1:40:45 – Partnering up with Tim to ski Joffre Peak and Aussie Couloir.

1:48:24 – Moved to Chile in 2004 and got into backcountry skiing, fully self-taught through trial and error. Close calls with cornices, glaciers and crevasses.

1:54:00 – The American ski culture of not reporting avalanche accidents, opposite from Canada. The concept of “risk shaming” and how risky behavior is frowned upon in skiing in the US.

1:59:00 – Living in Seattle and skiing in Washington state – Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Snoqualmie Pass.

2:07:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?