In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with Mike Hogan, Scott Richards, and Dan Mellish to unpack their experience racing the legendary Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) in Switzerland. A race that’s as much about survival and teamwork as it is about endurance.

This is a 57km, 4,000+ meter ski mountaineering race that starts in the middle of the night, crosses glaciated terrain, and demands that teams move together, often roped up, through steep climbs, technical descents, and brutal conditions. For Mike, Scott, and Dan, it turned into a 16-hour effort chasing cutoffs at every checkpoint, managing hydration issues, navigating the dark, and relying on each other to keep moving forward. 

But this episode goes deeper than the race stats.

They share what it’s like to:

•  Race under constant time pressure, hitting checkpoints with minutes to spare 
•  Ski technical terrain roped together in the dark 
•  Manage physical lows, cramping, and nutrition challenges mid-race 
•  Stay mentally engaged when the margin for error disappears 
•  Lean on teammates when things start to unravel 

More than anything, this is a story about friendship, resilience, and what happens when you commit to something that pushes you well past your comfort zone.

Because at the end of it, this wasn’t just about finishing PDG. It was about doing it together.

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Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

What can ski mountaineers learn from a WorldTour cyclist?

In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with professional cyclist Joe Dombrowski for a wide-ranging conversation about endurance training, racing strategy, and the mindset required to perform at the highest level across demanding mountain sports.

Joe shares insights from his years competing in Grand Tours and major international races, including how elite cyclists structure training, manage recovery, and prepare for long seasons of high-intensity competition. The conversation explores the overlap between cycling and ski mountaineering, from pacing and fueling to altitude adaptation and durability over multi-hour efforts.

They also discuss how athletes transition between disciplines, what mountain athletes can learn from cycling culture, and why longevity in endurance sport often comes down to consistency, curiosity, and staying motivated over time.

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In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with journalist and author Devon O’Neil to explore the story behind his book The Way Out—a deeply reported account of a backcountry hut trip that ended in tragedy and reshaped an entire community.

The conversation centers on a 2017 trip to a 10th Mountain Division hut in Colorado, where two skiers left for a quick run and never returned. What followed was a chaotic search effort, a powerful survival story, and years of unanswered questions that O’Neil would spend nearly a decade trying to understand. 

But this episode goes far beyond the incident itself.

Travis and Devon dig into the deeper themes that sit underneath the story:

•  How risk shows up in seemingly “routine” backcountry decisions 
•  What preparedness really means—and how often we overestimate it 
•  The emotional weight carried by survivors, families, and communities 
•  How mountain towns like Salida respond when something goes wrong 
•  And the question that lingers for anyone who spends time in the mountains: is the adventure worth it?

Devon also shares his writing process, the years it took to earn trust and tell this story, and how reporting the book ultimately changed his own relationship with risk, fatherhood, and the outdoors.

This is a conversation about skiing, but also about perspective, consequence, and what we’re really chasing when we head into the mountains.

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The final World Cup of the season is in the books, and we’re breaking it all down from Villars.

In this episode, Travis Macy and Catie Friend recap a stacked weekend of racing across the vertical, individual, sprint, and mixed relay, including a dramatic sprint finish, dominant performances from familiar names, and one of the most exciting relays of the year.

They also zoom out to look at the bigger picture:
 – Overall World Cup champions crowned
 – Breakthrough seasons (Julia Murada, Margot Ravinel, Remi Bonnet)
 – How the rankings shook out across every discipline

And they take time to recognize a group of athletes stepping away from elite racing, including Arno Lietha, Johanna Hiemer, and others who’ve shaped the sport in a big way.

Plus, a quick look ahead to what’s still to come this season, including the Patrouille des Glaciers and late-season racing.

Big thanks to CAMP for supporting the show and the sport.

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show 

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

It’s one of the busiest weeks of the season, and we’re breaking it all down.

Catie Friend is back to unpack a packed stretch of racing across the global skimo circuit, from the Youth World Championships and World Cup action in Puy Saint Vincent, to the Tour du Rutor, North American Championships, and a wild Elk Mountains Grand Traverse that looked more like a run than a ski race.

We get into standout performances from the next generation of athletes, including major results from Team USA and a powerful moment of sportsmanship that defines what this sport is all about. On the senior side, we cover dominant performances from the usual names, emerging contenders making noise, and how a chaotic, travel-heavy season is setting up a fascinating World Cup final.

We also zoom out to look at the bigger picture, the rise of youth programs, shifting international competition, and what it all could mean heading into future Olympic cycles.

Plus, a quick preview of what to watch for at the World Cup Finals in Villars.

It’s race analysis, athlete stories, and a full snapshot of where skimo stands right now.

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

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Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

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Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

We’re back with Catie Friend to break down everything that’s happened since the Olympic debut of skimo and there’s a lot to unpack.

Catie takes us inside her experience on the ground in Bormio, from calling races in front of a roaring crowd to the emotional highs (and lows) of watching athletes she’s known for years step onto the Olympic podium. We also get into what happens after the biggest moment in the sport, and why the comedown can be just as real as the buildup. 

Then we shift into race mode:

• Pierra Menta and how Olympic athletes like Emily Harrop and Margot Ravinel turned around and dominated one of the hardest stage races in the sport 
•  A breakdown of the ISMF World Cup Val Martello, including standout performances, technical courses, and why this venue might be the most fun on the circuit 
•  Sprint and mixed relay results, surprises, and what’s changing in the depth of the field 

We also look ahead to what’s next—Youth World Championships, World Cup finals, and the final stretch of the season as athletes balance fatigue, momentum, and one last push.

This one is equal parts insight and energy: what it felt like, what it means, and where skimo is heading next.

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show 

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

This week on Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with Joe DeMoor for a wide-ranging conversation on endurance sport, ski mountaineering, and the path that led Joe from elite collegiate running to the skimo podium.

Joe shares what it was like growing up in Buena Vista, Colorado, competing in multiple sports, and eventually running for the University of Colorado. He and Travis get into the realities of high-level college running, how Joe transitioned from post-collegiate racing into ski mountaineering, and why multi-sport training continues to shape him as an athlete today.

They also talk through Joe’s recent run of strong results, including second at the Power of Four with Jacob Dewey and podium finishes at U.S. National Championships, along with his experiences racing internationally at World Championships and Pierra Menta. Joe offers thoughtful insight on fueling, recovery, strength work, ski racing in Europe, and what it takes to stay competitive across both running and skimo.

If you want a deeper look at one of the most consistent and versatile athletes in U.S. skimo, this is a fun one.

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show 

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

The skimo season isn’t slowing down. In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with Olympian Cam Smith for a full race roundup covering a packed stretch of ski mountaineering competition.

They break down results and storylines from the Power of Four in Colorado, U.S. National Championships at the Wasatch Powderkeg, and the ISMF European Championships and World Cup races in Azerbaijan. Cam shares insight on the athletes who stood out, the dynamics of each race format, and what these performances say about the current state of skimo in the U.S. and internationally.

They also preview the legendary Pierre Menta, one of the most iconic stage races in ski mountaineering, and discuss which teams could make an impact over four demanding days in the Alps.

Along the way, Cam reflects briefly on life after the Olympics, the excitement surrounding skimo’s growing global stage, and what’s next as the season continues.

In this episode, they cover:

• Power of Four results and course changes
• Highlights from U.S. National Championships at the Wasatch Powderkeg
• Sprint, relay, individual, and vertical race standouts
• European Championships and World Cup racing in Azerbaijan
• Athletes and teams to watch at Pierre Menta
• A quick look at the skimo scene after the Olympics

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show 

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

The long-distance world championships are here, and on this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy is joined by two of America’s top ski mountaineers, Logan Gray and Colin Kelly, for a deep dive into Pierre Menta — the iconic four-day stage race known as the Tour de France of ski mountaineering.

Logan and Colin join from France just days before the race to break down what makes Pierre Menta so unique: massive vertical gain, technical terrain, ever-changing snow conditions, huge crowds, and four straight days of racing that demand fitness, precision, and resilience. They talk about the atmosphere on the ground, what it takes to prepare for an event like this from Colorado, and why this race remains one of the purest and most demanding tests in the sport.

They also get into their training philosophies, from highly data-driven preparation to more feel-based approaches, along with the tactical decisions that can make or break a race like this. If you want a better understanding of elite skimo, long-distance race strategy, and the American athletes taking on one of the sport’s most legendary events, this is a fun one.

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show 

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Trail running legend and multi-time national champion Max King joins us on Skimo Gold for a wide-ranging conversation about mountain sports, aging as an endurance athlete, and why ski mountaineering might be the ultimate cross-training tool.

Max shares how watching European mountain runners—especially athletes like Kilian Jornet—inspired him to pick up skimo as a winter training strategy. What started as cross-training turned into racing, and he now credits ski mountaineering with elevating his performance in iconic mountain events like the legendary Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska.

We dig into:

• Why skiing uphill builds specific muscular endurance for mountain running
• How Max balances 40–50 miles of running per week while ski training
• The physiology behind skimo as preparation for steep European mountain races
• Training structure: threshold work, VO2 intervals, and race prep on skis
• The role of friendly rivalry in staying sharp

Max also opens up about his evolving perspective as a veteran athlete in a sport now filled with teenagers and 20-somethings—and how experience, strength, and durability shift over time.

Beyond racing, Max is building the future of U.S. skimo. He shares the story behind launching a youth ski mountaineering program in Bend, Oregon—growing from just a few kids to a developing middle school team that’s starting to show up at regional races. It’s grassroots development in action, modeled after programs like Silver Fork, and a glimpse into how the U.S. can continue closing the gap internationally.

We also touch on:

• His return attempt at the brutal Barkley Marathons
• The evolution of skimo in the Olympics
• What it means to see U.S. athletes qualify on the world stage

This episode is about longevity, mountain culture, cross-sport performance, and investing in the next generation.

If you’re a runner curious about skimo, a skier looking to get faster uphill, or a coach building youth programming, this one’s for you.

Let’s go!

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith 

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show 

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.