The Backcountry Podcast

Andrew Alexander King is a professional alpinist and big wave surfer who’s well known for his humanitarian work. His prospering career earned him a spot on Outside Magazine’s Top 20 Most Influential People in the Outdoor Industry list in 2022—we couldn’t be more excited about Andrew repping the Goat as one of our athletes.  

Nils gets into Andrew’s upbringing in Detroit and Hawaii and discusses his introductions to both surfing and mountaineering. Andrew touches on his passion for giving back to the communities while pursuing his love for the ocean and mountains.  

 What’s your favorite AAK project? Let us know in the comments! 

 Check out Andrew’s Between Two Worlds Project: https://www.thebetweenworldsproject.com/ 

Chapters With Times: 

0:00 – Intro 
1:01 – What's New  
2:08 – Big Wave Surfing 
4:29 – Intro To Surfing 
6:45 – Moving From Detroit To Hawaii 
10:54 – Picking Up Alpinism 
13:13 – Marine/Alpine Balance 
18:01 – From Track To Outdoor Sports 
22:13 – Perspective Is Everything 
25:33 – Education, Employment, Volunteering 
33:25 – Mentorship & Giving Back 
41:13 – Recognition  
44:48 – Setting Goals 
52:29 – What's Next 

Check out the featured products & Andrew’s sponsors here:  

Backcountry Hybrid Grid Fleece Pullover
Shop All Backcountry Gear & Apparel
Shop All Scarpa Footwear
Shop Everything Black Diamond
Shop Everything Sea To Summit
Shop Surfing Gear
Shop Mountaineering
Shop The World’s Biggest Gear Closet

 #venturebeyond 

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
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• Facebook
• Explore Blog

This episode’s guest, Robert Workman, founded Goal Zero power banks and Barebones premium camp kitchen gear. Considering he’s the mind behind two of our favorite brands, we knew we’d have tons to talk about—but the conversation exceeded expectations.  

 Our host Nils discusses Robert’s interests in humanitarian work and the entrepreneurial mindset that keeps him busy. Robert unveils the fascinating story of how the first Goal Zero power bank came to fruition out of necessity in sub-Saharan Africa—give his story a listen! 

See Robert’s Humanitarian Work At Tifie

Chapters With Times: 

 0:00 – Intro 
1:14 – Beginnings In Humanitarian Work 
3:30 – Creation Of Goal Zero 
7:50 – Building A Power Bank 
10:57 – Tifie Humanitarian Work 
17:57 – Barebones 
30:10 – Entrepreneurial Mindset 
36:02 – Business Wisdom 
39:49 – Outro 

Check out the featured products here:  

 Shop Goal Zero Power banks
Shop Barebones Camping Gear
Shop All Camp Gear
Shop All Overlanding
Shop The World’s Biggest Gear Closet 

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

We invited Rachael Galipo on the show to talk about her extensive experience in outdoor photography, and her budding freelance career. Rachael is impressively multi-talented in her field, working in both pursuit and studio photography as well as producing and directing.  

Rachael and Nils connect on van life, her camera of choice, and team dynamics over the course of a photo shoot. Rachael brings a unique perspective to outdoor photography thanks to her experience in wilderness therapy. You don’t want to miss this one! 

Read our Climbing Checklist
Watch our video about climbing & skiing Frey Argentina
See what Rachael is up to: https://www.rachaelgalipo.com/ 

Chapters With Times: 

0:00 – Intro 
1:03 – Road Trip Turned Van Life 
5:05 – The Camera 
13:21 – Going Full-time Freelance 
17:48 – Becoming A Production Swiss Army Knife 
23:00 – Future Projects & Directing 
28:46 – Stress Management  
30:13 – The Documentary 
34:47 – Playing The Long Game 
40:21 – Being Personable 
49:37 – What's Next? 
54:24 – Climber's Question 
55:05 – Outro 

Check out the featured products here:  

Shop Backcountry Climbing Apparel
Shop Climbing Footwear
Shop Everything Climb
Shop Backcountry Bike Apparel
Shop The World’s Biggest Gear Closet

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

Julian Carr is a decorated pro skier, businessman, and is known for hitting some of the biggest cliffs of all time on his skis. He’s also the founder of the Cirque Series which is the premiere mountain running series, of which Backcountry is a proud sponsor.  

 Our podcast host Nils digs into Julian’s professional skiing career, touching on injuries, sponsorships, and graduating from 40ft to 220ft cliffs. The pair also talk through the conception of the Cirque Series and why these races mean so much to the greater mountain sports community.  

Check out the Cirque Series
Read our Intro To Trail Running Article

Check out the featured products & Julian’s sponsors here:  

Shop All On Running Shoes & Apparel
Shop everything Rab
Shop Icelantic Skis
Shop everything Gordini
Shop all Backcountry skiing apparel
Shop all trail running shoes
Shop The World’s Biggest Gear Closet

Chapters With Times:

 0:00 – Intro 
1:06 – Colorado vs. SLC Homebase  
4:38 – Utah Upbringing 
7:25 – Catching The Pro Skiing Bug 
11:15 – Discipline & Professionalism 
13:34 – Balancing Skiing & Business 
17:40 – The Snowsports Athlete Timeline 
20:46 – Discrete Clothing 
23:28 – Cliff Jumping 
31:24 – Femur Injury 
36:40 – Big Cliff Progression 
47:00 – Being Present 
50:16 – Cirque Series Inspiration 
1:03:20 – Race Breakdown 
1:15:49 – DOJAMAT  
1:18:08 – Outro 

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

We sat down with Shyanne Orvis to welcome her onto the team as a Backcountry athlete and talk about her career as a fly fishing guide. Shy discusses becoming a mother and the importance of continuing her guiding career despite her new responsibilities.  

Our host, Nils Mindnich, connects with Shy on the comradery that she experienced while filming the latest Venture Beyond episode. (Be sure to check it out if you haven’t yet!) Shy also depicts how fly fishing anchored her through a troubling childhood and how it helps her process hardships in all aspects of life. 

What part of Shy’s story inspires you the most? Have you seen Shy in the latest Venture Beyond episode? Let us know in the comments! 

 Venture Beyond | Ep. 3 | Shy On The Fly: https://youtu.be/_6JU23ZrtUU

Chapter Timestamps:   

0:00 – Intro 
1:18 – Orvis Backstory 
2:06 – Childhood 
5:27 – Living in Colorado 
7:10 – Committing to Fly Fishing 
9:33 – Reflection & Being Present 
11:06 – Getting into Guiding  
14:07 – Approach to Guiding 
16:02 – Motherhood 
20:00 – Breaking the Parenting Mold 
24:48 – Ladies On The Fly 
27:20 – Being a Woman in the Industry 
30:39 – Belize & Saltwater Fishing 
33:25 – Venture Beyond Trip Recap 
36:14 – Non-profit Work  
39:07 – Hosted Destination Trips 
42:20 – What's Next? 
43:48 – Bucket List Fish 
45:23 – Shoutouts 

Check out the featured products here:  

Grundéns Waders: https://www.backcountry.com/grundens-waders
Everything Grundéns: https://www.backcountry.com/grundens
Backcountry Women’s Tahoe 2 Sun Hoodie: https://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-tahoe-sun-hoodie-womens
Backcountry Men’s Tahoe 2 Sun Hoodie: https://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-tahoe-sun-hoodie-mens
Backcountry Women’s Teo ALLIED Down Jacket: https://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-teo-down-jacket-womens
Backcountry Men’s Teo ALLIED Down Jacket: https://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-teo-down-jacket-mens
Grundens Women’s Boundary Stockingfoot Wader: https://www.backcountry.com/grundens-boundary-stockingfoot-wader-womens 

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

Paralympic ski racer, Tanner Hopson, first connected with Backcountry through our partnership with the National Ability Center. Just three and a half years after becoming a bilateral above-knee amputee, Tanner has committed himself to his career in skiing, and finding the strength to grow amidst adversity. 

 Backcountry Podcast host Nils Mindnich and Tanner confront many of life’s hard truths, and discuss the mental make-up that comes with fearing the unknown. Tanner’s tenacious outlook on life stems from his previous career in construction and being a sepsis survivor. He’s an awesome inspiration, and his story is one you won’t want to miss! 

 Read about the National Ability Center: https://discovernac.org/about/ 

Read Courtney Custer’s story with the NAC: https://www.backcountry.com/explore/an-athlete-rides-on 

Check out Backcountry’s Partnership with the NAC: https://discovernac.org/news/backcountry-partners-with-national-ability-center/ 

Chapters With Times: 

0:00 – Intro 
0:52 – B-Town Laps With Nils 
1:50 – Asphalt & Tenacity 
3:29 – Upbringing & Free Will 
6:14 – Whitefish  
7:23 – Mystery Illness 
9:06 – Sepsis & Amputations 
12:15 – COVID-19 
13:59 – Finding The New Normal 
17:52 – Prosthetics & Walking 
19:04 – Sit Ski & Equipment 
22:53 – Evolving Goals 
27:26 – Tanner’s Motivators 
34:05 – Equality In Mountain Sports 
35:59 – Overcoming Tragedy 
40:29 – What's Next In Skiing? 
44:11 – Enjoy The Process 
49:10 - Outro 

Check out the featured products here:  

 Backcountry Ski Apparel
Backcountry Men’s Cottonwoods GORE-TEX Jacket
Backcountry Men’s Cottonwoods GORE-TEX Bib Pant
Backcountry Women’s Cottonwoods GORE-TEX Jacket
Backcountry Women’s Cottonwoods GORE-TEX Bib Pant 
The World’s Biggest Gear Closet: https://www.backcountry.com/ 

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

Caroline Gleich is a ski mountaineer, climate activist, Backcountry athlete, and all-around badass. She finds her awe on nature’s most prolific peaks and aims to inspire climate activism through storytelling. 

 In this true-to-life conversation with Nils Mindnich, the pair discuss longevity and recovery—Caroline even tells us about summiting Mt. Everest with a torn ACL. She also dives into what it takes to level up as an athlete, and what being a recognized climate activist within the space is like. 

How do you participate in climate activism? Let us know in the comments! 

 Check out our What To Pack For Backcountry Skiing video
Check out our Avalanche Safety Article
Check out Patagonia Action Works 

Chapters With Times: 

0:00 – Intro 
0:48 – Utah Winter Recap 
2:32 – Greenland & Travel 
6:33 – Conquering Burnout 
10:18 – Upbringing & Intro To Skiing 
15:03 – Longevity  
23:35 – Activism 
32:39 – Everest 
40:16 – Patagonia’s Role In Activism 
47:34 – The Social Media Question 
51:09 – Endurance 
56:16 – Outro

Check out the products featured & Caroline’s sponsors here:  

Everything Patagonia 
Everything Clifbar 
Elan Skis 
Scarpa Ski Boots
Everything Scarpa 
Everything Julbo
Everything LEKI
Pret Helmets

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

Backcountry athlete Melissa Riitano spent much of her snowboarding season here in Utah to enjoy our historic snow year. Melissa has been a pro snowboarder for over a decade, and she’s currently shifting her focus from street riding to backcountry snowboarding in deep powder.  

Trusty host Nils Mindnich talks through Melissa’s snowboarding journey and her mental process for progression. Melissa has a methodical approach to her immediate goals that also plays into her multi-season progression plan—it’s truly fascinating to see what it takes to perform at such a high level.  

Nils finishes off the episode with a fun question that we’d also like to ask you; What time period would you go to if you stumbled across a time machine? We might just go back to the start of this last winter! Let us know what your answer is in the comments! 

Check out our video about our NST Freeride Kit

Check out our video about the Cardiac Kit

Check out our Snowboard Boot Guide

Chapters With Times:

0:00 – Intro
1:01 – Beginnings In Photography & Snowboarding
4:23 – The Infamous Subie
6:12 – Turning Snowboarding Into A Career
11:06 – Building A Strong Mindset
14:32 – Sense Of Self Vs. Goals & Pursuits
16:34 – Learning New Skills & Hobbies
18:33 – Kodiak Cakes
20:25 – Product Development 
22:51 – Backcountry Snowboarding
29:20 – Upcoming Goals
35:00 – Progression By The Season
39:02 – Random Question
40:30 – Outro

Check out the products featured & Melissa’s sponsors here: 

Melissa’s Jacket
Melissa’s Pants
Melissa’s Puffy
All Backcountry Snow Gear
Everything Backcountry
K2 Snowboards
K2 Snowboard Bindings
K2 Snowboard Boots
Coal Headwear
Crab Grab
Yakima Snow Racks
Everything

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
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• Facebook
• Explore Blog

Matt Bluher is the director of brand marketing here at Backcountry. This dedicated skier and fly fisherman has been working in the outdoor industry for 15 years, and while he’s new to the Herd, he embodies our core values to the fullest.  

Our host Nils Mindnich plunges into Matt’s professional career in sports marketing, including a modest beginning working in ski shops and retail stores. They discuss the good and bad effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the outdoor industry and community. Nils concludes their conversation with a riveting “Would you rather?” question—we think you should take the bait and give it a listen! 

Check out our Taming The Wolverine Short Film

Climbing Checklist

Check out the products featured here:  

• Everything Black Diamond 
• Everything Fjällräven 
• Everything Ski 
• Everything Climb 
• Everything Fly Fishing 
• Everything Bike 
• Everything Backcountry

0:00 - Intro 
1:23 - Outdoors As An Outlet 
4:58 - Upbringing 
6:21 - Working In Retail 
11:02 - Going International 
12:55 - Black Diamond & Utah 
14:11 - Work-Life Balance 
17:36 - Climbing & Black Diamond Continued 
19:52 - Boundaries & Colleagues 
21:37 - Prioritizing
25:08 - 2020 Industry Impacts 
40:14 - Community 
44:39 - Would You Rather 
46:24 - Outro 

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog

This week we invited Backcountry ambassador Kait VanHoff on the podcast to show you all what it looks like to rep the Goat. Kait is a familiar face to anyone who engages with our content—whether she’s on the board or the bike she always inspires us.  

We cover a lot in this episode, from being a new dog mom, to the ins and outs of social media, and more. Kait is self-employed and she approaches content with an open-minded perspective that’s refreshing to all of us.  

Kait places a huge emphasis on health and wellness in her life through many paths, with yoga being an important constant. Kait finds yoga to be highly beneficial to her passion for snowboarding, mountain biking, and skiing as well.  

Check out our Outervention series to see Kait in action

Check out our Set Your Adventure Dog Up For Success article

Check out our Ready, Set, Road Trip article

Top Picks For Spring Road Trips

Revitalize Retreats

Chapters With Times: 

0:00 - Intro 
0:42 - Millie the dog 
2:22 - Content creation 
3:58 - Traveling 
7:39 - Content creation as a career 
13:47 - TikTok vs. Instagram 
16:19 - Sports background 
20:41 - Learning new things 
23:16 – Yoga & retreats 
39:27 - Dream travel spot 
41:24 - Studio classes 
43:47 - More Millie talk 
44:44 - Outro 

Check out the products featured here:  

Backcountry Yoga Apparel
Backcountry Travel Gear
Backcountry Bike Gear
Everything Yoga
Everything Travel
Everything Bike

Connect with a Gearhead: Call 1-800-409-4502 or chat with us online.

What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

Follow Along for More Content!

• Backcountry Bulletin
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Explore Blog