The Caroline Gleich Show

Support for the Caroline Gleich Show and stoke-fueled adventures everywhere comes from Ikon Pass.

From this spring to next winter, the mountains are where the stoke lives. These are the moments that, when we own them, we own them forever. On Sale Now for the 21/22 Season, From $399, discover pass options and own the stoke at:

ikonpass.com

This episode’s guest is Claire Smallwood. Claire is freeskier and the executive director and co-founder of SheJumps, a women's outdoor recreation-focused nonprofit organization facilitating the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities through free and low-cost outdoor education. Smallwood was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico to a family of ranchers, entrepreneurs, and farmers.  She is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Smallwood founded SheJumps along with professional freeskier Lynsey Dyer and journalist Vanessa Pierce. At its 2014 Women + Sports Summit, ESPNW awarded her a $10,000 Everyday Heroes grant in recognition of her work.

On this episode, we talk about what brings Claire the stoke! We talk about her background, where she learned to ski or ride and her first memories of being stoked on the mountain. We learn about her work with SheJumps and how it’s grown over the last eleven years, including the SheJumps x Ikon Pass scholarship program. Then we talk about the future of SheJumps, while bringing the stoke by hearing about Claire’s favorite places to ski and what is next on her bucket list.

I’ve known Claire for over a decade and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to connect with her and hear more about her work.

You can learn more about SheJumps here: https://www.shejumps.org

And follow Claire here: https://www.instagram.com/clairesmallwood_/?hl=en

Support for the Caroline Gleich Show and stoke-fueled adventure seekers everywhere comes from Ikon Pass.

From this spring to next winter, the mountains are where the stoke lives. These are the moments that, when we own them, we own them forever. On Sale Now for the 21/22 Season, From $399, discover pass options and own the stoke at

ikonpass.com

This episode's guest is Kimmy Fasani. Kimmy has been a pioneer in women’s snowboarding since she became the first woman snowboarder to land a double backflip in the park and the powder in 2011.

Aside from being a longtime powerhouse in snowboard film production, Kimmy’s resume also includes a strong social media following and a stack of published photos. She is a vocal ambassador for Boarding For Breast Cancer, Protect Our Winters, LIV Bicycles, and luluemon. Kimmy and her husband, Chris Benchetler- a professional skier married in 2011, are also Co-Owners in Dessert’D Organic Bake Shop, an organic/all natural bakery with a storefront in Mammoth Lakes, CA. They are also co-owners in Juneshine Hard Kombucha, and Marea Coffee.

In this episode, we chat about motherhood and mountains, how she became a sponsored snowboarder, and her life in Mammoth with her two children, Koa and Zeppelin, with her partner, Chris Benchetler. She gives us advice on fueling and planning travel with children and how she finds balance with so many sticks in the fire. We talk about how the mountains and the outdoors have served as mothers for us and she shares her upcoming projects and goals.

Learn more about Kimmy:

http://kimmyfasani.com/bio/

Huge thanks to Ikon Pass for supporting this series! 

For episode 30 of the Caroline Gleich Show (and to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.), we are releasing a special episode about disrupting implicit bias in the outdoors with the Avarna Group. 

On this episode, I sit down with Ava Holliday and Aparna Rajagopal, the founders o the Avarna Group. We take a deep dive into how we can embrace inclusivity to build resiliency for the environmental movement and create an equitable future for people and the planet. We hear the origin story, what they do now, and we share our own experiences with bias in the outdoors. We hear about their work with the Avarna Group 

About the Avarna Group:

"We envision a more resilient and connected world where all humans sustain healthy relationships with ourselves, one another, and our planet. We manifest this vision by creating pathways, providing resources, and innovating strategies that support the outdoor and environmental sector in their evolution toward justice, equity, diversity, inclusion (collectively, JEDI). Specifically, we provide this sector and its leaders with learning experiences, assessments, implementation planning, mentorship and coaching, intentional convenings, and resources. Learn more about our approach and values here.

The Avarna Group fills a gap for organizations working with fulfill their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by supporting with resources and services to navigate through cultural change toward a more sustainable future."

Learn more and support their work: https://theavarnagroup.com/

How can backcountry skiers, snowboarders and human-powered snowsports enthusiasts use their knowledge and experience to protect the places they love to play? Today's guests are Hilary Eisen and David Page from non-profit organization Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA). 

Hilary Eisen is the Policy Director, holds degrees in wildlife biology and conservation and works on National Forest winter travel management and other policy issues that affect backcountry skiers. She's based in Bozeman, MT.

David Page is the Advocacy Director at WWA. He's an award-winning journalist, avid backcountry skiers and is based in Mammoth, California.

In this episode, we talk about their love of human-powered snowsports, what WWA does, what the biggest threats are to the human-powered snowsports experience, and they share their best tips for folks taking up backcountry skiing or snowboarding for the first time.

They also share how backcountry enthusiasts can show up and speak up to protect the places we love to play. 

This episode is part of "Stories from the Skintrack", a special series on the show to help you learn about avalanche and mountain safety through the personal experiences of special guests. We will be talking about close calls and fatalities, tips and tricks on getting into backcountry skiing and splitboarding, climate change, inclusion, mentorship and much more.

Stories from the Skintrack is brought to you in partnership/collaboration with Backcountry.com. The first item ever sold on Backcountry.com was an avalanche beacon out of a garage in Park City, UT way back in 1996. For over 20 years, Backcountry has been dedicated to gearing up folks for safe & unforgettable experiences on the skintrack.  Whether you are thinking about getting into backcountry skiing this year, or just need to make sure you are adequately prepared with the right gear, the Backcountry Gearheads are amazing resources that can help you find exactly what you need. And be sure to also check out your local avalanche forecast center for additional education & information….  gear + knowledge = safety and fun for all!

Check out the backcountry.com gear guide:

https://www.backcountry.com/sc/winter-gear-guide

Protect NEPA and get involved with Winter Wildlands Alliance:

https://winterwildlands.org/

Today’s guest is Janelle Smiley, five time national ski mountaineering champion, endurance mountain runner, mom and an intuitive mindset coach. She completed the first ski descent of Huandoy East, a 6000 m peak in Peru, she ski toured across the entire Alps Range in 36 days, and has climbed the 48 classic climbs of North America. On this episode, we discuss how she got into mountaineering and backcountry skiing, skimo racing, avlanache safety, the Alps Traverse, team dynamics, gear, and being the only woman on the skintrack. We transition into talking about her pregnancy and birth experience and training as a new mom. She shares tips about getting into the mountains with children for new or existing parents. Janelle has been a longtime inspiration of mine and I was so excited to spend this time learning from her.

This is Stories from the Skintrack, a special series on the show to help you learn about avalanche and mountain safety through the personal experiences of special guests. We will be talking about close calls and fatalities, tips and tricks on getting into backcountry skiing and splitboarding, climate change, inclusion, mentorship and much more.

Stories from the Skintrack is brought to you in partnership/collaboration with Backcountry.com. The first item ever sold on Backcountry.com was an avalanche beacon out of a garage in Park City, UT way back in 1996. For over 20 years, Backcountry has been dedicated to gearing up folks for safe & unforgettable experiences on the skintrack.  Whether you are thinking about getting into backcountry skiing this year, or just need to make sure you are adequately prepared with the right gear, the Backcountry Gearheads are amazing resources that can help you find exactly what you need. And be sure to also check out your local avalanche forecast center for additional education & information….  gear + knowledge = safety and fun for all!  Thanks for listening today & stay tuned for the next episode of Stories from the Skintrack.

Check out their gear guide:

https://www.backcountry.com/sc/winter-gear-guide

Be sure to follow Janelle on social media at:  https://www.instagram.com/janelle.smiley/?hl=en

Check out Mark and Janelle's online avalanche course: https://www.mtnsense.com/

Check out Janelle's Mindset Coaching: https://www.janellesmiley.com/mentor

Special thanks to Avery Sandack for his help with the audio on today’s episode, to my partner Rob Lea for being extra quiet while recording and to Jonah Cuddy for the beautiful intro and outro music. If you liked today’s episode, please rate, review and share it with a friend. Until next time.

Welcome to Episode 3 of Stories from the Skintrack, a special series on the show to help you learn about avalanche and mountain safety through the personal experiences of special guests. We will be talking about close calls and fatalities, tips and tricks on getting into backcountry skiing and splitboarding, climate change, inclusion, mentorship and much more.

My guest on this episode is Brooklyn Bell, an artist, mountain biker and backcountry skier based in the Pacific Northwest. Even though Brooklyn is a ripping mountain biker, we focus on her athletic career in snowsports for this winter episode. We talk about how background, how she wanted to be a graphic designer, and how she merged her love of art with backcountry skiing, mountain biking and packaged into a career she loves. She gives us technical tips about avalanche safety, finding partners, managing expectations and gear selection. Brooklyn is one of my favorite people in the outdoor industry and you won’t want to miss this conversation!

Stories from the Skintrack is brought to you in partnership/collaboration with Backcountry.com. The first item ever sold on Backcountry.com was an avalanche beacon out of a garage in Park City, UT way back in 1996. For over 20 years, Backcountry has been dedicated to gearing up folks for safe & unforgettable experiences on the skintrack.  Whether you are thinking about getting into backcountry skiing this year, or just need to make sure you are adequately prepared with the right gear, the Backcountry Gearheads are amazing resources that can help you find exactly what you need. And be sure to also check out your local avalanche forecast center for additional education & information….  gear + knowledge = safety and fun for all!  Thanks for listening today & stay tuned for the next episode of Stories from the Skintrack.

Check out their gear guide:

https://www.backcountry.com/sc/winter-gear-guide

Be sure to follow Brooklyn on social media at: https://www.instagram.com/badgal_brooky/

Support her artwork through her shop: https://www.brooklynbelldesign.com/shop

Special thanks to Avery Sandack for his help with the audio on today’s episode, to my partner Rob Lea for being extra quiet while recording and to Jonah Cuddy for the beautiful intro and outro music. If you liked today’s episode, please rate, review and share it with a friend. Until next time.

Welcome to Episode 2 of Stories from the Skintrack, a special four-part podcast series on the show to help you learn about avalanche and mountain safety through the personal experiences of four special guests. We will be talking about close calls and fatalities, tips and tricks on getting into backcountry skiing and splitboarding, climate change, inclusion, mentorship and much more.

My guest on this episode is Rafael Pease, a splitboard mountaineer and environmentalist and founder of Connections Movement, an award-winning production company telling stories from remote corners of Earth to inspire action and create change.  I’ve been so impressed by his ability as an athlete and storyteller on human-powered, high-altitude expeditions and I’m excited to chat with him today about his background and accomplishments, the role of skiers and snowboarders as activists and advice for people who want to become mountaineers.

Stories from the Skintrack is brought to you in partnership/collaboration with Backcountry.com. The first item ever sold on Backcountry.com was an avalanche beacon out of a garage in Park City, UT way back in 1996. For over 20 years, Backcountry has been dedicated to gearing up folks for safe & unforgettable experiences on the skintrack.  Whether you are thinking about getting into backcountry skiing this year, or just need to make sure you are adequately prepared with the right gear, the Backcountry Gearheads are amazing resources that can help you find exactly what you need. And be sure to also check out your local avalanche forecast center for additional education & information….  gear + knowledge = safety and fun for all!  Thanks for listening today & stay tuned for the next episode of Stories from the Skintrack.

Check out their gear guide: https://www.backcountry.com/sc/winter-gear-guide

Special thanks to Avery Sandack for his help with the audio on today’s episode, to my partner Rob Lea for being extra quiet while recording and to Jonah Cuddy for the beautiful intro and outro music. If you liked today’s episode, please rate, review and share it with a friend. Until next time.

Note: This episode contains strong language.  On this episode, I talk to Jenn Shelton, ultrarunner and fellow Patagonia ambassador about her experience with pregnancy as an elite athlete. 

Thank you to Rising Appalachia for generously allowing me to use their music for the opening and closing jingles.

https://www.risingappalachia.com/