Here at The High Route Podcast we’ve come to the conclusion of season 2 here on the podcast. We’ll pick back up again with season three in late summer.  

On this episode, we have the privilege of checking in with Billy Haas. 

Haas is an IFMGA guide, professional avalanche educator, and ski mountaineer. If you are someone who skims the surface of the ski mountaineering scene, it’s easy to see how Haas may not have caught your attention. He barely posts on social media. Google his name, and what populates, mostly are his professional bios—yes, you can find him guiding in the Wasatch, Tetons, and Alaska Range, and other places that require focus and a love for type II fun. But you’ll have to dig a bit deeper to get the full picture of Haas and the breadth of his adventuring. 

Now and then, Haas may author a trip report in the American Alpine Journal, or be part of a crew reporting on a significant descent on, no doubt, complex and steep terrain. 

What you’ll hear about in this podcast is not a “there I was” reflection on this or that steep line. You will, however, learn about Haas’ path into guiding, how he once maybe skipped a few lacrosse practices to take an avalanche course on Mount Washington and found a lifelong mountain partnership with Adam Fabrikant.

Along the way, there was dishwashing, road trips, lots of aspirational clients, and a vision to be the best he could be practicing his mountain craft.
 

Lastly, we touch upon Haas’ story in Issue One of The High Route Journal…titled The Patient. Haas explores his two major heart surgeries— intermittent diversions on his path toward excellence, and climbing and skiing— in good style—Gasherbrum I and II. 

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

There’s something a bit different on today’s episode. It all started back in March when I Googled a general term like “backcountry skiing in the news.”

A February article from the LA Times was indexed. The piece was by LA Times writer Jack Dolan, and it was titled:  “Backcountry skiing is growing in popularity, but experts warn it’s more dangerous than you think.”

LINK TO VIDEO

Dolan wrote a story and included an accompanying video. I’d give the video a watch if you’ve got a moment before listening to the podcast, as it provides some context for the episode during which I interview Dolan. The video is linked in the show notes and on The High Route website. 

For some skiers and boarders, backcountry touring begins when they realize lift-serve skiing is either too expensive, too crowded, or a combo of the two. Dolan says in the video that a day at an area can feel “like a Day at Disneyland, not the Great Outdoors.” 

About 30 seconds into the video, the piece pivots from images of skiers in a way-too-long lift line to serene images of powder skiing on some sun-kissed backcountry mountain slope. Yes, the backcountry. 

A minute into the video, the tone changes. The music becomes more intense, and we learn, through Dolan’s careful language, that ski areas are what we already know, somewhat curated and controlled mountainscapes. 

Soon enough, Dolan begins to explore snow instabilities and avalanches. Topics you are likely aware of if you are a regular THR reader or listener. 

The combination of the music, the narrative, and the images, at least to me, presents a forbidding vibe. A vibe so intense that I came away from the video thinking, “Why do I partake in backcountry touring?”

Mine is just one perspective, I get that Dolan’s is another. 

After asking myself this somewhat rhetorical question, I then found myself asking, why would anyone half interested in backcountry touring want to try the endeavor after seeing the LA Time’s video: certainly, some enticing moments in the video capture what most of us seek in the backcountry, but if one word can surmise what I was seeing: that word is scary.

More to the point, what I saw in the video seemed dissonant from 99% of my backcountry time. Which isn’t and wasn’t scary at all, but rather, blissful, cleansing, and frankly, great for my mental health.

I suppose, if the general public does a somewhat casual search of the backcountry scene, what populates, most often, is the more extreme: the steep selfy-stick lines, the avalanche incidents, the heroes and heroines dancing along spines, or the way-to-close snap and crack of a weak layer that then cascades to the left as the snowboarder sweeps to the right—all by design. 

Maybe the algorithm selects for extreme over serene. 

I’ll preface the interview with Dolan by stating that backcountry touring can be dangerous. But, it can also be super safe, outside the possibility of twisting a knee or breaking a bone, which, for that matter, is something that can happen on any sports field or mountain bike trail. Or city street. 

Part of my motivation for reaching out to Dolan had more to do with explaining that touring can be the opposite of forbidding. And that it’s ok and not a ton of work to ski or ride very mellow terrain on any given day. Which is what most of us do anyway.

So, in the episode, we get a beginner’s perspective on backcountry touring. We should note, as you’ll learn, Dolan is no stranger to taking calculated risks. 

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Welcome to mid-spring here at The High Route Podcast. Here in the Pacific Northwest, ski crampon season. It is also the season to unearth an interview with Fay Manners, a British alpinist and ski mountaineer, recorded late last summer. 

Manners caught my attention for one reason: she practices the aforementioned mountain disciplines at a high level. To optimize mountain conditions in winter and the shoulder seasons, it helps to be skilled at rock, ice, and mixed climbing, and when the snow is stable and conditions prime, slapping skis or a snowboard on the feet makes sense, too. 

Over the years, British alpinist/ski-alpinist Fay Manners has built up a reputation as a go-getter. Which is to say that Manners comes with the full mountain-skills package.

In 2024, Manners and Tom Lafaille opened up the Stratonspherique ski line on the Aiguille d’Argentière. 

On the alpinism side, Manners has the first female ascent of the Phantom Direct route on the south face of the Grand Jorasses. She also climbed the North Face of the Eiger, the American Direct on the Dru, and the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses.

Far from exuding the vibe of an adrenaline junkie, Manners imparts an ethos of building skills, becoming fit, and knowing when one is at their limits, and using those skills to—and again, we’ll emphasize multi-disciplinarian skills—to move efficiently and safely in the hills.

Manners has had her share of close calls. Having recorded this interview last summer, we had kept an eye on Manners and her adventures. When this headline came across a newsfeed, there was a sinking feeling: Two climbers go missing. 

These stories often don’t end well. Manners and her partner, American alpinist Michelle Dvorak, were rescued three days later. The pair lost much of their gear, including their shelter, when rockfall severed a haul line. For those of us following thousands of miles away, the rescue came as a huge relief. 

On flat ground, Manners is trained and has worked as a data analyst; on less flat ground, she’s come into her own as a mountain athlete. But for those just being introduced to the mountains, Manners is a reminder that mountain pedigree is what you make of it. In her twenties, Manners began tapping into snow and climbing while working as a data analyst in New York City. From Vermont’s Jay Peak to New York’s Gunks, she’s lived a full-value life in Alaska, Pakistan, and near her adopted home in Chamonix. 

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

For those of you keen on backcountry skiing podcasts, you will hear a familiar voice on this episoide. Doug Stenclik is our guest—he’s part owner of Cripple Creek Backcountry and the host of Totally Deep, Cripple Creek’s podcast. 

The past several years have seen a topsy-turvy world generally and a boom-bust cycle regarding backcountry skiing/riding business. Stenclik offers insight into the business operations of selling items like touring boots and bindings. Business, when it comes to skins and skimo, for example, isn’t always rainbows and unicorns. There are supply chain snafus, dry winters, and the undeniable fact that backcountry touring requires some know how and elevated heart rates.   

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Before we roll into this episode full steam, here’s some basic information: this interview was recorded in the fall of 2023. That was when a group from the US, including Jimmy Chin and Jim Morrison, planned to approach Mount Everest’s north side to attempt to ski the Hornbein Couloir. The project was part of a larger documentary project. This past fall, in 2024, that team made another attempt but was reportedly stymied by poor conditions. 

All this is to say that back in 2023, skiing the Hornbein popped up in the news cycle. Around then, I reached out to Jeremy Evans for an interview. He’s the author of an excellent book I read titled See You Tomorrow: The Disappearance of Snowboarder Marco Siffredi on Everest. 

This episode of The High Route podcast is that interview with Jeremy Evans, the Tahoe-based author of this good read. We mostly discuss the book and the protagonist, Macro Siffredi. 

Siffredi was a Chamonix-based snowboarder who arrived on the extreme descent scene with extraordinary flare in the late 1990s. In 2002, Siffredi disappeared as he descended the Hornbein Couloir on Everest’s North Side. He was 23 years old at the time. 

Although the podcast is not a book review if you enjoy climbing and ski/ride adventures and examinations of human nature and what motivates us in the mountains if you pick up the book, you’ll find it doesn’t disappoint.
 

Further, Thanks to Evans for his incredible patience as we sat on this episode—we got caught up in life and building out The High Route, but we are deeply appreciative of his time and for making the efforts to illuminate more about Siffredi’s life.

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Retirement. It is a word with notes of one chapter solidly shutting down and, with good fortune, another opening up—a transition in chapters we expect to manifest later in life. 

Hadley Hammer, in her late thirties, is in such a transition. Hammer sent out a notice today, Feb. 17th, marking her retirement from performance skiing. In other words, from being a pro skier. 

In her retirement statement, she writes, "I am walking away from peak performance, but not from the mountains nor the outdoor community and certainly not from skiing, which I still think is the most delightful way to spend time. My aim isto take all my experience, be it growing up and living in mountain towns to professional athletics, and combine them with my love and adoration of storytelling. I want to use my words to shape culture and habits. To celebrate play, delight, partnerships, and the natural world.”

At The High Route, we primarily know Hammer as a fine writer. Someone whose sentences take time to craft and whose narrative arcs speak truths. She's got a solid essay on fashion style in the backcountry in issue 1 of The High Route magazine. (For more of Hammer’s writing on style, check out her Substack, TOGS. 
 

For someone soon to be pushing into her fourth decade, Hammer has lived a full-spectrum existence. And we explore those ups and downs (but mostly the ups) in this episode. We are grateful for her time and look forward to working with her in the future. 

For now, we'll link to a snazzy short-film released today, filmed and produced by Sophie Danison, titled Fortune."Fortune is a short film—an incantation to see our own fortune by observing closely the beauty of the world around you.”

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Sometimes, the eyes go wide, the mind quiets and thoughts turn to the realization that you might be watching mastery. Chamonix-based skier, Vivian Bruchez illicites these expressions. For some time now, he has captured the imaginations of steep-skiing fans. Many skiers and riders open new lines, climb, and descend in good style: they break on through a mental, physical, or terrain barrier and make something audacious look possible. This is, in many ways, Bruchez's signature. No matter how steep or exposed, he pivots on a dime, dry skis with aplomb, and exudes joy. Whether it's his disheveled signature hair or his easy-going vibe, Bruchez is likable and at the pinnacle of the rarified ski-mountaineering scene in the Alps and beyond. 

His list of first descents runs deep.

In this episode of The High Route Podcast, we connect with Bruchez after his day on Chamonix's slopes, teaching a class for ENSA, the French National School of Skiing and Mountaineering. While we don't discuss specific lines he's opened, we do dive into his thoughts on his mental preparedness, how he tries to see life through a child's eyes, and, of course, for the gear folks out there, we discuss his choice in equipment for the steeps.

Those looking to watch and learn more about Bruchez can find links in our THR Curates series.  

Thanks for listening, and have a good day, 

The High Route Team.   

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is shipping. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

On this episode of The High Route Podcast, we do some exploring with Andy Sovick. If you are unfamiliar with Sovick, he is the humble founder of Beacon Guidebooks. Several years ago, Beacon released a few high-quality ski atlases that generated some buzz. The business has grown, yet the company remains dedicated to core values that promote safety while providing ski-run information to the community.

Go on most, if not all, outdoor-oriented online forums, and somewhere, without much filtering, you land on threads dealing with gatekeeping. Here at The High Route, we discuss and think about this a lot—how much information disclosure relates to ski zones is too much and how much is just enough. Likewise, Sovick has thought about this a bunch, too. He possesses a good perspective on blending information that allows others to enjoy the backcountry while being deeply grounded in creating a product that informs potential users about the pitfalls in and around the terrain described in their ski atlases.

And if you love maps, Sovick has a few book recommendations.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is ready to ship. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Thanks for listening,

The High Route Team   

One of the best parts of liking to ask questions and running The High Route is the opportunity to speak to folks we admire and want to learn from. With this in mind, photographer Drew Smith is the guest on this episode. 

Smith’s work spans the spectrum from outdoor-related commercial work to full-value expedition photography. We are drawn to his images for many reasons. First and foremost, there’s his documentarian style and vibe. In short, Smith is along for the ride, documenting rather than staging, keeping up with rather than slowing the tempo down. He’s a high-level climber and snowboarder who is often along on an expedition as an equal: he’ll lead ice and rock pitches, set a booter, crampon up a face with his snow sliding tools in tow, and camera ready. 

Born and raised in rural Montana, low-key and modest are Smith’s hallmarks as he’d rather draw attention to his art and craft than to himself. We are excited to close out the 2024 podcast year with his interview.

You find find Smith's photography here at Drew Smith Media.

You can find Smith's written musing's here at Drew's Plan.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is in the works. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Thanks for listening,

The High Route Team   

It has been more than a minute since our last episode. Over here at The High Route, there has been a bit of burying our heads in the sand as we focus on sending out our final proofs for our print version of The High Route. In the spirit of print, we have Michael Levy as our guest on the podcast. 

Levy is the driving force behind the resurrection of Summit Journal—an esteemed print magazine last printed in 1996. The history of Summit Journal is pretty fascinating, and Levy speaks about that legacy in more detail on The Run Out. If you do not read or subscribe to Summit Journal and enjoy climbing-related stories, we suggest you try it. Levy has combined his keen editor's sensibilities to produce a large-format magazine that borders on art. No matter how you approach it, Levy's vision has moved the needle positively regarding print offerings in the adventure scene. 

Joining Levy is the regular host and our THR mainstay based in Anchorage, Alaska, Alex Lee. The conversation is part self-serving; we have a ton to learn from folks like Levy as we go into the deep end with our print venture.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader and listener-supported enterprise focusing on human-powered turn making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real deal calorie burning to piece it all together.

We are also excited to announce Issue 1.0 of The High Route magazine is in the works. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

Thanks for listening,

The High Route Team