Let’s put this out there up front. Before you listen to this episode, we don’t want any spoilers. We’ve got a conversation with Norway’s Nikolai Schirmer lined up, and we'll discuss, in some detail, his ski movie titled “The Greatest Ski Tour of all Time.” Although Schirmer is well known for his 10-15 minute short ski docs (they feel more than just YouTube videos), the movie referenced above runs a full hour and thirty-five minutes. Yes, a legit movie.

We also discuss his YouTube vid “Cliff of the season, and the pinnacle of skiing,” so you might as well watch that, too. We don’t want to ruin the plot for you. 

If Schirmer is new to you, here are some quick facts. He’s a 34-year-old freeskier based in Tromsø, Norway. He completed law school. He is a phenomenal skier, with a penchant for accessing his lines by skinning and then, when it gets steeper, using an assortment of sharp climbing tools and sometimes snow plates. 

Beyond the skiing, which is usually stunning in itself, Schirmer has developed into a master storyteller. His editing cuts are anything but stale; they are crisp, embrace the full spectrum of pacing, and keep the viewer on their toes. He also understands that to keep the viewer interested, rad ski shots won’t do it alone. Viewers become invested in the human beings that populate his videos and his feature-length film. In other words, we begin to care about Schirmer and his good-natured band of friends as they romp around in the hills. 

Which brings us to “The Greatest Ski Tour of all Time.” The film is a meditation on Schirmer and his childhood friend, Vegard Rye, who is an IFMGA guide and medical school student. Both were upstart ski park groms, but somewhere along the way, Rye and Schirmer became motivated by different fruits: Rye sought solitude in the mountains, whereas Schirmer harnessed his creative and ski talents and became very much a modern professional skier. Someone, he claims, very early in the film, who sought awards.

Well, that’s that. We don’t want to spoil the film for you, so think about watching it before listening to this episode. 

Lastly, we do discuss suicidal thoughts and depression in the episode. We’ll link to some suicide prevention resources in the show notes. 

If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org . In life-threatening situations, call 911.

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’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.  

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. 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.

In this episode, which comes fast on the heels of our last episode (we’re getting a bit ambitious over here), we explore some new research about the Safeback SBX system. The research paper we explore is titled "Respiratory Gas Shifts to Delay Asphyxiation in Critical Avalanche Burial." The research paper was published in the esteemed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Our resident ER Doc and wilderness medicine expert, Dr. Patrick Fink, is our guest to help break down the research. 

Ok, what is the Safeback SBX system? Here’s how Fink explains it: “It’s a manually-triggered fan system that can be integrated into a backpack or vest that directs a flow of fresh air around a rider’s face during an avalanche burial."

We have a few articles about the Safeback SBX system—you can find those stories here. 

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’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.  

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. 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.

This episode goes deep with Andy Lewicky. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve likely, over the years, come across his ski touring blog, SierraDescents, which, as the name suggests, covers touring and ski mountaineering in California, and more specifically, in and around Southern California. If Lewicky is new to you, his writing and thoughts are well worth the time. 

We ran an interview last winter, shortly after Lewicky and his family lost their home in the Palisades fire. What was clear at the time was that Lewicky has a fondness for his adopted SoCal home (he’s originally from Flagstaff), and he has stories to tell. You’ll have to read it in print, but Lewicky has penned a fine post-fire essay titled "How the Story Ends," that melds touring, fire, and finding beauty in life.

Which is to say, we are psyched to have Lewicky on the podcast. 

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’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.  

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. 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 podcast episode, we are going all in on... ZipFit liners. Specifically, we’ll be speaking with Jeff Colt, marketing and design go-to for the company. I’m going to lead with this and then make a quick exit. This November, ZipFit will release a new touring-specific liner called the Espresso. Ok. The exit. 

ZipFit: What does it stand for? And what is it good for? The easy part first. Evidently, the Zip stands for Zero Pressure Injection Fit. Ok then. ZipFit liners are traditionally foamless high-end liners constructed from neoprene, microfiber, and leather. ZipFit liners also have strategically placed pouches (the tongue and left/right side of each ankle, respectively) where a cork composite can be added (and removed) to customize the fit. From my experience, the cork composite is somewhat like the cork-soled Birkenstocks: the cork molds to each individual’s specific anatomy over time. Although I spent one full season in a pair of ZipFit prototypes last season, in my experience, the cork composite does add the ability to customize and fine-tune fit. In the past, ZipFit has catered more to the list-serve community than pure ski tourists. The company does sell the GFT, a robust and +500g boot liner. Too heavy for some. Enter the Espresso—the company’s first true touring liner.

As this episode’s title suggests, “The Espesso Episode,” is all about the Espresso.

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’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.  

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. 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.

In this episode, Chris Kussmaul is our guest. I’ve been aware of Chirs for a few years—a friend of a friend kind of thing. He is based in Bozeman, Montana and for the part of the year when snow is not on the ground, which is actually a limited time of year in Southwestern, Montana, he works as a geology consultant. When he’s not officially working during the late fall and winter, he’s ski touring, and trying to keep his work schedule limited to almost none. But that is not to say Kussmaul isn’t keeping his eyes open, and maybe doing some work, too. He’s the author of the Peaks and Couloirs of Southwest Montana—A Guide to Backcountry Skiing in the Gallatin, Madison, Bridger, Tobacco Root and Montana Absaroka Mountains. Yes, this is a guidebook. Yup, a traditional guidebook, not an atlas, which are guidebook adjacent, and can be supremely useful, but maybe lack the leave it on the coffee-table and pick up and just read it, every now and then.

Peaks & Couloirs, the short title for the book, is now on its second edition, and if it hasn’t been released by the time your listening to this, it certainly is available for order. The main reason I wanted to interview Kussmaul, is that in a very noisy digital environment regarding apps and sites and the socials, it is rare that a touring guidebook comes along that seems to hit a sweet spot. He includes, in my opinion, a good balance between disclosing information and allowing for readers to have their own adventures. This book might help you find a trailhead, understand the human context of a line/objective, it will not get you up or down or back home. That is up to you. I appreciate that a person took the time to organize this information and make a real-deal guidebook: one, I assume, that will stand the test of time. 

So bottom line, I wanted to learn about his process, his drive to craft an in depth guidebook that is worthy of the mighty Greater YellowStone landscape, and how he handled the pushback from those in the community who desired to keep this type of touring beta under wraps.   

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’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.  

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. 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.

One thing was clear a few years back when watching the film “Mind Over Mountain.” That film documents a team of three women on the classic Bugs to Rogers traverse, and Madleine Martin-Preney was pure fuel. This storied traverse presents a fine backdrop for a fine narrative arc, but much of the time, it is downright brutally hard work in an arena, if the weather cooperates, that is rewarded with good views.

Martin-Preney seemed to have supernatural energy. She was breaking trail, acting as a guide, and, at least to my eyes, was a centering force. She seemed like the kind of partner we’d all wish to have on any mission. Her missions over the years have been epic. It seems that she has a proclivity for suffering (the Type II kind) and a knack for pulling off epics. In 2016, along with four partners, they became the first crew to complete a continuous ski traverse through the Canadian Selkirks. In total, they covered 323 miles and gained over 141,000 feet of elevation. 

We do chat traverses in this episode. But we also dive into the nature of mountain guiding, leadership, and how to be the best possible partner (and version of yourself) on a physically demanding and emotionally taxing adventure. Martin-Preney, as you will learn, leads by example.

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’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.  

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. 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.

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.