The general public tends to write off skaters as grungy, lazy, troublemakers. But that's far from the truth.

In reporting a story for the May issue of Caribou Current, I asked Nederland skateboarders about the lessons skating can teach us. There's a lot more to learn than just how to do a kickflip - skating can teach us how to persevere, how to fail and succeed, and how to be a good person. This episode is a compilation of some of those conversations.

Check out the original story about Ned's skate culture here: How Nederland's skate culture got its wheels on the ground

Special thanks to Dave Kingsbury, who shared this video wof him and his then 4-year-old son Quinn skating together.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

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Thank you for listening!

Guitarist Tony Crank recently performed with friends as Tony Crank Music at The Old Gallery in Allenspark. On this episode of Music of the Mountains, we talk with Tony about his time as a guitarist in Colorado and the reasons he continues playing and learning today.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Today, we’re featuring an episode from our sister podcast, Shay Castle’s Boulder Valley Frequency, about a pair of mountain women breathing life into Ward’s Hotel Columbia, which just opened its doors after a year and a half of renovations. 

A few months ago, Shay paid a visit to Hotel Columbia and its new owners, Masyn Moyer and Gurjeet Gill, to find out what possessed them to renovate the  old building. It’s a story of perseverance and preservation — two things that the town of Ward is certainly known for. 

Also

• Black Hawk bans cannabis businesses
• Gilpin fourth graders lobby Central City for playground improvements
• Billy Giblin, Topher Donahue appointed to Nederland Board of Trustees
• The Vault opens in Nederland

Read Shay's full story about Hotel Columbia here.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Brian and Lacey Loeper are core members of a close group of musicians who arrived in Colorado from different places. This connection of new community members inspired the name Satellite Friend, who now work together to write new songs on a regular basis. Learn more about the band by tuning in to this episode of The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring Brian and Lacey!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Colorado's largest Superfund site by area stretches 400 square miles across Gilpin and Clear Creek counties. The site has been in remediation for nearly five decades, and a new scope of remediation is assessing the health risk of lead left behind by historic mining to residents.

At Gilpin County's annual health fair on May 9, public health workers were testing residents' blood for lead. On today's episode, we sat down with Gilpin's Public Health director Alisa Witt to find out the risks this poses to county residents. 

Also

• Grand Island Resources withdraws application to reopen Cross Mine in Nederland
• Nederland votes to approve affordable housing feasibility study
• Peak to Peak seniors set to graduate this weekend

Check out a map of Colorado's Superfund sites here.

Contact Gilpin County Public Health at 303-582-5803 to schedule free blood lead testing, or for more information on soil and well water testing.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

This week, transitioning into our new regular spot for Music of the Mountains, we're bringing a stand-up comedian, Aaron Foster, onto the show to talk about his upcoming set for his tour, Mostly Jokes, at the Backdoor Theater on Thursday, May 14th. Join us for this slight detour of an episode with Performing in the Peaks!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Today's show features an exclusive interview with Elephant Revival's Bonnie Paine, who just released her debut solo record, Unseen. 

She joins the show today to talk about how the record came together, her path to headlining Red Rocks, and a little known band out of Oklahoma called The Rat Nurses. 

You can read the full story at cariboucurrent.com, or in our May issue, on news racks all over Nederland, Boulder and the Peak to Peak today.

Bonnie will be at Fox Theatre in Boulder on Saturday, May 16.

Also

• Skate culture is alive and well in Nederland at Nathan Lazarus Skatepark
• American Football drummer Steve Lamos at CU
• MainStage Brewing brings the house down with Bluegrass
• Rebuilding from Colorado filmmaker Max Walker-Silverman resonates with wildfire threatened communities on the Front Range
• Boulder Arts Blueprint sets stage for the next 10 years of art in Boulder 

The song at the end of the show is Bonnie Paine's "Unseen", the title track off her new record. Listen to it here.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

After the devastation of the Lakeview Fire in October 2025, Nederland businesses had to find their footing again. With the upcoming opening weekend for Ned's newest hub, The Vault, we're featuring Doug Armitage to talk to him about his business, Brightwood Music, and building it back up with the help of the community.

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

Cross Mine could finally reopen. A final hearing on operator Grand Island Resource's application to resume mining activity is scheduled for May 20 after years of delays.

But where does the town of Nederland fit into all of this? On today's episode, reporter Shay Castle sits down with Nederland Town Manager Jonathan Cain to discuss what's at stake for the mountain town, and what they're doing to keep an eye on GIR's operations. 

Also

• Campaign launches to save The Merc in Jamestown (Donate here: Savethemerc.org)
• Black Hawk hires new city manager

Links

• Watch the May 20 hearing on GIRs application here
• The Mines Part I
• The Mines Part II
• The Mines Part III
• The Mines Part IV

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!

In preparation for the first show of the Gold Hill Inn's 2026 season, learn more about That Damn Sasquatch from primary songwriter and guitarist Spencer Crawford. To prepare for the band's performance on May 1st to start the season off, we talk with Crawford about the history and stylings of the band!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.

If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:

Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected]

Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected]

General inquiries: [email protected]

Head to our website for all of the latest news.

Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.

Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.

Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear

Listen and watch on YouTube today.

Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.

Thank you for listening!