The SnowBrains Podcast

Season 7, Ep. 109Our guest today is Brandon Swartz, the General Manager of Smugglers' Notch, VT. Brandon learned to ski just down the road at Mount Snow, VT, when he was just 3 years old, and from there, he did just about every single job on the mountain. Ski patrol, race department, lift mechanic, lift ops, mountain ops, before climbing the ladder for over 14 years inside Vail Resorts, the biggest ski operator on Earth, eventually running Attitash and Wildcat, NH. Then he walked away from it all to go home to Vermont and run a funky, fiercely independent mountain, with some of the oldest chairlifts in the country.We dig into his story, why he recently moved to Smugglers' Notch, and the future of this old-school ski resort that has gone through lots of change in the past year. Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:- On ⁠Instagram⁠- On ⁠⁠Facebook⁠- On ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠- On ⁠⁠SnowBrains.com⁠⁠This episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 7, Episode 108

Chris Tomer is an Emmy Award-winning meteorologist and avid backcountry skier. After more than 25 years in Denver, he recently relocated to Columbus, Ohio, to become the Chief Meteorologist at 10TV – WBNS. Although he may be further from the mountains than before, he hasn't lost his obsession with mountain weather, and joins us on the podcast today to talk about the horrific ski season we saw last year, and what this coming season across the United States is currently shaping up to be.

If you care about mountain weather, no matter where in the U.S. you are based, be sure to follow his YouTube Channel for regular videos forecasting where you can find the best snow. 

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 7, Episode 107

Our guest today is Jeff Kohnstamm, President of Timberline Lodge, OR, frequently associated with the longest ski season in North America and home to the iconic Timberline Lodge. Jeff knows this place better than anyone. He literally grew up at the resort, with his father, Richard L. Kohnstamm, running the resort from 1955–1992, when Jeff took over. On this podcast episode, Miles & Jeff dive into all things Timberline Lodge, including its wild and fascinating history, its feature in the cult movie The Shining, new lifts planned to connect The Summit Ski Area with Timberline Lodge (which will create the longest lift-served vertical drop in the United States), and the increasing effects that climate change is having on the longest ski season in North America.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 7, Episode 106

To start Season 7 of the Podcast, we are doing things a little differently. Today, Jeff Banks, IFMGA guide, avalanche course instructor, and CEO & Founder of AspectAvy, is going to join us as we discuss the Castle Peak Avalanche in Lake Tahoe, CA, that took 9 souls last winter in 2026.

This was the deadliest ski/snowboard related avalanche in U.S. history, and there is a lot to unpack, understand, and learn from this incident so we can be safer while knowing the risks of spending time in the backcountry.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 105

Our guest today is Olivier Fremond, the head of Operations & Development at Les 3 Vallées, the world's largest ski resort. When we say large, we're not talking big. We're talking absurdly massive. Les 3 Vallées spans over 600km of pistes, roughly 25,000 acres of skiable terrain, more than 160 lifts, and it connects the legendary ski destinations of Courchevel, Meribel, and Val Thorens in one single ski area.

This is a place where you can ski all day, rack up thousands of vertical feet, ski multiple valleys, and still not even come close to seeing it all. Today, we are diving deep into the numbers, the infrastructure, the logistics, and what it actually takes to operate the biggest ski resort in the world.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 104Our guest today is Alex Ferreira, one of the most accomplished and unique athletes in freeskiing. Alex is an Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist across three different games, but what makes Alex really interesting isn't just the results; it's how he gets them.In this discussion, we talk about affirmation, visualization, and the psychological effects of the music he listens to. It was really interesting to hear from Alex about the psychology and strategies he uses to create the results that he does. We talk about what it takes to win Olympic gold, what was on his mind during that final run in Italy, the variations of those final runs in the Olympics, his training, his mindset, sobriety, identity, and how the character of Hot Dog Hans might actually help him perform at a higher level. This is a deep one.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott.Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 103

Our guest today is Dave Searle – mountain guide, deep mountain thinker, and someone who has built his life around moving through wild places with purpose. Dave has spent years guiding in serious terrain, helping people travel safely and confidently in the mountains while also developing a thoughtful approach to risk, decision making, and what it really means to operate in consequential environments. He also has an amazing YouTube channel that helps people so much in learning about navigating the mountains, including his massive project that he is pushing right now called "The Grand Ski Tour." All of this stuff, about Dave, who he is, and what he creates and produces, is absolutely incredible, and we are honored to have him.

This episode is brought to you by onX Backcountry.Whether you’re planning to drop into a technical couloir or accomplish a high-vert spring volcano tour, make sure you have the app onX Backcountry downloaded ahead of time. With LiDAR-based topo technology, offline 3D maps, and recent imagery, you get an unmatched view of the terrain, even when you don’t have cell service. For a limited time, you can use the code snowbrains60 at onXmaps.com to get sixty percent off your annual membership and start planning your trips in the backcountry with confidence.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott.

Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 102Our guest today is Paul Raymore, Marketing & Communications Manager at Diamond Peak Ski Area, Lake Tahoe's local favorite mountain for big views, uncrowded slopes, and a seriously strong community vibe. Paul has a deep background in mountain operations and marketing, and he is here to talk about what makes Diamond Peak such a hidden gem in the Tahoe ski scene.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott.Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 101Dr. Fawad Mian is a board-certified neurologist and the founder of Advocare Wellness MD. Dr. Mian is trained in traditional neurology and sleep medicine, treating everything from headaches and concussions to dizziness and chronic pain. He's seen a ton of head and other injuries from the snowsports world. Over time, he saw the limits of symptom-based care and shifted towards a more root-cause approach, blending neurology and regenerative and functional medicine. Today, he works with patients who want to stay active, avoid surgery, and keep doing the things they love as they age. We'll talk about brain health, injury recovery, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and especially helmets in the snowsports space.This episode is sponsored by Diamond Peak.Untracked powder and perfect corduroy. These are the things that skiers and riders live for. But finding either at the big-name resorts in the Lake Tahoe area can be almost impossible.That’s why Tahoe locals have gravitated to Diamond Peak Ski Resort when they’re looking to get away from the crowds and find a bit of space.Diamond Peak offers 1,840 vertical feet of steep north-facing groomers, hidden powder stashes, and incredible views of Lake Tahoe from the slopes.Visit www.diamondpeak.com for more info and special deals.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott.Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 100

Will Sladek is the General Manager of onX Backcountry. Will helps lead one of the most influential tools in modern backcountry travel. onX Backcountry has changed how skiers, snowboarders, and mountain travelers plan routes, manage risks, and understand terrain. From mapping and land ownership to avalanche forecasting, weather, and now high-resolution satellite imagery, onX has become a go-to platform for people who spend real time in the mountains.

Today, we get into the nuts and bolts – how onX Backcountry actually works, how big their team is, how many people are using it, what problems they are trying to solve, and why their user experience stands out in an increasingly crowded space. We also talk about decision-making in the backcountry, spring ski mountaineering, satellite imagery, and how technology is shaping the way we move through wild places.

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This episode was edited by Liam Abbott.Hosted by Miles Clark.