The Avalanche Hour Podcast

Therapy for the Soul: A Beginner’s Toolbox into Navigating Grief, Trauma, and LossGuest:Jenny Fiebig – Licensed Professional Counselor, IFS Trainer, Outdoor Trauma SpecialistHost:Brooke “Shiny” EdwardsRecording Date:December 4th, 2024Episode Summary:In this deeply insightful episode of The Avalanche Hour Podcast, host Brooke “Shiny” Edwards sits down with Jenny Fiebig, a licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma related to outdoor accidents. Jenny shares her journey from outdoor educator and guide to becoming a trauma therapist, blending her love for the wilderness with mental health counseling.They explore how trauma impacts the nervous system, how to process grief and loss in outdoor communities, and how professionals and recreationalists alike can navigate their emotions without suppressing them. Jenny also walks Brooke through real-time nervous system regulation techniques, providing valuable tools for listeners struggling with anxiety or fear in the mountains.This episode serves as both an educational experience and an intimate exploration of Internal Family Systems (IFS)therapy, trauma recovery, and the power of self-compassion in high-risk environments.Key Discussion Points:• How outdoor trauma manifests in the nervous system• Understanding the IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy model• The “warrior mentality” in outdoor culture and why it can be harmful• Differentiating healthy vs. destructive coping mechanisms after accidents or loss• Tools for navigating fear, grief, and trauma in the backcountry• The stress continuum and recognizing the warning signs of mental health struggles• The work of SOAR (Survivors of Outdoor Adventures in Recovery) in helping trauma survivors healGuest Bio & Background:Jenny Fiebig is a licensed professional counselor in Montana and Colorado, specializing in trauma therapy for outdoor-related accidents. She has a background in outdoor education and guiding, which informs her work in helping individuals heal from experiences of loss, grief, and PTSD related to the backcountry.Jenny pursued a graduate degree in mental health counseling at Montana State University and became a specialist in IFS therapy, now working as a global trainer with the IFS Institute. She is also deeply involved in SOAR (Survivors of Outdoor Adventures in Recovery), where she helps provide therapy, community, and resources for those struggling with outdoor-related trauma.Links & Resources Mentioned:• SOAR (Survivors of Outdoor Adventures in Recovery): https://www.soar4life.org/• Responder Alliance Stress Continuum: https://www.responderalliance.com/stress-continuum• Redside Foundation: https://www.redsidefoundation.org/• IFS Institute: https://ifs-institute.com/• Jenny Fiebig’s Website: https://www.jennyfiebig.com/• Eduardo Duran – Healing the Soul WoundSponsor & Partner Mentions:Presented by:• Wyssen Avalanche Control – www.wyssen.comAdditional sustaining support from:• Gordini – www.gordini.com• OpenSnow – www.opensnow.com• Compare 10-day snow forecasts, read expert analysis, and track storms• Use promo code AVALANCHE50 for 50% off OpenSnow Premium: www.opensnow.com/buy• RAIDE Research – www.raideresearch.com• Use code AVHOUR for 10% off your orderMusic Credits:• Intro Music: Believing – Ketsa• Outro Music: Touching Moments (Remastered) – KetsaWhere to Listen & Subscribe:• Website: The Avalanche Hour Podcast• Spotify: The Avalanche Hour on Spotify• Apple Podcasts: The Avalanche Hour on Apple PodcastsProducer Credits:• Caleb Merrill• Cameron Griffin

Episode 8.29 Unique Summer Careers The Northern Hemisphere winter is over and avy pros are returning to summer jobs. For many, this is forest firefighting – a natural fit with opposing seasons and complementary skill sets. For some, however, the summer provides an opportunity to completely unplug from the challenges of winter work and pursue other passions. In this episode, host Dom Baker speaks with two ski guides who have each built businesses pursuing a summer passion. Kevin Armstong, an ACMG ski guide, builds hand-welded custom bikes for passionate riders. Whether for road, gravel, or singletrack, Six Mile Bikes builds unique, made to order, dream bikes! Eric Chevalier is a veteran ski guide and the guiding manager at Selkirk Cat Skiing. He is also a long-time shipwright – building and restoring wooden boats. The Copper Nail Wooden Boat Shop offers world-class wooden boat restoration and building services. Tune in to hear the highs, lows and unexpected parallels between ski guiding and chasing a passion in a quiet workshop. Music for this episode by Gravy @gravy.tunes www.wyssenavalanche.com www.gordini.com www.opensnow.com www.sixmilebikes.com www.woodenboatshop.ca

In this episode, we chat with long time industry professional Colin Zacharias. Colin has spent over 40 years working in the snow, avalanche, guiding, consulting, and education realms. Throughout our interview, Colin talks about some of the trends that he has seen within the industry as well as trends in accidents. He talks about how recreationists might learn from some of the habits of professional guides, and he recounts some early memories of venturing into the backcountry. Enjoy. Music by Ketsa Support provided by: Wyssen Avalanche Control Gordini USA OpenSnow GoFund Me for the Family of Rob Coppollilo: https://gofund.me/c17787bf The Powder Cloud: The Seductive Lure of Tracks https://thepowdercloud.com/learn/avalanche-education/the-seductive-lure-of-tracks/

In this episode our European contributors, Matthias Walcher and Christoph Mitterer from @ÖGSL, interview Snow Scientists, and current intern at @ÖGSL; Manuel Genswein. Manuel is a one-of-a-kind individual and no stranger to the avalanche industry. As a lone wolf, he has been traveling the world for over 30 years bringing his strategies and ideas to the field of avalanche rescue. In this episode we talk about where he grew up? How he got involved with the avalanche industry? and we dive into experiences he has had along the way. He tells us which innovations he is most proud of and what ideas didn't fly? Listen in to find out more and check out Manuel's website for access to his courses and papers: mountainsafety.info Music by Gravy - Freebird You can find his tracks at gravytunes.bandcamp.com. Big shout out to the designer of our sweet logo Mike Tea. You can see more of Mike’s work over at miketea.com Support for this episode provided by: @wyssen_avalanche_control @gordiniusa @opensnow @american_avalanche_association

Episode 8.23 John “Buff” Buffery John “Buff” Buffery has had a long and diverse career in avalanche and mountain risk management, spending time at ski hills, guiding, risk management for highways, movie rigging, and much more. From ski guiding on tele skis back in the early days of his career to building his own split board in the 90s - Buff has pioneered his own path in the mountains. He was Craig Kelly’s personal guide for much of his career, and has guided and mentored the likes of Travis Rice, Robin Van Gyn, and many others over the years. He brings a thoughtful and reflective approach to risk management; a personal style that has accompanied him while pioneering new guiding operations in remote terrain, or rigging stunts for the latest Hollywood blockbuster. Tune in for lessons learned and philosophies developed over a rich life in the mountains. Buff talks about avalanche education for pro snowboarders, the evolution of a path into guiding for snowboarders, and longevity in a physically taxing career – and so much more. Enjoy! Sponsors for this episode: Wyssen : https://www.wyssenavalanche.com/en/ Gordini - www.gordini.com OpenSnow - www.opensnow.com Crew: Host - Dom Baker Producer - Cameron Griffin - https://www.instagram.com/backcountrycam/ Donate: The Avalanche Hour Podcast - https://www.theavalanchehour.com/donate The American Avalanche Association - https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/donate Music: Gravy - @gravy.tunes

It's been a rough week. I hope you can smile while remembering Matt Primomo through listening to our interview from a few years ago. We lost another great human and avalanche professional last week- Nick Burks. A call to action of our community to reach out to The Avalanche Hour with stories of Nick that can be recorded and put together into a podcast episode. Email theavalanchehourpodcast@gmail.com to find out how to get involved. Music by Ketsa. https://ketsa.uk/ Go Fund Me for Stella and Milo: https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-stella-and-milo Resources for Grief and Support: Thanks to the help of Erin Good of Updraft Counseling for providing these descriptions. Responder Alliance - works to build awareness of stress injury and increase resilience for folks who work in austere environments. Please note they are largely focused on prevention, however many of the resources and tools are very applicable and provide a good foundation for having conversations around stress and trauma. https://www.responderalliance.com/ Climbing Grief Fund, American Alpine Club - CGF hosts a therapist directory and offers individual grants of up to $600 to individuals who have experienced grief or trauma related to climbing, alpinism, or ski mountaineering. You do not have to be a member of the American Alpine Club to apply for a CGF grant. https://americanalpineclub.org/grieffund American Avalanche Association - The A3 Avalanche Resilience Project also hosts a therapist directory with folks who have familiarity with the industry. A3 also offers a "resilience grant" of up to $500 to Professional and Affiliate members who are interested in pursuing therapy. https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/resilience-project Survivors of Outdoor Adventures and Recovery (SOAR) - SOAR offers professionally-facilitated peer support groups for folks who have experienced loss or trauma in the outdoors. I just attended one of their community connection workshops on grief and trauma and found it very helpful. Get in touch with this wonderful organization! http://soar4life.org/ Mountain Muskox - For our northern friends, Mountain Muskox is a fantastic organization that offers professionally-facilitated in person peer support circles in BC and Alberta. They also offer a weekend gathering each fall. https://www.mountainmuskox.com/ The Redside Foundation - Redside provides funding for guides who are in need of medical or mental health care. They do not provide counseling directly, but rather they will pay for up to eight therapy sessions for guides in need. While they focus on individuals who live in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. If you don't live in one of these states, don't let it stop you from getting in touch. They will help! https://www.redsidefoundation.org/ Bigger Than The Trail - BTTT is an organization that uses trail running as a platform to talk about mental health. They also offer scholarships to folks who experience financial barriers to individual therapy. BTTT will pay for up to eight therapy sessions, however please note they do not have a directory - they work with existing platforms such as BetterHelp or Calmerry, so the therapist may or may not have a familiarity with outdoor / backcountry pursuits. Still, it is a great option for someone who needs support. https://www.bttt.run/support