The High Route Podcast

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.

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.

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 VIDEODolan 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.

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.

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.

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

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

Bonjour listeners of The High Route Podcast. On this steeps and slogs episode, we feature Aurélien Lardy. Good energy and ceaseless energy are two key qualities for those making a life for themselves in the hills. Aurélien Lardy, a prolific ski mountaineer based out of Chamonix, has been on a tear for the past few years. If first descents or rare repeats are a benchmark, Lardy, who goes by "Aurel" for short, has notched plenty of them. For example, he and Gaspard Ravanel repeated a sought-after ski/snowboard descent of the L’éperon des Jumeaux on the north side of the Aiguille du Midi this past May. Did we bury the lead here? In this episode of The High Route Podcast, Lardy takes a breather from the alpine as we catch him in Chamonix. (We recorded the interview this summer.) A former ski racer, and lover of both front flips and easy-access Cham-steeps, the San Antonio Spurs, and slow churn expeditions, we are psyched to have Lardy as our guest. There is something about Lardy's style that belies the very exposed positions he finds himself in. If you are a visual learner keen on mastering steep turns, Lardy's utterly smooth technique is the opposite of what we may conceive of as a jump turn. It is a high-alpine meditative practice: ski tips remain in contact with the snow, knees remain slightly bent, releasing just the right amount of kinetic energy, ski tails swing around, completing the turn. Mathematicians, surely, could derive an elegant equation to explain what we see. Then again, it could be pure art—steep-turning ballet. Lardy and his steep skiing and ski traversing clan will also surely make an appearance at an adventure film fest touring near you. He's featured in films about skiing in Argentine Patagonia (Painting the Mountains) and a mega-traverse in the Alaska Range (Les Jours Sauvages). If you still need to get your fill, the film Chronoception chronicles his adventures in Kyrgyzstan—it should be available online soon. No doubt, Lardy and his people are prolific. Let's focus on the Alaska Range ski traverse for a moment. 50+ days. And as noted in Les Jours Sauvages, the style is heavy and slow. The ski party enters the range in the low-lying bush, weighed down by sleds and a fair share of cigarettes; they slog into the heart of the Central Alaska Range via the Peters Glacier. They ski Denali and Sultana (Foraker), ski traverse and muddle out the range, and eventually pack raft back to Anchorage. Mon Dieu!Conversely, Painting the Mountains is a film about expressing the extrême. Photographer/filmmaker Matthew Tufts helps frame the narrative as Lardy, Vivian Bruchez, and Jules Socié repeat the Whillans-Cochrane on Aguja Poincenot—a line first skied by Andreas Fransson.You can follow his high-octane adventures on the socials. 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