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Building on 23 years of TAR with Lynne Wolfe
The story goes that a young Lynne Wolfe persuaded Blase Reardon to get involved as The Avalanche Review's Assistant Editor many years ago. Lynne would go on to be the Editor of TAR for decades to come, bringing the publication and our community forward towards professional collaboration. In this episode, Brooke Maushund chats with Lynne as she celebrates publishing her final issue as TAR Editor and gets ready to pass the baton. In addition to being a longtime avalanche educator and Exum guide, Lynne is a charismatic connector in our industry: bringing people, ideas, and curiosities together. With the job listing up at the time of this recording, we dive into Lynne’s time working behind the scenes on A3’s flagship publication. From changes to the nuts and bolts behind TAR, to lessons learned along the way, Lynne gives us an inside scoop on what it’s been like to put out a staple that can be found on every snow pro’s desk, coffee table, or…yes, even on the back of their toilets. As the search for the new TAR Editor continues, she tells us what she’d like that person to know: “Stand on my shoulders—I’ll help.” If you want to hear more about Lynne’s illustrious career in addition to her work on The Avalanche Review, go back to Season 2, Episode 11 of the podcast when Lynne came on the show for the first time.Resources & Links Mentioned: The Avalanche Review (TAR) Informational Webpage: Digital The Avalanche Review The Ascending Spiral by Ed LaChapelleSubscribe to TAR by Becoming an A3 Member • The Avalanche Hour Podcast 2.11: Lynne Wolfe • Seeking Impeccability with Lynne Wolfe: Episode of The High Route Podcast Crew: • Host: Brooke Maushund (@brookemaush) • Guest: (The one and only) Lynne Wolfe • Producer: Caleb Merrill (@theavalanchehourpodcast)Sponsors:Wyssen Avalanche Control • Gordini • PeakVisor (click here for a discount!) • OpenSnow🎶 Music by Ketsa: See Us, Sun Cometh
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1:04:59
Becoming the Partner You Seek with Mark Smiley
🎧 Episode Summary:Spring is here, and with the avy-ed season wrapped up in Colorado, Jason sits down with renowned mountain guide and educator Mark Smiley to talk about his journey from the Midwest to the highest peaks, and his efforts to reshape mountain education.Mark shares how his early experiences with Boy Scouts and road trips planted the seed for a lifetime of mountain exploration, and how a lack of mentorship early on drove him to build Mountain Sense—a platform designed to break down the barriers to learning essential mountain skills.Together, they dive into:Mark’s path to becoming an IFMGA guide (including passing his ski exam before ever being paid to guide on skis!)Why he created Mountain Sense and what it means to “become the partner you seek”The cultural differences between ski touring and climbing communities around risk and educationHow online learning can supplement in-person avalanche educationHuman factors, mentorship, and building trust in backcountry teamsWhy storytelling, humor, and real-life experience matter more than PowerPoint slidesMark also shares a recent near-miss avalanche incident in Canada and reflects on the decision-making traps that even seasoned professionals encounter.Learn more about Mark’s courses at Mountain SenseFollow Mark Smiley on Instagram: @smileysprojectReady to become the partner you seek? Visit Mountain Sense to explore online masterclasses on avalanche safety, ski mountaineering, crevasse rescue, alpine climbing, and more.Host - Jason Antin @alpenglowmountainguidesProducer- Caleb merrill Sponsors for this episode:Wyssen Gordini OpenSnow PeakVisor (discount in link)
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1:26:48
Keeping your sense of wonder about the snow with Janet Kellam
In this knowledge-packed episode, Brooke Maushund sits down with Janet Kellam, who received the American Avalanche Association Bernie Kingery Award for lifetime achievement at ISSW in 2023 after serving as the former Director of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, President of the American Avalanche Association's board, and being involved in the early days of the USFS National Avalanche Center. She was also the first woman licensed ski guide in Idaho, the first woman president of A3, and the first woman director of an avalanche center.Janet doesn’t just have decades of experience—she gained expertise in niche corners of the snow industry across the globe. From work as a winter specialist on a 1990 documentary film sailing to and spending 6 weeks skiing on the rarely visited Antarctica peninsula, to being a licensed backcountry and heli ski guide, Janet didn’t leave much idle time in her career. In this episode, Janet shares nuggets of knowledge from her more than 36 year career in the avalanche industry, her remaining curiosities about avalanche mechanics, where she sees the industry going next…but most importantly, she tells us how she kept her sense of wonder about the snow over the years: always, always taking care of others. Resources & Links Mentioned: • ISSW 2012 Paper: The Urban Avalanche Interface and Community Impacts a Case Study: Ketchum, Sun Valley & the Wood River Valley, Idaho • Avalanche Education for All, High Country News Article• USFS National Avalanche Center • National Avalanche School • Sawtooth Avalanche Center • American Avalanche Association Resilience Project • Responder AllianceCrew: • Host: Brooke Maushund (@brookemaush) • Guest: Janet Kellam • Producer: Caleb Merrill (@theavalanchehourpodcast)Sponsors:Wyssen Avalanche Control GordiniOpenSnowPeakVisor🎶 Music by Ketsa: Get Me Out, Snowing in Spring, Reach the End
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1:03:40
Will Gadd: Stay Stoked and Stay Alive
In this episode, Dom Baker sits down with the legendary mountain athlete Will Gadd, a pioneering ice climber, paddler and paraglider. Will has established some of the hardest mixed ice climbing lines in the world, set the world distance record for paragliding, and then beaten it, kayaked down dozens of first descents across North America, not to mention soloed the first one- day ascent of Canada’s Mt.Robson. Will has rigorously prepared for and completed high complexity adventures all over the world and in the process has developed a thoughtful perspective on risk, writing and talking about risk for years, including in a 2016 Ted Talk. In this episode Will discusses his perspectives on exposure, consequence and how the public avalanche bulletin might not quite apply to ice climbing routes. Resources, Books & Links Mentioned:www.willgadd.com Tedx Talk VideoDunning-Kruger effectImpossible Dreams: Remote paragliding and climbing in Canada!Todd Conklin “The 5 Principles of Human Performance”Daniel Kahneman “Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment”Amy Edmondson “ Emotional Intelligence: Psychological Safety”Annie Duke “Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All The Facts”Crew: • Host: Dom Baker (@dom_baken) • Guest: Will Gadd (@realwillgadd) • Producer: Caleb Merrill (@theavalanchehourpodcast)Sponsors: • Wyssen Avalanche Control • Gordini • OpenSnow • Peak Visor ***Special Offer***🎶 Music by Gravy @gravy.tunes
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1:48:32
Fabiano Monti: Protecting Italy's highest village
European Hosts Matthias Walcher and Christoph Mitterer bring you a conversation with Fabiano Monti. Fabi is an Avalanche Forecaster, Ski Instructor, and Environmental Scientist based in Livigno, Italy. He holds a Master's degree and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of Insubria, with specialized research conducted at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Switzerland. His doctoral research focused on modeling snowpack stability for avalanche forecasting.In 2013, Fabiano founded Alpsolut Srl, an innovative company dedicated to providing scientific solutions for managing snow-related risks. Under his leadership, Alpsolut has developed operational snow cover simulations using the SNOWPACK model, widely adopted by European avalanche centers for regional and site-specific forecasting.Fabiano has extensive international experience, having participated in two Italian Antarctic expeditions (2012, 2015-2016), and collaborates with various agencies across Europe, including ARPA Lombardia, ÖBB Infrastruktur AG, and Lawinenwarndienst Tirol. His expertise spans avalanche hazard mapping, remote sensing with satellite imagery, environmental data analysis, and machine learning applications to snow and avalanche risk management.Currently, Fabiano serves as the lead avalanche forecaster for the Municipality of Livigno, managing risk assessments for both recreational backcountry activities and managed ski areas. He is passionate about advancing avalanche safety through research, education, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies. Resources & Links Mentioned:https://www.alpsolut.eu/ https://www.instagram.com/alpsolut.eu/Crew: • Host: Matthias Walcher/Christoph Mitterer • Guest: Fabiano Monti • Producer: Caleb Merrill (@theavalanchehourpodcast)Sponsors: • ⁠Wyssen Avalanche Control ⁠ • ⁠Gordini⁠ • ⁠OpenSnow ⁠ • ⁠IPA Collective🎶 Music by Gravy. Mid Roll Ad Music by Ketsa.Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/alpsolut.eu/Websitehttps://www.alpsolut.eu/
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1:04:59