Podcast
Mind the Track
Hosted by @Pow_Bot and @trail_whisperer · EN
An adventure podcast about chasing powder on skis and snowboards in winter, hunting singletrack loam on mountain bikes in summer, profiling the “core lords” of the outdoors in the Lake Tahoe region and fostering the culture of mountain life through education and experience in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin.
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Clear and Still | E57
Mar 19, 202501:41:45Tap to summarizeRecapping a polarizing winter that has been “clear and still” – either literally clear with no snow and still with no wind, or snow clear up to your ass and still snowing, the boys catch up on a number of topics including PowBot’s surf trip to Costa Rica, Trail Whisperer’s Death Valley four wheeling adventure and helicopter skiing, the sketchy last month of avalanches and the lack of stoke for resort skiing. The boys DERP local ski resorts for their season pass money grab of selling next years pass in March, they also DERP @palisadestahoe for leaning on local law enforcement to bust ski pass poachers. The ASS rants about social media and the unnecessary steepness of West Shore skin tracks and ponder why skins haven’t improved that much in the last 10 years. The boys also play some 888 COR LORD call-ins from listeners. 2:00 – Recording from the Tahoe City Transit Center in PowBot’s new van.4:20 – Recapping a banger couple of days skiing the West Shore of Lake Tahoe.10:20 – PowBot witnesses public hate for the Tesla Cybertruck.14:20 – Trail Whisperer takes the Land Cruiser four wheeling in Death Valley then goes to Tonopah to stay at the Mizpah Hotel.21:20 – Trail Whisperer goes helicopter skiing.25:40 – Skiing in the Toiyabe.26:25 – PowBot goes surfing in Costa Rica34:55 – The boys have been down on the ski resort experience this year, too busy everywhere.39:20 – DOPE OR DERP – Do you buy next year’s ski pass now in March?46:00 – ASS rant about the state of social media and podcasting.55:40 – Tom has an encounter on his flight home from Costa Rica related to the podcast.58:45 – ASS rant about the unnecessary steepness of West Shore skin tracks.1:01:40 – Why have skins not improved that much in the last decade?1:05:20 – DOPE OR DERP – Alterra and Vail leaning on local law enforcement to prosecute ski pass poachers.1:13:05 – ebiker gets stranded for 30 hours in rural Texas after her ebike battery died and PowBot’s story of his ebike dying in Downieville.1:16:00 – Listeners call into the 888 COR LORD hotline, talking about attainable, approachable backyard adventures.1:23:55 – Shout out to Alenka Vrecek – new article in Adventure Sports Journal about her Tahoe to Baja ride.1:25:10 – Trail Whisperer restores a vintage road bike and takes it for a ride.1:33:34 – The recent rash of avalanche incidents and fatalities since early February.
Transcribe →
Papsura - Peak of Evil | Nick Russell | E56
Feb 26, 2025Tap to summarizeWith a focus on simplicity, minimalism and human-powered adventure, Nick Russell embodies what it is to be a free-spirited, big line splitboarder while making a living at it. Russell has eschewed guidebooks for true adventure, hunting for big lines and pow based more on a feeling than a calculation. This organic approach to becoming an expert in the backcountry takes years and more than a couple sandbag missions, but in the process creates a deeper connection with the land and with his comrades. Russell’s most recent mission, captured in the Patagonia Films feature Papsura – Peak of Evil, along with his partner Jerry Mark and filmers Morgan Shields and Blake Gordon, claimed a first splitboard descent on an iconic line in the Indian Himalaya, a month-long mission that exceeded all expectations – a rare occurrence PowBot refers to as “The Jerry Effect”, related to the late Jerry Garcia. The boys also chat about the state of public lands in the midst of an onslaught against government agencies, with Russell encouraging listeners to call (202) 224 3121 and tell your local elected officials what you think about the drastic cuts against the Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.4:45 – Introducing Nick Russell – core lord big mountain splitboarder.8:30 – Follow up to the butt vest discussion – Nick endorses the concept of the butt vest.15:15 – A little more about who Nick Russell is. Redefining big mountain splitboard freeriding.18:00 – Starting out in Utah’s Wasatch and the organic process of getting into splitboarding.25:00 – Living simply, minimalism to reduce expense and maximize free time….filming their Alaska adventure, a film called “Free” on Vimeo.28:40 – Finding pow based “on a feeling” and the resulting Fun scale – Type 1, Type 2, Type 3.37:30 – All about the Papsura film mission, spending a month in India to ski one line.41:20 – The added complexity of having a film crew while accomplishing such a huge mission.46:30 – “The Jerry Effect” – Not just with the Grateful Dead, but also in Nick and Jerry’s Papsura mission – everything went perfectly and according to plan.58:00 – Reviewing the last week of avalanche conditions in Lake Tahoe and how Nick navigates dangerous snowpack and staying out of avalanche terrain when it’s high risk.1:07:30 – Becoming more conservative in the wake of a serious injury falling into a crevasse in Alaska on Mount Saint Elias.1:12:45 – How does a line that’s so difficult to ever ski make the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America?1:17:10 – Coping with the loss of friends in the backcountry over the years and the draw of social media FOMO feeding into dangerous situations.1:23:35 –Nick’s take with the state of public lands and current federal workforce firings and budget freezes. Call 202 224 3121 – tell your local elected representatives what you think about what’s happening to our public lands.1:33:00 – The potential silver lining in the recent attacks against our government and public lands.1:37:25 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?1:39:30 – Trail Whisperer and PowBot recap the discussion with Nick Russell.1:42:00 – Recapping the recent four-day trip to Frog Lake Huts.1:48:40 – PowBot encounters the Zoa Engineering Backcountry Tow Rope on the West Shore.1:59:40 – Shout out to HeavyDSparks and the Diesel Brothers for recovering the plane wreckage and the victim’s body from Mount Jefferson with their Blackhawk helicopter.
Transcribe →