In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Matthew Tufts, a touring focused ski journalist and storyteller and photographer. To be clear, he is Vermont-raised, but at least for some of the year, he calls Revelstoke home. Tufts has roamed the dirtbag scene as a denizen in what he calls a 'cab over camper Ford," and along the way has documented the scenes and his adventures. If you have had an opportunity to read or see his work, you're likely better for it.

On The High Route site, we have featured a few projects Tufts has been involved with. We’ve reviewed Painting the Mountains, a film that highlights Tufts and his approach to capturing moments in the mountains. And last month we commented on a video doc titled A Hundred Words for Wind that details an epic ski and backpacking journey, that involved a lot of wind, around Iceland.

Tufts brings the full package to his craft: he is a fine writer and photographer. So, commissioning a piece from Tufts, which we did for our third issue in print, means the words and images both shine. In that piece, which we discuss on the podcast, he explores the why regarding his drive to take deep-dive trips seeking turns onto the Southern Patagonian Icecap.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader- and listener-supported enterprise focused 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.

Making Art (not Air) with Matthew Tufts