In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with the two folks behind the climbing skins at Big Sky Mountain Products, Jackson Keogh and Eric Haferman. These upstanding young men run the business from Bozeman, Montana, where they build their manufacturing equipment, and, yup, manufacture climbing skins. Many things drew us to the company, which we'll cover in the episode, but first and foremost, these are committed skiers who develop good products and ooze a genuine, down-to-earth, and very approachable vibe. They are the kind of folks I'd be psyched to run into on the skintrack.

We explore the exciting world of climbing skins, how Eric and Jackson bonded on the slopes, and their early adventures sheltering from the elements in a Cooke City-based Airstream, and their exploration of the Beartooths.

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.