Podcast
The High Route Podcast
Hosted by The High Route · EN
The High Route Podcast: explore the world of human powered backcountry travel involving turns on snow.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
In the Steeps with Vivian Bruchez
Feb 4, 202501:02:40Tap to summarizeSometimes, the eyes go wide, the mind quiets and thoughts turn to the realization that you might be watching mastery. Chamonix-based skier, Vivian Bruchez illicites these expressions. For some time now, he has captured the imaginations of steep-skiing fans. Many skiers and riders open new lines, climb, and descend in good style: they break on through a mental, physical, or terrain barrier and make something audacious look possible. This is, in many ways, Bruchez's signature. No matter how steep or exposed, he pivots on a dime, dry skis with aplomb, and exudes joy. Whether it's his disheveled signature hair or his easy-going vibe, Bruchez is likable and at the pinnacle of the rarified ski-mountaineering scene in the Alps and beyond. His list of first descents runs deep.In this episode of The High Route Podcast, we connect with Bruchez after his day on Chamonix's slopes, teaching a class for ENSA, the French National School of Skiing and Mountaineering. While we don't discuss specific lines he's opened, we do dive into his thoughts on his mental preparedness, how he tries to see life through a child's eyes, and, of course, for the gear folks out there, we discuss his choice in equipment for the steeps.Those looking to watch and learn more about Bruchez can find links in our THR Curates series. 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.
Transcribe →On Mapping and Ski Atlases with Andy Sovick
Jan 28, 202500:34:37Tap to summarizeOn 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
Transcribe →Picture Show with Drew Smith
Dec 30, 202400:45:59Tap to summarizeOne of the best parts of liking to ask questions and running The High Route is the opportunity to speak to folks we admire and want to learn from. With this in mind, photographer Drew Smith is the guest on this episode. Smith’s work spans the spectrum from outdoor-related commercial work to full-value expedition photography. We are drawn to his images for many reasons. First and foremost, there’s his documentarian style and vibe. In short, Smith is along for the ride, documenting rather than staging, keeping up with rather than slowing the tempo down. He’s a high-level climber and snowboarder who is often along on an expedition as an equal: he’ll lead ice and rock pitches, set a booter, crampon up a face with his snow sliding tools in tow, and camera ready. Born and raised in rural Montana, low-key and modest are Smith’s hallmarks as he’d rather draw attention to his art and craft than to himself. We are excited to close out the 2024 podcast year with his interview. You find find Smith's photography here at Drew Smith Media.You can find Smith's written musing's here at Drew's Plan.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
Transcribe →Resurrecting Summit Journal with Michael Levy
Dec 18, 202400:51:28Tap to summarizeIt 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
Transcribe →Avalanche Airbags and Wilderness Medicine with Dr. Patrick Fink
Mar 12, 2024Tap to summarizeDr. Patrick Fink joins us on Episode 11 of The High Route Podcast. Fink is an ER physician in Bend, Oregon, involved with the local and broader Wilderness Medicine community. He hosts Wilderness Medicine Updates—"a podcast for those interested in wilderness medicine, search and rescue, disaster and austere medicine, and ski patrol medicine." Fink also has a site titled Mountain Lessons, where he shares valuable information about his travels and best practices. All this is to say that Fink comes to the podcasts with some expertise. One aspect of backcountry travel he has thought a lot about is avalanche airbags. Fink presented some research at the 2023 ISSW, which got us talking about airbags, airbag adoption, and efficacy. A solid podcast on Avalanche Airbags comes from the Utah Avalanche Center. You can find the podcast here. As noted in the podcast intro, I first engaged with Fink when I moderated a comment at my last place of employment. Cutting to the chase, Fink and I spoke on the phone (it's always better to have a conversation to get the complete picture), and now we are friends. BTW—his moderated comment had nothing to do with airbags. On to the show.Thanks for listening. Find us at the-high-route.com. Yeah, there are two hyphens for redundancy, which is a good policy in the mountains. For weight weenies, hyphens weigh next to nothing. We are a reader supported website with free podcasts. Our podcasts are not free to produce or store on a server. If you are enjoying the podcasts, please consider supporting The High Route, you can find subscription information 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.
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