Wintry Mix Podcast

Maybe this isn't the end, but it's the end of Wintry Mix 1.0. We had a good run. Thanks for listening.

While the news swirls about Vail Resorts east coast arrival, a pair of local skiers/businessmen from the Finger Lakes Region are a few years into ramping up operations at their recently acquired local ski areas, Greek Peak (2013) and Toggenburg (2015). Episode 44 is a discussion with co-owner Marc Stemerman, who together with his business partner John Maier, has been navigating this new industry after acquiring Greek Peak out of bankruptcy. After decades skiing the place, now they own the place. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

The "Vermont Slope Posse" (VTSP) found each other in Burlington in 1985 thanks to skateboarding. The rest is history. In this episode, AK sits down with Greg Manning, Mike Hayes and calls up Kris Swierz to recollect the days when snowboarding was a seed of the tree it would grow up to be. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG. Left to right pictured: Matty L - GMan - Cole B. - Josh Brownlee aka (JAB)

It's not easy to book flights 3 weeks out and still nail a storm cycle. In this episode AK and Adam spend day 1 of the #podpowmission stuck in the lodge at Snowbird waiting for the storm to clear prior to hammering the tail end of a seven foot cycle for three days in a row. Best. Pow. Ever. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

It's not easy to book flights 3 weeks out and still nail a storm cycle. In this episode AK and Adam spend day 1 of the #podpowmission stuck in the lodge at Snowbird waiting for the storm to clear prior to hammering the tail end of a seven foot cycle for three days in a row. Best. Pow. Ever. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

Since entering the ski business in 1972 at Killington, Chris Diamond led Mount Snow and Steamboat through multiple ownership changes and countless upgrades. Upon retiring in 2015, Diamond set out to document his decades in skiing and has recently released a new book entitled "Ski Inc. My journey through four decades in the ski resort business, from the founding entrepreneurs to mega companies." In episode 41 AK and Chris delve into some anecdotes from the book, his years working with and for Les Otten and what he thinks about the future of skiing. You can purchase the book here: https://skidiamondconsulting.com Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

Discussing I-70, Vail Resorts, marijuana, affordable housing, new ski areas and other mountain stuff with veteran Denver Post reporter Jason Blevins. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

The season's first bonafide coastal storm is primed to deliver snow and wind to a large chunk of the northeast to bring 2016 to a close. This Storm Track episode grabs Eric Fisher from CBS Boston to chat possibilities and get some takes on naming storms, hoax weather and other hot topics. Storm Track episodes are special episodes that catch up with weather pros when a big snowfall is imminent. Episode 39 is a more traditional episode. Catch that one too. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes and follow on FB, IG or TW for somewhat useful updates.

Fat bikes. Every year there's more. Episode 39 catches up with Dave Ochs, organizer of the Fat Bike World Championships in Crested Butte, Colorado, and Vermonter Brooke Scatchard who has been perfecting his Fat Bike Ski design since high school. Caroline the intern is back too in this wide ranging fat bikes discussion. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

I don't know enough about ski racing. I came up in moguls and pipe. Thankfully Brad and Bob from WCS are down to help. Chatted with them at their Bradford, Vermont office and got a tour of the warehouse to learn more about their resort and event supplies business model as well as the state of ski racing from a newbs perspective. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

There hasn't been a more deserved "beer thirty" than the one enjoyed by Killington staffers on the Sunday afternoon after the massive World Cup crowds departed. They earned it. AK hung out in the VIP zone chatting up the key resort players / former colleagues while consuming a few frosty beverages. This was a euphoric moment in time worth capturing. Enjoy. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

Our second 'Storm Track' of the season catches up with Josh Fox of the popular Single Chair Weather Blog. A weather pattern change is afoot so meet Josh and get the chilly details for the next few days and weeks. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. And here's a link to his blog. http://madriverglenweather.blogspot.com Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes or follow the show @wintrymixcast.

We've got some healing to do. The recent Boston Ski and Snow Expo had a weird vibe, sort of like America, in the days immediately following the election. Episode 36 serves as a reminder that we'll all do better if we lay off the cruelty and division. Be hopeful. Be kind. Be vigilant. And let's get some snow soon please. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG. Closing music by Tony Lee Thomas Band.

Bryn Carey is CEO and founder of Park City based Ski Butlers, which offers delivery of ski and snowboard equipment rentals in ski regions across the western US and Canada. In Episode 35 AK and Bryn discuss launching a new business based on an idea of how to improve on this very common transaction (renting skis). We also touch on what it's like to roll into everyone's condos at all hours of the night. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

There are plenty of well equipped New England ski areas including Saddleback, The Balsams and Tenney that haven't stayed open consistently. Ascutney had been dormant since 2010, but thanks to land grants and community spirit there's a new future of recreation on this historic ski mountain. Episode 34 catches up with Laura Farrell of Ascutney Outdoors, the non-profit leading the effort, on a recent community volunteer day. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes. Follow the show on facebook, twitter and IG.

Incoming! New as part of season 3 are "Storm Tracks" where I catch up with regional meteorologists when incoming winter weather warrants. In our first attempt I grabbed Tim Kelley of NECN and Ski The East fame to discuss the first useful dump of the year. Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes or follow the show @wintrymixcast.

Raising awareness is so 2010. Climate, public lands, and attracting outdoorsy businesses seem to be the three key pillars of the recent surge in outdoor activism aiming to influence the state and national political landscape. Non-profits like Protect Our Winters and the Outdoor Industry Association head to Washington while individual states navigate their own local priorities influenced by their increasingly engaged outdoor industry citizenry. Episode 33 is an evening behind the scenes at a Sue Minter For Governor fundraiser with an outdoor industry focus. Candidate seeks donors and support. Donors seek policies that can help grow their industry. It's not always so scary, and it's happening nationwide on a variety of issues. And yes I tried to get both Vermont campaigns to talk outdoor biz for episodes, but Minter's was only one to respond. Creative Commons photo by https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathan_king/ Season 3 of Wintry Mix is supported by www.Snowbird.com, www.Worldcupsupply.com and www.Liftopia.com. Subscribe to Wintry Mix on iTunes or follow the show @wintrymixcast.

In the final episode of Season 2, Alex catches up with reps from resorts in Vermont, Maine and Colorado to get a glimpse of winter operations as October and November approach. There's also a bit of a tease as to what is to come in Season 3, which will see a bit of tweak in the format of the podcast as it enters the second year. Expect some more timely storm/weekend content as well as the occasional long form interviews. Does your brand want to partner in season 3? Hit me up asap. Season 2 of Wintry Mix is made possible by www.Inntopia.com. Additional support from www.snowbird.com, www.skivermont.com, www.peakresorts.com and www.llbean.com. Photo by http://www.shelleybcreative.com

Brew Moscarello and Dave Schmidt are some OGs. These dudes were part of the group behind Burton in the 80's. Fast forward 30 years and they're the guys behind Balance Designs which sells the popular Vew-Do Balance Boards and more recently, The Snurfer, from their headquarters in Manchester, Vermont. In this episode we'll talk old school Burton, running a small business, the early days of snowboarding and how to ride a Snurfer. FMI: https://www.snurferboards.com Season 2 of Wintry Mix is made possible by www.Inntopia.com. Additional support from www.snowbird.com, www.skivermont.com, www.peakresorts.com and www.llbean.com.

Golf is hard if you take it serious. The High Fives Foundation, which supports injured mountain action sports athletes and injury awareness, keeps it light. As part of their national fundraising activities, they host an annual east coast charity golf tournament which attracts a cross section of mountain sports industry participants. Episode 30 is a camp out on the 7th tee, chatting with passing groups and dodging raindrops. Might be fun. Season 2 of Wintry Mix is made possible by www.Inntopia.com. Additional support from www.snowbird.com, www.skivermont.com, www.peakresorts.com and www.llbean.com.