Mountain State | Josh Daiek and Hazen Woolson | E26

If you’ve ever watched Josh Daiek’s POV ski footage, you’ve probably been more gripped staring at your phone than he is straight-lining a couloir at Mach Chicken. So when Josh and his filmmaking adventure partner Hazen Woolson set out to make a new ski film for their sponsor Salomon, they wanted to do something different and unexpected to blow peoples’ minds. Mountain State and Mountain State 2.0 were the result; two films exploring the rugged and seldom skied wilds of Nevada and the Great Basin, the latter of which recently took home “Best Backcountry Segment” from the IF3 Film Festival. In Episode 26, the boys sit down with Josh and Hazen at Gear Lab in South Lake Tahoe to chat all about the making of the films, from the highs of scoring in last year’s record-breaking winter to the lows of getting skunked the two previous winters and Josh’s terrifying skirt with certain peril skiing the East Humboldt Range. Also, Pow Bot introduces Mind the Track’s newest correspondent, the one and only Snoop Dogg with his Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report.

2:00 – PowBot finds the fresh pow on Mount Rose backcountry, first turns of the season.

5:00 – Snoop Dogg Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report.

7:45 – Introducing Josh Daiek and Hazen Woolson – Mountain State and Mountain State 2.0

10:00 – Mountain State 2.0 wins IF3 Film Festival for “Best Backcountry Segment”

15:00 – The genesis of creating the Mountain State film and skiing in Nevada.

17:00 – Remote triggering avalanches in Arc Dome Wilderness of the Toiyabe range.

18:00 – Not going to the Ruby Mountains because everybody knows the Rubys.

20:00 – How Hazen and Josh met up with each other.

25:00 – Losing a GoPro on a ski line and trying to find it in the summer. A week of lost footage!

27:00 – The importance of snow machines and snowmobiles.

32:40 – Crashing and getting hurt far from any help way out in the Great Basin.

41:30 – Josh growing up in Rochester Hills, Michigan and skiing Boyne Highlands as a kid.

45:00 – Moving to Lake Tahoe, skiing at Kirkwood and meeting Craig Garbiel.

50:00 – PowBot is an ordained minister, the Pastor of Pow, is officiating weddings now.

52:00 – Mountain State 2.0 – Redemption and great conditions all winter.

55:00 – Dealing with federal agencies and getting permits to film.

1:02:30 – Hazen’s upbringing, growing up in New Hampshire, skiing and filming.

1:05:00 – Skiing the Sand Mountain sand dune out east of Fallon, Nevada.

1:08:45 – Middlegate Bar – a must stop.

1:12:45 – Going to Belmont, Nevada after skiing the Toquima Range and Mount Jefferson.

1:15:00 – Great Basin National Park stood out as the most impressive zone for skiing.

1:18:00 – Riding sleds and skiing in Jarbidge, Nevada. It’s Jar BIDGE not Jar BRIDGE.

1:26:00 – Hazen crashes into Josh at 30 mph on snowmobiles.

1:29:30 – Google Earth is the most valuable resource for figuring out new ski zones.

1:36:00 – Not following a guide book and making your own adventure.

1:38:00 – What’s on tap for winter 2023/24?

1:41:45 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:43:00 – Follow @joshdaiek @hazenfilms and @trevski123 on Instagram