Life as a Fire Lookout | Emily Kachorek | E46
Recorded at 7,250 feet elevation atop Mount Hough near Quincy, California, in Episode 46 the boys talk to Emily Kachorek about her first summer as a fire lookout for the Plumas National Forest. Sitting in the three-story tower for 10 hours a day, 10 days in a row, Emily talks about spending time alone and the inspiration for creativity that comes from solitude. She also talks about her background in biology and conservation and her new gig spotting fires. Prior to being a lookout, Emily raced bikes professionally, was a co-founder of Squid Bikes and her love of cycling, art and creativity blended with a punk rock vibe fostered the vibrant cyclocross scene in Sacramento, along with some of the raddest paint jobs ever rattle-canned onto a bicycle. The boys also do a few listener shout outs and answer questions related to encountering bears on the trail and whether or not you should listen to music while riding.
Corn Snow and Hero Dirt in Spring | Evan Roa | E8
Recorded at the iconic Tunnel Creek Cafe, home of Flume Trail Bikes in Incline Village, Nevada at the site of the Ponderosa Ranch and the old TV Western, Bonanza, Pow Bot and Trail Whisperer celebrate the transition from winter to spring, the arrival of "dual sport" season and awesome bike to ski missions, finding early season hero dirt and late season corn snow wearing flip flops and ski boots. The boys chat about why out-and-back rides are better than loop rides this time of year, recent mountain bike missions to Sea Otter, Pollock Pines and Quincy, California, a "First Descent" on Emerald Chutes after Pow Bot forgot his split board bindings and Trail Whisperer's former life as a Silicon Valley corporate employee and the satirical book he wrote about the experience, "The 5 Habits of Highly Successful Slackers - Because 7 is too Many." The boys also spend a few minutes chatting with one of the new owners of Tunnel Creek Cafe, Evan Roa, and the inevitable crazy stories of tourists frequenting the restaurant. This episode is a cornucopia of random topics!
Duncan Meyers - Arnot Roberts | Winemaking Shredder | E6
Recorded in the beautiful wine cellar of Dawn and Bryan Bertsch in Tahoe Vista, Episode #6 profiles legendary winemaker and core lord shredder of pow and loam, Duncan Arnot Meyers (@duncanarnot). That’s right, a ripping skier, snowboarder and mountain biker who makes and drinks fine wine! Duncan’s wine brand Arnot-Roberts (arnotroberts.com), is world renown, and his story of growing up as kid in Napa Valley exploring the region on bicycles and its connection to winemaking is fascinating. Duncan also dives into the recent privatization of Homewood Resort and its concerning future as the Yellowstone Club of Lake Tahoe, he documents the hilarious origin story of Tom’s nickname PowBot, their adventures at Ice Creek Lodge in British Columbia, his sister Vanessa Hauswald and her efforts running the NorCal MTB League getting thousands of kids on bikes, shifting priorities as an athlete turning 50 years old and what “Mind the Track” means to Duncan. PowBot and Trail Whisperer also talk about their recent trip to the Toiyabe Range of central Nevada and the great snowmelt of 2023.