Goodbye Juneuary, Hello Febuburied | E55
After a weeks-long dry spell in January, the first day of February bring a week-long series of atmospheric river storms to the Lake Tahoe region, with a foot of rain, multiple feet of snow and hurricane force winds. PowBot recaps his Canadian hut trip, giving kudos to Big Sky resort and reminisces on atmospheric river storms of the past while Trail Whisperer rants about tire chains and the evil empire of Amazon. Al Powcino makes his return with another Powderiffic Snow Report, the boys are compared to Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show, TW raves about a George Carlin documentary, lots of listener shout outs and a few Dope or Derps including the Butt Vest, electric snow bikes and wearing hunting gear for skiing.
Tahoe is the Best | E45
Despite a hot, dry and smoky September, Trail Whisperer and Pow Bot reunite after a month off to compare living in Colorado against Lake Tahoe and how much better we have it in the Sierra Nevada than in the Rockies. Not only weather and snowpack-wise, but also fewer people, less busy trailheads, more affordable cost of living and a wider range of recreational options. The boys also talk about the new sport of wing foiling, running the Rim to Reno trail, e-biking the Rubicon Trail, remembering Mammoth weatherman Howard Sheckter, getting fired up for the inaugural Mountains to Meadows trail festival in Quincy, CA and experiencing a rare snowfall in August in the Sierra. On the topic of snowfall, what indicators are you seeing right now that tells you a big – or not so big – winter is coming to Tahoe? Call 888 COR LORD, leave us a voicemail and let us know!
The Doldrums of Summer in Lake Tahoe | E42
In the midst of record-breaking heat, out of control wildfires, brazen bears and dry, dusty blown-out trails, the boys catch up on a grab bag of topics including Pow Bot’s harrowing adventure sailboat racing on Lake Tahoe, Trail Whisperer’s week of trail work spent in the Toiyabe Range with no cell service, a recap of the Downieville Classic, whether you should buy an SL-style ebike or a “full power” ebike, Trail Whisperer’s new bike day and whether or not he likes “mullet” style mountain bikes, the modern world of social media and how to break away from the stranglehold of Meta, the start of the Summer Olympics in Paris with lame mountain bike courses and the greatest surfing wave ever, Pow Bot’s recent rediscovery of hiking and his relationship with the same mountain from summer to winter and Trail Whisperer’s struggle to stay amped on riding his mountain bike through the hottest and dustiest part of the summer. The boys also do some listener shout-outs and play the first 888 COR LORD call-in voicemails from listeners.
The 10 Shredmandments | E37
In Episode 37, the boys catch up after a very special Cinco de Mayo, blessed with a late season snowstorm that dumped some of the best winter pow of the year. Pow Bot shares his manifesto of the backcountry, The 10 Shredmandments – 10 rules of etiquette that every traveler in the backcountry should abide to minimize impact and be a responsible pow-shredding human. Banter and ASS (Angry Singlespeeder) rants are copious in this episode, covering a variety of topics like the love and hate for wind, the overwhelming hate of horse poop on trails, 10 things Europeans hate about American ski resorts, the dangers of traveling to Baja, the travails of the post office and listener shout outs (thanks @terrainadvco for the rad swag!). And thanks to everyone who’s been leaving positive rating and reviews. Please support the cause, press pause, and leave us a rating and review to help get Mind the Track in the ears of more core lords like yourself.
The Concept of Play | Kacy Roeder | E34
“Everybody in Tahoe is the kid who doesn’t want to come in from recess”, said PowBot in Episode 34 with our guest Kacy Roeder. The concept of play is not just for kids, playing is an essential part of being an adult. Nobody knows this better than Kacy, a licensed landscape architect who designs playgrounds and sends it on her mountain bike and her splitboard. We learn about Kacy’s unique career, growing up on the East Coast and finding her way to Lake Tahoe, her love of being outside adventuring and why she built her world around playing as much as possible. Kacy also talks about her involvement with the Rocker Memorial Skate Park and the Rally for Rocker fundraiser on April 27, and how splitboarding has rekindled her love of snowboarding.
History and Future of Sky Tavern | Yale Spina and Steve Wentz | E17
Generations of Reno kids learned to ski at the local ski hill, Sky Tavern, including our guest Yale Spina, a legendary ski aerialist and stunt man who is now the Board Chair of Sky Tavern. First formed in the 1940s through the efforts of Marce Herz gathering up children in her station wagon and driving them up the shoulder of Mount Rose, Sky Tavern has become an institution for local youth ski development. Our discussion with Spina about the past and future of Sky Tavern and his trajectory in life is both fascinating and inspiring. Steve Wentz of Momentum Trail Concepts, who Spina regards as a Picasso of trail building, also joins us to talk about all the exciting developments at the new Sky Tavern Bike Park. We cover a wide range of topics including family lineage, youth development, leadership, commitment to community, adaptive cycles, making rad trails, night skiing and leaving a legacy.
OG Van Life Living | Christina Thayer | E9
Episode 9 is all about #vanlife and being on the road living out of a vehicle. Recorded in the back of Trail Whisperer’s 1990 Toyota Sunrader 4x4 RV, the boys chat with guest Christina Thayer about her 20 years living in a 1976 Volkswagen Westfalia Bus called Buttermilk, her nomadic lifestyle and the endless adventures and occupations she’s had over the years. The best way to describe Christina is “Renaissance Woman”, as her exploits include rock climbing, mountain biking, dirt biking, whitewater rafting, skiing, surfing, logging and working as a trail builder, house builder, van builder, hairstylist, interior designer and chef. A self-professed woman with career ADD, Christina seems to have found her calling as the current Trails Program Coordinator for Washoe County. This episode is a smorgasboard of topics, driven by the fact that Christina has always been nomadic, enabling her to live a fascinating life doing lots of different cool adventures.
Amy Morrison | Serious Fun | E7
Turning professional after only her first Enduro race, Amy Morrison is one of America’s top mountain bike talents, winning U.S. Elite Enduro National Championship three times. Although she didn’t discover the mountain bike until adulthood, Amy grew up waterski racing and jumping internationally (and barefoot!), as well as competing at the national level in swimming and diving, and holding a state track and field record as a pole vaulter before competing at the varsity level at Clemson University. Her combination of athleticism, determination and not being afraid to crash is what helped her climb the ranks so fast in mountain biking. That and knowing how to balance the seriousness of training with the joy of simply having fun on bikes. Fresh off a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place at the Sea Otter Classic in the Pro Enduro, Downhill and Dual Slalom (and days after speaking with us won the TDS Enduro) , Amy sat down with us in her Carson City home to talk trails, mountain bikes, skiing, mentorship and balancing her racing career with being a teacher at Dayton High School while starting the mountain bike club to get more kids on bikes.
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.
Longboard Racing | Matt Chappell | E2
The very first guest on Mind the Track is none other than Truckee core lord Matt Chappell, co-founder of orbitaldesignlab.com and truckeedirtunion.org. Recorded at the historic Gray’s Cabin in downtown Truckee, Matt shares some town history while we discuss a potpourri of topics from the Ag Check station to corn snow on Eureka Peak to longboard racing in Johnsville, to skier hitchhiking to ghosts in the attic.