On a summer day in 2014, Chris Brinlee Jr. walked away from his comfortable, well-paying job as an advertising art director to “experience something more,” as he puts it. Over seven months, Chris’s adventures have led him around the globe—he’s paddled remote fjords in Greenland, ridden motorcycles through Vietnam, sailed with a crew to Antarctica, and climbed 6,000m peaks in Nepal.  

He also recently started up a content generation company called Content Machine.

We talk with Chris from co-host Kelly's home in Boulder and hear about Chris' adventures and how he makes it all happen.

Listen as we talk conservation and public lands.  A few highlights from the show we recorded last night...  

Rebecca Schwagger tells us a bit about our venue, the Studio Boulder, and at 4m45s we get rolling.   

Lloyd Athearn and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative bought part of a kickass mountain (Mt. Shavano) for $50k, so we can all hike it!

Hey, mountain bikers! #dontbeadick

When you write for Outside Magazine for 14 years, chances are you have some stories. From Lance Armstrong to Mount Everest to kayaking first descents and everything in between, Grayson Schaffer has covered it. We connect with him to discuss his latest piece, on psychedelics, and his other creative endeavors these days.

Topics discussed, with host Russ Rizzo:

His 14+ career writing for Outside Magazine

psychedelic drugs

His new creative firm, Talweg

psychedelic drugs

Lance Armstrong

psychedelic drugs

Big water boating

psychedelic drugs

An old fling

psychedelic drugs

Bareback riding (horses)

psychedelic drugs

Hunting elk with a bow and arrow

psychedelic drugs  

Links:

Grayson’s website: http://www.graysonschaffer.com/

Grayson’s creative agency, Talweg Creative: http://www.talwegcreative.com/

Grayson’s latest in Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/2143036/are-psychedelics-new-prozac 

Recording live at the Gociety Adventure Fest 2016 in Denver, we talk with professional rock climber and yogi Olivia Hsu and Dr. Jon Kedrowski, an accomplished mountaineer, author and climatologist, about their pursuits in the mountains.

Professional explorer Dr. Jon talks to us about his successful project to be the first person to sleep on the summit of all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks and the challenges he faced during his 2016 attempt to break the speed record for skiing all of Colorado’s 14ers.

Professional climber and yogi Olivia Hsu discusses her own Himalayan exploration as well as exploring the balance between rock climbing and yoga and how to keep your ego in check.

Both discuss how they overcame initial parental disappointment for their chosen paths to explore the outdoors as a full-time job. Spoiler: everything turned out just fine for these two legends of the Colorado outdoors.

This is a lively one!

Recording live at the Gociety Adventure Fest 2016 in Denver,  we talk with two adventurers with very different approaches to outdoor exploration. Strap in for a lively debate toward the end of this episode as JJ and Eric discuss ancient pyramids that may or may not be hidden in South America.

JJ Yosh is an adventure TV host who has travelled the world chronicling his adventures with Discovery Channel among others. He takes us behind the scenes to let us know what life is like for an adventure TV host and about his movie 10 years in the making.

Eric is a Polar adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher and educator who spent the past 15 years traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on earth. He’s one of the few people to have skied both the North and South Poles. In 2010 he became the first person in history to reach the world's three 'poles' in one year: the North and South Poles and Mount Everest.  

Eric discusses how long, boring, cold expeditions became his thing, to the point where he skied the North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest in a calendar year. And the impact of being a dad on his adventure lifestyle.

And they both join in on a lively debate about ancient pyramids that may or may not be buried under the South Pole.

Links

Eric’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LW6C1GG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Eric’s website: http://www.ericlarsenexplore.com/

Cool article Eric wrote about being a dad of young ones on a dangerous Himilayan adventure: Dad Life

Eric discusses his book, “On Thin Ice”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZyL7DuSAPI

JJ’s website: http://www.jjyosh.com/

JJ’s film, “Ancient Tomorrow”: http://www.ancienttomorrow.com/

JJ’s videos: http://www.jjyosh.com/host-reel/

They are two of the most recognizable U.S. ultra runners out there, with countless media articles written both about them and by them, and even a couple of films documenting their outdoor exploration. They are also best friends living in Boulder, Colorado. We sit down with Anton Krupicka and Joe Grant to find out what it’s like to thrust oneself in the social media spotlight in the name of pursuing outdoor adventure full-time.  Listen in as we talk about:

• 2017 race plans (and rumors?)
• What they are really like, outside of the media spotlight
• Joe staring at a cat
• Anton’s open-door policy for the media (*excludes closet doors)
• Skimo racing
• Tennis

Here's some background info/reading/watching:

Anton will be at the Lakewood, Colo., Runner’s Roost Thursday, Feb. 2. Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/398541773821112/

Anton’s new blog on La Sportiva’s site: http://www.sportiva.com/blog/anton-krupicka-supercanaleta/

Outside TV video of Anton’s home: https://www.outsideonline.com/2150111/inside-anton-krupickas-gear-shed?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebookpost

Joe Grant on our October show: http://www.dispatchradio.com/dispatch-6-self-propelled-adventure/

Video of Anton’s successful FKT record of Long Peak Triathlon: https://vimeo.com/185852037

Photo credit: Jarrod Wheaton

Photo credit: Joe Grant (meta!)

In this episode, we check in with Joel Gratz, founder of OpenSnow.com to talk ski season snow totals (late but wow!) and to hear about his three-week powder-hounding road trip across the rockies from Colorado to Canada. We get an insider’s tour of ski resorts off the beaten path (including Utah’s Powder Mountain) and do the math to figure out if heli-skiing is worth it. Give Joel a shout at joel@opensnow.com and find out if he really does answer every email. Insider hint: he’s a sucker for weather jokes.

Links:

Joel’s weather site Open Snow (also available as app)

Helicopter guide: Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH)

Colorado climber/author/dirtbagger Brendan Leonard’s website, Semi-Rad.com

Powder Mountain, Lost Trail, Whitefish, Revel Stoke Mountain Resort, Ski Banff, Ski Louise

About Joel:

Joel Gratz is a snow-obsessed meteorologist based on Boulder, Colorado, who founded a company to help skiers, like him, to find the best powder. OpenSnow DOT com has local forecasters that cover the Rockies, California and lots of other places across the U.S.  

To kick off our day of recording at the first ever Gociety Adventure Fest 2016 in Denver we talk with key event organizers and partners about how the event came about and learn a little about the overall goals of the event and each organization’s unique approach to encouraging people to get outdoors.

Guests include a number of movers and shakers; Gociety co-founder and CEO Anna Thielke,  Big City Mountaineers Program Director Elizabeth Williams and Mike Lewis, director of brand activation and digital strategy for ZEAL Optics (who graciously kept us cool and comfortable in the “ZEAL Explorer” Airstream during the festival). A big thanks to all of them for their involvement and hospitality in what was an amazingly action packed day for Dispatch Radio.

Todd Straka, creator of BoulderRunning.com, joins us to discuss the latest edition of the Boulder Running Journal, a collection of more than 200 pages of photos and essays depicting annual highlights from the Boulder running scene.
Todd is an accomplished and dedicated runner himself and has competed in road events for the past 25 years including with the Runners Roost Racing Team. He manages to squeeze in workouts between his job as a website designer and raising two children, working towards the goal of bettering his time in the Mile, his personal epic challenge.

Join Todd and several featured athletes for a book signing and XC preview panel on Jan 31 at Fleet Fleet Boulder at 6pm.

Boulder Running Journal: boulderrunning.com/journal/

Todd's website provides frequent coverage of local running news and events: boulderrunning.com

Listen in to a chilling interview with Scott Carney, author of What Doesn't Kill Us.  Scott's book traces our evolutionary journey back to a time when survival depended on how well we adapted to the environment around us. Our ancestors crossed the Alps in animal skins and colonized the New World in loin cloths. They evaded predators and built civilizations with just their raw brainpower and inner grit. But things have changed and now comfort is king. Today we live in the thrall of constant climate control and exercise only when our office schedules permit. The technologies that we use to make us comfortable are so all encompassing that they sever the biological link to a changing environment. Now we hate the cold and the heat. We suffer from autoimmune diseases. And many of us are chronically overweight. Most of us don't even realize that natural variation--sweating and shivering--is actually good for us. 

Let's get stoked for snow!  Listen in as we chat with some badass snow enthusiasts about what to look forward to this year.  We talk gear tips, training tips, uphill skiing, skimo racing, backcountry adventures, and of course weather predictions.

Joel Gratz - meteorologist who tells us where to find the pow over at opensnow.com

Jon Kedrowski "Dr. Ski" - author, ski mountaineer, and geographer.  Check out his book about camping on top of all of Colorado's 14ers.

Joe Howdyshell - all-around badass who helps people achieve their fitness goals at Summit Endurance Academy

Henrik Førland Lampert - editor of FREESKIER Magazine

Kimberly Beekman - editor of Skiing Magazine

Thanks to Neptune Mountaineering for having us!

Listen in as we talk with founder and CEO of Skirt Sports, Nicole DeBoom, at her monthly women's get together at her flagship store in Boulder.  

Hosts Laurie Nakauchi and Kelly McConnell talk with runners Silke Koester, Ilene Bloom, Jenn Coker and Melissa Hoskins about how their running communities keep them motivated and inspired, while sharing some of their personal experiences and perspectives.  Tune in for some bonus pro tips, like why "poison remover" is required gear at an ultramarathon in Japan, and how to beet world records.

#SkirtSports  #REALwomenmove

Rocky Mountain Runners
Colorado Columbines 
Front Range Cross Country (FRXC)
Ultra Dirt Divas

For this week's live show we talk with a group of impressive go-getters from the Front Range:
We recorded LIVE with a nice crowd from the patio of Mountain Toad Brewing in Golden with four inspiring mountain adventurers who all share a love of suffering in nature.
Joe Grant talks to us about his recent self-supported peak-bagging of all 57 14ers. He talks about his 100-mile "rest day" bike ride, his lowest point on the trails (on a paved road of all things) and how he keeps his motivation in some very difficult elements. Erik Sanders discusses his Labor Day weekend Nolan's 14 attempt and breaks some news regarding an exciting adventure race he's got coming up. Christopher Harrington talks about the group of trail-blazers he founded, FRXC - Front Range Cross Country, and lays out an ambitious plan that is now officially Joe Grant-approved. Our "every-woman" Ilene Bloom tells us how she got mixed into the crazy world of ultra-running and what she's got her eyes set on next.

It’s raining men (and women... mostly women, actually) on this sky high episode of Dispatch Radio. Join hosts Kelly Cornish-McConnell, Laurie Nakauchi and Cory Feign as they go well above and beyond our usual 5,280’ and meet some people experienced in the art of jumping out of or off things and safely returning to earth to discuss what they just did on a podcast. Adventure journalist Jayme Moye gets inspired covering a paragliding recon mission to jump off Kilimanjaro and ends up taking the plunge herself with Vail Valley Paragliding in our own backyard. Yogi Steph Schwartz talks about her transition from ultra-runner to yogi to badass skydiver and skydiving instructor and how mindfulness factors into both disciplines. World hang glider speed record holder Ben Herring introduces us all to hang gliding and discusses how he balances his decades-long obsession with being a dad and working full time (Hint: it involves sharing his passion with others).

We catch up with Gociety's Director or Partnerships, Jason Antin, for a sneak peak of what to expect this weekend.  Tons of fun activities to try out, beer and music all
day, get to know other adventurers and athletes, plus the event is dog and family friendly (kids 12 and under are free)!  

Stop by and see Dispatch at the Zeal Optics lounge, where we'll be talking with a bunch of influencers and badass adventurers all afternoon.

Get your tickets now!  

adventurefest2016.com #afestdenver

And a huge shoutout to Big City Mountaineers, Gociety's non-profit partner for Adventure Fest who played a big role in helping the event come together.  A portion of all event revenue will go towards their operating costs and program development.

Learn about one heck of a challenge in and on Colorado's 14ers. 

Nolan's 14 is a run over the 14 summits over 14,000 ft. in Colorado's Sawatch Range, from Mt. Massive to Mt. Shavano in either direction. You can choose your own route between summits, but the most practical routes have been estimated to be 88 to 106 miles with 44,000 ft. of climb. Cutoff is 60 hours to the last summit. I

This is not a race.

Nolan's has been around since the early 90's but has gained popularity with the growth of ultra running.

Eric completed Nolans ins 2012 in 57:27:14 after scouting the course since 2003. This year Eric attempted the FKT on the 14ers but was thwarted by bad weather. Hear the story on the show!

Hosted by Dispatch resident MTB expert and race announcer Sean Franklin tries (unsuccessfully) to take a break from being surrounded by ultrarunners on the podcast while we take the show to the Kitchen Next Door at Union Station in downtown Denver for the Colorado High School Cycling League fundraiser. League Executive Director and 2015 Sportswomen of Colorado ‘Trailblazer’ award winner Kate Rau and Director of Operations John “Hutch” Hutchinson sharing their own mountain biking origin stories and discuss the history, origins, goals, structure and summer schedule for this unique co-ed youth league that started in 2010. We hear from parents, coaches and others affiliated with the league to get their experience with this unique opportunity to get all kids hooked on being outside, participating and competing at a high level regardless of experience or even disability and Coach Bussey of East High School’s cycling team gives his advice on great locations around the Denver Metro area to help further develop your or your young racer’s mountain bike skills. Dispatch host Laurie Nakauchi discusses her impressive results and perhaps shares her secrets for success at the notoriously challenging and high Silverheels 100 Mile; regarded as the “Grand-daddy” of all Human Potential Running Series events (put on by Dispatch’s very own Sherpa John – we’re like one big family over here). Who doesn’t love a race with 5-11 free bonus miles and middle of the night hallucinations? Cory and Russ briefly touch on the adventures they, Nick and Tony had the previous weekend during the Never Summer Adventure Race as complete adventure racing novices that they committed to during the last episode – a more detailed  follow-up episode is in the works.

How much adventuring can you pack into a weekend? More than you would expect. Huddled together in the map room at the charming Feral Mountain Co. on Tennyson St in Northwest Denver, we chat over some tasty beers provided by our friends at Boulder Beer (as well as some from Feral neighbors Call to Arms Brewing) and talk about weekend adventures - Gociety Director of Partnerships Jason Antin's tries to "Beat Monday" by pushing the limits of what's capable in the 64 hours between 5PM Friday and 9AM Monday and talks about his 4th of July "Picnic" weekend in Jackson, WY. Continuing on with the Wyoming love, Adventure Racers Erik Sanders (Team Yogaslackers) and Katie Ford Ferrington (Team Journey) gear up for the recently completed Cameco Cowboy Tough 3.5 Day Expedition Race (with their teams finishing 4th and 7th, respectively) and get us all stoked that adventure racing not only still exists, but is making a comeback. Katie also convinces (challenges? goads? dares?) the Dispatch crew into taking on her very own adventure race; the Never Summer Adventure Race being held in Grand Lake, CO August 6th-7th. Cory and Nick will be representing Team Mandragora / Spicy Boys in the 24 hour race and Russ will be taking his broken (and potentially removable at this point) toe as a teammate for the 6 hour course. All this, plus an interview with the most feral of the bunch at Feral Mountain Co., Mr. Jimmy Funkhouser on following his passions by opening a very unique small mountain shop and what his preparations for the Colorado 200 look like as a first timer.

No matter which side of the Boulder bubble you find yourself there something for everyone in this That's So Boulder edition of Dispatch Radio.

Recorded live at Boulder Running Company, this episode examines what makes Boulder, Colorado such a unique, qualified hub for outdoor activities... and the butt of many a fellow Front Ranger's jokes.

We catch up with Boulder Hiker Chicks founder Alli Fronzaglia and the rest of her group as they're doing the Boulder Five Peak Traverse in unseasonably warm shirts.

Youth MTB coaches Katie Mardis and Kay Tuttle discuss getting kids hooked young (on mountain biking and being athletes, obviously), Gociety partner Jason Antin reveals a very Boulder alternate use for the First Flatiron, The "Boulder Runner" Todd Straka lets us in on his secret identity as an 80's musician and Jayme Moye climbs Half Dome with Yosemite big wall legend Hans Florine... because why not? Beer support provided by Boulder Beer with a special soul-warming meal from our friends at R.A.D. (Real Athlete Diets).

Injury. Eventually it catches up with all of us and puts a damper on our pursuits. In this inaugural episode of Dispatch Radio, we introduce you to the crew and explore how injury has affected our lives; Andrew Schuhmann tells us his story about how a long and difficult recovery from something as relatively benign as tendinitis challenged his self-identity as a mountain biker and outdoor enthusiast, Adventure Racer Erik Sanders fights off jungle monsters and defends himself from killer bees with a trash bag in South America and Sara, our first ever Story Slam winner, tells us about the time she saved a baby during an ultramarathon. All this brought to you by “Apples” (not the computer) and a ragtag crew in the foothills of Colorado.