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.
Show notes
Professional rock climber (boulderer to be exact) and Boulder resident Paul Robinson joins us to discuss the world premiere of his new film, Uncharted Lines, which debuts at the Boulder Theater on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Host Scott Jones offers up a few events happening in Colorado over the next week, including a special Denver edition of Mappy Hour and a talk by local backcountry explorer and author Fritz Sperry.
Links
Watch a trailer of Uncharted Lines
Read more about Paul on his website or climbing resume or this interview with him about his Boulder, Colorado, roots. Here's a cool article Outside Magazine did on one of Paul’s first-ascents.
Events previewed
Wednesday, January 25
Boulder: Premiere of climbing movie "Uncharted Lines" at the Boulder Theater. Every climbing reward comes at the cost of a potential risk, but when you are a climbing pioneer, driven by the unknown and unexpected, you are willing to risk whatever it takes for the chance to find the perfect first ascent. This untouched line is the ultimate prize for professional climbers Paul Robinson, Jimmy Webb, Daniel Woods and Chris Sharma – four of the best climbers in the world who have each dedicated their lives to the sport of rock climbing. Told through five separate stories, Paul Robinson is the common thread that links each story together as he travels from Russia, to the southeastern United States, to Spain, to Zimbabwe, and finally back home to the Rocky Mountains, interacting with these three athletes along the way.
Denver: Mappy Hour at Denver Beer Co. - Matt Doyle (@FATMAP) will be hosting a roundtable about digital tools to use in the snow. From phone apps to watches to beacons and more! What inspires you to plan outdoor adventures? Which types of technology do you use while skiing? Which apps are the most popular? What kind of technology do you hope to see in the future?
Friday, Jan. 27
Nederland: Fritz Sperry Making Turns in Colorado’s Front Range The Movie. Join Fritz as he presents a movie about finishing his most recent guidebook "MakingTurns in Colorado's Front Range Volume 2: North of I-70". He also touches on avalanche awareness and safety issues along with some of his mistakes. There will be a raffle to benefit CAIC, followed by music from Nederland local and movie contributor Familydog Stringband. Tickets are $10 at the door and benefit CAIC and include a raffle ticket and beer from Upslope.
Fritz is touring Colorado with lots of upcoming events. Check out his website for details: MakingTurns.com
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.