Ah, the digital age. For all of its downsides, there are certainly some incredible opportunities that it presents. With the wireless radio waves that enable our cellphones, we can all stop, look and listen to podcasts bringing the thoughts of great minds everywhere. This may surprise you, as it surprised me, but did you know that there are other podcasts out there besides The Joe Rogan Experience? And it gets better; there are podcasts that dive into skiing. Many of us are well aware of these amazing productions but it can hard to find the time and dive into them.
That said, many of these chats are only about an hour long, and can be very enjoyable to digest in brief 10-minute segments. Out on a solo day ripping and have the chair alone? Throw one on. Stopping to answer the call when nature beckons? Pop in an earbud and gain some skiing knowledge in the stall. Lunch break? You get the gist…
There’s alway more time in the day that we can take the time and learn about what interests us. Many, if not all of the podcasts on this list feature talks with those that are directly making the ski world spin. Featuring athletes such as Henrik Harlaut or Tatum Monod, video and photography legends like Josh Berman of Level 1 Productions, rising star photographer Guy Fatal, industry giants like Jason Levinthal, these audio enlightenments also branch out beyond skiing and tie their conversations into the many avenues of life that these stellar individuals pursue.
With so many diverse topics and perspectives, you’re bound to find some chats that interest you. But which one to choose? Don’t even trip, dawg. For your convenience, we’ve compiled some of our favorite outdoor and skiing based podcasts right here—with a brief description of each—so you can get right to it!
The Mayrand Podcast
As a kind hearted French-Canadian from Montreal, Quebec, Xavier Mayrand grew up doing Canadian things such as drinking maple syrup, shmucking dusters into the boards of the hockey rink and participating in good ol’ ice coast ski racing. In the inaugural episode of The Mayrand Podcast, Xavier gives a brief explanation of his past, why he’s pursuing his love for the ski industry and what he wants to bring to life with the podcast. He mentions his attempts at “normal” jobs, but realizing that his true love and happiness has always been found in skiing. You can tell by his pensive questions that this cat isn’t joking; he truly appreciates and wants to share his love for skiing with the world. While the podcast relatively new (it’s only produced 11 episodes), the guests featured so far are top tier. Nick Martini of STEPT Productions, Jason Levinthal of J Skis (and all around godfather of freestyle ski technology) and Phil Casabon are a few of the legends featured. If you’re looking for a passionate and deep dive into the minds of current innovating athletes, filmers, and business people of the freestyle skiing world, Xavier Mayrand’s mellow banter it up your alley.
Out of Bounds
Its focus predominately on skiing and biking, the Out of Bounds Podcast is a great choice for those looking to see a broad spectrum of the outdoor industry. Host Adam Jaber has worked in both the ski and bike industry for over 10 years and uses his extensive knowledge of both sports to drive interesting conversations about life in—and beyond—the mountains. Adam’s guests are equally as passionate and reputable, bringing the hype when they’re interviewed over the phone, as they have been for the past few months. Good news is that Jaber just recorded his first in-person podcast since last year and Out Of Bounds has also added a new series called The Pursuit, hosted by Mr. AdamX, which focuses specifically on passionate athletes and artists in the industry. Laid back and easy to listen to with a wide range of quests, Out of Bounds is a great one for the casual or dedicated bike and ski enthusiast. Be sure to check out Episode 23 with former FREESKIER Editor-in-Chief, Donny O’Neill.
Low Pressure Podcast
The Low Pressure Podcast has been in the game for a MINUTE. Its first episode was eight years back in 2013—that’s right, 2013 was eight years ago… let that marinate. With time and experience under the belt, the LPP is the veteran that always provides. Host Mark Warner has spoken to everyone under the sun when it comes to skiing. Based out of British Columbia, there’s no better spot to host the mecca of ski podcasts. Low Pressure is, if we dare to say it, the original ski podcast. From Thayne Rich to Tanner Hall, if they’ve had a hand in skiing, they’ve been on the LPP. With a list this extensive, your favorite athlete, filmer, photographer, artist, heck maybe even a liftie, has probably been featured at some point or another.
Possibly the least known on this list due to its short run, platform rarity, and lack of marketing, Slide is a podcast we are very much hoping to get the word out about. It’s not here for its flash or glam, but rather to bring extremely important and practical information to those who spend time in the mountains. When talking about avalanches, it is vital to have good information and experience coming in. That is why we support this podcast heavily; the host is a man with more time under the belt assessing avalanches than most people will ever even spend on skis. He goes by the name of Doug Krause, and has spent his days skiing and learning on three continents, as the Director of Snow Safety at the incredibly prestigious Silverton Mountain, and most recently at Irwin Cat Skiing, also located in the tumultuous San Juan Mountains of Colorado. With around 450 inches of annual snow and variable temperatures in the southern part of the state, the San Juans are some of the greatest teachers for avalanche safety on the planet.
The Powell Movement
For the lover of all action sports, rain or shine, The Powell Movement is your saving grace. The hot doggin’ host Mike Powell has witnessed more than two decades of the ski industry’s growth, serving up an 18-year career with K2 as well as dabbling in athlete management and the art of MCing for RedBull and Powder Magazine. Since it began in 2017, the show has featured a full buffet of action sports personnel who break down their careers and current lives in hour-long convos with Mike. The “Inappropriate Questions” segment in every episode brings previous guests on the show to ask raunchy questions to the current one, so keep an eye out for those highly anticipated, raw moments. For the love of his listeners, Powell also breaks down the podcast in the show notes with time stamps detailing the conversation so you can jump ahead to specific parts if you have a guest in mind with a story you’re dying to hear. There’s new episodes every week and, even though the show is only four years old, the career-diverse variety of guests will keep you overly satisfied and answer questions across the realms of action sports.
Another Level
The illustrious Level 1 Productions has stepped away from the visual and into the world of audio presentations with Another Level Podcast Series. Young gun Conor Smith holds down the fort as the host extraordinare with the Level 1 OGs Freedle Coty and Josh Berman dropping in on some episodes. putting a personal touch on the podcasting game, releasing episodes in seasons as opposed to a continuous flood. The Denver based fellas kicked things off with 21 episodes discussing the ins and outs of their past films with born n bread rippers that have been featured, such as Parker White, Tatum Monod, and Keegan Kilbride to name a few. Once the film recaps were boxed and wrapped, the first season of the podcast was dedicated to filmer and athlete’s alike, all with unique stories and pasts to share. A personal favorite on this list, Another Level is a fantastic guide for those of us on the outside of the complex processes that go documenting skiing. Hopefully they will be dropping more audio based knowledge about the future of Level 1, the life of professional skiers and filmers, and beyond. If you’re at all curious of the real lives and people behind the films that have but both the new wave and old school of skiing on the map, this honey hole of a podcast will be music to your ears.
Fittingly named, the Long Underwear podcast, “aims to strip off the layers and get to know the skiers and snowboarders underneath the ski gear”. Its attempt to connect and relate us with the mountain folks, (yes there are a few snowboarders mixed in here), that we hear much about is a great way to expose the humanity that we all share, specifically away from the slopes. With Amie Engerbretson as the host and producer, rest assured that this podcast will be steered in the right direction. She has a plethora of MC qualifications under her belt and knows the right questions and conversations to have. Warren Miller Entertainment oversees this audio operation, and not surprisingly they have a wide variety of athletes and connections that make for extremely interesting guests. Amie’s casual atmosphere on the mic makes for a show that will have you interested in the guests as people, far beyond their tremendous contributions to the world of action sports.
Dirtbag Diaries
It’s only right that we close out our list with the original outdoor activity podcast. The Dirtbag Diaries has been on the air since 2007, when creator Fitz Cahall dropped his pen and picked up the microphone in hopes of another outlet for telling the stories—and the series shows no signs of slowing down. Chances are high that your friend has thrown on an episode while en route up to the mountain, or maybe your mom has sent you an episode to show how hip she is on the culture of adventure sports. Friends can be great resources and moms are often more hip than they seem. This stoic podcast is certainly worth a listen, especially if you’re looking for something that is leans on immersive storytelling content as opposed to guest interviews.
