Friction Country and Lieutenant Tangle | E96
It’s peak dust season in Lake Tahoe and the trails are blown out with no precipitation in sight. Pow Bot is using his mountain bike as a drying rack for his wetsuit while Trail Whisperer goes to a Reno Aces game and cringes when he hears Sweet Caroline. The boys talk about new trails like Pines to Mines and Beckwourth Peak, pay respects to the life of Guy Eriksen, name some favorite pre-shred soundtracks, DOPE or DERP blasting that music in the parking lot while putting your ski boots on and DOPE or DERP quitting your job when ski or surf conditions are firing. Pow Bot introduces the concept of “Friction Country” – places that retain their unspoiled character because they are hard to get to and comment on the latest South Park episode about kids terrorizing neighborhoods on e-bikes. And a friendly reminder from Start Haus to get your ski gear tuned now before El Niño arrives!
Dumb Ass Rescued Persons and Part-Time Crusaders | E95
As meteorological Fall and the “ber” months arrive, the boys play some bike polo and continue talking about El Niño, with the hopes of a wild and wet winter. Meanwhile, in the absence of any rain, the Hawk Fire in Reno scorches 15,000 acres on Peavine Mountain, burning trails and 40+ homes. A woman swimming in Lake Tahoe is attacked by a river otter, a group of hikers become Dumb Ass Rescued Persons after asking AI to plan their ill-fated ascent of Mount Shasta and Vail Resorts faces a third anti-trust lawsuit alleging ski pass price fixing. Big Sally calls in with an Edward Abbey quote, Trail Whisperer rants about being a part-time crusader and the boys chew on a few DOPE or DERPs including taking home restaurant leftovers, fasting, paying to park and ride mountain bikes and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.
Core Lords Call In, Poisoned Trees and a Super El Niño | E94
Wildfires, triple digit temperatures and dusty, blown out trails – it must be the middle of August in Tahoe. Episode 94 features a grab bag of topics including the relationship between dogs and bears, magicians and the ice cream man, new Tahoe trails, Heavenly opening its gondola to mountain bikes, Palisades Tahoe offering a midweek pass for $699 while Alterra gets sued for price fixing, poisoned trees in Incline Village and the development of the largest El Niño in recorded history. Also, the 888 COR LORD hotline blows up with voicemails, Trail Whisperer gives his initial impressions on his new Aventon Current EXP, issues a call to action in Nevada to stop Greenlink North and the boys shout out Kyle and Jessica Aster for donating $250,000 to TAMBA for finishing Meeks Ridge Trail. Throw in a couple DOPE or DERPs and On a Musical Notes, this is a variety-packed episode.
All about Weather with Bryan Allegretto aka “BA” of OpenSnow | E25
When it comes to skiing, there may be no other person in the Lake Tahoe region with more influence than Bryan Allegretto, known to many powder hounds as “BA”. With one word – Snowpocalypse – BA can send the entire region into a frenzy. As the lead Tahoe region snow forecaster and co-founder of OpenSnow.com, BA consistently outperforms the most advanced and complex snowfall computer weather modeling data through 20+ years of observational forecasting, studying other forecasters and the experience that comes from seeing thousands and thousands of model runs day after day in the Sierra Nevada. In Episode 25, the boys let their meteorologist alter egos fly free, nerding out on all things weather, including the origins of OpenSnow, the challenges of accurately predicting exactly how much it will snow and where, El Nino vs La Nina, Atmospheric Rivers, and if BA thinks volcanoes like Hunga Tonga have an effect on weather. BA also answers the burning question every powder hound is asking – will Tahoe have another big winter?
Fall Arrival and a Super El Niño? | E21
In line with Episode 21 and its Fall theme, @pow_bot and @trail_whisperer chat (rant?) about a cornucopia of topics ranging from the possible arrival of a Super El Nino in Tahoe, looking back on summer’s favorite rides and new trails, the etiquette of riding illegal trails, Strava and social media, the season pass conundrum, Palisades Tahoe announcing parking pass reservations and overcrowding due to Ikon and Epic Pass sales, a 15 mph speed limit on trails in Truckee, a gang of Truckee kids on ebikes throwing apples at people and evading the law, Reno’s ranking by Outside as “happiest place to live in America”, remembering the legend of Robb Gaffney and more. Like most one-on-one episodes with the boys, this one gets a little ranty, channeling a bit of the Angry Singlespeeder (aka The ASS) in Kurt. The boys also ask listeners – what do you prefer to wear when riding, a hip pack or a backpack? Let us know your preference!
Hunga Tonga, Crazy Weather and Midsummer Hero Dirt | E18
After the best winter and spring ever, the best summer in Tahoe ever continues its run with a return of rain and mind-blowing hero dirt. @pow_bot and @trail_whisperer go mano a mano and catch up on a variety of topics including crazy weather and its relation to the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption, nature’s signs of a big upcoming winter and the chances of an El Niño season, the “Amish bike” versus the Rumspringa (e-bike), an epidemic of bears getting hit by cars in Lake Tahoe, the migration of a wolfpack into the southern Sierra Nevada, preparing for 150 miles of new singletrack north of Truckee and an audience poll: do you wash your bike after every ride or do you just ride it dirty?