Cam Zink Invitational | E10
Recorded in the SendRadder, the Toyota Sunrader 4x4 mobile recording studio, @pow_bot and @trail_whisperer were invited to the @camzinkinvitational north of Reno to experience the athlete-only event and interview some core lords involved with it. Our first guest was Ian DeQueiroz (@manawolf), co-founder and CEO of @sendy_app, charter partner of Mind the Track and primary supporter of the Invitational. He tells us the fascinating story of SENDY’s Ukranian software development team building the app in the midst of war with Russia. Ian also traveled solo to Kiev in the middle of war to visit his heroic team and launch the app on time! Then at minute 52 of the episode, we sat down with @hank.wilkins and @iwanaga_damon – the lead builders of all the massive jumps at the Invitational. We learn about their backgrounds as riders and trail builders for @sensusradtrails and the @truckeebikepark , how you build massive jumps for the most talented athletes in the world while also building approachable jumps for the general public and youth. Thanks again to @camzink for letting us be the random gawkers at his property, and thanks to SENDY for supporting the show! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Spotify and help spread the word. #mindthetrack #mindthetrackpodcast
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.
Corn Snow and Hero Dirt in Spring | Evan Roa | E8
Recorded at the iconic Tunnel Creek Cafe, home of Flume Trail Bikes in Incline Village, Nevada at the site of the Ponderosa Ranch and the old TV Western, Bonanza, Pow Bot and Trail Whisperer celebrate the transition from winter to spring, the arrival of "dual sport" season and awesome bike to ski missions, finding early season hero dirt and late season corn snow wearing flip flops and ski boots. The boys chat about why out-and-back rides are better than loop rides this time of year, recent mountain bike missions to Sea Otter, Pollock Pines and Quincy, California, a "First Descent" on Emerald Chutes after Pow Bot forgot his split board bindings and Trail Whisperer's former life as a Silicon Valley corporate employee and the satirical book he wrote about the experience, "The 5 Habits of Highly Successful Slackers - Because 7 is too Many." The boys also spend a few minutes chatting with one of the new owners of Tunnel Creek Cafe, Evan Roa, and the inevitable crazy stories of tourists frequenting the restaurant. This episode is a cornucopia of random topics!
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.
Daron Rahlves | Training for Life | E5
As the most decorated American male ski racer in history, Red Bull athlete and local legend Daron Rahlves know how to send two sticks downhill. But as Daron approaches 50 years old, he is finding more enjoyment in putting his mind in the track, going deep in the backcountry, skiing with his son Drey in Alaska and his dog Zoe in the backyard, appreciating the beauty and incredible terrain of the Lake Tahoe region. Daron also recalls two of his top ten days ever skiing in the backcountry were with PowBot, one big day in Desolation Wilderness, and the other unknowingly racing PowBot to the bottom of Bear Scratch. It was a tie.
Sam Hamilton | Backcountry Ski Guide | E4
Trail Whisperer’s next door neighbor in Verdi, Sam Hamilton, is a man of many interests from skiing and skateboarding to surfing, whitewater kayaking, rafting and mountain biking. Sam is a full-time ski guide for High Sierra Snowcat and Palisades Tahoe in the winter and is a professional photographer (samhamiltonphoto.com). Sam joins us to talk about ski guiding, being the parent his teenage ski racing daughter, skate parks in southern California, the upcoming kayak season, massive avalanches and what minding the track means to him.
Record Breaking Tahoe Winter | Scott Kessler | E3
The last couple weeks in the Lake Tahoe region have been historic, adding to an already crazy winter, this episode is all about SNOWMAGEDDON and the mayhem of relentless storms. Scott Kessler, owner of Truckee Overhead Door, has lived in Tahoe since 1976 and has seen a lot of big winters here. Scott declares 2023 to be a “1 in 50 winter”, so we sat down in his Hirschdale workshop and talked about the shovel quiver, snowmobiles, Telemark skiing, the early days of Squaw Valley, the Alpine Meadows avalanche of 1982, snow loaded roofs, minimizing property damage, snow removal and playing in the best quality snow we’ve ever seen in Tahoe.
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.
Adventure Begins Where Certainty Ends | E1
Adventure begins where certainty ends. PowBot and Trail Whisperer embark on a new journey of storytelling with the first episode of Mind the Track. In the inaugural episode, the boys discuss why they decided to start Mind the Track, who the show is for and what topics will be discussed, the huge winter so far in the Sierra Nevada, learning to snowmobile, touring out in Desolation Wilderness, the etiquette of the skin track, always skiing “Fall-line Freddy”, traffic woes in Truckee and Jackson Hole sidecountry.