Salt Lake Snowcast

Send a text I’ve been talking with my friend Zack throughout this Winter about what I might be missing on the podcast. He’s done a few episodes with me about preparedness in the mountains and we realized that last year, when we did an episode on gear, we kind of missed the bigger topic of knowing how to use all that gear. So, I invited him back on the Snowcast to chat about the importance of educa...

Send a text This might not be the episode you want to hear, but I think it's the episode that some people might need to hear. Sometimes, you don't need to go backcountry skiing. It's ok to take a break. It's ok to sleep in, go to the resort, or go lap Patsy Trees. If you do decide to go into the backcountry, take pause and recognize the risk you're taking. Ask yourself why...

Send a text Happy Valentine's Day to the Wasatch! On today's episode, I'll interview Derek Cragun, a mental health therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and avid backcountry skier about one of the more interesting topics I've covered on the Salt Lake Snowcast. Skiing with the person you love can be amazing...and also challenging at times. Derek and I will talk about tips...

Send a text Jack Stauss is back on the Salt Lake Snowcast today to talk about all things transportation related to Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. There have been some pretty huge updates since the last time we covered this topic and I hope people tune in to become informed about this crucial local issue. Don't forget about the Close Calls Forum happening on Thursday, Feb 12 at 6:30pm. The...

Send a text On today’s episode, I’ll be talking with local skier Fern Hardin about an avalanche accident she was involved in last year in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada while skiing Terminal Cancer Couloir. We’ll talk about what went wrong, what she learned, and how she approaches things differently after the accident. I won’t say too much more as I want Fern to tell the story. Stay tuned to the end...

Send a text Welcome back to Season 3 of the Salt Lake Snowcast! I couldn't be more excited to get this show on the road (or skintrack!) for this Winter. I have some great things lined up for the pod this year. One of my favorite things about running the Snowcast is that I can keep things topical and relevant. So, looking at the calendar, realizing we were more than halfway through December an...

Send a text When most Wasatch skiers were starting to put their skis away for the Season, local crusher Mali Noyes set out on one of the most challenging efforts I've seen in the Wasatch in recent memory: skiing all Chuting Gallery lines as fast as possible. Accomplishing her goal of all 93 lines in just 47 days, Mali not only pushed herself, but also pushed the limits of what's capable...

Send a text The Salt Lake Snowcast is back this weekend with an interview with Sam Kapacinksas. Sam will be sharing a story with us from an avalanche in 2016 that he was caught and carried in, and then walked away from mostly unscathed. We'll talk about how that day has influenced his trajectory as a backcountry skier. It’s honestly been one of my favorite interviews I’ve done on the Salt Lak...

Send a text After short break last week, the Snowcast is back today to talk about current conditions. I'm joined on the show by my friend, local guide, and avalanche forecaster Cody Hughes. Talking with Cody last week, we both had the same gut feeling about our snowpack: it's dangerous, complex, and makes us both uncomfortable. Our goal with this weekend's episode is to share some k...

Send a text On today's episode, I'm joined by Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster Craig Gordon. As one of the more recognizable people in Utah's backcountry scene, I've been looking forward to chatting with Craig ever since I started the podcast. We'll talk about Craig's backstory and how he came to be an avy forecaster before a discussion on our current snowpack. You ca...

Send a text Another week, another Salt Lake Snowcast. With some noteworthy conditions in the backcountry I’ll take a few minutes today to talk about weather and avalanches before an interview with local snow professional Tarah O’Connor. Tarah and I will talk about her two decade career working in the snow and get some opinions and hot takes from her on avalanche education and the state of the ski...

Send a text The Snowcast is back this week for an important conversation about uphill travel. Joining me on the show is local guide and avalanche professional Colby Stetson. We'll chat about everything from the etiquette of skin tracks, backcountry travel dos and don'ts, and some common uptracks for accessing Wasatch Classics. Colby and I certainly aren’t the authority on this topic, in...

Send a text On today's show, I'll start with a brief summary of our backcountry conditions. Our snowpack setup in the Central Wasatch requires vigilance and patience. We’ve seen large avalanches in the past week that are well-connected, running full track, and crossing popular skin tracks. With four fatalities in the past few weeks across the intermountain West, it’s time to give the ter...

Send a text This was a tough week in the Wasatch. I had something planned for the Snowcast, but it just didn’t seem appropriate to publish it given the current events. We’ve had two fatalities in the backcountry this week. And that’s heart wrenching. At a minimum, we need to acknowledge these events and talk about them. It doesn’t feel like enough to me to just take a business as usual approach to...

Send a text In today's episode, I'll be chatting with Dani Poirier from the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. We'll get to know Dani a little bit before diving into some hot topics in the Wasatch. Dani will also provide some updates for us about current access issues, the WBA shuttle, and the organization's trail counting program. For snow, weather, and avalanche updates, all eyes...

Send a text The Wasatch is starting to come back to life and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. After a long period of high pressure, our snow globe has returned, at least for now. In today's episode, I'll recap our snow, weather, and avalanches before jumping into an interview with Emmet Murray. Emmet is the unit Vice President out of the Canyons village for the Park City Ski Patrol A...

Send a text Welcome back to Season 2 of the Salt Lake Snowcast! On today’s episode, we’ll start by looking at historical data for the Wasatch to see how nervous we really need to be about our low tide conditions. After that, Zack Little is back on the show to talk about first aid, communication, and preparedness for backcountry skiing. We've spent some time covering what happens when things g...

Send a text It's been a long hot Summer and as temps are finally beginning to drop, I was feeling inspired to share a few thoughts about last Winter. I'll start with some appreciations and shoutouts and then reflect on our previous season. It was an amazing Winter to be a Wasatch skier and it's hard to imagine things getting better! I also have a few announcements from Utah Avy, Was...

Send a text Hey Everyone! Our first season at the Salt Lake Snowcast is starting to wrap up. Before we finish, I wanted to do an episode on our most requested topic: avalanche education and backcountry mentorship. To talk with me about this on the show is local guide and avalanche forecaster Kiira Antenucci. Kiira and I chat about how to make the jump from intermediate to expert, ways to find ment...

Send a text I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little seasonally confused these days. We had vicious East winds followed by high pressure and now, Old Man Winter has returned. We could see another few feet of snow before the end of the month so get out there and ski it while you can!  On today's episode, I had the chance to chat with my friend Chris Dickson from the San Juan...

Send a text The Salt Lake Snowcast is back this week with an interview from local skier Mark White AKA @spindrift65 on Instagram. Mark has been ski touring in the Wasatch for the past 40 years and has a perspective and approach to backcountry skiing that we haven’t really talked about this season. While he’s well known for his aesthetically pleasing powder turns and skin tracks, Mark is also proli...

Send a text After taking last week off, we are back this weekend to talk with Jack Stauss about our current conditions as we head into another active period of weather. March is usually my favorite ski month with longer days and a more stable snowpack. We’ve made it over the hump of what we call Deep Winter, but we can still pretty much see any type of weather imaginable moving forward through the...

Send a text Thanks for checking out the Salt Lake Snowcast! This is our longest episode yet, but it's an important story to hear and I think any backcountry skier or rider will benefit from the accident analysis and discussion had in this week's episode.  After a few sunny and calm days in the mountains, we are turning the corner and heading into another active period of weather. I’m alr...

Send a text What a week of powder skiing! A bit of wind early in the week, but things really turned on with right side up snow and light density powder coming in the last few days with light winds. This weekend should be all time conditions with bottomless turns under clear and cold sunny skies. Utah is still above average for the year with both snow and water. We’re doing much better than other p...

Send a text Thanks for tuning in to Episode 9 of the Salt Lake Snowcast. I wanted to get this one out as soon as possible as I  think it is an incredibly important episode going into this weekend. After the usual backcountry update, I have an honest and vulnerable conversation with local pro skier Sam Cohen and our friend, ski guide, and avalanche forecaster Cody Hughes. Sam was caught, carried, a...