Only Friends on a Pow Day

Winning Olympic gold is one thing. Keeping track of the medal afterwards? Apparently, that’s a whole other sport. Cooper Woods joins Austin Toner at the SIA Tradeshow for a chat about the whirlwind since becoming Olympic moguls champion at Milano Cortina 2026. There have been charity golf days, meetings with Mick Fanning and Ash Barty, a surf trip, and a gold medal that has spent plenty of time be...

Colby James West joins Austin Toner for the story behind his Tom Jones segment in Claim, the making of My Friend Is a Pro, and an honest conversation about burnout and coming back to skiing. Known for bringing comedy to Matchstick Productions films, the X Games medallist looks back on a career spent travelling between competitions and film trips. He explains how a day filming It's Not Unusual...

Side Selections are helping keep Falls Creek’s après and nightlife alive. Paddy and Adam join Austin Toner to talk The Man, DJ culture and the friendship behind their events business. Before the dancefloors, both worked for Austin at Rhythm Japan in Hakuba. This catch-up brings together old work yarns, mountain connections and the reality of turning a love of music and ski seasons into a business....

What if fear didn’t need to disappear before you acted? What if you could put it on the calendar instead? Jennie “AdrenaJen” Milton grew up in a Canberra ski family, founded one of Australia’s leading extreme-sports stores and dreamed of riding Alaska’s big mountains. When the boys in her shop told her to keep dreaming, she booked the flight. Fear suddenly had a date, a deadline and a reason to pr...

From a tiny Niseko locker room and shipping-container boot shop to Boot Solutions Japan and Village Sports inside the Hilton, Dr Ned Buckley shares the twenty-year journey behind one of Japan’s most trusted boot-fitting businesses. Full Episode: Ned Buckley had two options: build a life in Telluride or take a punt on the still-emerging ski town of Niseko. Then he arrived in April, woke to almost a...

From learning on a snow-covered garbage dump to riding Alaska’s Pontoon and filming for Warren Miller, TJ Balon shares a lifetime spent chasing snow. He learned to ski on a snow-covered garbage dump in Manitoba. Decades later, TJ Balon was dropping into Pontoon in Alaska, flying drones for Warren Miller and helping run one of the most legendary heli-ski operations in the Chugach. In this episode o...

What happens when the sport you've dedicated your life to suddenly ends? In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day , we sit down with former Australian alpine ski racer Lily Tomkinson to explore the highs, heartbreak and reinvention that followed an elite sporting career. From representing Australia on the international stage to enduring four knee surgeries , Lily opens up about the physic...

For many of us, the mountains have always felt like home. They're places of adventure, community, freedom and connection. But behind the stories we share and the photos we post, there is often another side to mountain life that receives far less attention. This conversation was inspired by something we've been reminded of ourselves recently: mental health affects everyone, and sometimes...

In this episode, we sit down with Coen Bennie-Faull - freeride skier, coach, and founder of a next-generation freeride program. Coen shares his journey from a non-skiing family in Melbourne to building an international career in skiing, including:  Early exposure to skiing and progression through Hotham   Seasons spent chasing snow across Canada, Japan, and Europe   The impact of skiing in Jackson...

Olympian Valentino Guseli joins Only Friends on a Pow Day to unpack one of the most talked-about moments of the Winter Olympics. From a last-minute entry into Big Air, to stomping a switch back 19 and going viral, Val shares the full story behind the chaos, pressure and decisions that defined his Olympic campaign. We dive into:  The reality of competing at Olympic level  The mindset behind risking...

Season 2 of Only Friends on a Pow Day begins with a deep dive into how X Games performance sets the tone for Olympic success. Austin & Lachy break down the athletes, events, and storylines shaping the road to the Winter Olympics — from Scotty James’ legacy run to the next generation of Aussie and Kiwi talent making waves across snowboarding and freestyle skiing. This episode explores the real...

This week we sit down with Imi Scott , the designer and founder behind Pimp My Poles — the custom ski-pole wrap brand changing the look, feel, and fun of the snow industry. What started as a spontaneous leopard-print bike wrap has become a global side-hustle-turned-business, now seen on mountains across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and beyond. Imi joins Austin live from the trade show to...

From a lost wallet in Hawaii to a global lifestyle brand — Thread Wallets joins Austin live from the Snow Sports Industry Tradeshow to share one of the best founder stories you’ve ever heard. Austin chats with Trevor and Mark from Thread Wallets , diving into how a simple elastic wallet inspired by surf culture grew into a worldwide accessories brand stocked in surf, skate, snow, and boutique stor...

From rental shop to marketing boss — Lachy Keevers has done it all. Live from the Snow Sports Industry Tradeshow, Austin and Matty sit down with long-time mate and XTM Marketing Manager Lachy Keevers to unpack his 20-year career in snow, from Falls Creek beginnings to managing Olympians with Oakley and leading one of Australia’s biggest winter brands. 🎙️ Recorded on-site at SIA Tradeshow 2025 , th...

Australian ski royalty meets pub-story gold. Steve Lee and Pete Forras join Austin and Matty for an unfiltered deep dive into World Cup glory, near-death powder days, and how XTM and ROJO shaped the snow scene from Falls Creek to Japan. Recorded live at the SIA Australia Tradeshow, Episode 17 of Only Friends on a Pow Day celebrates the legacy of Australian skiing legends Steve Lee and Pete Forras...

In Episode 16 of Only Friends on a Pow Day , recorded live at the SIA Australia Tradeshow in Canberra, Austin sits down with Liv, Morgs, and Sophie — three women who’ve carved out inspiring careers in snow sports. From Rhythm Japan roots to repping brands like Nitro, Blacklight Distribution, and Smith, plus leading retail at Perisher and beyond, these women share the highs, challenges, and lessons...

Recorded live at the SIA Tradeshow in Canberra, Only Friends on a Pow Day sits down with Tommy “Tomba” Costa — Falls Creek local, mogul competitor, freestyle pioneer, and Niseko guide to Shaun White, Tanner Hall, and some of the biggest names in skiing. From cork 3s to iconic film segments, gear talk (K2 Reckoners, Pettitors), and decades of influence on Australian and Japanese ski culture, Tomba’...

In Episode 14 of Only Friends on a Pow Day , Austin sits down with Clayton Kernaghan - Canadian shredder, founder of Black Diamond Lodge , and one of Hokkaido’s most respected guides. Clayton shares: His early days arriving in Japan during the snowboard boom 🌊 Building Black Diamond Lodge and guiding the world’s best pros 🎿 The rise of heli & cat skiing in Niseko 🚁 Why Japan’s real estate m...

In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day , Austin sits down with New Zealand snowboard royalty, Will Jackways. From humble beginnings in Wanaka to competing on the world stage, Will shares his journey through competition, sponsorship, film trips, and the deep love that kept pulling him back to Japan. They dive into: Growing up in Wanaka and swapping rugby for snowboarding Competing at Junior W...

From Falls Creek lifty to founding one of the world’s most iconic ski brands, Tony McWilliam’s story is the definition of resilience and creativity in action. In this ep, Austin and Matty sit down with Tony - founder of Faction Skis, Ghost Apparel, now director of Forward Apparel and Candide Skis - to talk about: Starting a ski company in Switzerland with no permits or business training The rise (...

From dry slopes in the UK to ski bumming in Canada and tuning thousands of skis in Japan, Josh and Sassy have done it all. These two legends embody what it means to be core lords - shredding pow by day, tuning skis by night, and living their best lives in Niseko. In this ep, Austin dives into: How Sassy became Rhythm Japan’s workshop weapon Josh’s journey from freestyle rails to running the boot g...

Olympian. 2x World Champion. X Games gold medallist. Filmmaker. Backcountry skier. Mentor. Mum. Anna Segal has done it all – and she’s still charging. In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day , Anna joins us to talk: 🏔 From comp highs to backcountry adventures 🎥 The 3-year journey of Finding The Line (and how Red Bull saved the day) ⚖️ Why women’s skiing still needs change 🎿 K2 Mindbenders,...

In this soul-fueled Episode 9, we sit down again with Liam Glass - surfboard shaper, backcountry frother, and all-round board culture tragic - to dig a little deeper into what drives his connection to boards, snow, and surf. From his roots in Ulladulla in a family of surfboard shapers, to shaping snowboards in Japan and chasing 100+ days a year in both snow and surf, Liam’s passion for the craft i...

From hand-painted headbands in the ‘80s to a global snowwear legacy, ROJO has redefined what it means to be bold, female-led and fiercely independent. In this episode, we chat with Jassie Salveson about growing up inside a snow dynasty, her powerhouse mum Jo (yes, that Jo), and the behind-the-scenes hustle it takes to run a family brand with purpose. We cover:  Dopamine dressing and the retro snow...

🎙️ Welcome to Episode 7 of Only Friends on a Pow Day – your go-to podcast for snow culture, unfiltered stories, and the people who make it epic. In this episode, Austin sits down with Hakuba legends Liam and Mikey to dive deep into Japan's backcountry scene. From avalanche safety to the thrill of untouched powder, they share the raw truths of what it’s like to ride off-piste in one of the mos...