The Octagon

This week Mike and Ted took over the studio and rehashed the 2025-2026 winter and Season 2 at The Octagon Podcast. From powder days, epic travel stories and friendly bets between co-hosts this is a great episode to fire up as you reflect back on your winter!

This week on the Octagon Podcast we sat down with TJ Walden and Sarah  Landry , the co-founders behind Movement Coffee Roasters right here in Stowe. Movement and their flagship store The Roastery has become a key part of the local coffee scene, known for carefully sourced beans, precise roasting, and a focus on bringing out the unique character of each origin. Join us on an adventure that began in...

This week we were excited to bring into the studio Karen Wagner to talk all things ski patrol . Karen is the Ski Patrol Director at Stowe Mountain Resort, overseeing one of the most experienced and highly trained patrol teams in the East. Karen and her team provide first response medical care and manage mountain safety during some of the busiest ski days in New England. Karen has built a career in...

This week we are excited to be bringing you a special Octagon roundtable edition with everyone’s favorite snow reporters Andre Blais, Matt Testa and Scott Braaten. Whether tuning into the snow phone, reading the carefully crafted daily snow report or searching for the fabled Mount Mansfield stake measurement data these are the guys that make it happen day after day. With winter turning into spring...

This week we welcomed craft distillers Tim Danahy and Howie Faircloth into The Octagon Studio. Tim and Howie both moved to Stowe almost 30 years ago and became the head brewers at The Shed. After 5 years at The Shed  they decided they wanted to start their own business and founded Green Mountain Distillers - one of the very first distilleries in Vermont. They have dedicated the last 25 years to pr...

This week we had the pleasure of bringing Jack Morris into the Octagon Studio. Born and raised in Stowe, Jack once dreamed of becoming an athlete — until a life-altering heart diagnosis in his teens forced him to rethink everything. After traveling and developing a passion for photography, he returned home for heart surgery and made a bold decision at just 23 years old: to take over the former Rob...

This week we had the pleasure of bringing into the studio Sports Recovery guru Steph Lawee.  Steph is the Founder of Vibe Sports Recovery here in Stowe. Steph combined her experience as an elite halfpipe skier and passion for healing and recovery to create Vibe. Prior to Vibe, Steph competed for 7 years in slopestyle and halfpipe at USSA, USASA, NorAm, Rev Tour and Grand Prix events. When not help...

This week we had the pleasure of chatting with Drew Clymer about all things back country rescue. Drew currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Stowe Mountain Rescue and The Search and Rescue Coordinator for the Vermont Department of Public Safety. Service runs in Drew’s blood and when he is not deep in the back country for pleasure or rescue he serves as the Chair of the Development Review Board fo...

This week we rounded out the 2025 season at the Octagon Podcast with the long awaited Hardeaux Roundtable. The Hardeaux's have what could be described as a controversial reputation around town and on the mountain for their hard charging attitude on the uphill scene, desire to push the limits and most importantly creating a tight knit ski community. If you see headlamps scattered on Nosedive i...

This week we chatted with Mike Hayes who is one of the key figures in Stowe’s extreme skiing and ski-filming community. He’s someone who doesn’t just chase lines—he documents them and helps tell the story of what it really takes to ski big terrain on the East Coast. From epic powder days, dawn patrol missions to bluebird days when everything comes together, Mike has been behind the lens capturing...

This week we welcomed our first educator into the Octagon Studio, Maura Wieler. Maura is the Principal of Stowe Elementary School, whose leadership has played a significant role in shaping the school’s academic direction and its culture of student-centered learning. Under Maura’s guidance, Stowe Elementary has continued to strengthen its instructional practices, support professional growth among e...

This week we were honored to welcome craft beer legends Jen and John Kimmich, co-owners of The Alchemist Brewery into the Octagon studio. The Alchemist makes Heady Topper, one of the top rated beers in the world and has been instrumental in the evolution of craft beer over the last 20 years. Jen and John not only make some of the best beer in the world but also are incredibly generous in the broad...

This week we welcomed Jackie Henderson and Carter Getty into the Octagon Studio. Jackie and Carter are both Seniors at Stowe High School and provide a unique perspective on what it's like to grow up in Stowe. We explore their time in this unique community, working their way through the school system, athletic endeavors and even dating! We are excited to present this fresh perspective on all t...

This week we welcomed Scott Braaten into the Octagon studio as we are building stoke for the upcoming winter . Scott is one of the leading weather forecasters for Mt Mansfield and runs the popular Braatencast social media weather prediction page. Scott started his weather forecasting while a student at the University of Vermont and the popularity of his in depth reports spread like wildfire. Skier...

This week we had the honor of sitting down with Peter Hawks for our third Octagon Labs episode. Peter takes us on a journey of the legacy of his son Ryan who lived with passion, purpose, and integrity. Whether Ryan was carving fresh ski lines or spreading kindness to a stranger he left an impact on everyone he met. His zest for life and free spirit continues to inspire thousands. Peter started the...

This week we sat down with 7th generation Stowe resident Joey Davis who is considered one of the premier whitetail deer trackers in the region. Deer hunting in Stowe and throughout the State of Vermont is on the decline but Joey is keeping the tradition alive by creating Northwoods Whitetails with past Octagon guest Dustin Martin. When not on the elusive hunt for a big woods whitetail buck Joey op...

This week we explore the Vermont start up and entrepreneurial landscape with Dave Bradbury. Dave is the President of VCET — the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies — where he’s spent years helping entrepreneurs turn their ideas into businesses right here in VT. What’s cool about David is that he’s not trying to make Vermont into the next Silicon Valley — he’s working to help Vermont become th...

This week we sat down with Mike Giorgio, General Manager at Stowe Mountain Resort. Mike started his career at Mt Snow as Executive Chef and Head of Food and Beverage. He then was promoted to run resorts in the Midwest for Vail before joining Stowe as GM in November 2024. Mike has now been at the helm for almost a year and we are thrilled to have Mike on the podcast - to learn more about his backgr...

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming into The Octagon studio Charles Safford. Charles is the Town Manager of Stowe, Vermont, a role in which he serves as the CEO of the town -  responsible for day-to-day municipal operations, advising and implementing Select board policy, and shepherding the town’s budget to the voters’ consideration. Charles has served in this role for 18 years and has guid...

This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with local soccer icon Brian Buczek . Brian is the founder of the Vermont United Soccer Academy and current Associate Head Coach of the Stowe High School Girls Varsity Soccer team. As part of his rich coaching career he led the Stowe High School Boys Varsity Soccer team to multiple state titles and had stints coaching at Johnson State College and Middl...

This week we veered off from our traditional format diving into the stories and characters that make Stowe, Vermont so legendary.  We are calling this new series Octagon Labs .  Many community members have connected with us wanting to start their own podcast and this Labs extension of the traditional format brings an episode from community members diving into a specific topic or passion. The  goal...

This week we veered off from our traditional format diving into the stories and characters that make Stowe, Vermont so legendary.  We are calling this new series Octagon Labs .  Many community members have connected with us wanting to start their own podcast and this Labs extension of the traditional format brings an episode from community members diving into a specific topic or passion. The  goal...

Join us for a trip down memory lane as we recap what was an unforgettable season 1 at the Octagon Podcast. We revisit the epic tales, personalities and history that makes Stowe such a special and unique community. In this episode we will also throw out some teasers for what to expect in season 2! Stay tuned in after the season 1 recap for live footage of the sights and sounds of the famous Stowe 4...

This week we were excited to welcome Gregg Goodson into the Octagon studio. Gregg is a highly respected veterinarian based in Stowe, Vermont, serving as the owner and lead veterinarian at Stowe Veterinary Clinic. A graduate of Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine, Gregg is known for his compassionate and attentive care, treating pets as if they were his own. 

To ring in the 30th episode at The Octagon we had George Petit join us in the studio. George is a jazz guitarist, a composer, an educator… and the force behind the Stowe Jazz Festival — happening this July which brings world class Jazz musicians to our community. George Petit has been a working musician, composer, arranger, engineer and producer for the better part of 37 years, playing his very fi...