The Powell Movement

Ben Weis has lived a rollercoaster of a life so far and he's not even 40.  Ben came up in a dysfunction family in Minnesota, didn't have the money to play hockey and ended up finding rollerblading.  In just three quick years he went pro in a sport where there was no money.  So contest winnings went into backing drug deals, they went bad, and Ben found himself a heroin addict/criminal who was in an...

Tricia Byrnes is on the podcast this week…. she's a wealth of knowledge and a fun interview.  Tricia's known for her competitive days, she was on the contest circuit for 20 years but these days, she's organizing the contests and making sure she helps pave the way for the future of the sport.  We talk about her life and times on and off the podium, the future of the sport and some great old stories...

Pep Fujas is arguably one of the most influential skiers of our time, I've had so many guests bring him up on the show as the person they looked up to.  Known for his style, Pep has always seen terrain differently, which has always shown in his skiing.  On the podcast we talk about growing up in a yurt, contests, Tanner, Plake, Afterglow, K2, and his new venture WNDR Alpine.  It's a do not miss ep...

This week's podcast is based around two mountain bike events in Prineville, Oregon, Black Sage and Proving Grounds.  Some of the best riders in the world converge upon this mecca of jumps and features and destroy them. The podcast is a mix of 15 interviews with athletes and insiders and 10 unforgettable minutes talking to Micah Black at Greg Stump's house. Black Sage/Proving Grounds Show Notes: 2:...

Jeff Galbraith is a writer stuck in a publisher's office.   He's also a dude with more history in snowboarding media than almost anyone and he is one of the last independent publishers in the world of snow focused print.  On the podcast we talk about his long career, the personalities, the magazines he's worked for, created, and a lot more good stuff.  Jeff Galbraith Show Notes: 1:30:   Nickname t...

Scotty Bob Morgan is different than most athletes I've had on the show.  His focus on Proximity Flying, one of the most high-risk activities on the planet, creates a life that is different than your traditional action sports athlete.  There are no huge paydays, organized ways to get exposure, or even a good way to learn.  You need a heavy dose of sky, BASE, and wingsuit experience combined with hu...

Chris Coté is an Action Sports Personality, a known entity in the world surf, skate, and snow.  He had a short pro career, realized he was never going to be the best, and worked his way into a long career behind the scenes in the surf industry.  Along the way, he's toured with Blink 182, traveled the world, partied, broadcast some insane events, and cleaned his life up.  It's an interesting and en...

Todd Barber is an events guy.  He's spent his life being the man behind the scenes for more than 100 events.  And, he's known for being the guy who helped concept and deliver the best action sports event of our time, Red Bull Rampage.  On the podcast we talk about coming up on snow, getting into events and of course, a lot of talk about the ins and outs of Rampage.  It's a business episode and ano...

Steve Buckhantz, or as I like to call him, Uncle Steven, is a legend in the world of Washington DC sports broadcasters.  He's won Emmy Awards, was the voice of the Washington Wizards for the past 22 years, was inducted into the DC Sports Hall of Fame, the list goes on and on.  His work speaks for itself, but in the world of business, that doesn't matter.  Weeks ago, the Washington Wizards parted w...

Parker White is one of the most creative, stylish skiers out there today.  He's known for his Level 1 Segments, his friendship with Darkness, and the style he brings to the backcountry.  He's one of the more likeable people in skiing and while he's only 28, he grew up fast in the ski world, moving from the East Coast to Mammoth at an age when most people are thinking about getting a driver's licen...

2005 Transworld Snowboarding 'Rider of the Year' Chad Otterstrom is on the podcast.  When you win an award like that in 2005 and you're a guest on a podcast, it's usually a 'where are they now'.  That's not the case with Chad.  His pro shred career is still going and now, he's a brand owner living that desk jockey life, all while remaining a pro rider. Chad Otterstrom Show Notes: 2:00: How long ha...

It's summertime and in the snow world, that means summer camp.  This week I headed down to Windell's Camp in Oregon to catch up with longtime camp veteran and TGR athlete Tim Durtschi.  On the podcast, we walk through Tim's life and times.  Tim is one of those dudes that has no media training and is not afraid to answer anything which makes for an entertaining show and the "Inappropriate Questions...

Thomas Vanderham is a living legend in the world of freeride mountain biking and he's a guy that doesn't do many interviews.  Over the past 20 years, he's let his riding do the talking and his riding has said a lot.  I was lucky to get an hour with Thomas to walk through his career, that started when he was just 15 years old.  We talk about how things came into place for Thomas, sponsor changes, f...

Todd Richards has done everything.  He's a two-time X Games Gold Medalist in the halfpipe, he has hardware from slopestyle competition as well, and he's pretty much the voice of board sports.  The funny thing is, he never really achieved the dream of being a pro skater and he had to settle for snowboarding.  The history, insight, and stories that Todd brings to the table are awesome and it's anoth...

Saying Fabiola da Silva is the best, and most underappreciated female athlete of our time is a bold statement…but it's one that I fully believe.  I can't think of another case in sport where a woman was so dominant in her field,  that the sport's organizing body decided to cancel the woman's event and have the women (Fabiola) compete against the men...And Fabiola did not disappoint, standing on th...

Casey Brown has one hell of a story.  This bad ass mountain biker's life has been filled with twists and turns that I will not spoil in this intro.  I will say that Casey had an upbringing different than anyone's that I have met in my life.  Based on all that Casey shares, you would think that she would have a totally different, maybe even strange personality.  I found none of that, what I did fin...

Once labeled a ski model, Caroline Gleich's path to becoming a respected ski mountaineer has been quite the climb.  From the billboards of Utah to the monsters of the Himalaya, there is no fear in this 5'1" ball of energy.  The podcast gives a little of Caroline's backstory and then a lot about Everest.  It was a heavy year on the mountain and Caroline shares what she experienced.  It's a real loo...

Rusty Malinoski, aka The Bone Crusher, is a World Champion Wakeboarder living the Canadian/American dream.  He's got the house, the truck, the family, the CrossFit business and life is in a good place.  But it hasn't always been that way.  On the podcast, we talk about being forced to enter the working world earlier than expected, moving to Florida with nothing more than talent, work ethic and a b...

Brett Tippie is a living legend.  He's one of the influential pioneers of freeride mountain biking, he was the first to absolutely send it on a bike, ride insane lines, and became the face of a sport.  On the podcast we talk about being a pro snowboarder on Burton's pro team, some amazing Craig Kelly stories, bikes, partying too hard, and coming back from that to sponsors and emcee gigs.  This is...

Cesar Mora was born to become a professional soccer player and he was on track to make that happen.  He moved from Australia to Spain and began training with Rayo Vallencano before visa issues forced him out of Spain. When he returned to Australia, he worked at a skateboard shop, found rollerblading, and within two years, was on top of the sport.  He dominated vert from 95 to 99 and then he broke...

Joel Gomez opened the first snowboard shop in the US when Sessions opened it's doors in Sunnyvale, CA in 1983.  The shop spawned an outerwear line, a record label, and the careers of some of the most influential athletes in the action sports space.  On the podcast he takes us through the history of Sessions, the legendary talent that happens to be his friends and what he is up to now.  The show cl...

Graham Agassiz is way more laid back than you would expect for a mountain biker who looks forward to putting his life on the line at Rampage each year.  He's one of the best, who rides with a signature, loose style that really shines in a big mountain setting.  On the podcast, we talk about leaving Kona, the influence of moto and snowboarding, getting bullied, rampage, and injuries.  Aggy is one o...

Superpark is the signature event of Snowboarder Magazine.  For the past 22 years, Snowboarder has created an event that showcases the talents of some of the best snowboarders on the planet sessioning insane park features, built by world class terrain park crews.  It's the end of the season celebration that is about having a good time in the name of progression.  The risk factor is through the roof...

By the time Jim Rippey made it to high school, his goals were clear, he was going to punt in the NFL. When football didn't work for Jim, he found snowboarding. Within a couple years on a board, Jim was a sponsored rider with Burton, eventually had 7 pro models, and was the first to back flip a snowmobile. The interesting wrinkle is, one day in Alaska, Jim found god and everything changed for him....

Colleen Quigley's life has been a series of dream jobs…. but nothing never really seemed easy for her.  Coming up on the East Coast, Colleen was a shop rat who made a B-List pro snowboarding career happen.  Her time as a pro shred was nothing flashy but it set her up to shine behind the scenes in the world of snow.  On the podcast, we talk about her pro days, her desk jockey days, and being a woma...