The SnowBrains Podcast

Season 7, Episode 111You may have looked at Joe's title and not known what SNOW Partners is; however, it is a company revolutionizing the ski industry in many ways that you may already be aware of. First, Joe and SNOW Partners are the owners of Mountain Creek, NJ, one of the busiest ski resorts in the Mid-Atlantic region. They are also the operators of Big Snow American Dream, the only indoor...

Season 7, Ep. 110 The world of medicine is rapidly evolving, and recently, we've seen some new terms become popular in pop culture – GLP-1s, peptides.   What exactly are these, are they legitimate, and how are they relevant to skiers and athletes? Dr. Kevin Stone joins us for a record-setting fourth appearance to break down and answer questions about GLP-1s and peptides, alongside other develo...

Season 7, Ep. 109Our guest today is Brandon Swartz, the General Manager of Smugglers' Notch, VT. Brandon learned to ski just down the road at Mount Snow, VT, when he was just 3 years old, and from there, he did just about every single job on the mountain. Ski patrol, race department, lift mechanic, lift ops, mountain ops, before climbing the ladder for over 14 years inside Vail Resorts, the bi...

Season 7, Episode 108 Chris Tomer is an Emmy Award-winning meteorologist and avid backcountry skier. After more than 25 years in Denver, he recently relocated to Columbus, Ohio, to become the Chief Meteorologist at 10TV – WBNS. Although he may be further from the mountains than before, he hasn't lost his obsession with mountain weather, and joins us on the podcast today to talk about the horri...

Season 7, Episode 107 Our guest today is Jeff Kohnstamm, President of Timberline Lodge , OR, frequently associated with the longest ski season in North America and home to the iconic Timberline Lodge.   Jeff knows this place better than anyone. He literally grew up at the resort, with his father, Richard L. Kohnstamm, running the resort from 1955–1992, when Jeff took over. On this podcast episode,...

Season 7, Episode 106 To start Season 7 of the Podcast, we are doing things a little differently. Today, Jeff Banks, IFMGA guide, avalanche course instructor, and CEO & Founder of AspectAvy, is going to join us as we discuss the Castle Peak Avalanche in Lake Tahoe, CA, that took 9 souls last winter in 2026. This was the deadliest ski/snowboard related avalanche in U.S. history, and there is a...

Season 6, Episode 105 Our guest today is Olivier Fremond, the head of Operations & Development at Les 3 Vallées, the world's largest ski resort. When we say large, we're not talking big. We're talking absurdly massive. Les 3 Vallées spans over 600km of pistes, roughly 25,000 acres of skiable terrain, more than 160 lifts, and it connects the legendary ski destinations of Courchevel,...

Season 6, Episode 104Our guest today is Alex Ferreira, one of the most accomplished and unique athletes in freeskiing. Alex is an Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist across three different games, but what makes Alex really interesting isn't just the results; it's how he gets them. In this discussion, we talk about affirmation, visualization, and the psychological effects of the music...

Season 6, Episode 103 Our guest today is Dave Searle – mountain guide, deep mountain thinker, and someone who has built his life around moving through wild places with purpose. Dave has spent years guiding in serious terrain, helping people travel safely and confidently in the mountains while also developing a thoughtful approach to risk, decision making, and what it really means to operate in con...

Season 6, Episode 102Our guest today is Paul Raymore, Marketing & Communications Manager at Diamond Peak Ski Area, Lake Tahoe's local favorite mountain for big views, uncrowded slopes, and a seriously strong community vibe. Paul has a deep background in mountain operations and marketing, and he is here to talk about what makes Diamond Peak such a hidden gem in the Tahoe ski scene. Follow The S...

Season 6, Episode 101Dr. Fawad Mian is a board-certified neurologist and the founder of Advocare Wellness MD. Dr. Mian is trained in traditional neurology and sleep medicine, treating everything from headaches and concussions to dizziness and chronic pain. He's seen a ton of head and other injuries from the snowsports world. Over time, he saw the limits of symptom-based care and shifted toward...

Season 6, Episode 100 Will Sladek is the General Manager of onX Backcountry. Will helps lead one of the most influential tools in modern backcountry travel. onX Backcountry has changed how skiers, snowboarders, and mountain travelers plan routes, manage risks, and understand terrain. From mapping and land ownership to avalanche forecasting, weather, and now high-resolution satellite imagery, onX h...

Season 6, Episode 99Sophie Goldschmidt is the President and CEO of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, leading the organization responsible for the future of ski racing and snowboarding in the United States from grassroots development to Olympic podiums. Before stepping into this role, she built a career at the highest level of global sports and media, including senior leadership positions at the N...

Season 6, Episode 98Caroline Gleich is a professional ski mountaineer, filmmaker, author, and one of the most visible climate advocates in the outdoor world. She's climbed and skied some of the biggest lines on the planet, including multiple 8,000m peaks, while using her platform to push hard for outdoor conservation. In 2024, Caroline ran for the US Senate in Utah, bringing climate policy, pu...

Season 6, Episode 97 Vasu Sojitra is one of the most influential skiers in the world, a professional skier, filmmaker, and activist. He lost his leg to cancer at just 9 months old, long before he ever clipped into skis. What he's done since has redefined what's possible in the mountains. Vasu is known for his big mountain skiing, backcountry expeditions, and powerful storytelling, that cha...

Season 6, Episode 96 Kelly Brush is a former collegiate ski racer whose life changed in an instant after a ski racing accident left her paralyzed while competing for Middlebury College. Instead of stepping away from the sport, Kelly helped build one of the most impactful non-profits in the outdoor world. The Kelly Brush Foundation supports people with spinal cord injuries through adaptive sports g...

Season 6, Episode 95Curtis Herbet is the Founder of Slopes. Slopes is one of the most popular ski and snowboard apps in the world, used by millions of skiers and riders around the world to track vertical feet, runs, speed, days on snow, and long-term season stats. What started as a side project has now become the default logbook for resort skiers and riders. Curtis is a former Apple engineer who t...

Season 6, Episode 94Dr. Kevin Stone has become a real friend of the show, now making his third appearance on the podcast. He is one of the world's leading orthopedic surgeons and the founder of the Stone Clinic in San Francisco. He's a pioneer in biological knee restoration, a surgeon trusted by Olympic athletes and everyday skiers alike. He's a voice who's been pushing sports medi...

Season 6, Episode 93 Denis Lee is a Co-Founder of AirFlare, a company built around a simple idea with lifesaving potential – turning the smartphone people already carry in their pockets every single day into a powerful search and rescue tool, and a powerful tool to help ski patrol save time and energy. He left his traditional corporate career to pursue his passions in the outdoors, motivated in pa...

Season 6, Episode 92 Sasha Berkovich grew up in the Soviet Union at a time when nothing came easy, and nothing in skiing was handed to you. If you wanted gear, you had to barter for it. If you wanted to ride a rope tow, you had to build it, you had to scrap together old engines, scavenged parts, and whatever rope you could find. Sometimes the only currency that worked was vodka. Skiing wasn't...

Season 6, Episode 91 Brian Lazar is the Deputy Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. He's been studying snow and avalanches for more than two decades, working as a forecaster, guide, educator, and researcher across Colorado, Alaska, all of the mountain west, all over South America, including Patagonia. At the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, he's one of the people re...

Season 6, Episode 90 Andrew Gast is the General Manager of Mt. Ashland ski area in southern Oregon. This is a very special ski resort because it is not-for-profit. Its one and only goal is to serve its community to the best of its abilities. This episode explores everything Mt. Ashland, along with how non-profit ski areas work in general. Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On Facebook On Instagram On T...

Season 6, Episode 89Dan Abrams is the Co-founder and CEO of Flylow. Dan started Flylow with a simple idea—make ski gear that can actually survive the kind of abuse real skiers are putting it through. What began as a garage project between ski buddies has become one of the most respected independent outerwear brands in the mountains, built by skiers, for skiers. Dan is a lifelong skier, gear nerd,...

Season 6, Episode 88Mike Rogge is the editor and owner of the Mountain Gazette, one of the most iconic outdoor publications ever made. Rogge revived the Gazette from dormancy in 2020 and turned it into something truly special - a huge format, beautifully written, unapologetically independent magazine that celebrates mountain life in its rawest form. He is also a lifelong skier, storyteller, and cr...

Season 6, Episode 87Madison Rose Ostergren is a ski racer turned big mountain charger, redefining what it means to ski with style, power, and soul. She's starred in Warren Miller films, Teton Gravity Research films, she drops massive Teton lines, and she's built a life that blends art, grit, and fearless creativity. Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snowbr...