Intrepid Northeast Radio

Dan Riordan and Dana Saint join me on the podcast to talk about their film production company, Gnarly Bay, based in Westerly, Rhode Island. I first heard of Gnarly Bay in 2016 while attending a screening of the Reel Paddling Film Festival near Boston. They produced a film titled The Important Places, written by Forest Woodward about a trip to the Grand Canyon with his 77 year old father, which won the Best Documentary category. I have been following them ever since then. Dan and Dana produce many styles of video, including six second You Tube ads and commercial work that helps pay the bills. But they are best known and highly regarded for their "passion projects." These are the videos that they produce on their own. Designed to provoke some kind of emotion, these films will make you stop and evaluate if you are focusing on the right targets in life. With over 1 million views on some films and 10 Vimeo staff picks, these projects are wildly popular and often lead back to more commercial work, and the circle co

Tuckerman's Ravine is famous for the late spring skiing that it produces every year, drawing hundreds of backcountry snow sliders each week. But for one weekend each April, it is part of a larger event, the Tuckerman's Inferno Pentathlon. Consisting of five events, the Inferno tests the athlete's ability in raw athletic talent as well as technical mountain skills. The approximately 35 mile course (it varies each year) is made up of the following events: Run 8.3 miles Kayak 5.5 miles Bike 18.2 miles (road conditions) Hike 3 miles (athletes may skin/snowshoe based on snow cover) Ski (varies based on avalanche & safety considerations) My guest today is Andrew Drummond, who has raced and won the mens solo division each year since 2015. He talks with us about what it takes to compete in the Inferno, either in the solo division or as part of a relay team. We also talk about some of the history of the event, dating back to the 1930's with the original Inferno ski race. Andrew is also the owner/operator of Ski th

What's it like to live the Life of Riley? Join us for the podcast episode and find out. Riley Elliott is a surfer, spear fisherman, and leading shark scientist from New Zealand that knows how to make waves across the globe. Riley's philosophy is to pull you into his world through stimulating visual imagery and a robust media presence. He is fond of the quote "We will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." Riley's mission is to get you to love and understand the ocean and the critical role it plays in the health of our planet. Riley is best known for his work with sharks. He has studied shark behavior extensively to the point of  being able to swim comfortably with some of the largest species and he describes in this episode some of the body language used to communicate with them. He also talks about the Western Australian Shark Cull that was implemented from 2014-2017 and his role in building opposition to the practice, which was aban

Susan Lacke was a hot mess. At 23 years old, she was already making all the wrong moves. She succumbed to small town expectations and married the wrong guy, tried to hide her stress by working more, drank too much, and made a regular habit of frequenting fast food chains because..."who has time to cook?" She was on the wrong track and knew it, but rationalized her choices away in the way that many of us do. She was busy. Too busy to exercise, too busy to cook decent food for herself. Too busy to cope with the stress. Carlos was an Ironman triathlete, a hustler, and didn't believe in wasting time. Life was too short to go so fucking slow. He was also Susan's boss, a hard-ass engineering professor who recognized Susan's potential, and that she was on the verge of throwing it away with a few more bad decisions.  Bit by bit, he pulled her into his world of early morning bike rides, lunchtime lap swimming, and ad hoc counseling sessions over coffee. Soon, Susan was someone different. More confident. Happy. It's an

This is a great episode, packed full of interesting information about one of the worlds most misunderstood predators. Lindsay Graff is a shark biologist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham, MA, and joins us to discuss her favorite topic of conversation. The northeast, and particularly the waters off of Cape Cod National Seashore have seen a tremendous growth in the white shark population over the past decade. For marine scientists, this is all very exciting and a very positive development for the marine ecosystem. For surfers and beachgoers, it can be a bit nerve-racking. So if you are one of these intrepid water-goers, or just want to learn more about these magnificent animals, tune in to hear one of the world's most persuasive shark advocates talk about the critical role they play in the marine ecosystem. This is episode 1 of 2 in the Intrepid Northeast shark series. Some of the topics discussed are: The shark population growth in the northeast US waters Migration patterns The Atlantic Whi

Kristen Ulmer joins us on Intrepid Northeast Radio to talk about her favorite topic - Fear. Her new book, The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What to Do Instead, hits book shelves this month.  Kristen was the extreme ski industry's first female stars, and was considered the best female extreme skier in the world throughout the 1990's. Landing roles in Warren Miller ski films and decorating the pages of Powder magazine with her big air jumps, it's pretty certain that she's encountered plenty of situations that are pretty scary by anyone's standards (except maybe Alex Honnald). After retiring from big mountain skiing in 2003, she spent the following 14 years teaching on subjects such as optimal sports performance, flow states, and developing a healthy relationship with fear as a way to inform decisions. Rather than repress fear, which can cause unpleasant side effects like excessive anger and avoidance behaviors, Kristen developed a method called Shift: The Game of 10,000 Wisdoms, that incorpor

My guest on this episode is Jeff Kidder, professor of sociology at Northern Illinois University. Jeff has a particular interest in how young city dwellers re-allocate the built environments of urban areas into places that offer the opportunity for adventure and excitement. Jeff previously studied the interactions of bicycle messengers with their surroundings, and now he dives into the lifestyle sport of Parkour, or Freerunning. Jeff discusses the origin story of this relatively modern discipline, how it developed from a training method for French firefighters into an artistic expression for young men throughout western culture. He gets into why young males tend to gravitate toward Parkour more than females, which may seem odd given that traditional gymnastics is dominated by girls and young women. We explore the relationship between the physical and virtual worlds amongst those who practice Parkour, and how one influences the other. We also discuss risk, lifestyle vs. team sports, and much more. If you are in

Being outdoors inspires us. That why we like to take a few snapshots when we are out of the trail or on the water. But despite our best efforts to capture the moment, we often fall short, ending up with an image that just doesn't do the experience any justice. My guest today is Tristan von Duntz, an avid outdoorsman who has developed a self taught knack for outdoor photography. He has photographs published in a number of online and regional publications, and tells us how to step up our game in order to take beautiful photographs that will bring you back to the moment the pic was taken.  This episode is brought to you POP Paddleboards. POP is a boutique manufacturer of stand up paddle boards (SUP) based in California. POP makes a selection of adventure quality and quiver worthy boards for paddlers of all abilities. They boast an incredible strength to weight ratio, making them durable and easy to load and unload from your vehicle. POP Paddleboards are available at http://intrepidnortheast.com/store.  Also chec

Who says there isn't much going on during the winter months? Not Brad White, co-owner of International Mountain Equipment and the International Mountain Climbing School (IMCS). For the past 24 years, IMCS has hosted a winter festival called the Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest, and it's grown into a big success. With now over 350 participants, it ranks as one of the largest gatherings of ice climbers and mountaineers anywhere in the nation. Ice Fest offers climbers the opportunity to enroll in ice climbing clinics of all experience levels, as well as alpine mountaineering, avalanche awareness, and rescue skills classes. Ice Fest even has a day long snow kiting clinic, taught by Zebulon Jakub, who spoke with us about his favorite sport during Episode 4. Brad tells us that Ice Fest can be a blast for climbers, and aspiring climbers of all ability levels. So don't sit around and wait for warm weather, get outside this winter at Ice Fest. This episode is brought to you by Intrepid Outdoors, our retail site for yo

David Goodman first wrote his epic book, Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast: 50 Classic Ski Tours In New England And New York, in 1988. Since then, it has become the bible for anyone seeking to venture out past the downhill resorts and groomed cross country trails. David talks with us today about the history of backcountry skiing and how the sport originated with the Great Depression and the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and how these trails eventually led to the development of today's downhill resorts. He also tells us what is fueling the revival of backcountry skiing, with more and more skiers and snowboarders seeking a more wilderness experience than can be had with lift serviced skiing.  Like any adventure sport, access can become a problem when participants fail to act responsibly, which has led to the creation of several backcountry ski alliances to help advance the sport and steward the natural resources that we enjoy. David introduces us to some of these groups such as: Cata

Zebulon Jakub is one of my favorite people to talk to about adventure sports. I first spoke with him over a year ago when writing one of my first articles for Intrepid Northeast. That article, Jakub's Ladder, profiled the sport of snowkiting. Zeb gave such a great interview that I knew I had to talk with him again for the podcast. Here, we talk about kiteboarding both on water and land. Zeb is a professional kiteboarding instructor, as well as a climbing guide and paraglider. So no matter what the weather is like, he's ready to get outside.  Zeb talks about everything from the concept of lift and how it makes kites generate power (and also why the shower curtain keeps lifting off of the edge of the tub), what to look for when choosing gear and an instructor, kiting in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and some of the local kiting events around the northeast. Towards the end of the interview, Zeb explains why we recreate and why we all need to get out and play often. We talk a bit about Flow, the state of

On the afternoon of February 21, 1959, a single engine Piper Comanche crashed in the Pemigewasset Wilderness of New Hampshire. On board were two Dartmouth Medical School physicians, Drs. Ralph Miller and Robert Quinn. They both survived the crash and struggled to survive for four days before succumbing to the harsh New Hampshire winter. Although they never made it out of the wilderness alive, their legacies live on even to this day, especially in the Dartmouth medical and aviation communities. My guest today is John Morton, of Morton Trails, and today he tells the story of the Miller-Quinn Air Tragedy. John builds trails for a living, but has also served as the Dartmouth XC Ski coach, and has participated in seven Olympic games as either a biathlon athlete, coach, or trails consultant. He is also an accomplished writer and novelist, and wrote an article for Dartmouth Medicine magazine entitled Unforgiving Forests that profiled the crash of the two physicians. About halfway through the episode (36:30) we shift

Today I interview John Connelly on his recent paddle expedition, Paddlequest 1500. John wanted to do something really epic for his 60th birthday, and also wanted to show people just how easy it is to get outside and have fun. He started in Old Forge, NY, and paddled the 740 mile length of the Northern Forest Canoe trail, then up the St. John River, through the Bay of Fundy, and finally down the coast of Maine along the Maine Island Trail, a total of 1500 miles by canoe and sea kayak. John plans to publish a book on his adventure, as well as a film and a lecture series to inspire others and raise awareness for outdoor stewardship. If you are interested in other related articles, visit http://intrepidnortheast.com/sports/paddling  I also publish a short weekly issue of Intrepid Northeast via email. It contains cool or funny videos that I've come across, gadgets and gizmos that I've found to be useful, highlights from recent articles, and previews for upcoming podcasts. If that is something that you would be int

Today, we interview Alex Post, a marine biologist and president of the Massachusetts Freedivers Spearfishing Club. Alex discusses what its like to dive and spearfish in New England, including some of the tournaments that encourage new divers, resources for getting great advice on gear, challenges with the low visibility common to New England waters, and his favorite species to take home for dinner.  For anyone interested in getting started in freediving or spearfishing, this podcast is for you. Seasoned divers will enjoy Alex's stories of fish behaviors and lessons learned over the years. For show notes on resources mentioned in this episode, visit http://intrepidnortheast.com/podcast For great written articles on the outdoors and action sports in the northeast, visit our home page at http://intrepidnortheast.com