Salt Lake Snowcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Happy Valentine's Day to the Wasatch! On today's episode, I'll interview Derek Cragun, a mental health therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and avid backcountry skier about one of the more interesting topics I've covered on the Salt Lake Snowcast. Skiing with the person you love can be amazing...and also challenging at times. Derek and I will talk about tips and tricks for improving the backcountry experience between you and your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, significant other, ski partner who you have a crush on, etc. I've heard a lot of people make some jokes about this topic over the years and it was refreshing to hear from a professional about why this is actually such an important topic. It's an episode that's relevant to everyone and you don't want to miss it!

There's a lot to be excited about if you look at the weather forecast. With the door wide open for snow, it feels like Winter has finally decided to make an appearance. With changing conditions comes uncertainty so be cautious heading into the next active period of weather. 

Shoutout to SkiMo Co. for being an amazing partner this Winter. They just helped the Snowcast and Wasatch Backcountry Alliance put on the first Close Calls Forum and were fantastic hosts to a well attended event. We hope to see you at the next one!

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Jack Stauss is back on the Salt Lake Snowcast today to talk about all things transportation related to Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. There have been some pretty huge updates since the last time we covered this topic and I hope people tune in to become informed about this crucial local issue. Don't forget about the Close Calls Forum happening on Thursday, Feb 12 at 6:30pm. The event will be hosted at SkiMo Co who have been so supportive of the Snowcast this year, stepping in as presenting sponsor for all of our episodes. I hope to see you there, I'll even have stickers!

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On today's show, I'll start with a brief summary of our backcountry conditions. Our snowpack setup in the Central Wasatch requires vigilance and patience. We’ve seen large avalanches in the past week that are well-connected, running full track, and crossing popular skin tracks. With four fatalities in the past few weeks across the intermountain West, it’s time to give the terrain a break and respect the power of the mountains. 

Also in this episode, Jack Stauss and I tackle one of the more contentious issues in the Wasatch and backcountry skiing in general: gatekeeping. We'll read a negative review someone shared about the podcast and address our own viewpoints on this topic. Should you hide all your Strava maps? Is it ok to ask for a conditions report? Where is the line between encouraging people to do their own work, but also encouraging access to the backcountry? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

If you'd like to support the show, consider becoming a member via buymeacoffee.com/saltlakesnowcast. You can also share the podcast with your friends and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for the love and we'll be back next week!

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This was a tough week in the Wasatch. I had something planned for the Snowcast, but it just didn’t seem appropriate to publish it given the current events. We’ve had two fatalities in the backcountry this week. And that’s heart wrenching. At a minimum, we need to acknowledge these events and talk about them. It doesn’t feel like enough to me to just take a business as usual approach to the podcast or my personal backcountry skiing. "The show must go on" doesn't really apply here.

So, I've decided to do something different. I'm sharing something I've been working on for the past few years. It's an essay about grief, loss, and the danger of backcountry skiing. It's personal. I've never known when would be a good time to share this, but now seems appropriate. We have dangerous conditions in the backcountry right now. Please be safe. Consider giving the terrain a break, taking a deep breath, and just going for a nice walk in the woods with your friends.

Here are links to the two articles I discuss in the podcast:
Perception of Risk in Avalanche Terrain by Krister Kristensen, Manuel Genswein, and Werner Munter
I am Dangerous by Drew Hardesty

For mental health resources...
Wasatch Backcountry Alliance resource list
American Avalanche Association resource list

I also want to give a special thanks this week to the friends and ski partners who gave this a listen in advance and helped me produce the episode.  

If you'd like to support the show, consider becoming a member via buymeacoffee.com/saltlakesnowcast. You can also share the podcast with your friends and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for the love and we'll be back next week!

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In today's episode, I'll be chatting with Dani Poirier from the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. We'll get to know Dani a little bit before diving into some hot topics in the Wasatch. Dani will also provide some updates for us about current access issues, the WBA shuttle, and the organization's trail counting program.

For snow, weather, and avalanche updates, all eyes are on an active period of weather between Christmas and New Years. It's still a ways out, but we have a good history of having reliable Winter storms right around Christmas time. Santa loves the Wasatch! Until then, you can choose to either manage persistent slabs on the polar aspects, or dodge rocks and stumps on the solar aspects. Time to do a little snow dance.

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The Wasatch is starting to come back to life and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. After a long period of high pressure, our snow globe has returned, at least for now. In today's episode, I'll recap our snow, weather, and avalanches before jumping into an interview with Emmet Murray. Emmet is the unit Vice President out of the Canyons village for the Park City Ski Patrol Association where he works as a Hill Captain. We'll talk all things ski patrol before learning about ski patrol Unions and why they are important to your safety on the mountain.

Head's up...after we recorded this interview, the PCPSA had a strike authorization vote and those who voted did so unanimously to approve a strike authorization. Tune in to their social media channels to learn more about this action and to get involved:
@pcskipatrolunion
@united_mountain_workers
@solitudeskipatrolunion
@parkcityliftmaintenace

You can also contribute to them via Venmo at: @PCSPA
Or, check out their GoFundMe Here: 

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Welcome back to Season 2 of the Salt Lake Snowcast!

On today’s episode, we’ll start by looking at historical data for the Wasatch to see how nervous we really need to be about our low tide conditions. After that, Zack Little is back on the show to talk about first aid, communication, and preparedness for backcountry skiing. We've spent some time covering what happens when things go wrong, so I wanted to make sure we also did an episode about how to prevent things from going wrong in the first place.

If you'd like to support the show, consider becoming a member via buymeacoffee.com/saltlakesnowcast. You can also share the podcast with your friends and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for the love and we'll be back next week!

Links
CPR training
Stop the Bleed Training Here and Here
UAC Rescue and Wilderness Medicine

A few rescue tarps...
Alpine Threadworks
Function before Fashion
HMG
Jackson Backcountry

First Aid
If you're interested in taking a Wilderness First Aid class, there are many providers in the Salt Lake area. I'd encourage you to search around a little bit and see what works for you. Let me know if you have any questions.

Repair Kits
This Winter, the Salt Lake Snowcast plans to sell some premade backcountry repair kits. I'll update y'all once they are available.

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It's been a long hot Summer and as temps are finally beginning to drop, I was feeling inspired to share a few thoughts about last Winter. I'll start with some appreciations and shoutouts and then reflect on our previous season. It was an amazing Winter to be a Wasatch skier and it's hard to imagine things getting better! I also have a few announcements from Utah Avy, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, and Save Our Canyons. I can't wait for a new season of the Salt Lake Snowcast. Don't be shy and let me know what you think of the show and if you have any ideas for next season! I have so much gratitude to all the listens, streams, and shares. I'll be back once we can slide on snow again. 

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Hey Everyone! Our first season at the Salt Lake Snowcast is starting to wrap up. Before we finish, I wanted to do an episode on our most requested topic: avalanche education and backcountry mentorship. To talk with me about this on the show is local guide and avalanche forecaster Kiira Antenucci. Kiira and I chat about how to make the jump from intermediate to expert, ways to find mentorship and ski partners, and we share our own opinions about the state of avalanche education. Tune in for a passionate discussion.

It's been an awesome Winter in the Wasatch. With around 550" so far this year and 75" since the start of Spring, we are so lucky to call these mountains home. My next episode will be a season recap. Thanks for giving the Salt Lake Snowcast a listen. Please subscribe, follow, download, and review the podcast. Every little bit of support helps me grow this small, niche, local podcast.

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I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little seasonally confused these days. We had vicious East winds followed by high pressure and now, Old Man Winter has returned. We could see another few feet of snow before the end of the month so get out there and ski it while you can! 

On today's episode, I had the chance to chat with my friend Chris Dickson from the San Juan Snowcast. Along with taking a behind the scenes look at both podcasts, we'll talk about our motivation behind these shows. I'll also tell a story from a near miss I had this past week and walk you through my decision making in the mountains. I've talked about it before, but Chris was a big inspiration for the Salt Lake Snowcast, so scroll through his page, check out his long list of topics he's covered, and give it a listen!

As always, thanks for the support. DMs are always open. I've got a few more episodes in me this season and then the pod will hibernate for the warm weather months.