Backcountry Magazine Podcast Backcountry Magazine

For more than 40 years, Voile has broken trail in the backcountry. The storied Utah brand develops and manufactures its products in the Wasatch, and innovates year in and year out. 
From developing tele bindings and skis to splitboards and the eponymous Voile strap, the inventors at Voile work at the edges. Their skis show up at our annual Utah ski test quite literally fresh out of the press as they tinker up to the last possible moment on a new model.  
While many associate Voile with characters like founder Wally Wariakois and Brett “Cowboy” Kobernick, Partner and General Manager Dave Grissom has been the wizard behind the curtain for more than two decades. Like any small business owner and operator, Grissom wears many hats as he helps keep Voile on track and with an eye to the future.
In this episode, Grissom speaks to the importance of independent retail shops, and the advantages of manufacturing in the U.S. He walks us through Voile’s humble beginnings and its rich history in backcountry skiing and snowboarding. We talk about weathering the pandemic, and what the new normal might look like as the boom in demand for outdoor equipment tapers. 
This episode is brought to you by Minus 33.
Backcountry Magazine
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Host: Adam Howard
Guest: Dave Grissom
Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn
 

Backcountry first caught a glimpse of Will’s prototype splitboard bindings in 2008. A brief writeup in the magazine that year was the precursor to inclusion in every Backcountry Gear Guide since. 
While they lacked polish in the early days the bindings showed promise. And that first generation of Spark clamps would lay the foundation for that elusive “better mousetrap.”
Word of Spark’s bindings spread like wildfire in the close-knit backcountry snowboard community, and the company has grown every year since its garage-band inception. Spark is now synonymous with splitboarding, and its ascent has mirrored the progression and increase in popularity of the sport.
Today, Spark R&D employs 120 people and operates 24/7 in the company’s Bozeman, Montana facilities. They manufacture nearly every ingredient in their products, from baseplates to straps and highbacks. 
Will tours us through the evolution of the company, and shares what it feels like to have the idols of his youth riding his setup. He speaks to his connection to the backcountry snowboarding community, and his 15-year pursuit of building a better backcountry snowboard binding.
This episode is brought to you by Minus 33.
Backcountry Magazine
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Get the print mag and more….
www.backcountrymagazine.com
Host: Adam Howard
Guest: Will Ritter
Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn

If you’ve been to a mountain town in the past decade you’ve seen the proliferation of Skida hats and neckies. They’re part and parcel now to global ski culture. 
But what about the founder of Skida? That’s 31-year-old Corinne Prevot. What began for Corinne as a means of self expression in high school has blossomed into a business with 20 employees under the age of 30. Most of them are women. 
Based in Burlington, Vermont, Skida hats and neckwear are renowned for their eclectic patterns and athletic designs. Patterns like plaid, pastel, and fields of flowers reflect Corinne’s passion for art and nature. She’s also got a passion for ripping big faces in the backcountry, Nordic skiing and, recently, winning a couple amateur Enduro World Cup races on her mountain bike. I first got to know her when she jumped onto my 24-hour mountain bike racing team after a last minute scratch. In short, she’s got game. 
In this episode Corinne reflects on the loss of friends and family, and how she can only hope to match their passion and drive in her own life and work. And, we talk about legacy and how it feels to be breaking trail for the next generation. 
This episode is brought to you in part by Minus 33.
Backcountry Magazine
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www.backcountrymagazine.com
Host: Adam Howard

Guest: Skida founder Corinne Prevot
Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn
 



 

We recently sat down with intrepid explorer Lani Bruntz, soon after she arrived home from a bikepacking trip in Mexico. Prior to that adventure, she was skiing and guiding in Chile. If there’s one thing we learned about Bruntz during our interview, it’s that she’s almost always on the move. 
Whether exploring her Crested Butte, Colorado backyard, or remote mountain regions around the globe, Bruntz feels most at home in wild places. She came up as a Nordic ski racer, before discovering a passion for the more vertical world beyond the groomed track.
Today she’s a mountain guide, sponsored athlete, and a professional writer. Her most recent work entitled “Stepping Out” appears in the January issue of Backcountry. The story documents a trip to Alaska where remote terrain and an unforgiving winter environment provided immense challenges at nearly every turn.
Like so many who make a life in the backcountry, Bruntz knows firsthand what the mountains provide, and what they can take away. She’s endured her own personal loss to avalanche. Still, she can’t imagine spending her life doing anything else.
This episode is brought to you in part by Taos Ski Valley. 
Backcountry Magazine
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www.backcountrymagazine.com
Host: Adam Howard
Guest: Lani Bruntz
Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn
Photos by Lani Bruntz and Fred Marmsater

In this episode, we have a conversation with backcountry snowboarder Nick Russell. Like so many of today’s top snowboarders, Nick cut his teeth riding freestyle out East. He grew up in Connecticut before making his way to Vermont’s Stratton Mountain School. The longtime home to the US OPEN, Stratton has produced snowboarding legends like Ross Powers and Danny Davis.
Once he realized he wasn’t destined for freestyle greatness, Russell migrated West. He eventually discovered splitboarding and began venturing deeper and deeper into the backcountry.
With sponsors like Red Bull and WNDR Alpine, Russell is breaking new ground as a backcountry snowboarder. He talks about his passion for expedition snowboarding and exploratory freeriding, including a recent trip to Nepal. He puts his tech hat on and explains the science behind WNDR’s sustainable materials, and the role he plays in product development. 
Russell then reflects on the path that brought him to where he is today, and his lifelong love of snowboarding. 
This episode is brought to you in part by Taos Ski Valley. 
Backcountry Magazine
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www.backcountrymagazine.com
Host: Adam Howard
Guest: Nick Russell
Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn

Jason Hummel: Cascade Crusader
In this episode, photographer and Backcountry contributor Jason Hummel shares his passion for exploring far-flung places in his home range and beyond. 
Jason grew up backcountry skiing on Washington’s glaciers and in the surrounding wild country, including his first multi day winter traverse of Mt. Rainier at just 10 years old. 
Fast forward a few decades, and a lifetime of exploring Washington’s wildest winter places has inspired Jason to become a student and avid researcher of Washington’s glacial history, while documenting his own journeys along the way.
This episode is brought to you in part by Taos Ski Valley.
Backcountry Magazine
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Get the print mag and more….
www.backcountrymagazine.com
Host: Adam Howard
Guest: Jason Hummel
Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn