Mind the Track

@Pow_Bot and @trail_whisperer
  • 5.0 (120)
  • Wilderness
  • Updated Semiweekly

An adventure podcast about chasing powder on skis and snowboards in winter, hunting singletrack loam on mountain bikes in summer, profiling the “core lords” of the outdoors in the Lake Tahoe region and fostering the culture of mountain life through education and experience in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin.

  1. 16h ago

    Don't Bieber My Trail, Bro | E89

    The pollen is thick, kids are out of school, the tourists have invaded Tahoe and temperatures are soaring, which means only one thing – summer is here. In Episode 89, Trail Whisperer recaps a mountain bike road trip out to the California coastal town of Eureka while Pow Bot fun hogs on Lake Tahoe with his wing foil. The boys stand corrected by listeners about their Strava rant, California considers instating an official Bruce Lee Day, people are dying from foraged mushroom poisoning, the Ice Cream Man is back again, and TW recommends seeing Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. The boys also tackle the “Bieber-ification” of trails, aka, making them lame by dumbing them down, and how this act of Bieber-ing trails is a microcosm of society at large getting dumber, as evidenced by how easy Jeopardy questions have become. Also, TW ASS rants about preservationists protesting efforts to allow chainsaws in Wilderness areas so volunteers can clear a maintenance backlog many thousands of fallen trees deep. Plus – only two 10% off coupons for any new bike at Start Haus in Truckee remain! Just use the password CORE LORD and save.   2:20 – What are we going to do when we hit episode 100? 3:00 – For newer listeners of MTT, go back and listen from Episode 1. 5:00 – The pollen is thick. The tourists are here. It’s hot out. It’s SUMMER. 7:45 – Recapping the Lost and Found Gravel Bike Event in Portola. 8:55 – Drop into the Start Haus – 2 CORELORD 10% off a new bike discounts remaining! 12:00 – Recapping a road trip to Eureka, California and riding Hatchery Ridge trails. 22:15 – Foil Bot has been local fun hoggin’ and finally wing foiling properly. 28:00 –Marlette Flume trail and Chimney Beach is back open after 5PM on weekdays. 31:00 – Follow up on Strava – Pow Bot shares a Strava confessional. 34:30 – How you can shut off the heat map on Strava so it isn’t shown publicly. 38:00 – “Bumblies” is what they call clueless city people in the mountains in the UK. 39:30 – California State Assembly bill will potentially create an official Bruce Lee Day. 41:20 – Mind the Mycelium – 50 cases of mushroom poisoning including 4 deaths. 44:10 – 2N Benn calls in with a PSA – don’t make new trails going around snow and down trees. 46:50 – Don’t shortcut the trail or make it easier or more lame – aka – “Bieber-ing” the trail. 53:20 – American culture is getting dumber and Jeopardy questions are getting easier. 58:00 – Another ASS Rant about the Ice Cream Man. 59:30 – ON A MUSICAL NOTE – Seeing Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. 1:05:50 – The Grit podcast having their intro song being flagged for copyright infringement. 1:09:10 – Forest Service is considering allowing chainsaw use in federal Wilderness areas. 1:16:00 – Motorized users are most often hated because of the noise factor, not the act itself. 1:17:40 – Support your local non-corporate ski hill this winter and buy a non-Mega ski pass. 1:21:55 – Met a welder who builds cloud seeding machines to increase winter snowpack.

    1h 25m

  2. Jun 4

    You Might Be a Core Lord If... | E88

    Amidst the best spring ever, in episode 88 the boys recap Memorial Day weekend filled with skiing Lassen and Shasta, riding moto out in the Toiyabe and Toquima ranges of central Nevada and digging dirt with the Truckee Dirt Union. Memorial Day was also highlighted by stupid people doing stupid things, including a grown man taking his 18-month old son on an ebike ride that ended at 10,000 feet in snow, darkness and a helicopter rescue. The boys also make a huge announcement – their first sponsorship with a local business, the Start Haus in Truckee! To celebrate, the first three people to who walk into Start Haus and drop the password CORE LORD will get 10% off any new bike of their choice. Speaking of Core Lord, in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy, the boys run through a “You Might be a Core Lord if…” exercise. Got more? Call or email us! Plus Mark Weir rants about Strava, we DOPE or DERP Hypershell Exoskeleton legs and more Mind the Track hats made by Deso are coming, so get your pre-order in if you want one.   3:00 – Best spring ever? Blessed rain and cool temps 4:28 – Truckee Dirt Union Trail Day and Loam Masters Rally recap 9:00 – The legend of Pow Bot the bartender and the power of being a conversation starter 16:40 – Memorial Day weekend recap – TW rides moto in NV, PB skis Shasta/Lassen 28:00 – Memorial Day stupidity - Dad and his 18-month old son getting airlifted off Freel Pass 37:10 – Words of wisdom from Mark Weir about Strava and Strava users 40:38 – We misspoke about a trail system and mentioned trails we shouldn’t have 41:45 – Bike parks, Vail Resorts, Heavenly and Northstar 45:05 – Mind the Track announces a sponsorship with Start Haus! 48:48 – The first three listeners to drop CORELORD as the secret password – 10% off a new bike 51:08 – All about the new Aventon Current ebike – available at Start Haus 57:00 – More Mind the Track Deso hats coming! Reach out to us if you want to pre-order 59:30 – Carlorado - You might be a Core Lord if…. 1:10:20 – Downhill Phil calls in and asks – do you watch motocross or supercross? 1:13:10 – Watching professional extreme sports and 100 Foot Wave documentary 1:16:45 – Gordo calls in but gets cut off twice 1:19:00 – DOPE or DERP – Hypershell Exoskeleton Legs. The ebike of backcountry skiing? 1:25:00 – Meeting a legend while riding mountain bikes on Prison Hill in Carson City

    1h 37m

  3. May 21

    Pinecone Cowboy | Stew McMorrow | E87

    Since 2016, more than two million acres of Northern California have been torched by devastating wildfires, leaving vast tracts of previously forested land nothing but black matchsticks. As the landscape recovers, efforts are being made to ensure forests regenerate so massive brush fields don’t take the place of trees. As staff chief for CalFire’s Wildfire Resilience Program, Stew McMorrow has more than 30 years experience climbing trees, falling trees, planting trees, funding agencies in reforestation, as well as working as a Registered Professional Forester (RPF). McMorrow is also an avid outdoorsman and mountain biker, and understands the value of balancing recreation with forestry, serving on the executive board of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. In Episode 87, we join McMorrow planting seedlings on Mount Hough near Quincy, California, heavily impacted by the Dixie Fire, then chat with him about forestry, pinecones, growing trees, reforestation and how recreation plays a role in all of it. We also talk with Michael Hall of Feather River Resource Conservation District and fellow RPF, Jason Moghaddas, about the recent controversial news around glyphosate – aka Round Up – being sprayed on public lands.   2:00 – Pow Bot forgets his mountain bike helmet on the Mt Hough shuttle. 5:00 – Introducing Stew McMorrow – forester for CalFire leading reforestation efforts. 8:15 – All the new amazing trails on Mount Hough including Upper Tollgate trail. 13:20 – Stew McMorrow and Michael Hall describing reforestation on top of Mount Hough. 21:50 – Stew McMorrow interview in the back of the Toyota Sunrader. 23:20 – Stew’s upbringing, going to school and working as a sawyer on a fire crew. 26:40 – Getting his Registered Professional Forester (RPF) license and working in Lake Tahoe. 32:05 – Running the CalFire Wildfire Resilience Program and Reforestation program. 37:35 – Climbing trees and collecting pine cones for tree seeds and replanting. 43:10 – Dropping his phone out of a tree and getting attacked by bees. 45:35 – What is the plight of the Pinecone Cowboy? 50:50 – What would the landscape look like if a forest isn’t replanted? 57:45 – Balancing the element of playing God with nature and letting nature do its thing. 1:01:00 – Home hardening and creating defensible space around communities. 1:04:30 – Millions of dollars in state money available for reforestation on federal land after fires. 1:10:23 – The spraying of herbicides like glyphosate on public lands to control brush regrowth. 1:18:39 – Michael Hall and Jason Moghaddas talk about glyphosate spraying on public lands. 1:28:50 – Being on the board of Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship – forestry and recreation. 1:42:20 – Talking about the rescinding of the Roadless Rule. 1:50:40 – Being in the zone, what Stu calls the Quiet Room. 1:53:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

    2h 3m

  4. May 13

    Trail Tales and Sin Bot | E86

    Spring is in full swing and Tahoe trails are opening for business quickly. In Episode 86, as the snow vaporizes, the boys chat about a bunch of trail tales, some funny, others concerning. After an extended Rumspringa on the ebike, Pow Bot returns to the traditional “Amish” mountain bike, but will he be Sin Bot for still occasionally riding his ebike? The boys share four-wheeling stories with their in-laws, talk about new trails being built, trails north of Truckee being closed for the season and some trails in burn zones being sprayed by the Tahoe and Lassen National Forest with glyphosate, aka Roundup, known to cause cancer. Trail Whisperer asks is it dope or derp to go on a road trip when gas is $6/gallon, jokes about Breckenridge opening local trails to ebikes (only with a medical condition) and a Core Lord calls in with a rant that South Lake Tahoe doesn’t have any cool, progressive mountain bike trails.   2:40 – Everything in Tahoe is a month early – riding hero dirt and Pow Bot hanging up his snowboard. 3:45 – A recap on Winter 2025-26 – Ended up at average snowfall for the season. 6:15 – Pow Bot comes off the ebike Rumspringa and returns to the Amish bike community. 11:20 – Early season Tahoe trail conditions – Riding the Tahoe Rim Trail and Flume Trail. 12:40 – Trail Whisperer building new trail on Verdi Ridge. 16:15 – Tahoe National Forest has closed trails in and around Emigrant Trail, Prosser, Boca. 20:00 – Shout out to Tahoe Mountain Sports – helping TW out with a ski binding issue. 20:50 – The Truckee Follies – Rated X fundraiser for Downtown Merchants Association. 23:15 – Truckee Dirt Union Loam Masters Rally happening May 29-30. 24:08 – Sugar Bowl is selling off all their vintage 1950s gondolas for $10k a piece. 28:40 – Randy Robbins thinks snowboard beaver tail slapping is DOPE. 29:45 – Parkhill has some thoughts about hallowed vs hollowed ground and gatekeeping. 31:02 – Reno Tahoe tourism blowing up a sensitive hot spring on social media. 33:00 – Gatekeeping – don’t blow up the spot when its firing. 34:10 – Chris has a rant about public versus private property. 40:30 – Jacob really enjoyed VCGP episode – big divide between motorized and non-motorized communities. 44:00 – Breckenridge is finally legalizing ebikes…but you have to have a doctor’s note. 45:40 – Moab allows ebikes on some trail but not all, but Jeeps and side-by-sides are all over. 47:55 – Pow Bot’s story of four wheeling in Telluride in a rental Chevy Blazer with his in-laws. 50:40 – Trail Whisperer’s 4x4 story of getting stuck in a Land Cruiser and spending the night in it with his ex father-in-law. 58:15 – DOPE or DERP – going on a road trip when gas is $6/gallon. 1:00:54 – Tahoe National Forest and Lassen National Forest spraying toxic Roundup weed killer on public lands. 1:10:18 – Big Sally calls in with a trip report from Lost Cannon Loop MTB and Sonora Pass ski. 1:13:20 – Chad wants to know why there aren’t more progressive MTB trails in South Lake Tahoe. 1:27:20 – If you get baptized for coming back to the Amish bike, then you ride the ebike, are you a sinner?

    1h 32m

  5. May 4

    Mind the Braap | Virginia City Grand Prix | E85

    Twenty miles east of Lake Tahoe, high up in the Virginia Range at 6,500 feet elevation is one of the best preserved Old West towns in America, Virginia City. Known to locals as VC, in the 1860s, it was once the richest city in the world, home to the Comstock Lode, one of the largest silver strikes in history. In fact, the gold and silver from VC in the 1860s built all of San Francisco. Today, VC still has wooden boardwalks on C Street, ornate Victorian-era homes, two dozen saloons, a cemetery almost as large as the town itself and an Old West vibe that’s admittedly a bit touristy, but undeniably genuine. VC also has the Grand Prix, a 55-year long tradition of dirt bike racing, as wild and rugged as the town itself. Episode 85 documents this year’s Grand Prix, in the field on race day, talking with event volunteers and racers with different experience levels to really understand what this race is all about and how compares it to another legendary race on two wheels in a Gold Rush town, the Downieville Classic.   3:00 – Introducing the Virginia City Grand Prix. 9:05 – Larry Sussman – getting peer pressured into racing dirt bikes. 10:40 – How does the Downieville Classic differ from the VCGP? 12:30 – What’s more intense, the chaos of a mountain bike race or a moto race? 14:20 – Thomas Lay – growing up in Virginia City, getting into dirt bikes and organizing the event. 16:50 – How long has the Virginia City Grand Prix been happening? 19:00 – How many people race in the VCGP and where do they come from? 23:00 – Who owns the land the event is on? 27:30 – How long is the race and how are people staged at the start line? 30:20 – Talking with Darcy about course design. 31:20 – What’s the hardest part of this year’s course? 32:55 – Moving from Truckee to Virginia City and becoming a Nevadan. 34:40 – What got Darcy into riding dirt bikes? 38:30 – What’s the secret to surviving the VCGP? 39:31 – Talking with the local legend Josh Wilson about the moto community. 44:30 – Talking with Ryan Downing about the racer who passed away on course. 46:10 – What’s the secret to surviving VCGP? 48:04 – How does mountain biking compare to dirt biking? 49:30 – How do they stage racers at the start? 52:00 – Catching up with Pow Bot and talking about the start of the race. 56:10 – Reporting from Chaos Hill on course in the middle of the race. 1:01:00 – Would Trail Whisperer ever do the VCGP? 1:03:30 – Seth Johnson goes from last to 9th place, passing 400 racers. 1:05:15 – Missing the race by a month on Seth’s first attempt. 1:08:50 – Catching up with Thomas after Day 1. 1:13:30 – Beginner riders biting off more than can chew attempting the VCGP. 1:17:40 – How did the electric dirt bikes – a Stark Varg – do in the race? 1:20:45 – Running into Tobin Ortenblad after the race. 1:22:15 – How was the race course and how does it compare to bicycle racing? 1:25:55 – What was the start of the race like? 1:28:50 – Garmin stats: 20,000 feet of climbing! 1:30:00 – How do the Downieville Classic and VCGP compare and differ? 1:36:00 – Is there anything the bike community can learn from the moto community? 1:44:20 – Is Tobin doing the Lost and Found Gravel Festival?

    1h 53m

  6. Apr 23

    On Hallowed Ground | E84

    With five feet of new snow on the Sierra Crest in April, Tahoe is finally getting the snow we should have gotten in March. As a result, the boys are back to skiing, with a couple days at the resort and a backcountry mission to the Eastern Sierra for the annual Green Creek Chute-Out. The boys talk about the concept of hallowed ground – places with spiritual significance and importance, and how social media has led the charge in exploiting these places, resulting in “hollowed ground”. The concept of gatekeeping is also discussed, and asking, is gatekeeping actually a bad thing when you are trying to protect hallowed ground from abuse of the masses? Other topics include new ebikes launched at Sea Otter, lift line DOPE or DERPs, is AI music a plague that should be resisted, upcoming events to check out, discovering the original ice cream man song has racist affilations, and CALL US BACK, GORDO!     2:30 – Winter isn’t over yet – recapping a busy late season Palisades pow day 11:25 – DOPE or DERP – The Rogue Single in the lift line 16:20 – DOPE or DERP – Smacking your snowboard off the ground to remove snow 18:08 – Pow Bot went wing foiling and Trail Whisperer got some hero dirt 19:28 – Skiing the east side of the Sierra Nevada – Green Creek Chute-Out 29:20 – The concept of hallowed ground and respecting special places 35:45 – The Jackson Hole Air Force – the first JH skiers to ski out of bounds 39:00 – White Man Hallowed Ground vs Native American Hallowed Ground 42:40 – Gatekeeping and protecting Hallowed Ground 44:50 – Hallowed Ground vs Hollowed Ground 49:20 – Downhill Phil calls in – POP-CORN was the phone number, prefers the original theme 52:44 – Colin says AI music is DERP. AI is a plague 54:15 – Seeing the band DEVO in RENO – the importance of the band and their art 1:02:50 – Discovering that the original Ice Cream Man song is super racist 1:05:45 – Call back GORDO! 1:08:40 – Amery wrote in about Russell, the Canadian snow Yoda, and his funny words 1:11:45 – Clark wrote in about the reintroduction of grizzly bears 1:16:55 – Lots of new ebikes introduced at Sea Otter Classic 1:24:00 – The value of ebikes in making you a better rider in less time 1:30:00 – Upcoming trail work days in the Reno/Tahoe area 1:32:30 – Going to the Virginia City Grand Prix 1:36:05 – May 15-17 – Spring Epic Trail Work/Ride in Quincy

    1h 41m

  7. Apr 2

    A Dog's Breakfast | E83

    After two weeks of bi-polar weather in Canada chasing pow and getting rained on, aka a “dog’s breakfast”, the boys recount the trip to Ice Creek Lodge and the wisdom gained from the jedi master of snow, Russell Hulbert. Meanwhile, back home in the Sierra, a dismal March left zero inches of snow on Donner Summit, the first time in recorded history, capping off a Winter to forget. Moving on to Spring things, the boys chat about a variety of topics including DOPE or DERPs on 32” mountain bike wheels, uphill or downhill traffic having the right of way on trails and reintroducing grizzly bears into the Sierra Nevada. Other topics include introducing a new AI-generated Mind the Track theme song, Trail Whisperer almost getting maced by a hiker while logging out a trail with his chainsaw, Lost Sierra trail conditions updates, a class-action anti-trust lawsuit against Vail Resorts and Alterra and has social media ruined April Fools Day? 2:10 – New intro song for Mind the Track created by AI. Maybe AI is good for something. 4:30 – Recapping a wild Canada ski hut trip to Ice Creek Lodge. 8:00 – Watching avalanches come down all around the crew at Ice Creek Lodge. 9:00 – Russell Hulbert, owner of Ice Creek Lodge, is a jedi of snow. The snow Yoda. 13:50 – Learning everything you’d ever want to know about avalanche beacons – Mammut Barryvox versus the BCA Tracker 4. 17:50 – Is all the risk, variables and dangers of pow skiing worth it? Should we just ski corn only? 21:50 – Shout out to the crew of Ice Creek – Benny, Brodie and Hannah. 25:05 – Jerry of the Day awards from the trip. 28:14 – Skiing Kicking Horse in Golden, BC and attending the “State of the Snowpack”. 35:25 – March closes out with zero inches of snow on Donner Summit all month – the first time in recorded history. 38:20 – Has social media ruined April Fools? 40:45 – A few LOST and FOUND stories – leave it where you found it. 43:10 – Anti-trust lawsuit against Alterra and Vail Resorts regarding a duopoly and inflating the price of day pass tickets. 49:50 – Update on the Downieville mountain biker getting lost. It’s way dumber than expected. 52:20  - DOPE or DERP from Stu – 32” wheels on a mountain biker. 54:30 – DOPE or DERP/RANT from Lee – Uphill traffic has the right of way. 1:02:45 – TW almost gets bear sprayed by a hiker while cutting out a log with a chainsaw. 1:04:55 – DOPE or DERP – reintroduction of grizzly bears into California. 1:12:55 – Update on the Ruby Mountains ski resort near Lamoille Canyon. 1:16:35 – Listener feedback about the Frog Lake avalanche accident. 1:18:40 – The Durand Glacier accident in 2003 changed guiding in Canada. 1:23:50 – Spring corn skiing missions to Shasta and Lassen. 1:25:55 – Calling 311 to complain about the Ice Cream Man 1:28:30 – Trail Whisperer’s story about being a cold calling headhunter machine.  1:35:15 – Lost Sierra trail conditions update – Mount Hough completely open! 1:39:10 – Weather forecasters calling for Godzilla El Nino!

    1h 45m

  8. Mar 6

    Looking Inward | E82

    On February 17, nine backcountry skiers were taken by an avalanche at Frog Lake, in the Northern Sierra Nevada near Truckee, California. Since then, the sense of loss and confusion over what happened has been overwhelming. This accident has impacted everyone in the Truckee and Lake Tahoe community on some level. Because of pending investigations, there are so many unanswered questions that will remain unanswered for a long time. As the community struggles to understand, people around the world continue to die in avalanches, including our friend, Stratton Matteson, who was taken by an avalanche in British Columbia a week after the Frog Lake accident. A gut punch made worse by finding out only minutes after we recorded the recap of our trip to Frog Lake. A trip to Frog Lake ending only 48 hours before the accident. Losing Stratton as we recorded made us realize it was too early to share. We needed more time to look inward and reflect. This episode is our second attempt, focused on the realizations we’ve had in the 18 days since the incident, and what we can all personally do to honor the lives lost, as well as move forward with compassion and a commitment to being safe and making smart decisions every time we step into the backcountry. We send our deepest sympathies to everyone involved in this tragic accident, and we encourage you to consider making a contribution to Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue. We also urge you to not forget the names of those lost: Carrie Atkin, Lizabeth Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar, Katherine Vitt, Nicole Choo, Andrew Alissandratos, Michael Henry.   2:10 – 75 percent of this winter’s snow came from 2 storms. 8:00 – Reflecting on the moments leading up to the avalanche near Frog Lake on February 17. 9:00 – Being pulled into the media frenzy in the hours after the avalanche. 10:20 – Why we decided to speak up to the media about the avalanche. 11:30 – The major red flag: the snowfall forecast. 15:35 – Trail Whisperer issues an apology to families of the victims regarding our story in the New York Times. 18:50 – The 8 Cs of dealing with a community tragedy. 22:30 – The culture of judgement of avalanche accidents in the U.S. 27:00 – Tom’s sobering realization skiing on the Tuesday of the avalanche. 32:15 – It’s ok to not travel on high avalanche danger days. 35:00 – Pow Bot shares his revelations from soul searching after the accident. 37:20 – The Normalization of Deviance 42:45 – Reviewing the Sierra Avalanche Center report of the avalanche below Perry’s Peak. 49:45 – Reviewing the human factor in avalanches from Bruce Tremper’s book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. 53:50 – Accountability – know what you’re stepping out into, even if you are with a guide, and don’t be afraid to speak up. 55:40 – Planning around safety and implementing processes to eliminate group think. 59:50 – Knowing your team, their specialties and how you can leverage them. 1:02:20 – “Stick with the plan” versus “sick with the plan” and establishing the leader. 1:04:35 – The importance of the debrief at the end of the day. 1:06:10 – Matteo – East Coast Matt – calls in on the COR LORD hotline. 1:08:20 – DOPE OR DERP – East coast backcountry skiing. 1:09:30 – The importance of hiring a guide to help you learn the backcountry. 1:12:00 – The assumption of risk and respecting people’s differing levels of risk. 1:13:50 – The boys get fired up for their trip to Ice Creek Lodge in British Columbia, Canada. 1:18:00 – Honoring the life of Stratton Matteson – a legend taken way too early. 1:22:50 – The funny story of Pow Bot’s incident command rescuing a family member.

    1h 35m
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5
out of 5
120 Ratings

About

An adventure podcast about chasing powder on skis and snowboards in winter, hunting singletrack loam on mountain bikes in summer, profiling the “core lords” of the outdoors in the Lake Tahoe region and fostering the culture of mountain life through education and experience in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin.

Information

  • Creator
    @Pow_Bot and @trail_whisperer
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Mind the Track

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