Only Friends on a Pow Day

Austin
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All about that snow life! Epic destinations, the local legends, hot tips, where to go, epic stories and great adventures. We will update our listeners on what's hot, what incoming, and what's changing the game! Great for skiers, snowboarders, travel enthusiasts and just those keen to come along for the ride. 

  1. 1d ago

    Schedule Your Fear: Jennie “AdrenaJen” Milton | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    What if fear didn’t need to disappear before you acted? What if you could put it on the calendar instead? Jennie “AdrenaJen” Milton grew up in a Canberra ski family, founded one of Australia’s leading extreme-sports stores and dreamed of riding Alaska’s big mountains. When the boys in her shop told her to keep dreaming, she booked the flight. Fear suddenly had a date, a deadline and a reason to prepare. That first Alaska trip changed everything. Jennie eventually sold her business, house and sports car, bought an RV and headed back to North America for what was meant to be one year. More than two decades later, she is an Australian champion kitesurfer, globally ranked snowkite athlete, coach, entrepreneur, author and speaker who has built her life around wind, snow and adventure. Then, in 2024, persistent headaches led to the discovery of three brain aneurysms. After three brain surgeries and being told she may never ski or kitesurf again, Jennie had to face a kind of fear she hadn’t chosen. In January 2026, she was cleared to return - and she is once again skiing, snowkiting and riding big waves. Jennie joins Austin to talk about the influence of her brother Michael Milton, courage reps, the emotional crash after achieving a huge dream, redefining success, life in an Alaskan RV, finding purpose after brain surgery and why courage is not the absence of fear. Jennie is also a 2026 TEDxBillings presenter and host of the Fearless Women’s Summit in Bozeman. In this episode: Growing up inside Australia’s ski and extreme-sports industryWatching Michael Milton rebuild his sporting life after bone cancerHow Jennie went from “scaredy-cat” to Alaska heli-boarderWhy she booked the trip before she felt readyThe value of courage reps and preparing for worst-case scenariosSelling everything and leaving Australia alone in an RVBuilding a life around snowkiting, kitesurfing and AlaskaThe warning signs that revealed three brain aneurysmsThree brain surgeries, grief and finding a new purposeReturning to skiing and kitesurfing in 2026TEDxBillings, Into the Wind and the Fearless Women’s SummitConnect with Jennie: Speaker: https://jenniemilton.com/AdrenaJen: https://adrenajen.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrenajen/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennie.milton/Influential Women profile: https://influentialwomen.com/connect/jennie-miltonFollow Only Friends on a Pow Day on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlyfriendsonapowday/ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnlyFriendsonaPowDay Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    Schedule Your Fear: Jennie “AdrenaJen” Milton | Only Friends on a Pow Day

  2. Sep 1

    From Boot Containers to the Hilton: Ned Buckley | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    From a tiny Niseko locker room and shipping-container boot shop to Boot Solutions Japan and Village Sports inside the Hilton, Dr Ned Buckley shares the twenty-year journey behind one of Japan’s most trusted boot-fitting businesses. Full Episode: Ned Buckley had two options: build a life in Telluride or take a punt on the still-emerging ski town of Niseko. Then he arrived in April, woke to almost a metre of fresh snow and made his decision. Twenty years later, the founder of Boot Solutions Japan has grown a tiny boot-fitting operation beneath Lodge Bamboo - and later a couple of demountable shipping containers - into specialist stores across Niseko and Hakuba, including Boot Solutions inside Village Sports at the Hilton Niseko Village. In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day, Austin sits down with one of the ski industry’s true characters, Dr Ned Buckley, for the full story. Born in Cooma into a family steeped in Australian skiing, Ned grew up partly in Vanuatu before finding his way back to the mountains. A fairly wild forklift job in Brixton led him to walk into a London ski shop, where he began learning the craft of boot fitting. From there came Telluride, the legendary BootDoctors, and an obsession with understanding not only ski boots, but the anatomy and biomechanics of the feet inside them. Ned tells us how a powder day in Niseko changed everything; why the first Boot Solutions shop came with a 30-centimetre “powder clause”; and how the business grew through early Niseko, its long partnership with Rhythm Japan, the opening of Hakuba and the move into its own purpose-built stores. At the same time, Ned returned to university, qualified in podiatric medicine and completed a Doctorate of Clinical Podiatry to become a specialist podiatric surgeon. Eventually, he made the call to step away from surgery and return his full focus to the ski industry, where he felt most at home. The story is not all powder days and perfectly fitted boots. Ned talks candidly about opening a major Village Sports operation just as COVID hit, losing around 90–95 per cent of business for three seasons, borrowing to keep the company alive and rebuilding on the other side. Austin and Ned also get into the real fabric of the snow industry: the characters who built early Niseko, why good boot fitting can make or break someone’s relationship with skiing, creating genuine careers in seasonal towns, balancing business with family and the culture that keeps people coming back winter after winter. In this episode: Growing up between Cooma, Vanuatu and the Australian snow industryChasing Erin to London - and accidentally finding a careerLearning boot fitting in London and TellurideThe April powder day that sold Ned on NisekoOpening Boot Solutions in 2006 beneath Lodge BambooThe shipping-container shop and the 30-centimetre powder clauseEarly Niseko, Wild Bill’s, Waza’s World and the people who made the townGrowing alongside Rhythm Japan and opening in HakubaStudying podiatry, biomechanics and foot surgeryBuilding a specialist service without losing the funVillage Sports, the Hilton and the huge risk taken just before COVIDSurviving three seasons with a 90–95 per cent downturnChoosing the ski industry over surgical practiceFamily, balance and showing his kids what “as good as it gets” really looks likeThe future of Boot Solutions, year-round mountain towns and real snow-industry careersGuest: Dr Ned Buckley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buckleyned/ Boot Solutions Japan Website: https://www.bootsolutionsjapan.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bootsolutions_japan/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boot-solutions-japan/ Village Sports Japan Website: https://villagesportsjapan.com/en/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villagesports_japan/ Follow Only Friends on a Pow Day YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnlyFriendsonaPowDay Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlyfriendsonapowday/ Website: https://www.onlyfriendsonapowday.com.au Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4f3LRobtvyCKkoWAlDBb8Y Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/only-friends-on-a-pow-day/id1804878609 Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    From Boot Containers to the Hilton: Ned Buckley | Only Friends on a Pow Day

  3. Aug 18

    TJ Balon: Conquering Alaska — It’s a Long Story | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    From learning on a snow-covered garbage dump to riding Alaska’s Pontoon and filming for Warren Miller, TJ Balon shares a lifetime spent chasing snow. He learned to ski on a snow-covered garbage dump in Manitoba. Decades later, TJ Balon was dropping into Pontoon in Alaska, flying drones for Warren Miller and helping run one of the most legendary heli-ski operations in the Chugach. In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day, Austin sits down with Canadian-born snowboarder, photographer and lifelong snow tragic TJ Balon for one hell of a campfire story. TJ traces the journey from minus-40 Manitoba winters and finding his people in Banff to learning to snowboard for a girl, working multiple jobs to fund back-to-back winters, leading early powder trips through Japan and eventually testing himself in Alaska. Then it gets properly wild: long weather holds, remote heli operations, a destroyed drone with a miraculously intact memory card, an unexpected invitation to ride Pontoon, and aerial footage that made it into Warren Miller’s Face of Winter. This is a story about much more than big lines. It is about belonging, obsession, risk, family, burnout, the people who pull you back to the mountains and recognising that you are allowed to be proud of the life you built. In this episode: Learning to ski on a snow-covered garbage dump in ManitobaMoving to Banff with a few hundred dollars and finding his peopleLearning to snowboard to keep up with MonBack-to-back winters across Canada and AustraliaLeading early Japan powder trips before the boomEntering the world of Alaska heli-skiing in Valdez and CordovaThe weather, waiting and culture behind a heli operationBecoming part of the Points North Heli familyLosing a drone, saving the footage and being invited to ride PontoonFilming Alaska aerials for Warren Miller’s Face of WinterLife in Revelstoke and working with CMHFamily, burnout and knowing when one chapter is completeTJ’s new chapter representing HeliGuest: TJ Balon Points North Heli-Adventures: @pointsnorthheli Heli: @heli | heli.life Follow Only Friends on a Pow Day for more raw stories from the people who live for snow. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4f3LRobtvyCKkoWAlDBb8Y Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/only-friends-on-a-pow-day/id1804878609 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnlyFriendsonaPowDay Website: https://www.onlyfriendsonapowday.com.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlyfriendsonapowday/ #OnlyFriendsOnAPowDay #TJBalon #AlaskaHeliSkiing #Snowboarding #BigMountainSnowboarding Thanks for listening. Stay frothy and have fun! Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    TJ Balon: Conquering Alaska — It’s a Long Story | Only Friends on a Pow Day

  4. Jul 14

    Lily Tomkinson | Elite Ski Racing, Four Knee Surgeries & Finding Purpose Beyond Sport | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    What happens when the sport you've dedicated your life to suddenly ends? In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day, we sit down with former Australian alpine ski racer Lily Tomkinson to explore the highs, heartbreak and reinvention that followed an elite sporting career. From representing Australia on the international stage to enduring four knee surgeries, Lily opens up about the physical and mental challenges of injury, identity and starting again. We also discuss life after ski racing, her work in wildlife conservation, appearing on Farmer Wants a Wife, and why purpose doesn't end when competition does. Whether you're an athlete, skier, snowboarder, coach, or simply navigating a major life transition, Lily's story is a powerful reminder that resilience isn't about returning to who you were - it's about becoming who you're meant to be. In this episode we discuss: • Growing up in Australian alpine ski racing • Representing Australia internationally • Four knee surgeries and injury recovery • Mental resilience and identity after elite sport • Wildlife conservation and life beyond racing • Farmer Wants a Wife • Finding purpose after professional sport Guest: Lily Tomkinson Follow Only Friends on a Pow Day for more real stories from the mountains. 🎧 Spotify 🍎 Apple Podcasts ▶️ YouTube 🌐 www.onlyfriendsonapowday.com.au 📸 @onlyfriendsonapowday #OnlyFriendsOnAPowDay #LilyTomkinson #SkiRacing #AlpineSkiing #AustralianSkiTeam #Resilience #SportsPodcast #AthleteJourney #InjuryRecovery #ACLRecovery #MountainStories #WildlifeConservation #FarmerWantsAWife #SnowSports #Podcast Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    Lily Tomkinson | Elite Ski Racing, Four Knee Surgeries & Finding Purpose Beyond Sport | Only Friends on a Pow Day

  5. Jun 7

    Mental Health, Resilience & Looking After Your Mates with Layla Lee | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    For many of us, the mountains have always felt like home. They're places of adventure, community, freedom and connection. But behind the stories we share and the photos we post, there is often another side to mountain life that receives far less attention. This conversation was inspired by something we've been reminded of ourselves recently: mental health affects everyone, and sometimes the most important thing we can do is talk about it. In this episode, Layla Lee joins Austin, Elyshia and Matty for an honest and deeply personal conversation about mental health, resilience and navigating life when everything changes overnight. After Australian ski legend Steve Lee suffered a devastating stroke in 2020, Layla found herself stepping into a role she never expected - becoming her father's primary carer while rebuilding her own life at the same time. Layla shares the realities of caregiving, anxiety, burnout, identity loss, recovery, self-care and the lessons she's learned through one of the most challenging chapters of her life. The conversation also explores mental health within snow sports and seasonal communities, including post-season blues, burnout, the pressures of mountain life and the importance of community when times get tough. If you're struggling, supporting someone who is, or simply need a reminder that you're not alone, we hope this conversation resonates. ❤️ Check in on your mates. Mental Health Resources Lifeline AustraliaBeyond BlueSuicide Call Back ServiceHeadspace Australia #OnlyFriendsOnAPowDay #MentalHealth #LaylaLee #SteveLee #SnowSports #Skiing #Snowboarding #FallsCreek #MountainLife #MentalHealthAwareness #Resilience #Community #Wellbeing #AustralianSkiing #CheckInOnYourMates Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

  6. Apr 29

    Coen Bennie-Faull: From Hotham Coach to Jackson Hole Freerider | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    In this episode, we sit down with Coen Bennie-Faull - freeride skier, coach, and founder of a next-generation freeride program. Coen shares his journey from a non-skiing family in Melbourne to building an international career in skiing, including:  Early exposure to skiing and progression through Hotham  Seasons spent chasing snow across Canada, Japan, and Europe  The impact of skiing in Jackson Hole and stepping into big mountain terrain  The role of mentorship and community in accelerating progression  The evolution of freeride skiing in Australia  Building a pathway for young athletes to compete globally This is an honest and insightful conversation about passion, risk, and building a career outside traditional pathways. #onlyfriendsonapowday #freeski #freeride #australianskiing #jacksonhole #skiinglife #snowlife #mountainculture #skiaustralia #skicoach #nextgeneration #powderday #sendit #skiingcommunity Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    Coen Bennie-Faull: From Hotham Coach to Jackson Hole Freerider | Only Friends on a Pow Day

  7. Apr 9

    VALENTINO GUSELI – Olympic Chaos, Viral Big Air & Sending the 19 | Only Friends on a Pow Day

    Olympian Valentino Guseli joins Only Friends on a Pow Day to unpack one of the most talked-about moments of the Winter Olympics. From a last-minute entry into Big Air, to stomping a switch back 19 and going viral, Val shares the full story behind the chaos, pressure and decisions that defined his Olympic campaign. We dive into:  The reality of competing at Olympic level The mindset behind risking it all vs playing it safe Injury, recovery and mental battles Halfpipe progression and the future of the sport Life outside competition: surfing, balance and longevityPlus, insights into sponsorships, filming with Meta glasses, and building a career beyond the podium. This is raw, real, and one of the most honest conversations in snowboarding right now.  #snowboarding #olympics #valentinoguseli #bigair #halfpipe #wintersports #australianathlete #actionsports #podcast #torquay #surfandsnow #sendit #athletemindset #highperformance #viral Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    VALENTINO GUSELI – Olympic Chaos, Viral Big Air & Sending the 19 | Only Friends on a Pow Day

  8. Feb 1

    From X Games → The Winter Olympics: Snowboarding & Skiing’s Biggest Medal Threats | Only Friends on a Pow Day (S2E1)

    Season 2 of Only Friends on a Pow Day begins with a deep dive into how X Games performance sets the tone for Olympic success. Austin & Lachy break down the athletes, events, and storylines shaping the road to the Winter Olympics — from Scotty James’ legacy run to the next generation of Aussie and Kiwi talent making waves across snowboarding and freestyle skiing. This episode explores the real systems behind elite winter sport: funding, sponsorship, performance pathways, and the pressure of peaking when it matters most. ❄️ Winter Olympics Series — New episodes incoming 🎧 Stay frothy #WinterOlympics #XGames #Snowboarding #FreestyleSkiing #SnowCulture #OnlyFriendsOnAPowDay Support the show Thanks for listening, stay frothy and have fun!

    From X Games → The Winter Olympics: Snowboarding & Skiing’s Biggest Medal Threats | Only Friends on a Pow Day (S2E1)
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About

All about that snow life! Epic destinations, the local legends, hot tips, where to go, epic stories and great adventures. We will update our listeners on what's hot, what incoming, and what's changing the game! Great for skiers, snowboarders, travel enthusiasts and just those keen to come along for the ride. 

Information

  • Creator
    Austin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Only Friends on a Pow Day
  • Show Website
    Only Friends on a Pow Day

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