The Backcountry Podcast

Kolin Powick knows about as much as anyone when it comes to cams, carabiners, and quickdraws because he’s a crucial part of climbing’s history. As the Director of Product at Black Diamond for over 20 years, he used his engineering experience to develop some of the most impactful climbing equipment of all time.  

 In this episode, Nils probes Kolin about the current state of climbing and the impact of indoor climbing on the greater c...

As a climbing athlete and a guide for She Moves Mountains, Maiza Lima is an established member of the climbing community whose story resonates with everyone she crosses paths with. Rock climbing became her ideal escape when navigating the hardships that come along with moving from Brazil to the US at seventeen years old.  

Nils and Maiza navigate challenging topics ranging from the expectations of the outdoor identity to the importa...

As the Executive Director of the American Avalanche Association, Jayne Nolan is a core community member in the backcountry skiing space. We’re honored to have Jayne on the podcast to discuss the Resilience Project, which is one of their initiatives that we’re proud to offer support for as a partner.  

Nils and Jayne discuss the current state of snow science and avalanche awareness, and the latest initiatives from the American Avalan...

Rio Lakeshore is a Backcountry partner who's known for his trail running achievements—but he’s accomplished so much more than that. Rio is a deeply introspective individual and he’s also very intentional about his actions both within his sport and outside of it.  

 Nils speaks with Rio about being a father, and developing the tools to take on the adversity that life consistently dishes out. The pair also dive into the topic of ...

Remy Metailler is a mountain biking phenom known for his viral POV videos that capture seemingly impossible lines in the Squamish wilderness. We're proud to have him as a Backcountry ambassador and have him on the podcast to chat with Nils about his prestigious career. 

In this episode, Remy shares how his pro mountain bike career actually stemmed from the need for gainful employment. It served as the perfect opportunity for th...

This week on the podcast, we have Victor Daviet who recently made his Natural Selection Tour debut in Durango, CO alongside NST vet and podcast host Nils. The pair discuss Victor’s recent projects and some wild stories ranging from volcanic lakes to unorthodox avalanche control methods.  

Victor lets his passion guide his snowboarding career. In a project to document the ski and snowboard culture in Afghanistan, he helped the Afghan...

Toby Miller is a Backcountry athlete who also rides for WHITESPACE snowboards, so he’s the perfect fit to sit down with Nils on the Backcountry Podcast. Toby carved his path through the ranks of professional halfpipe riding under the wing of none other than Shaun White himself. With Shaun as his mentor, Toby has achieved an incredible snowboard career that began when he was only seven years old.  

Nils and Toby talk their way throug...

Spencer Whiting is better known by his viral Instagram handle, Gimbal God, a staple account for video content across the ski and snowboard scene. Known for buttery smooth follow-cam clips in the terrain park with the biggest names in the sport, Spencer (or Spenny) is a reputable videographer with his eyes set on large-scale film projects.  

 Backcountry Podcast host Nils reflects on the pair’s recent trip to Bald Face Lodge with Spe...

Max Valverde is the man behind the “Dad Bod Goes Pro” Instagram account, which came to be after he put his business career on the sideline. These days, he pursues content creation and competitive ski mountaineering full-time, plus he’s a Backcountry ambassador.  

Max’s journey is truly unique in every sense—he started in business before getting into competitive mountain sports, and he seemingly generated a successful following with ...

Raised alongside the development of the snowboard industry, Seth Huot is a pro snowboarder turned videographer, and now he’s the Volcom Team Manager. Volcom is one of our favorite brands and Seth speaks to their brand story in inspiring fashion.  

 Nils digs into the process of becoming a pro snowboarder in the ‘90s, and Seth sheds new light on the social media era of snowboarding. Seth’s passion for snowboarding and the mountain sp...

Justin Clark, also known as J Stone in the greater Salt Lake snowboarding community, is the Snowboard Development Engineer at K2. He’s also a personal friend of our host Nils, which makes him the perfect candidate for us to pick his brain about snowboard tech. Justin is a University of Utah engineering graduate who grew up in Salt Lake City and he truly lives and breathes the snowboarding industry.  

In this episode, Nils and Justin...

Known in the freeskiing community for his signature style and rail skiing prowess, Tom Wallisch is someone we knew we had to invite onto the podcast. Nils gets into a wide-ranging conversation with Tom, covering everything from X-Games wins to inspiring the next generation of skiing.  

 Listen along to learn more about producing film projects and find out exactly what “afterbang” means. Tom’s influence on the freestyle skiing commun...

As the face of the Utah Avalanche Center, Craig Gordon’s roots run deep in all things snow safety, powder skiing, and the Utah backcountry skiing community. From his time ski patrolling at Brighton to presenting snow safety to high school auditoriums, Craig has dedicated his life to spreading snow safety knowledge.  

Nils uses his own backcountry riding experience to probe Craig about how exactly the Utah Avalanche Center came to be...

Seeing as we’re the exclusive retailer of Shaun White’s snowboarding brand, WHITESPACE, it’s no surprise that we’re big fans of the guy. We figured it was about time to invite him on the podcast to talk about snowboarding’s history and the story of WHITESPACE.  

 Nils probes Shaun about his relationship with skateboarding and his early start on a professional snowboarding career. Shaun touches on pivotal moments in his career, like ...

Torstein Horgmo is a veteran in the pro snowboarding community whose career isn’t slowing down anytime soon. From X Games gold medals to his close involvement in Shred Bots content and countless video parts, he’s definitely earned his epic reputation.  
Nils chats with Torstein about his path to becoming a pro snowboarder, and the two bond over the challenges of frequently traveling solo at such a young age. Torstein touches on...

Karel Sabbe recently set out to break the supported running record for the Pacific Crest Trail, and we made a film to document his journey. Pacing The Pacific covers the entire journey from Mexico to Canada, highlighting Karel and his support crew along the way.  

We invited Karel and two of his crew members, Kobe and Anna, on the podcast to chat with Sunn and Caleb, the videographers who captured the film. They dig into Karel’s tra...

With Lexi Dupont joining the team as a Backcountry athlete, it made perfect sense to pull her into the HQ for a podcast episode to welcome her aboard! Lexi talks us through her big mountain skiing journey, both in competition and for film.  

Nils and Lexi reconnect after being on the Freeride World Tour together in years past. The pair dive into Lexi’s passion for spending time in the ocean, and her family’s rich history in aviation...

Salomon is one of our top brands for skiing and snowboarding, so we invited Category Manager Lauren Samuels on the podcast to dive into the Salomon world. Our host Nils rides Salomon snowboards, so the pair had lots to discuss, from competing in snowsports at a young age to product development and more. 

 Lauren’s experience as a ski racer prepared her well for working with ski products because she’s very performance-oriented. She s...

Parkin Costain, Jake Hopfinger, McRae Williams, and Colter Hinchliffe are all Backcountry athletes featured in this year’s Teton Gravity Research film, Legend Has It. Between their stacked athlete roster and killer film premieres, TGR sets the standard for annual ski flicks—we couldn’t be more stoked to be involved! 

 Nils gets the latest from the TGR crew, covering everything from Legend Has It to staying safe in the backcountry. W...