In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Tina Haver Currin. Here’s some background. Currin is a crusher when it comes to long-distance thru-hikes…and that may be redundant, as we assume, lacking the background knowledge, that all thru-hikes are long. Currin has completed many epic hikes, including the Triple Crown: the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Appalachian Trail. She has also taken on some mighty tough trail running/scrambling FKT challenges of late. Which is to say that Currin is out and about in the mountains.

She is, however, somewhat new to touring. If you have read Issue 2 of The High Route journal (if you haven’t, you should), she wrote a great piece on learning to tour, and about friendship, and partnership titled “Uphill Both Ways.” In it, she explores learning to tour while being mentored by the writer (and splitboarder) Jon Krakauer—he probably needs no introduction.

Last year, we interviewed a Los Angeles Times journalist about his experience as a newcomer to the sport. That podcast was titled “A Beginner's Dilemma.” The takeaway, as far as I was concerned, is that hearing from a newcomer can be a great learning opportunity for those with more experience. So I was compelled to have Currin on the podcast and to learn some things. Which I did. And I hope you do, too.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader- and listener-supported enterprise focused on human-powered turn-making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real-deal calorie-burning to piece it all together.

We’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Matthew Tufts, a touring focused ski journalist and storyteller and photographer. To be clear, he is Vermont-raised, but at least for some of the year, he calls Revelstoke home. Tufts has roamed the dirtbag scene as a denizen in what he calls a 'cab over camper Ford," and along the way has documented the scenes and his adventures. If you have had an opportunity to read or see his work, you're likely better for it.

On The High Route site, we have featured a few projects Tufts has been involved with. We’ve reviewed Painting the Mountains, a film that highlights Tufts and his approach to capturing moments in the mountains. And last month we commented on a video doc titled A Hundred Words for Wind that details an epic ski and backpacking journey, that involved a lot of wind, around Iceland.

Tufts brings the full package to his craft: he is a fine writer and photographer. So, commissioning a piece from Tufts, which we did for our third issue in print, means the words and images both shine. In that piece, which we discuss on the podcast, he explores the why regarding his drive to take deep-dive trips seeking turns onto the Southern Patagonian Icecap.

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader- and listener-supported enterprise focused on human-powered turn-making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real-deal calorie-burning to piece it all together.

We’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.

In this episode of The High Route Podcast, we feature part two of our interview with Ptor Spricenieks, a noted adventure skier, cosmic traveler, and family man who resides in La Grave, France.

Be forewarned, for the best results, please listen to part 1 of our interview, because we jump right into it in this episode. Part II of the interview jumps off after we had been discussing Spricenieks’ relationship with Peter Chrzanowski, another iconic and timeless ski mountaineer—Chrzanowski was the first person to ski Mount Robson.

Spricenieks grew up in eastern Canada, became restless, and moved to Whistler for a season, where his eyes were opened to the possibilities of mountain adventure.

In part 2, we get the backstory of Spricenikes’ evolution into, using his words, a “shredding dirtbag.” During which, in this state of dirtbagdom, he and Troy Jungen made their bold first ski descent of Robson’s North Face in 1995. But, of course, since this is a part of Sprecnieks’ wrinkle in time, we detour into the metaphysical, the tension between selfishness and selflessness, the danger of a crowd mentality…and the 100% this-is-good-for-you mindfulness that is backcountry touring. Parts 1 and 2, in their entirety, are like the double rainbows of the ski mountaineering podcast scene.

And for those eager to read more from Spricenieks, he writes a free-spirited Substack.
Below are some select profiles of Spricenieks written over the years:

• Pique News—A Special Seeker in a Special Place
• Ski—Running From Babylon: Ptor Spricenieks Ski Mountaineer

If you are new to The High Route, we are a reader- and listener-supported enterprise focused on human-powered turn-making. Our mission is simple, but it takes real-deal calorie-burning to piece it all together.

We’d like to thank Patagonia, Blue Ice, and ATK for supporting us.

We are also excited to announce that you can subscribe to Issues 2 and 3 of our fine print journal (The High Route journal) on our site. Fancy paper. Good reads. High-octane photos. And some fine mountain ranges. And turns. You can learn more about our subscription options here.

The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you've spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, "Beautiful Alien" is a good tune to start with.