In today’s episode, we’ll cover the relationship between people, land, and how we use the land. My guest is Len Necefer, a Professor with appointments in American Indian Studies and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Len’s newest film,  "Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee" explores the impact of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development on the local Gwich’in people in Northern Alaska and Canada. Len is the founder of Natives Outdoors, an outdoor apparel company that supports indigenous people through cultural empowerment, an ..read more

Scott Johnston is the co-owner and head coach of Uphill Athlete, a specialized training platform that includes a couple of books, a website with a host of resources, training plans, stories, and articles, and personalized coaching for uphill athletes. On today’s show, we’ll talk about his newest book with Steve House and Kilian Jornet, Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for Mountain Runners and Ski Mountaineers, where they set the record straight about what is known, unknown, and what works in endurance training. He’ll also provide some advice about how to get faster and go further.   ..read more

Caroline Gleich is a professional ski mountaineer, endurance athlete, and environmental activist. This past fall, she climbed and skied Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. On today’s episode, we’ll talk about that adventure, where she faced a spell of high altitude pulmonary edema (hape) that threatened her chances at summitting. Later in our conversation, we’ll talk about the implicit and sometimes explicit bias that women face in adventure sports that are predominantly male.   In today’s Company Spotlight, we feature Onsight Equipment, an eco-friendly travel gear company b ..read more

Bethany Hughes (Fidgit) and Lauren Reed (Neon) are in the midst of a daunting project: hiking (and occasionally paddling and cycling) from the southern tip of Argentina to the northern tip of Alaska. The 20,000 mile journey is expected to take 5 or 6 years, and in this interview, they join from Medellín, Colombia, about 2.5 years into their journey. Fidgit and Neon talk about their motivation, strategies to get along with adventure partners, and Her Odyssey: a mission to connect stories of the land and its inhabitants.   In today’s Company Spotlight, we feature Peak Design, a camera acces ..read more

Modern Huntsman is bi-annual magazine that works to restore the perception of hunting in our modern society by curating stories, pictures, recipes, and more. On today’s episode, I talk with the CEO and Co-founder Brad Neathery and Editor in Chief Tyler Sharp about why hunting has gained a certain reputation - from the influences of hunting companies and media to the individual-level behavior. We’ll also hear an essay from Volume 1 called “And So I Hunt", narrated by Brad. Finally, we’ll talk about how we reduce the divide between hunters and non-hunters.   Episode Sponsor: SAXX Under ..read more

Dr. Robb Gaffney is a psychiatrist, former extreme skier, and author of Squallywood: a guide to Squaw Valley’s most extreme lines. In this episode, we’ll talk about the brain and risk taking, social contagion, and ways to encourage the next generation to take more responsible risks. Robb is also part of a movement to Keep Squaw True, as unwanted real estate development is threatens the North Lake Tahoe area. In today’s Company Spotlight, we feature Coalatree, an eco-friendly outdoor apparel brand founded by Charlie Bessey. Coalatree uses recycled materials like coffee grounds and plastic bottl ..read more

Chris Warner is a well established mountaineer who has been climbing and guiding for several decades, a leadership educator, and the founder of Earth Treks climbing gyms. Last year, Chris attempted to climb the third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga, but the summit escaped him. This season, he decided to give it another go. This episode is slightly different from our others. In hosting conversations with adventure athletes on MtnMeister, I’ve noticed that we are almost always talking about the past. This makes some sense  because we better understand the past; we can tell more ..read more

Pete Ripmaster is the winner of the 2018 Iditarod Trail Invitational. You’ve probably heard of the Iditarod before, and you might think it’s bizarre to be pulled by a bunch of dogs in sub-zero temperatures in the Alaskan wilderness. But that’s not the Iditarod that Pete won. He did the same course - 1,000 miles and 50 degrees below zero - in the form of an ultramarathon. With no dogs to help him along the way, Pete's feet carried him an average of 38 miles a day over 26 days. Go to SAXXunderwear.com and use the code “meister” at checkout for $5 off and free shipping on your first ord ..read more

Chris McNamera is the founder of Outdoor Gear Lab, Tech Gear Lab, and Supertopo. If you are a climber or gear head, there’s a chance you’ve heard of these. He’s also well respected climber, holds some serious big wall speed records and has climbed El Cap 80 plus times. In the early 2000s, Chris was one of the pioneers of wingsuit base jumping, but he eventually quit the sport because of it's risk. Today, he's reinventing South Lake Tahoe one of the best mountain towns in the US. In today’s Company Spotlight, we feature Sufferfest Beer Co., and it’s founder, Caitlin Landesberg. Sufferfest is a ..read more

Dr. Jared Vagy is a doctor of physical therapy and known as “The Climbing Doctor”. He’s a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at USC, works with Olympic athletes on teams in both the US and China, and has treated and taught more than 1,000 climbers. He’s the author of Climb Injury Free, which includes injury advice from professional climbers and step by step rehabilitation instructions for climbing injuries. In this interview, we talk about common injuries among climbers, how to know when to push hard and when to back it off, and the difference between pain and injury. In ..read more