Built on Passion

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#150 Trailtopia - Great Food in Convenient Packaging That Will Fill Your Stomach & Soul. Founder Vincent Robichaud Sharing His Story Jun 11, 2019

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Josh sits down with Trailtopia founder Vincent Robichaud. Trailtopia is a brand that makes delicious pre-packaged backpacking and hiking food in convenient packaging to make things a little simpler. Vince has been a longtime backpacker and hiker, however, for all his experience he’s had trouble finding backpacking meals that left him satisfied so he started making his own food. After one momentous camping trip in 2013, his fellow backpackers convinced him to start packaging and selling his food and the rest is history. We’re psyched to get the chance to dive into this culinary creation and pick apart where it’s headed.

#149 Xero Shoes - Barefoot Inspired Shoes Designed For A Natural Feel & Movement. Co-Founder Steven Sashen Sharing His Story Jun 04, 2019

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Josh sits down with Xero Shoes co-founder Steven Sashen. Xero Shoes are designed to let your feet do what’s natural. They let you have the right combination of protection and ground feel granting more agility and connection to where you step. Steven initially got this nuanced approach for shoe design in 2009 while getting back into sprinting after a 30-year break. He was getting injured quite often and when asking a friend who happened to be a world champion runner for advice he told him to take off his shoes to see if he could learn anything about his form. What he learned was why he was getting an injury and how to stop this from happening. He realized that his issue was a form problem that he couldn’t tell he had when he was wearing shoes and wasn’t able to feel the ground. After experimenting more with running barefoot his injuries went away, he got faster and started to see some serious improvements. Having has such a positive natural movement experience, he started making some shoes for himself, then for his friends, and then for his friends. It wasn’t long before he found himself at the head of a rapidly growing footwear phenomenon we now know as Xero Shoes.

#148 Ombraz Sunglasses - Ultra-Durable Armless Sunglasses. Co-Founders Nikolai Paloni & Jensen Brehm Sharing Their Story. May 28, 2019

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Josh sits down with Ombraz Sunglasses co-founders Nikolai Paloni and Jensen Brehm. Ombraz Sunglasses is the first pair of armless sunglasses that has ever been on the market. By eliminating the sidearms of your typical pair of sunglasses and replacing with an adjustable cord, Ombraz, sunglasses offer a sturdier, more comfy, and uniquely stylish change to your everyday eyewear. Jensen came up with the first prototype while traveling through India. Someone had unfortunately sat on his sunglasses breaking off the arms and, as a solution, he tied a piece of twine to the hinges. His solution worked so well, it prompted him to replace the twine with a leather cord. After Nikolai saw the sunglasses and was instantly wow’ed by how well they work. It wasn’t long before Jense and Nikolai got to work creating a truly new, functional, and stylish design of sunglasses, giving birth to Ombraz.

#147 Flying Squirrel Outfitters - Sustainably Made Handmade Goods Empowering Women In Rural Thailand. Founder Brian Carraway Sharing His Story May 21, 2019

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Josh sits down with Flying Squirrel Outfitters founder Brian Carraway. Flying Squirrel Outfitters makes sustainable made hammocks and bags and, with plans of seriously expanding their product list. Although you may have heard Brian’s story before on a previous episode of The ReddyYeti Podcast, a lot has happened since then and we are lucky enough to sit down with Carraway to get the full scoop. With more and more single-use plastic being pumped in our ecosystem, Flying Squirrel Outfitters is stepping up to take a stand and combat this detrimental issue, starting with their line of super compactable and lightweight reusable bags. It’s no secret that plastic bags are a serious player in our plastic problem and Flying Squirrel is taking a big step in fighting back for the planet.

#146 Yeti Chat 11 - Post-Trip Reflection On Some Of Our Favorite Moments In Vermont May 14, 2019

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Josh sits down with Drew & Matt and reflect on their time spending the winter in Vermont. It’s been quite the ride in Vermont but all good things must come to an end. Though our first video series was a grand success it certainly won’t be our last! Join us as we touch base on some of our favorite mountains, ski areas, and touring areas!

#145 TrailFork - Better-For-You Backpacking Food In Better-For-The-Planet Packaging. Co-Founder Lillian Hoodes Sharing Her Story. May 07, 2019

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Josh sits down with TrailFork co-founder Lillian Hoodes. TrailFork makes vegan and vegetarian dehydrated backcountry meals, packaged in 100% compostable containers. TrailFork originally starting as a meal box company, that would help you put together your own customizable backcountry meals based on your trip info, dietary preferences, and weight and send all the dehydrated food supplies directly to you. TrailFork quickly took their most successful recipes combos and added them to their store for anyone to grab and enjoy. Hoodes started making her own meals in 2013 after not finding exactly what she was looking for from the backcountry meals on the market however, it wouldn’t be until 2017 when she seriously started to get the ball rolling. After deciding to take the plunge she dropped her teaching gig, moved from California to Colorado, and leaned headfirst into TrailFork. Now, TrailFork is delivering delicious and nutritious vegan and vegetarian meals with an ever-increasing menu that’s filling the bellies of countless happy hikers.

#144 Terracea - Crossover Apparel That Takes You From Sidewalks To Summitts. Co-Founder Eric Hui Sharing His Story Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

Josh sits down with Terracea co-founder Eric Hui. Terracea is an urban-to-outdoors technical outerwear company focused on making ski and snowboard apparel that’s wearable everyday use. Though Terracea is now based in Boston, Hui originally moved to the North East from California which was a pretty big factor to set up the beginnings of Terracea. As one could imagine, California and the North East aren’t exactly twins in terms of climate and armed with just a snowboard jacket, Hui soon found himself looking for something more to survive the wind and wet of the Ice Coast. That need for a more wearable piece of outerwear that maintains an Urban Aesthetic without ditching the technical features of a ski/snowboard jacket(powder skirt, removable hood, etc.) was enough for Hui and his fellow co-founder Brian Kurland to get to work designing a jacket that gives you the best of both worlds. Terracea is here to close the gap between the Urban and Outdoor world and have you ready to take on whatever elements Mother Nature throws at you.

#143 Parlor Skis - Custom Made Skis Built In The Heart Of The Ice Coast. Co-Founder Mark Wallace Sharing His Story Apr 23, 2019

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Josh sits down with Parlor co-founder Mark Wallace. Parlor is the largest ski manufacturer in New England. Parlor is New England's largest ski manufacturer, building high quality, custom laminate construction skis (essentially a race skis) with an all mountain feel. Wallace has always been a long time skier, having raced in high school, college, and beyond, however, it wasn’t after he hung up his racing career to go down a path of construction (restaurant construction, that is) that he would find himself being pulled back into the ski world. After talks with his co-founders Pete Endres and Jason Epstein it wasn't long until he was convinced to jump in and they got to work. Interestingly enough, they chose Boston to set up shop. At first glance, you’d think being close to a mountain would be the optimal locale however, by being based in the city they have access to a lot of the customer base. Customers, who are looking for that piece of ski culture and don’t have the luxury of a mountain in their backyard. Being Boston based also offers a lot of resources that they wouldn’t have if they moved away from the city. Parlor proves that the love for skiing stays even after you travel away from the mountains.

#142 Overeasy - Cozy Stylish Hoods Designed To Keep Your Noggin Warm From Wind & Wintery Conditions. Co-Founder Eva Shaw Sharing Her Story Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

Josh sits down with Overeasy co-founder Eva Shaw. Overeasy is the proud makers of the HoodE, a pioneering form of headwear that acts as a removable hood and delivers a highly functional solution to keeping warm without sacrificing style. Like many innovative outerwear accessories, Overeasy was founded out of necessity, when Vermont native and ski racer, Eva Shaw became frustrated by what she had to wear to stay warm. She ultimately wanted gear that she could express herself with but perform at a high level. For those familiar with wearing a hood while skiing or snowboarding, this becomes a huge limiting factor in range of mobility. Since the HoodE is a detachable hood, you don’t experience the same limitation that you might find on your jacket. What’s even more refreshing is how many styles and fabric options are available to fit your vibe. There’s no question that the HoodE is going to popup like wildfire on the mountain and we’re psyched to see what else Shaw and the Overeasy team will come up with next!

#141 SidelineSwap - An Athlete To Athlete Marketplace To Sell & Buy Sports Gear. Founding Team Member Kevin Guiltinan Sharing His Story Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Josh sits down with SidelineSwap founding team member Kevin Guiltinan. SidelineSwap is a Peer to peer marketplace for sporting goods, connecting athletes all over the world to buy and sell equipment online. SidelineSwap, founding team member Brendan Candon and Anthony Piazza have been longtime athletes so, it’s safe to say they’ve gone through their fair share of gear. After finishing up his collegiate athletic career and hunger for new gear Candon found himself bogged down by the cost of new sports equipment and decided to give Piazza a call to see if he had any second hand gear to spare. It was that transaction that helped spark the idea of SidelineSwap. Since that fateful day, this Boston-based company has exploded gaining with more and more users joining up. Tune in to find out how the SidelineSwap team built up their company and what’s on the horizon for this bustling business.

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