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MtnMeister — Outdoor
MtnMeister

A high altitude mountaineer travels through sub-zero temperatures, scales treacherous terrain, and carries hundreds of pounds of supplies. Many of us have very little in common with this person. We don’t need to worry about the lack of oxygen in the air or the extent of frostbite in our toes.

Yet, we are all human. There are certain ideas which apply to all of us, no matter if we are standing at 29,029 feet or sea level. Why is it important to step outside of our comfort zone? How do we weigh risk vs. reward? What psychological biases impact our behavior and decision making? On MtnMeister, we explore these ideas by talking with those who have found answers in the extremes.

Ben Schenck, the host of MtnMeister (pronounced Mountain Meister), asks thought-provoking and sometimes uncomfortable questions that you won’t hear in a typical interview. Notable guests include Alex Honnold, Sasha DiGiulian, Ueli Steck, Jeremy Jones, Lynn Hill, Conrad Anker, Aaron Gwin and other adventurers in climbing, skiing, hiking, biking, and everything else in the mountains.

Latest Episodes:

#204 Steve House | Ridge Merino Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

Of all of the guest requests that I receive from listeners, Steve House is the name that comes up most. Steve is one of the most respected alpine climbers of this generation. In a time when establishing a quantity of summits has a certain superficial appeal, Steve stays committed to quality. He moves through the mountains in light and fast style, and through his programs like Alpine Mentors and Uphill Athlete, he teaches other climbers to do the same. In this interview, we’ll profile his introduction to climbing, the importance of mentors, and his approach to training. He’ll also talk about an accident in 2010 that left him stranded on the wall.

After Steve's interview, I’ll speak with Jeff and Susan Russell, the founders of Ridge Merino, in our Company Spotlight segment. Jeff Russell was heading up soft goods at Armada when he realized that all of the Armada athletes - when they weren’t at photoshoots - wore merino baselayers instead of the synthetic ones that Armada produced. Jeff and Susan set out to make youthful, cost effective merino base layers to fill the void. Get 20% off with the code "meister" at https://www.ridgemerino.com/

This episode is supported by Health IQ, an insurance company that uses science & data to secure lower rates on life insurance for health conscious people. healthiq.com/meister

Links:

Training for the New Alpinism - https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Mountain-Steve-House/dp/0980122775 Beyond the Mountain - https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Mountain-Steve-House/dp/0980122775 Uphill Athlete - https://www.uphillathlete.com/ Skyward Mountaineering - http://skywardmountaineering.com/ Alpine Mentors - https://www.alpinementors.org/

#203 Gear Giveaway at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2018 Feb 11, 2018

Show notes

This is MtnMeister's semi-annual gear giveaway episode! If you’re a fan of the show, you’ve probably heard of it. If this is your first time listening, here’s how it works. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Denver where over 1,000 different outdoor brands exhibited their newest products. In exchange for being featured on today’s episode, each company agrees to give you gear. These are all real products that are either currently on the market or will be later this year - this is not “swag” or the branded cheap stuff that you end up throwing away. To win the free gear, all you have to do is listen to this episode, and when you hear a product you want, email me at ben@mtnmeister.com and tell me you want it. The first person to request it wins! You can only win one prize, and after you win it, you cannot exchange it. Winners must be in the USA. Finally, this time around, we had a grand prize of 2018 Salomon QST skis, which will be raffled off to one person who purchased information about the date or time of this episode’s release. I’ll announce that person at the end of this episode.

#202 Gear Giveaway at ORWM18 Preview Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

HOW IT WORKS

In our Outdoor Retailer episodes of MtnMeister, we record short interviews with innovative and exciting outdoor brands. In exchange for being featured, they give you free gear! When you hear a product that you want, email ben@mtnmeister.com to request it. The first person who requests it wins! Last year we gave away over $5,000 in prizes.

THE CATCH

Easy, right? The only issue is that there’s a lot of competition from others who want the free gear. Last year, everything was claimed within about an hour of the episode’s release. This year, Outdoor Retailer will be from January 25 – 28, and the MtnMeister giveaway episode will be released at some point after that.

IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES

To gain a competitive advantage, we are giving you the option to buy valuable information:

$5 for the date - https://gumroad.com/l/yjSWi

$10 for the date and 3hr time window - https://gumroad.com/l/kzHsG

$20 for the date and exact time - https://gumroad.com/l/jGpz

BONUS PRIZE!

By purchasing one of the items above, you will be entered to win our GRAND PRIZE, a brand new pair of 2018 Salomon QST. The QST was the #1 selling freeride ski in North America in 2016/17, and the 2018/19 pair will be updated with basalt and C/FX 3 technology which now extends edge to edge. This is Solomon’s proprietary carbon/flax blend which gives the ski stability while maintaining its lightweight. The winner chooses a pair up to $850!

BOTTOM LINE

With this small purchase, you significantly increase your chances of winning gear worth a whole lot more! Last year there were 30+ winners and the average prize was worth $150.

Note: Winners must be in the USA because of shipping restrictions. Sorry!

#201 Chris Davenport | OROS Apparel Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

Chris Davenport, at age 46, is one of the most accomplished big mountain skiers today. He was a pioneer in figuring out a way to make a career out of skiing and has inspired the generation of freeskiers that you see today. Recently he was inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame. Chris talks about the early days, his upcoming projects, gear, and MountainHub, an app that uses Crowdsourced information to assist you with your outdoors adventures. https://mountainhub.com/explore

After Chris's interview, we introduce a new segment to MtnMeister: the company spotlight. In our company spotlights, we feature short interviews with lesser-known outdoor brands and give them an opportunity to talk about their line of products. Then, Hannah Van Wetter and I review the product. Today's company spotlight is with OROS Apparel, who features a NASA technology used for space suit insulation in their outerwear and midlayers. Get 10% off with the code "meister" at checkout. https://www.orosapparel.com

This episode is supported by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps active and health-conscious people get lower rates on their life insurance. See if you qualify with a free quote at healthiq.com/meister

#200 Trip Report: Summit for Someone on Grand Teton Oct 04, 2017

Show notes

This is MtnMeister's annual episode about Big City Mountaineers’ Summit for Someone program, where passionate climbers can ascend their dream peak and raise money for charity in the process. On these trips, I bring a portable recording device with me while I try to climb a mountain that’s outside of my comfort zone. Summit for Someone is the fundraising arm of Big City Mountaineers. Similar to how marathon or cycling fundraisers work, hiking and climbing enthusiasts can take on a big physical challenge and raise money for an organization that aligns itself with the challenge. In this case, outdoors enthusiasts are raising money to give underserved urban youth the opportunity to discover the outdoors and learn critical life skills along the way. This year was an especially exciting trip for MtnMeister. We invited invited listeners of the podcast to join the climb - all of them had to fundraise $4,000, physically train to climb the Grand, and be open to spending 4 days climbing with people they have never met before. We also had a professional photographer, Chris Shane, and a designer/illustrator, Adam Danielson join to visually document the trip. In this episode, you’ll learn more about Big City Mountaineers and hear from one of the program participants, Kim, about how BCM has had an impact on her. Then you’ll hear about our experience climbing the Grand Teton with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. Finally, we’ll wrap things up with how you can do your own Summit for Someone climb. Special thanks to:

Osprey Packs for providing our climbers with the Variant 52L pack.

American Alpine Club for their support of MtnMeister.

Former host of MtnMeister Russell Wilcox. Save up to 50% on solar installation with Do-It-With at https://www.diwhome.com/ or email Russell at rwilcox@diwhome.com

Jackson Hole Mountain Guides for keeping us safe. We highly recommend our guides for your next adventure: Nate Opp, Michael Wachs, Jacob Schmitz

#199 Global Rescue with Dan Richards Jun 06, 2017

Show notes

Today's guest is Dan Richards, the CEO of Global Rescue. Global Rescue provides travel and health risk management services, ranging from specialty care to evacuation. In this episode, we talk to Dan about Global Rescue's business model, how having a "backup" impacts decision-making, and whether Dan has ever had to use the services of his own company.

Gear up and support Big City Mountaineers’ Summit For Someone Grand Teton Climb sponsored by Osprey and MtnMeister. Save some cash – 20% - and make a donation to Big City Mountaineers all at once! Click through here to get your discount and make your donation! http://www.mountaingear.com/webstore/?voucherCode=20BCM5&cmp=emc-20BCM5 OR just type 20BCM5 at checkout in the Keycode box. Offer good from 6/7-6/9.

#198 Why We Climb with Chris Noble May 09, 2017

Show notes

Today's guest is Chris Noble, author/photographer/climber. He’s the author of Women Who Dare: North America’s Most Inspiring Female Climbers, and his newest book, Why We Climb, which explores the various answers to that question - "Why do we climb?". The book includes interviews and stunning pictures of some the world’s elite climbers including Conrad Anker, Angie Payne, Alex Honnold, Raphael Slawinski, and many more.

Buy the book here - http://bit.ly/WhyWeClimbBook

#197 Connecting all 417 national parks with Mikah Meyer Apr 19, 2017

Show notes

April 15-23 is National Park Week, and this coming weekend, April 22-23, you get free admission to every National Park in America. In this episode, I interview Mikah Meyer, who is on a mission to become the youngest person to experience all 417 units in America’s National Park System. He started around this time last year, and as of the release of this episode, he’s a little over a third of the way. In today’s episode you’ll hear about his motivation for the project, how he makes it work, and a change in lifestyle that makes it all worth it.

Follow along Mikah's journey on his website tbcmikah.com or follow him on Instagram @TBCmikah.

To sign up for our Grand Teton climb this summer to benefit Big City Mountaineers, visit mtnmeister.com/teton

#196 Come climb with MtnMeister! Mar 02, 2017

Show notes

Over the past two summers, I’ve had the amazing the opportunity to climb two iconic peaks in the continental US: Mt Langley in 2015 and Mt. Hood in 2016. These are some of my fondest memories over the past few years. I have met incredible people and been forced outside of my comfort zone. These experiences have been part of the Summit for Someone program - charity climbs that raise money for Big City Mountaineers (BCM), a non-profit that takes underserved, inner-city youth on immersive, weeklong expeditions into the wilderness.

This summer, I figured that rather than telling you about what happens to me, I should invite you to experience it with me. Further, I should invite a past guest on this podcast to serve as our mountain guide. I'm happy to say that all of the pieces have come together, and you're invited to join us!

Where: Grand Teton

When: July 7-10

Guide: Brian Warren, Jackson Hole Mountain Guides

Photographer: Chris Shane, @chrismshane

More details and register here: http://www.bigcitymountaineers.org/summit-for-someone/2017-climbs/grand-teton/

#195 GEAR GIVEAWAY at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2017 Jan 18, 2017

Show notes

It's our semi-annual GEAR GIVEAWAY episode! Twice a year, we attend the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City to cover new products, technologies, and companies in the outdoors industry.

If this is your first time listening to our gear giveaway episode, here’s how it works. In exchange for being featured on today’s episode, each company has agreed to give away free gear to our listeners. These are all real products that are either currently on the market or will be - they aren’t promotional. To win the free gear, all you have to do is email me at ben@mtnmeister.com. The first person who requests it, gets it. You can only win one prize, and after you win it, you cannot exchange it. Winners must be in the USA.

20 companies, $5,000+ in prizes, 30+ winners! For $5 off a MtnMeister t-shirt - gumroad.com/l/QiebU

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