The Avalanche Hour Podcast

Season 11 is just around the corner, kicking off October 1st.  Join us for a shout out to one of our sponsors - Austin Powder, a major manufacturer of explosive products for the avalanche industry.  Hear a bit about the history of the company, a time when the North American avalanche industry was close to starting a winter season without an explosive supplier, and stay tuned until the end to hear some observations and insights on cornice blasting and case charging.   Learn about the history of the Avalauncher, and how mining rock blasting and avalanche control blasting are more similar than it might seem.  

Host Dom is joined by Braden Schmidt, Austin Powder Avalanche Global President and Michael Blancher, Austin Powder Technical Manager.  Both Braden and Michael have decades of experience in the avalanche industry and bring their expertise to their role supporting avalanche operations with technical blasting challenges.  

Braden Schmidt has worked in Explosives Avalanche Control Operations since 2004. He is a Professional Member of both the Canadian Avalanche Association as well as the American Avalanche Association, and a member of International Society of Explosives Engineers. He sat on the Explosives Advisory Committee of the Canadian Avalanche Association for 3 years before moving into his current role with Austin Powder Avalanche in 2018. He has conducted Avalanche control mission in Canada, USA and Europe and has also consulted on jobs in Iceland, Japan and New Zealand.

Michael Blancher has spent 29 years in the avalanche patch hunting frozen forms with the Ski Patrol at Whistler Blackcomb, then MOT Hwy’s Avalanche Weather Program Supervisor, now proudly serving the community with fresh Austin Powder.  
Episode Summary:
- Learn about how a nearly 200 yr old privately held company is helping keep ski hills, highways and infrastructure open by supplying explosives for avalanche control.
- Hear about the evolution of the Avalauncher, as well as insights on better techniques and technology for case charging and cornice control.  
- Consider how surface rock blasting and avalanche control blasting have more in common than it might first seem.
- Tune in to catch up on the latest from one of the avalanche industry’s best supporters.

Thanks to Austin Powder for supporting the show!

Music: Ketsa
Artwork: Mike Tea 
Production: Dom Baker, Angie Lake

Setting the Track
Juliana Garcia grew up climbing the volcanoes of Ecuador and became an international mountain guide—but skiing was the piece of the puzzle she still wanted to solve.
In this episode, Brooke Maushund sits down with Juliana Garcia. Juliana takes us through her journey from climbing Cotopaxi as a teenager to becoming an IFMGA guide, learning snow and avalanche science as an adult, and bringing that knowledge back to the Andes.
We talk about breaking into the guiding world as the first woman in several of her training programs, the mentors who helped shape her career, the evolution of avalanche education in Ecuador, and her work supporting the next generation of mountain guides.
From Ecuador to Colorado, Alaska, and beyond, Juliana's story is about persistence, curiosity, mentorship, and finding a way to keep learning—no matter how long the journey takes.
In this episode: Ecuador • Andes • Ski Guiding • Avalanche Education • IFMGA • Women in Guiding • Mentorship • Snow Science

Thank you to the sponsors of the show:

Legacy Support:
The Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial Fund
Drone Amplified's Montis
The Guide Network

Partner Support:
Austin Powder
PeakVisor
OnX Backcountry

Episode Sponsor:
A3 Avalanche Resilience Project

Unlike a lot of snow and avalanche professionals, Jerry Roberts spent a fair amount of time hanging out around San Francisco, soaking up the Buddhist-infused literary scene of the '60s. He developed a deep affection for some very old school snow enthusiasts: Basho, Issa, Buson, and other 18th-century Japanese poets. He went on to a lengthy career forecasting for the Colorado Avalance Information Center, the Colorado Department of Transportation, even Quentin Tarantino. Along the way, he's written a number of his own wintry haiku. He joins us to share stories and wisdom from a lifetime in the snowy mountains, as well as a few poems.

Jerry passed away in September of 2023.

Drew's writing for Jerry:
Summer's End
The Assistant Spiritual Director Gets a Promotion

Summer Series #3

We continue our summer series with a cross-air of one of our favorite podcasts, ⁠Delivering Adventure⁠.

Why is it so important to imagine the worst-case scenario? What happens when we don’t?
In this episode of Delivering Adventure, Chris and Jordy share a few examples from their adventure industry careers to illustrate the importance of considering the worst-case scenario. They also talk about some of the factors that can compromise our ability to foresee what can happen if things don’t go to plan and how we can avoid falling into these traps.
Chris Kaipio has been working in the adventure guiding industry as a guide, instructor, trainer, manager and content developer since 1991.
Jordy Shepard is an internationally certified ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide, guide trainer, an avalanche educator, rescue specialist, and a former park warden.
Key Takeaways
How we can imagine the wort-case scenario:
Consider What can Reasonably Happen: This involves asking ourselves what all the possible negative outcomes could be and identifying if we are prepared if they come to pass.
Be detail oriented: The difference between a professional and an amateur is being detail oriented. Considering all the details before hand gives us an opportunity to identify and plan for all the likely outcomes that may happen.
Think ahead: This can require us to step away from complex situations so that we can fully consider the situation and what lies ahead.
Ask if we are Missing Anything: Is there information that we might be missing? This is something that we should always be asking ourselves. This helps to avoid developing tunnel vision.
Do your research: This can involve talking to others and looking at case-studies.
Training and Simulations: This can give us firsthand experience with what can happen.
Communicate the Risks Thoroughly: This creates an opportunity for everyone to understand what hazards they can expect to encounter.
Guest Bios
Chris Kaipio is the produce and co-host of Delivering Adventure.
He has worked in the adventure industry as an instructor, guide, trainer and manager since 2001.
Chris is currently developing the Managing Risk on Snow eLearning Certification for the Professional Ski Instructors of Canada. When complete, this will be a robust four level online risk management and decision-making certification for guides and Instructors.
Chris has written the book Power to Influence: How to get the best out of ourselves and others. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. This is where he met Jordy Shepherd.
Jordy Shepherd is the co-host of Delivering Adventure.
Jordy is an internationally certified ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide, guide trainer, an avalanche educator, rescue specialist, and a former park warden.
His work experience includes Canadian Avalanche Association Course Leader for Avalanche Search and Rescue Advanced Skills, Provincial Park Ranger, National Park Warden, Wildlife Conflict Specialist, Wildland and Structural Firefighter, Mountain and Industrial Rescue Specialist, Heli-skiing Operations Manager and Lead Guide, and Licensed Real Estate Agent. 
In addition to all of his work in the adventure guiding industry, Jordy runs a successful real estate company in Canmore Alberta where he currently lives with is family.

Follow, Subscribe and Listen to more Delivering Adventure Podcasts here.

2026 Summer Series #2
On 22 April 2023, a group of three were caught in an avalanche in the Godmother Couloir in Lyngen, in Northern Norway. Two of them were severely injured and had to be airlifted out for life-saving treatment. It was a matter of life and death… One managed to get out on his own and rushed to the hospital.
Niels Sole Semb and Victor Rizzardi speak openly and honestly about their experience from the day of the accident—what went wrong, and what lessons can be learned.
We are grateful to be able to share this story with the listeners of The Avalanche Hour and hope that you will learn something from this excellent episode originally recorded, produced, and released by Skredpodden.

You can find a video of a presentation Niels gave about this incident here.

Thank you to our current season long sponsors:
Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial Fund
Drone Amplified
Austin Powder
PeakVisor

We are currently looking for sponsors and underwriting to continue production. See availability and details here.