BLISTER Podcast

Share

cover art for Travis Ganong: U.S. Ski Racer + Backcountry & Big-Mtn Skier

5/21/2019

Travis Ganong: U.S. Ski Racer + Backcountry & Big-Mtn Skier

Ep. 89

Travis Ganong might be the most well-rounded skier in the world (just listen to this conversation), and he is certainly one of the most passionate. He’s a Team U.S.A. downhiller and Super G racer that is also obsessed with backcountry touring and big-mtn skiing, so we talk about all of it: racing & training; catching the attention of Shane McConkey as a kid; backcountry skiing; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Training in Tahoe City (1:02)
How has gym training for ski racing evolved? (2:23)
The fitness of skiers vs. other athletes (7:10)
Are you preparing for specific courses you’ll compete on? (13:11)
Where have you improved the most: physically, technically, or mentally? (19:25)
Growing up in a family of skiers (22:04)
Temptation to stop racing / a key point in Travis’ racing career (30:27)
Which skiers did you look up to the most? (34:23)
Seasonal weight fluctuations / recovering from a blown out knee (37:19)
Does the American DH squad have team goals? (41:25)
Hyper-specialization & ski racing (43:40)
Travis the park skier?? (47:22)

More Episodes

VIEW ALL

Olympian Dotsie Bausch on Cycling, Switch4Good, & the Dairy Industry

Dotsie Bausch is a 7-time USA Cycling National Champion, an Olympic medalist, a featured athlete in the film, The Game Changers, and the executive director of Switch4Good. We talked to Dotsie about her very unusual path to an Olympic podium; her work at Swith4Good; and what we ought to understand about dairy products and the dairy industry.TOPICS & TIMESDotsie’s athletic background (1:44)When did you start cycling? (7:55)Mental toughness vs. natural ability (12:50)Getting into Track Cycling & Team Pursuit (16:07)2012 Olympics (19:19Mountain biking (22:29)What is Switch4Good? (24:18)Why focus on dairy? (38:04)Where to follow Switch4Good (1:00:50)

What You Need to Know - and Do - about the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)

You are probably familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but what do you know about the arguably more important National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)? NEPA is a critical piece of legislation, and each of us needs to understand what it does and why it matters so much. And currently, some major changes to NEPA are being proposed that could have extremely serious environmental and human rights consequences.So to help us understand the high stakes of the changes being proposed, we spoke to Hilary Eisen, the policy director for the Winter Wildlands Alliance.TOPICS & TIMES:What is the Winter Wildlands Alliance? (3:15)NEPA: It’s History & What It Does (4:09)NEPA & the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (8:36)The Trump administration & NEPA (14:33)NEPA, Human Health, & People of Color (37:25)What We Can Do (42:02)

BlackAFinSTEM, Birders, & Bees

BlackAFinSTEM was started to encourage and support Black individuals who are working in — or who are just passionate about — the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and also to encourage, support, and increase the visibility of Black naturalists and Black people who recreate and work outdoors.So we talk to Tyler Jones, the co-organizer of Black Birders Week, about all of the above, plus the difference between a bird and a trash bag; Taco Bell & STEM; her graduate work on bees (!!!); and more.TOPICS & TIMESWhat is BlackAFinSTEM? (3:01)BlackAFinSTEM’s objectives (10:05)Black Birders Week (17:15)Tyler’s background, Taco Bell, & STEM (29:32)Bees (34:33)What’s next for Tyler? (4:31)Best ways to support BLackAFinSTEM (55:12)