The SnowBrains Podcast

Season 7, Episode 107Our guest today is Jeff Kohnstamm, President of Timberline Lodge, OR, frequently associated with the longest ski season in North America and home to the iconic Timberline Lodge. Jeff knows this place better than anyone. He literally grew up at the resort, with his father, Richard L. Kohnstamm, running the resort from 1955–1992, when Jeff took over. On this podcast episode, Miles & Jeff dive into all things Timberline Lodge, including its wild and fascinating history, its feature in the cult movie The Shining, new lifts planned to connect The Summit Ski Area with Timberline Lodge (which will create the longest lift-served vertical drop in the United States), and the increasing effects that climate change is having on the longest ski season in North America.Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On FacebookOn InstagramOn ThreadsOn SnowBrains.comThis episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 7, Episode 106To start Season 7 of the Podcast, we are doing things a little differently. Today, Jeff Banks, IFMGA guide, avalanche course instructor, and CEO & Founder of AspectAvy, is going to join us as we discuss the Castle Peak Avalanche in Lake Tahoe, CA, that took 9 souls last winter in 2026.This was the deadliest ski/snowboard related avalanche in U.S. history, and there is a lot to unpack, understand, and learn from this incident so we can be safer while knowing the risks of spending time in the backcountry. Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On FacebookOn InstagramOn ThreadsOn SnowBrains.comThis episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 105Our guest today is Olivier Fremond, the head of Operations & Development at Les 3 Vallées, the world's largest ski resort. When we say large, we're not talking big. We're talking absurdly massive. Les 3 Vallées spans over 600km of pistes, roughly 25,000 acres of skiable terrain, more than 160 lifts, and it connects the legendary ski destinations of Courchevel, Meribel, and Val Thorens in one single ski area. This is a place where you can ski all day, rack up thousands of vertical feet, ski multiple valleys, and still not even come close to seeing it all. Today, we are diving deep into the numbers, the infrastructure, the logistics, and what it actually takes to operate the biggest ski resort in the world. Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On FacebookOn InstagramOn ThreadsOn SnowBrains.com This episode was edited by Liam Abbott. Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 104Our guest today is Alex Ferreira, one of the most accomplished and unique athletes in freeskiing. Alex is an Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist across three different games, but what makes Alex really interesting isn't just the results; it's how he gets them.In this discussion, we talk about affirmation, visualization, and the psychological effects of the music he listens to. It was really interesting to hear from Alex about the psychology and strategies he uses to create the results that he does. We talk about what it takes to win Olympic gold, what was on his mind during that final run in Italy, the variations of those final runs in the Olympics, his training, his mindset, sobriety, identity, and how the character of Hot Dog Hans might actually help him perform at a higher level. This is a deep one. Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On FacebookOn InstagramOn ThreadsOn SnowBrains.comThis episode was edited by Liam Abbott.Hosted by Miles Clark.

Season 6, Episode 103Our guest today is Dave Searle – mountain guide, deep mountain thinker, and someone who has built his life around moving through wild places with purpose. Dave has spent years guiding in serious terrain, helping people travel safely and confidently in the mountains while also developing a thoughtful approach to risk, decision making, and what it really means to operate in consequential environments. He also has an amazing YouTube channel that helps people so much in learning about navigating the mountains, including his massive project that he is pushing right now called "The Grand Ski Tour." All of this stuff, about Dave, who he is, and what he creates and produces, is absolutely incredible, and we are honored to have him.This episode is brought to you by onX Backcountry.Whether you’re planning to drop into a technical couloir or accomplish a high-vert spring volcano tour, make sure you have the app onX Backcountry downloaded ahead of time. With LiDAR-based topo technology, offline 3D maps, and recent imagery, you get an unmatched view of the terrain, even when you don’t have cell service. For a limited time, you can use the code snowbrains60 at onXmaps.com to get sixty percent off your annual membership and start planning your trips in the backcountry with confidence.Follow The SnowBrains Podcast:On FacebookOn InstagramOn ThreadsOn SnowBrains.comThis episode was edited by Liam Abbott.Hosted by Miles Clark.