The Avalanche Hour Podcast

• The Ascending Spiral of Mentorship with Nina Marienthal

  Episode Overview:In this compelling episode, Brooke sits down with Nina Marienthal, Lead Guide at Beartooth Powder Guides (BPG)  in Cooke City, Montana, where she landed after starting her career heli-guiding in Alaska. After growing up the daughter of a heli-ski guide and ski instructor—doing her homework at the helibase every spring in Alaska while her parents were out in the snow—it only makes sense that Nina went on to become one of the youngest people to be an AMGA Certified Ski Guide. Currently the lead guide at BPG and an Educator at the American Avalanche Institute, Nina dives into her beginnings working her way up from being an apprentice at Black Ops Valdez in Alaska, to her draw to pursue more human-powered guiding as she progressed in her career and desires for her work. Nina shares unique perspectives on the pace of mechanized vs. human-powered guiding, navigating the industry as a woman, and most importantly how the ascending spiral of mentorship develops over time. Resources & Links Mentioned: • Beartooth Powder Guides • Black Ops Valdez • Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center • Eastern Oregon University Motorized User Survey • AIARE Transceiver Terminology Survey • Boilen/McCammon Human Factor 2.0 Initial Survey: Crew: • Host: Brooke Maushund  • Guest: Nina Marienthal (@nina_marienthal)  • Producer: Caleb Merrill (@theavalanchehourpodcast)Sponsors: • Wyssen Avalanche Control  • Gordini • OpenSnow • Arva Equipment🎶 Music by Ketsa: My Sunny Lounge, Sandstone

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  55:17
• Therapy for the Soul: A Beginner’s Toolbox into Navigating Grief, Trauma, and Loss

  Therapy for the Soul: A Beginner’s Toolbox into Navigating Grief, Trauma, and LossGuest:Jenny Fiebig – Licensed Professional Counselor, IFS Trainer, Outdoor Trauma SpecialistHost:Brooke “Shiny” EdwardsRecording Date:December 4th, 2024Episode Summary:In this deeply insightful episode of The Avalanche Hour Podcast, host Brooke “Shiny” Edwards sits down with Jenny Fiebig, a licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma related to outdoor accidents. Jenny shares her journey from outdoor educator and guide to becoming a trauma therapist, blending her love for the wilderness with mental health counseling.They explore how trauma impacts the nervous system, how to process grief and loss in outdoor communities, and how professionals and recreationalists alike can navigate their emotions without suppressing them. Jenny also walks Brooke through real-time nervous system regulation techniques, providing valuable tools for listeners struggling with anxiety or fear in the mountains.This episode serves as both an educational experience and an intimate exploration of Internal Family Systems (IFS)therapy, trauma recovery, and the power of self-compassion in high-risk environments.Key Discussion Points:• How outdoor trauma manifests in the nervous system• Understanding the IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy model• The “warrior mentality” in outdoor culture and why it can be harmful• Differentiating healthy vs. destructive coping mechanisms after accidents or loss• Tools for navigating fear, grief, and trauma in the backcountry• The stress continuum and recognizing the warning signs of mental health struggles• The work of SOAR (Survivors of Outdoor Adventures in Recovery) in helping trauma survivors healGuest Bio & Background:Jenny Fiebig is a licensed professional counselor in Montana and Colorado, specializing in trauma therapy for outdoor-related accidents. She has a background in outdoor education and guiding, which informs her work in helping individuals heal from experiences of loss, grief, and PTSD related to the backcountry.Jenny pursued a graduate degree in mental health counseling at Montana State University and became a specialist in IFS therapy, now working as a global trainer with the IFS Institute. She is also deeply involved in SOAR (Survivors of Outdoor Adventures in Recovery), where she helps provide therapy, community, and resources for those struggling with outdoor-related trauma.Links & Resources Mentioned:• SOAR (Survivors of Outdoor Adventures in Recovery): https://www.soar4life.org/• Responder Alliance Stress Continuum: https://www.responderalliance.com/stress-continuum• Redside Foundation: https://www.redsidefoundation.org/• IFS Institute: https://ifs-institute.com/• Jenny Fiebig’s Website: https://www.jennyfiebig.com/• Eduardo Duran – Healing the Soul WoundSponsor & Partner Mentions:Presented by:• Wyssen Avalanche Control – www.wyssen.comAdditional sustaining support from:• Gordini – www.gordini.com• OpenSnow – www.opensnow.com• Compare 10-day snow forecasts, read expert analysis, and track storms• Use promo code AVALANCHE50 for 50% off OpenSnow Premium: www.opensnow.com/buy• RAIDE Research – www.raideresearch.com• Use code AVHOUR for 10% off your orderMusic Credits:• Intro Music: Believing – Ketsa• Outro Music: Touching Moments (Remastered) – KetsaWhere to Listen & Subscribe:• Website: The Avalanche Hour Podcast• Spotify: The Avalanche Hour on Spotify• Apple Podcasts: The Avalanche Hour on Apple PodcastsProducer Credits:• Caleb Merrill• Cameron Griffin

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• That's What She Said....Sara Interviews Andrea Mannberg

  In this episode, Sara Boilen interviews Andrea Manberg. Andrea is an economist and researcher who spends her time thinking about human behavior, decision-making, and risk in avalanche terrain. Having survived a pretty brutal avalanche herself, Andrea is passionate about understanding what motivates us toward risk and how we position ourselves to enjoy our pursuits while staying as safe as we want to. She presented at ISSW on her paper, Is it a man’s world? Gendered professional experiences in snow and avalanche safety and came on the podcast to talk to Sara about the reality faced by males, females, and non binary folks in an industry long-dominated by men. The conversation delves into various topics including what makes a good snow and avalanche professional, mentorship, and menstruation. Join us as we deconstruct the myth that it is, and needs to be, a man’s world. Website for CARE (where Andrea Works): https://en.uit.no/ansatte/andrea.mannberg There, you can find out more about Andrea and what the good folks at CARE are doing as well as links to Andrea’s publications. If you’d like to watch more of Andrea, here’s a link to a great talk she gave back in 2017 with the Sawtooth Avalanche Center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7xSutCesLQRead the research by Andrea and her colleagues, as presented at ISSW Tromso here: https://arc.lib.montana.edu/snow-science/objects/ISSW2024_O11.6.pdfSupport for this Episode is provided by: Wyssen Avalanche Control Gordini OpenSnowPropagation Labs

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  1:15:32
• The Doctor is In: Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg

  In this episode, Caleb sits down with Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg of Hood River, Oregon. Van Tilburg is an American physician and author specializing in emergency, wilderness, travel, environmental, occupational, and public health medicine. He is author of 11 books on outdoor recreation, wilderness medicine, and international travel, including three memoirs on mountain rescue, including Crisis on Mount Hood: Stories from 100 years of Mountain Rescue, forthcoming May 2025Van Tilburg is on staff at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in Hood River, Oregon, USA where he works at Occupational and Travel Medicine, in the Emergency Department, and at the Providence Mountain Clinic at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort. In addition, he works as a physician on expeditions around the world, on cruise ships, on humanitarian medical relief programs, and as an expert witness on wilderness medicine. He is also a mountain rescue doctor with Hood River Crag Rats, the oldest mountain rescue team in the United States, established in 1926 in Hood River, Oregon, USA. He is medical director for four search and rescue teams: Hood River Crag Rats, Pacific Northwest SAR, Clackamas County SAR and Portland Mountain Rescue. He serves as Public Health Officer in Oregon for Hood River County. He serves as Medical Examiner for Hood River, Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco, and Wheeler Counties in Oregon. Dr. Van Tilburg has been honored three times by the Wilderness Medical Society. He received Dian Simpkins Award for Service, the Haiti Humanitarian Research Award, and the Ice Axe Award for Service. His book ''Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature'' was shortlisted for Banff Festival of Mountain Books and Oregon Book Awards in 2007 and was Readers Digest Editor’s Pick for November 2007. His book ''Adrenaline Junkie’s Bucket List: 100 Extreme Adventures to Do Before You Die'' received the Far West Ski Association Bill Berry Award for outstanding printed media in 2014Van Tilburg was the lead author for ''Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Avalanche and Nonavalanche Snow Burial Accidents,'' a multinational effort published in 2017 and updated in 2024.We discuss some of the salient points of CVT's research, lessons delivered through many SAR calls, and current best practices for avalanche victim post-extrication care. We hope you enjoy. Music: KetsaArtwork: Mike TeaLinks to more of Van Tilburg's work

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  59:01
• Humility in the Face of Historic Uncertainty: Becs Hodgetts

  Sean Zimmerman-Wall steps in front of the mic to bring you another great interview with Rebecca “Becs” Hodgetts. Becs began ski patrolling in the mid-1990s on Mt Ruapehu, a volcano in the central plateau of New Zealand’s North Island. She went on to work at other resorts in New Zealand, Canada, and the US. She worked 12 years at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, first as an avalanche technician and later as Assistant Ski Patrol Director. She joined the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in 2013 and worked first as a Backcountry, then as a Highway Forecaster, and finally as a Regional Lead Forecaster for southern Colorado. In July 2024, she took a new role with the US Forest Service's National Avalanche Center (NAC). In this role, she will support the NAC's mission to improve backcountry and ski area safety by reducing avalanche risk on and around National Forests. This mission includes training and transferring information and technology to the field, managing the Artillery for Avalanche Mitigation Program, and coordinating US avalanche centers through the National Avalanche Forecast Platform.Show Notes:March 2019 Historic Avalanche Cycle Video produced by CAIC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlkH-MnzddcInterview with CAIC Director Ethan Greene produced by The Powder Cloudhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YolFA80sP5YNational Avalanche Center and Avalanche.orghttps://avalanche.org/national-avalanche-center/The Starting Zone by Karl Birkelandhttps://support.friendsofcaic.org/products/the-starting-zone-at-the-interface-between-avalanche-science-and-practice?srsltid=AfmBOopaIynaGIjcEwbEhudjbTuCHTWlsHXgIFQf26ne3tfbgcABdFj-Thanks to the sponsors of this episode: Wyssen Avalanche ControlGordini USAOpenSnowIPA CollectiveMusic by Age DiamanteArt by Mike Tea

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  1:15:59

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