Beyond the Mountains podcast

My guest today is Aurelie Morrison-Gonin She is a multi-talented mountain sports storyteller. She is a producer, director, photographer, camerawoman, writer and editor. She has worked on the Freeride World Tour, the Summer and Winter Olympic games, and is an independent storyteller for many mountain brands, athletes and magazines. In a world of high drama, high stakes and fast action sports, Aurelie thrives on the pressure to capture the athletes doing what they do best, defying gravity and creating winning lines in the snow. She enjoys showing the human element behind the athletes. Stripping away the race numbers and sponsor logos to reveal the real people behind the mountain sports we love. She is not afraid to get uncomfortable in harsh and dangerous conditions to get the shot, and she is also not afraid to deviate from the plan if a different and more interesting story is unfolding. This was a fun interview and I want to thank Aurelie for making the time to sit down with me before she went out skiing in the mountains of Chamonix before she made her way back to her second home in Crested Butte California or travelling to another event hotel room, or mountain huts. Hello friends, I am your host Ashley Pettit welcome to another episode of the Beyond the Mountains Podcast. Where I talk to people who live, work and play in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

Ok, so this is the first episode of season 3. This is my first interview for 2024. This is also my first remote interview. My first guest for 2024 is Michael Blann a professional photographer based in London. He is also a keen cyclist and he believes in the power of Passion projects. We talk about all this, plus we talk about is love for taking photos of epic mountain landscapes. So if you love any of those subjects you are going to enjoy this conversation with Michael Blann. Michael has published a timeless and beautiful coffee table book called Mountains - Epic Cycling Climbs. It was a 3-year passion project in the making that saw Michael photograph some of the most iconic mountains and cycling climbs of the Tour de France and the Giro. Mountains of the Alpes, the Pyrenees, the Dolomites and many more mythical mountains around Europe and North America Michael is a professional photographer and has a long career working with many brands and clients. He has also been published in many cycling magazines around the world. Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another season and a new episode of the Beyond the Mountains podcast. Where I talk to people who live, work and play in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Fred Buttard. He is a high mountain guide, ski touring guide, gravel biking explorer, beer maker and full-time dad, who spends his time between the French Alps and the Scandinavian mountains of Sweden and Norway. Before this interview, I didn't really know Fred that well, I'd only seen him around the village, out skiing or at a local mountain bike event he was organizing. But he was someone I instantly liked and connected with and I wanted to know him better. So this was a great way for me to get to Fred and I hope you learn about him too. I try to do research about the people I'm going to have on the show, so who they are and the jobs they do. So I did a lot of reading about what a mountain guide does and what makes a good mountain guide. I read somewhere that when you are in the mountains you have to move with deliberate intent, to move with purpose and be fluid with your movement, observe your surroundings and to look ahead to where you are going.. This is how I feel Fred speaks and acts. He is very intentional and thoughtful when he speaks. And I think this came through in the interview. So I hope you enjoy this interview with Fred because I know I did Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another episode of the beyond the Mountains podcast. Where I talk to people who live, work and play in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Anselme Baud. He is one of the pioneers of steep skiing, Powder magazine named him as one of the 48 most influential skiers. He may be retired but he's still getting out into the mountains. Just after we recorded this interview he was heading off to Nepal and the Himalayas. His name is associated with many first ski descents in Chamonix, Antarctica, the Himalayas and Bolivia. He was the pioneer of steep skiing or extreme skiing and a high mountain guide. In the 70s and 80's he was skiing down steep couloirs and mountain faces that were unimaginable at the time and that inspired today's modern-day skiers. To give you some perspective. He was skiing in leather ski boots, riding skis that were 210 cm long but he only stands at around 165 cm tall. The steepness was between 40 and 55% on ice. He didn't like to ski the fresh snow like today's modern skiers. Less risk of avalanche he says. It could take him most of the night and all the day to climb up these mountains and then ski down the lines he had imagined in his mind. These lines he skied were in "no fall zone". You fall you die, and has become into the stuff of legends. Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another episode of the Beyond the mountains podcast. Where I talk to people who live work and play in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Kristy Shelley. She is a fellow Aussie and was a self-confessed ski bum in her youth, she chased the fresh pow across the northern and southern hemispheres as a ski instructor, before she finally decided to go to the Hollywood of big mountain sports - Chamonix. And like so many people before her, the allure and attraction of the Cham was strong, She soon realised if this was to become a permanent place to live she needed to make a living. So she enrolled in a Rolfing school and became a qualified Rolfer which is a unique and specialized type of body therapy. A perfect way to earn a living in a place where people are obsessed with being outdoors and pursuing active lifestyles. She has built a reputation and successful business, helping people to live pain-free and restore movement and mobility so that mountain athletes to regular workers like you and I can pursue our passion for sports and being outdoors in the mountains. This was a very interesting meeting, and now with hindsight, I wish I'd prepared better for it. Kristy has a wealth of knowledge and passion for mobility and movement. I only scratched the surface. So I think I will have to have her on the show again in the future. So let's call this part 1. Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another episode of the Beyond the Mountains podcast. Where I talk to people who live work and play in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Dr Heidi Sevestre. She is just an awesome human, plus she is a glaciologist and is on the front line of climate change. So we had a lot to talk about during this episode BUT BEFORE I hit the intro music I want to say a few things. After I finished recording the interview with Heidi, we were just chatting as I was packing up my equipment and she said something that really stuck with me. Then when I returned home and was reflecting on the interview and looking forward to sharing it with you when something else sparked a thought. So please let me indulge for a minute before I hit the intro music and start the interview with Heidi. Firstly, we need to change CHANGE is hard. Changing long-practised behaviours is going to be hard Change is Really hard and it means sacrifice. But we need to suck it up. We need to get uncomfortable, we need to be inconvenient and hear the uncomfortable truth Because doing nothing is going to be worse. I am sure most of you listening will agree and believe that we need to change, but that belief for change needs to turn into action. Take one step in the direction of hope and then take another in the DIRECTION of action AND then another intentional step towards action and keep taking steps and then together we can make a change We need to stop fighting against climate change because the reality is that that is already here. We need to start fighting for climate action. When we fight for something, it’s easier than fighting against something. Fight for our future Secondly, Listen to Heidi and listen to the Scientist. In researching for this interview I saw speeches and newspaper articles from Scientists as far back as the 70s 80s 90s and 2000’s all warning us of the changes happening to our planet. Global summits, global agreements, and documentaries have all predicted today’s current climate crisis I said she is the voice of the voiceless, the glaciers, but she is also a voice for all the scientists before her and all the scientists that stand with her. Listen, really listen. There is no agenda here. And also imagine if someone you were talking to was not listening to you. Imagine you were making an important presentation, talking to a loved one, talking to a doctor or a good friend. How would that make you feel if that person was not listening to you, especially when your intentions and message were genuine and true. And also imagine if your life’s work was slowly disappearing. Something you have made sacrifices for was vanishing and there was nothing you could do about it because no one was listening to you So please listen to this episode, Heidi’s passion is infectious and inspiring. All right, THAT’S enough from me, let’s get on with the show, let’s listen to the expert. Here is the intro My guest today is Dr Heidi Sevestre. She is a glaciologist, and explorer, the voice for the voiceless. She is on the front line of climate change. She is a passionate advocate for climate ACTION and FOR making the science more understandable so we can all make informed decisions about our futures. She has studied and explored the glaciers of the Alps, the Arctic, Greenland, AND Antarctica and is ONE of the guardians of the last tropic glaciers in South America. She is like a real-life Indiana Jones. Rather than exploring and searching for the hidden treasures of the past. She is EXPLORING THE FROZEN ICY LANDSCAPES OF OUR WORLD AND desperately trying to protect the planet’s natural treasures for the future. So let’s HIT THE INTRO music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Lakpa Gel jen Sherpa. At the age of 25 with no training or experience, he reached the summit of Mt Everest the highest mountain in the world. He has reached the summit of Everest 7 times and climbed many other 8,000-meter summits in Nepal. With no education, no English or training but a strong belief in taking positive action and karma he has managed to transform his life. He has led international treks across Nepal and Tibet with clients from all over the world. His family and children are now living the lives many people from Nepal can only dream of. Lakpa now splits his time between working in France and Nepal. During the cold winter months of Nepal when there are no tourists and little work, he lives and works in the French Alpes. During the trekking season in Nepal, he now has his own successful trekking and tour agency employing a team of local Sherpa Guides. His children have all received an education, his daughter is now living and studying in the US his oldest son is in the Philippines and his 2 youngest sons work in the family trekking business. Knowing how fortunate his life is now, he is also giving back to the local sherpa community through a charity and foundation he has established with his good friend Zebulon Roche. This foundation aims to help families and children who have lost their fathers through death in the mountains. It is called Solida Sherpa. If you would like more information about the foundation you can send an email to solidasherpa@gmail.com or telephone +33 6 75 57 69 01. And the foundation will gratefully accept any donations. I simply know him as Lakpa, an incredibly friendly guy that always greets me with a warm “Namaste” whenever I see him at an altitude restaurant in the French Alpes. Hello friends, I am your host Ashley Pettit welcome to another episode of the Beyond the Mountains podcast. Where I talk to people who live work and play in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is LIv Sansoz and she still has the hunger to compete and test herself with new challenges or as she says “she has a thirst for effort. Which is something I need to taste again. In her youth she was a climbing superstar, winning world championships, and world cups, and competing all over the world. Then through a climbing accident, she refocused and set about conquering all the 82, 4000-meter summits in the Alpes. She is a true mountain athlete, Alpiniste, base-jumper, paraglider, climber, big mountain skier, and sponsored athlete. Now she is taking those skills and years of playing in the mountains and passing on her knowledge as a qualified mountain guide. Leading clients to conquer their own personal challenges. A goal she did not think possible at one stage. Seeing firsthand the impact that global warming was having on the mountains where she - lived worked and played. she has become a leading voice in their protection and wants us to change our behaviors to protect the mountains for future generations. We talk about her role as a spokesperson and ambassador for Protect Our Winter and Une Bouteille À La Mer - a bottle in the ocean. In this episode Liv and I share a rope together and climb through the different chapters of her life and her philosophy for living life to the fullest. Liv’s official Instagram account is @livsansoz

A life in balance. Balance and flow on two skis, on a snowboard, surfboard or skateboard. Balancing the seasons cold and snow of winter, warmth and ocean swells of summer. Balancing life between the mountains and the ocean. My guest today is Victorien Irissou and he has a life many people will envy. You can follow him at @victorien_irissou on Instagram. A professional ski instructor in the winter and a seasonal worker in the summer following the surf and finding work as he needs. He shares with us the steps to become a qualified french ski instructor with the ESF, one of the most difficult ski instructor courses in the world. This was a great conversation with Victorien, he shares some great insights about finding freedom and personal expression with being at one on a board. Make sure you stick around to the end and listen to Victorien talk about a potentially life-changing moment that could have ended in tragedy and changed his relationship with the mountains and life. Yes, Season 2, EPISODE 1 it’s taken a while to get back here. So let's get on with the show, hit the intro music Allons-y

I'm coming back. Season 2 is coming soon. It's taken me a while to get unstuck. Last year was a challenging year for me. But I'm determined to relaunch or restart this podcast. If you are interested to hear about my year and why I haven't been making any new podcasts. Stick around. Maybe you've experienced some of the same feelings I've had last year. Maybe this will can help you. Let me know. But I'm determined to start making more episodes. I've got some great guests I want to meet and interview. thank Ashley

This is a special episode dedicated to you. It is all about who you are and how I see this show and you the listeners. This is my manifesto for the show. Please grab a coffee and have a 5 min break. I hope you enjoy this little teaser. I'll have more episodes soon. Thanks for your time. Ashley Pettit. The Australian lost in the French Alpes.

There is something magical about the French Alpes, the silence, the landscapes, the pace of life and the cheese. This is where the creamy and luxurious Beaufort cheese is made. , a tradition that is centuries old. It’s a tradition that has been dominated by males. But my guest today is Pauline Collogne and she is breaking down those barriers as she is one of only 2 female cheesemakers in the Savoie region of France. She may follow the traditions of cheese making, but she is anything but traditional. She makes some of the finest cheese in France, but she is also a badass motorcycle rider and formidable skier in the winter. But before we start the episode, it would be great for me to get your feedback. I’d love to hear from you and for you to tell me if you like the format of the show, my guests, the questions I’m asking, anything. You can do this via my facebook page or Instagram page. And please like, share, comment and subscribe to the show. But , Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y. You can connect and go : https://www.coophautemaurienne.fr/ https://www.facebook.com/BEAUFORTHAUTEMAURIENNE

This episode was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. It was a lot of fun. My guest today is JB Buttard. He doesn’t fit into just one thing, like many people in the mountains he wears many hats. His day job for want of a better word is he works in aviation. He splits his time between the mountains of Canada and France. In Canada, he is a helicopter pilot working as a gun for hire wherever the best work is. From gas and oil to forestry and commercial. In France, he is part of the ground crew for a helicopter business that transports all sorts of equipment deep into the hard to access mountains. But he is also a ski guide, ultra-light pilot, flying clients over the mountains and a budding micro beer maker with his brother just to name a few. This was a fun interview filled with lots of great stories about his life in the mountains. If you want to go flying with JB over the French alps you can connect with him on his Facebook page Maurienne ULM winter But enough of the intro, I know you are going to enjoy this just as much as I did. So Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y. You can connect and go flying with JB on his Facebook page here : https://www.facebook.com/ulmmaurienne Maurienne ULM winter

Would the idea of running 170 km non stop through the mountains, and climbing over 10,000 meters fill you with excitement or fear. My guest today dreams of such events. My guest is Batiste Thomas, he is a mountain trail runner, who specialises in the ultra style events. And he has recently competed in his first UT M B - Ultra Trail Mont Blanc. One the biggest trail running events in the world. Crossing 3 nations, France, Italy and Switzerland. This is a 170km RACE with 10,000 meters in climbing. The spectacular scenery and gruelling course around Chamonix. I’ve known Batiste for a few years now, and I knew he loved to run. I'd followed him on Instagram and seen him running up the mountains of the Haute Maurienne. He was always standing on the top of some huge mountain peak overlooking the valleys below. But when I saw a post on IG a few months ago that he was going to compete in the UTMB, I knew I had to speak to him on the show. Now Batiste is a fairly reserved type of guy, and he was a little nervous to come on, he was worried about his English. But I knew, just like RUNNING, once he was warmed up he would be fine. And he sure does start to open up. So please stick around to the end. Batiste really gives some great advice about trail running and shares his emotional experience of running 170km around the mountains of Chamonix, France. You can follow Baptiste here : https://www.instagram.com/instabat/ https://www.instagram.com/valfrejus/ https://www.strava.com/athletes/8667545 Ok So Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

My guest today is Antoine Pin and he is the Director of Protect Our Winters, France. A global non-profit network of climate change advocates. Who's mission is to turn passionate outdoor sportspeople into passionate advocates and voices for the Environment and climate. Founded in 2007 by Jeremy Jones a world-famous snowboarding athlete who was witnessing first-hand the mountains and glaciers he was surfing on changing. The non-profit organisation has now expanded around the world. With offices throughout the US, Asia and Europe. I sat down with the Director of its French operation. Antoine and I talk about the effects of global warming on the French Alpes. We talk about how his love of the outdoors and nature lead him to study this field at University. And how he is now trying to change the future of the plant for everyone. Before we start the interview, I know all of you who are listening to love your mountain sports, so please go and check out the POW website and social media pages. Let’s all try to make a difference to protect the places we like to Live work and play in. Let's protect our winters for years to come. Ok So Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

It's been a busy and stressful few months. But Beyond the Mountains will be back soon with lots of new episodes. Please stick with me. This is what I have been up to and what is coming up soon. Thanks Ashley

My guest today is Erika Dame and she is a fearless first responder in the mountains. During the winter she is Ski patroller, rescuing fallen and injured skiers off the mountain, she is making the resort safe for skiing by throwing avalanche bombs and reading the snow and weather conditions. During the summer she is a firefighter, first on the scene at motorcycle and bicycle accidents when riders fail to make the turns when descending the dangerous mountain roads. We talk about all this and more. Ok time is critical. Let’s not waste any more time, Let's just start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y.

My guest today is Yves Dimier. And he has come home. His career has come full circle. He is a product of the local ski club in Val Cenis. His racing career was a result of his hard work rather than his natural ski talent, he became a professional ski racer in Slalom and Giant slalom racing. He raced on the European and World cup circuit competing around the world. He represented France at the World Championships and Winter Olympics. With a head for business and always looking to the future and new goals. Yves transitioned into the corporate world of sports, with Dynastar skis, where he worked with the brand athletes helping them progress with the best equipment. Pushing the boundaries with ski and boot technology. Then he had a stint with the National Ski Federation of France. Whose charter was to develop future ski champions for France. Then there was the opportunity to go to the Winter Olympics for a second time. Not as an athlete, but This time on the organising team for the Sochi games in 2014. Then he came back to Val Cenis as the resort Director. Now he is in charge of the ski resort where he grew up. Leading the resort out of the covid 19 closures and planning the future for the resort and the local economy. We talk about his racing career and the future of his local ski resort. Now before we start the show and hit the intro music, please make sure you subscribe and follow the show wherever you listen to your podcast, it would also be a great help if you could rate and review the show on Apple iTUNES. Ok So welcome to another episode of Beyond the mountains podcast where I talk to people who LIVE WORK AND PLAY in the mountains. I'm your host Ashley Pettit Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y Buy your ski pass https://www.valcenis.ski/ Website https://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.com/hiver/val-cenis/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valcenis_officiel/

My guest today is Cedric Marra, a professional ski instructor in the winter and mountain bike guide and instructor during the summer. He can help you to drop in and take a big line on 2 skis or two wheels. Make sure you stick around to the end, after Cedric warms up, he gives us some great tips on how to improve your skiing or biking, but also some great advice you can apply to our lives in general. We talk about his life as a professional ski and mountain bike instructor and how he is living his best life in the mountains. You can find Cedric at Up & Down Ski and Bike. I’ll leave you the links in the show notes to his Instagram and Facebook pages. If you come skiing in Val Cenis, you can also request a lesson with Cedric through the ESF ski school. https://www.up-down.co/ https://www.facebook.com/Updownskibike https://www.instagram.com/up_d0wn/ Now before we start the show and hit the intro music, please make sure you subscribe and follow the show, it would also be a great help if you could rate and review the show on Apple iTunes. Ok So welcome to another episode of Beyond the mountains podcast where I talk to people who LIVE WORK AND PLAY in the mountains. I'm your host Ashley Pettit Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y

My guest today is Zebulon Roche, an accomplished mountaineer or alpinist, big mountain climber, and paragliding pilot. I could have spoken to Zeb for hours, normally I like to ask each guest about some local knowledge, favourite places to fly or ski, local restaurants, places to visit etc But time was getting away. I had only scratched the surface of some of the questions I had prepared. So I hope Zeb will let me interview him again to learn more about what he likes about his home. Zeb talks passionately about being in the moment and being present when he is in the mountains. I am trying to do the same when I interview my guest. I am trying to become a better listener and go off script when we are talking rather than simply tick off my questions. So you’ll hear when Zeb's mum enters the kitchen, I’ve left this in. As Zeb talks about, you can not control the mountains, you have to be flexible and to read the signs, the conditions and for him, he has to read and feel the wind. Zeb is always doing something, always moving, always trying to make time to fly. It could be flying his paraglide, ultralight helicopter or ultralight plane. But it could also be flying over the snow on his skis, kitesurfing or his new toy a hydrofoil. He is forever chasing that feeling, the rush of flying. With the support, influence and guidance of his father. Zeb has started climbing and flying from a young age. At 11 he climbed Mont Blanc and started flying. At 17 he climbed Mount Everest with his father. Then with his ex-wife set to target to climb and fly off the highest peaks on the 7 continents of the world. Now he is enjoying the same things with his own sons, who are both top-level mountain athletes in paragliding and freestyle skiing. He is also still looking to take on new challenges and adventure in Pakistan or returning to Nepal to climb and fly. The mountains teach you to make decisions, to live with your decision, and make you take responsibility for yourself, to choose the direction your life goes, this is a great lesson that Zeb shares with us and something we can all follow. Hello friends, I am your host ASHLEY PETTIT welcome to another episode of Beyond the mountains podcast where I talk to people who LIVE WORK AND PLAY in the mountains. Let's start the intro music and get on with the show. Allons-y