Less Existential Crisis, More Climate Crisis: Torey Brooks on the Catamount Trail

Guides Gone Wild

Summer is winding down, school and fall sports and work obligations are winding back up, and that has me thinking about winter! Or should I say, what passes for winter these days in New England (which at least last winter, was three months of rain and chilly gray skies, followed by 87 snowstorms in like 2 weeks...)
So what better time to bring on my guest today, Torey Brooks, who is one of my original backcountry ski inspirations, a former ski racer and coach, a climber, an engineer, a climate warrior, and a basic bad*ss who decided she wanted to ski the entire length of Vermont earlier this year.
We are talking about the Catamount Trail - 300+ miles of nordic ski trails that were strung together in the early 80s by a few guys who were stuck in their tent on a rainy camping weekend, probably had had a few too many beers, and decided it would be an awesome idea to ski from Massachusetts to Quebec.
I may have made up that part about too many beers, but not about this trail system being awesome - the Catamount Trail really is an amazing network of public and private lands, laced together by ski trails that are conveniently broken down into 31 manageable segments, which is how most people experience the Catamount Trail.
But not today’s superstar guest! As you’ll hear, Torey decided to go for a thru ski - yes, that means all 300+ miles in a single go - this past winter - yes, the winter that basically didn’t decide to happen until the end of February.
So how did she do? You’ll have to tune in to find out!
If you’re not already, you should absolutely be following Torey’s latest adventures over @tleeski on Instagram, and while you’re at the whole online thing, make sure to check out (and maybe even donate to!) Torey’s purposeful pursuits over on Summit4Something.com
And some other important stuff!:

• Protect Our Winters
• Catamount Trail (VT)
• Craftsbury Outdoor Center (VT)
• Eastern Adventure - @easternadventure
• Vermont Social - @vermontsocial
• Meg Pierce (Torey’s co-leader on my original backcountry ski inspo experience) on Guides Gone Wild
• Z pad

>> Make sure to follow Torey for all the up-to-date deets on the premiere of 300 Miles Melting - Friday, September 16th, 5:00-8:00pm at Hula, Burlington VT! <<

Capíttulos

1. Backcountry Skiing and Outdoor Adventures (00:00:00)

2. From Ski Racing to Engineering (00:07:37)

3. Resilience and Overcoming Disappointment in Skiing (00:11:17)

4. Comparison and Disappointment in Ski Racing (00:15:19)

5. Nordic Backcountry and the Catamount Trail (00:20:12)

6. Challenges and Adaptations on the Trail (00:24:26)

7. Personal Projects and Work-Life Balance (00:36:19)

8. Balancing Work and Outdoor Passions (00:39:59)

9. Inspiration and Favorite Gear (00:46:45)