Ice Ice Beta

What are the things in your life that have infinite complexity upon closer inspection?

I’m betting you didn’t expect that question on a podcast about ice climbing.

But that’s Jackson Yip for ya. An atmospheric researcher by training who specializes in cloud-microphysics, Jackson is also a deeply passionate climber and alpinist who has coupled his interests in a myriad of ways.

Whether scrabbling through murky datasets or slogging to break trail, Jackson finds beauty in the mundane and labyrinthine.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about:

• Cloud physics and the complexity of turbulence
• The importance of first-hand experience
• How to develop mental models
• Why we can and need to do better when evaluating ice conditions
• The mechanics of pillar collapse
• And more

Hope you enjoy this chat, I certainly did.

Timestamps:

01:41 - The concept of heat death and its implications

04:00 - Having perspective

05:37 - The complexity of cloud micro-physics

09:15 - Observing and first-hand experience

11:30 - Engineering challenges in climate research

17:58 - Predicting ice formations

20:20 - The tragic consequences of misreading ice conditions

23:10 - Mechanics of slip-out pillar collapse

28:31 - The importance of patience in climbing and life

35:38 - Accessible doesn't mean easy or safe

41:13 - The seasons of life

42:43 - Supporting socioeconomic equality

Resources and links:

If you’re interested in collaborating on one of the ice climbing models that Jackson mentioned, you can reach him at [email protected]. To connect with him on Instagram, he’s @jp_yip. You can learn more about his research on his website: jpyip.com

Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.

Credits:

Episode cover photo provided by Jackson Yip

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

Patreon:

For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.
• And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries!

Patreon:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).

🗣️ Leave Us a Review!:

If you enjoyed this episode, help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Shopify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.

It’s rare to find American-made climbing companies. The shortlist includes the likes of Metolius, Organic, Misty Mountain, UnParallel, and a handful of rope producers.

It’s even rarer to find technical apparel made in the U.S., which makes NW Alpine so distinct. And by technical, I mean purpose-built clothing designed for the elements, not adventureleisure masquerading as such.

Anywho, the idea for NWA was born out of the 2008 financial crisis. Founded by Bill Amos, a quote-unquote “climber dude” at the time, he wanted to understand what was happening and brushed up on economics. He concluded that basing the economy on financial shenanigans instead of manufacturing wasn’t the way to go.

So, his solution to one of the worst recessions in the history of the country was to create a pair of pants. At its height, the company employed 75 people and put millions back into the local economy.

In this episode, we talk about how NW Alpine is developing innovative apparel (in the true sense of the word), the economic and free trade factors that led to mass offshoring, and how many of your favorite brands are making huge profits off the back of exploited labor.

NWA harkens back to an older ethos for climbing companies. I particularly enjoyed this chat and hope you do too.

Timestamps:

02:00 - Bill's climbing journey

05:57 - Adventures in the Cascades and Alaska

20:10 - The birth of Northwest Alpine

20:13 - Understanding the economic shift in the U.S.

24:41 - The impact of offshoring on the U.S. manufacturing

33:01 - Journey to Kachatna: Scaling manufacturing

37:37 - Rise and fall of Kachatna Apparel

40:59 - Innovation in apparel: The Fortis line and rainproofness post-PFAS

50:36 - The reality of how products are made overseas

58:03 - The Future of Northwest Alpine

Resources and links:

Bill is graciously giving away two Black Spider Hoodies for listeners — one men’s and one women’s. To enter, head to our Instagram @ice_ice_beta to find the details.

If you’d like to follow along with what NW Alpine is up to, their Instagram is @nwalpinegear. To check out their products head to nwalpine.com. They have several new lines dropping this year.

Here is the video of Sir James Goldsmith predicting the future impact of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in an interview with Charlie Rose (which we reference in the episode). And NW Alpine's blog also has a lot of great trip reports from the past 14 years.

This is the "contentious" IG post where Bill breaks down how much overseas workers are paid to make expensive outdoor apparel.

Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.

Credits:

Episode cover photo provided by the NW Alpine courtesy of GearJunkie

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

Patreon:

For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.
• And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries!

Patreon:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).

🗣️ Leave Us a Review!:

If you enjoyed this episode, help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show...

Today on Ice Ice Beta, we’re chatting with Melissa Orzechowski of The Adirondack Queer Ice Fest 🌈 a no-cost ice climbing festival solely dedicated to the LGBTQ+ outdoor community.

When the idea first came about, the organizers, Melissa, Robbi, and Nol, thought they might be the only attendees — something for just the three of them. They didn’t know how big the community was in the Adirondacks, or beyond. When 40 people showed up in the middle of a blizzard — many of whom hadn’t ice climbed before — they knew there was a need.

Now in their third year, they keep being surprised: Registration filled up within 45 minutes.

In this episode, we talk about why identity-based affinity spaces are important, the power of starting (however small), and being the change you want to see.

Timestamps:

01:32 - Melissa's (sandbagged) journey into ice climbing

06:31 - Organizing in college and beyond

11:20 - Moving to the Adirondacks and building community

18:56 - The start of the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest

25:55 - The importance of affinity spaces in climbing

37:26 - Overcoming gear challenges

45:37 - Future plans and aspirations

Resources and links:

While registration is full, you can support the festival by donating on gofundme.

And if you’d like to follow along with this year’s event, and stay up to date for future happenings, their Instagram is @adirondack_queer_ice_fest. Melissa's IG is @melissaormo.

Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.

Credits:

Episode cover photo provided by the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

Sponsors:

A big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show!

Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer.

Patreon:

For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.
• And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries!

Patreon:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).

🗣️ Leave Us a Review!:

If you enjoyed this episode, help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Shopify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.

This is the first of a new series — the Community Spotlight — which is a way to celebrate everyday folks who are helping to grow the sports of ice climbing and drytooling.

You may have seen Jon Blackwood’s shipping container project on Instagram (which he is working on with Johnny Korthuis), if you’re curious like I was this chat is about what he’s up to.

For Jon, his journey into drytooling began with a quest for mental healing. The discipline has become more than a tool for therapy though, in his words, “It’s a passion, a lifestyle, and a path to personal growth”.

As a larger-framed individual, traditional rock climbing presented challenges, but drytooling opened a world of possibilities. The deeper he got, the deeper he got, and he ultimately invested in coaching and built his own training wall. In two years, he went from barely being able to hold onto tools to figure 4ing to competing at the competition level.

Through it all, it’s been the tight-knit and supportive community that Jon appreciates most. Whether it’s cheering each other on during comps or generously sharing knowledge, there’s a genuine desire to foster a love for the sport — and Jon is certainly doing his part too.

From welcoming people to climb at his home wall, The Nook, to developing a new outdoor drytooling venue, Jon wants to give back to the sport that has already given so much to him.

Timestamps:

01:24 - Building a climbing structure with shipping containers

04:24 - The motivation behind the project

05:58 - The importance of vertical training

10:20 - Personal journey into drytooling

10:27 - The impact of climbing on mental health

15:41 - Building a drytooling community

19:52 - Asking for help

Resources and links:

Perhaps drytooling has had a big impact on your own life, and you dig what Jon is up to. If you’d like to support Jon’s projects, you can donate through PayPal. His email is [email protected]. Money will go towards holds and construction materials.

You can also follow along with his journey on Instagram @living.forward.

Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.

Credits:

Episode cover photo provided by the Jon.

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

Sponsors:

Thanks to Forecast Equipment for supporting this episode!

Jon uses their tools and has connected with the team on a personal level. That’s because they care about their customers — Marty, Zac and Brian focus on creating products for climbers like themselves which led them to develop their do-it-all Nor*easter. The tools handle everything from moderate snow gullies to steep-and-mixy to World Cup comps and they come stock with Krukonogi picks, cheeks, and hammers so you can configure them to fit your needs. To learn more about their products, check them out at forecastequipment.com.

Patreon:

For the price of a beer per month, you can help us produce episodes like this and much, much more. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast this season, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.
• And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries!

Patreon:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).

🗣️ Leave Us a Review!:

If you enjoyed this episode, help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Shopify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.

Corey Buhay has made a life out of doing what she loves. That’s not to say it’s been easy.

Known as the go-to reporter for all things drytooling ⛏️, Corey quickly built a career as a freelance journalist regularly contributing to Climbing 🧗‍♀️, Backpacker 🥾, Smithsonian 🗿, and the like. Around the time she started writing full-time, she also started drytooling. Again, she quickly established herself, rising to the top of the rankings for comp ice climbing in North America. But, shortly thereafter, she decided to walk away. How come?

In today’s chat we talk about:

• 🧊 The assignment that changed everything
• 🧊 Going all in on things that give you happiness
• 🧊 Struggles with expectations, perfectionism and anxiety
• 🧊 Revitalizing Team USA and competitive pressures
• 🧊 Burnout and taking a break
• 🧊 Rediscovering balance and joy in climbing

I want to say that I really appreciated Corey’s openness and willingness to discuss difficult topics and her ability to infuse humor into the conversation. Further, if you’re struggling with mental health, know that you’re not alone and that there are folks and resources who can help, some of which we share in the show notes.

Resources and links:

If you’d like to follow Corey’s latest writings, her website is coreybuhay.com.

Some of my personal favorite articles of hers are:

• Russia’s World Cup Ice Climbing Scene is as Hardcore as it Gets
• The Strange Underworld of Competition Ice Climbing
• Years After My Mentor Died in the Backcountry, I Retraced His Final Footsteps

Mental health resources:

• Mental Health in Athletes: Breaking the Stigma
• Resources for Athletes with Eating Disorders
• Athletes Against Anxiety and Depression Foundation (who offer a free therapy option)
• Managing Stress in Sports: Quieting the Mind and the Body

...

📸: Cover photo by Mike Thurk (@mthurk)

Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.
• And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries!

Patreon:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).

🗣️ Leave Us a Review!:

If you enjoyed this episode, help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Shopify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.