CBC Radio One Interview: Group Dynamics and Discussions in Avalanche Terrain

Figures. I write countless articles about backcountry mountain adventures and it's the one article I write about going to a damn ski resort that blows up to the point that I find myself being interviewed on CBC Radio One. Just figures.

If you need some catching up - here's how it all went down.

I was supposed to go to the Tunnel Creek Hut with a bunch of friends. Avi conditions were brutal so we bailed and went resort skiing instead. I then wrote up about the discussions and group dynamics that let that decision happening in a brief article.

Avalanche Canada then asked if they could share my article on their Facebook Page and it proved to be rather popular which I thought was cool and the end of things. I was wrong.

I got a Facebook Message from a journalist at the CBC who let me know that she's trying to improve their mountain reporting and as part of that, she was hoping I would be available to talk about about my article with CBC Early Edition host Stephen Quinn. Specifically, they were hoping to discuss how my touring partners and I handle issues surrounding group dynamics and making sure important discussions happen when we're in the backcountry.

That's a pretty nuanced discussion to have given the public's normal reaction to avalanche incidents. The thought of trying to speak in a manner that wouldn't simply be dismissed as overly simplistic by experienced backcountry skiers, while remaining palatable to laymen was daunting. Oh, and it would be a live interview, so I'd be shooting from the hip.

Actually, it was a straight up terrifying proposition, but I was stoked for the opportunity to discuss a topic near and dear to my heart.

So, if you'd like to hear it - here ya go, my January 19th, 2018 interview with Stephen Quinn on CBC Radio One's Early Edition: