The Dirtbag Diaries
Episodes
The Confluence
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kate and Ani Williams have been adventuring together for more than two decades. Last year, they leveled up on a backpacking trip to Argentine Patagoni...
The Shorts--Esker Calling
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Kari Hedin’s life is turned upside down, she found solace on her habitual lunchtime trail runs in the wooded eskers of Minnesota. Support comes...
Diaries+ Preview: More with Majka Burhardt
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How many things can you balance being really good at in your life? Fitz and Majka Burhardt discuss ice climbing, entrepreneurship, risk, parenting twi...
Mt. Doom Magic
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For 12-year-old Rory Rielly and 77-year-old James Niehues, the ski map is an object of wonder and a portal to adventure. Their love for depicting moun...
The Elk
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018, backcountry skier Kjell Redal decided he wanted to try his hand at bowhunting for elk. The only trouble is, he had no prior experience or men...
More Type II Fun
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if we invested more in the things that brought us joy? The outdoors. Community. Creativity. This is what gets us out of bed in the morning. For y...
The Shorts--Two Nudes and a Newb
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Amanda Hayley set out on her first solo travel adventure in Olympic National Park, she felt ready to take on whatever challenges could come her w...
Endangered Spaces--Colorado River
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After two decades of drought, the Colorado River, which supplies water for drinking, power, and agriculture to over 40 million people, was named Ameri...
Last Skier Standing
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“At the end of the 24 hours, I looked around and pretty much everyone was still there,” says Brody Leven. “And I'm like, ‘What is wrong with t...
The Year of Big Ideas 2023
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2021, Dirtbag Diaries producer Cordelia Zars launched a theater company. For two years it was a side hustle where she used her strengths as an arti...
The Zars Brothers
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
5 years apart, Levin and Tilden Zars are wiry, rugged, and maddeningly strong on mountain bikes. They have scars to prove a childhood of egging each o...
Dope Lake Chapter 1: Misfits
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're sharing the first episode of our Dope Lake series that we're running on our show Climbing Gold. In 1976, a plane carrying four million dollars i...
The Shorts--Finding Footing
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Autumn Ellingford Rhodes and Nikki LaRochelle find their footing in the mountains after challenging moments in their lives. We hear how pus...
Door To Door
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the Pacific Northwest, Jenny Abegg is a renowned local mountain person. She fell in love with climbing and the lifestyle, traveling around the west...
Dirtbag Movie Night: Director's Q&A
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fitz talks with the directors of BURIED, Jared Drake and Steven Siig. In 1982 a massive avalanche descended on Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe, CA that t...
The Shorts--I Got You
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tressa had always used movement to cope with life’s complexities. When she found a partner that could keep up with her, she knew he was a keeper. Un...
Tales of Terror Vol. 13
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In our annual Tales of Terror episode, we've got creepy sounds in the woods, mysterious, disembodied hands in the night, and hooded figures bearing ax...
Gear Love
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A campfire conversation with the Dirtbag Diaries staff about their favorite pieces of gear - from surfboards to secret potions - and whether a brand n...
The Shorts -Senditude
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“I didn’t need the phrase ‘send it’ explained to me the first time I heard it. I knew what it meant.” In their early 20’s, Forrest Wood se...
Beyond Mountains
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016, Danika Gilbert, started teaching leadership and climbing skills to girls in Afghanistan. Beyond the technical skills, Danika hoped the experi...
Flip Trip
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
25-year-old raft guides Tony Martin and Martin Lenz meet their clients for the week: 24 retired corporate oil and gas execs, who want their fancy rive...
The Shorts-- Look For Butterflies
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For Sierra Meggitt, trail running was a way to heal from the trauma of sexual assault. On her biggest run yet, she embraces both pain and beauty.
¡Con Ganas!
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Colorado is a mountain biking mecca. Yet some mountain-town locals have never experienced the wonders of singletrack trails. Today, we travel to Dillo...
Ask Us, We’ve Been There
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“I definitely did not want to become a businessman,” remembers Rod Johnson, founder of Midwest Mountaineering. In the 1960’s, no Minneapolis out...
The Shorts--Roundabout River
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Colorado River is supposed to be chocolatey brown, not a vibrant blue-green like it is just below the Glen Canyon Dam. Chris Kalman had written of...
Bananas and Peanut Butter
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Quinn Brett has been an endurance athlete for most of her adult life. From first ascents in Patagonia and Greenland to running across Zion and the Gra...
You Slept Where?
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a pitch from a listener, we rounded up the Dirtbag Diaries team to chat about the most ridiculous places we’ve ever slept. Want to sh...
The Shorts--Long Walk to Happiness
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With dirt under her fingernails and sun on her cheeks, Emily Benington’s thru-hike of the PCT eased the mental health struggles she’d had in Londo...
Crash And Burn
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Drive it until it dies. That’s the motto Fitz lived by as he crisscrossed the West in his truck, Crash. Family members would doubtfully ask, “Are ...
Rick's Rickshaw
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Walker has spent a lifetime canoeing and kayaking wild rivers throughout Canada. His idea of adventure consisted of a healthy dose of fear and ...
The Shorts--Take The Bike
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Davison grew up on a bike, exploring his neighborhood with family and friends. But as he grew older, he began to forget the simple joy of seei...
Close Quarters
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nineteen year old Kiko Lopez had never set foot on a boat when he accepted an invitation to sail from Maine to the Bahamas with three friends. Choosin...
Out of Bounds
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Gary Lacy heard his boss’s daughter was joining their company ski trip, he tried to bail. “She’s probably 13, and from Boulder so she'll be...
The Shorts--Suzie's Line
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When first-grade teacher Madeigh Winsor-McCarron’s life changed in 2020, she had a hard time coaxing herself to get out the door. Zoom classes, fear...
Play It By Ear
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kyle McCrohan loves outdoor sports, and for years he chased the goals that many of us share – bigger, stronger, faster. But when he set out to make...
The Year of Big Ideas 2022
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After Jon-Erick Anés moved from Puerto Rico to Florida, he struggled to find direction in his life. He kept repeating unhealthy patterns and feeling ...
Winter Vacation
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While most people curled up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa, Emily Ford set out in the frigid winter to thru-hike Wisconsin’s 1200 mile Ice Age...
The Best Gift: Make And Share
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Create and make new again. After his Great Uncle Jack passed away, Noah Manke took a pair of his Uncle’s old jeans, complete with holes, oil stains ...
The Best Gift: An Old Bike
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Better than new. Pass along cherished gear, surprise a loved one with the gift of repair and keep a good story going. Shanon Castle received a rad bik...
The Best Gift: A Shared Goal
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Consider gifts that keep giving. Marta Bills fell in love with backpacking on a sixth grade class trip to the Sierra Nevada. And her love of getting a...
The Best Gift: Time
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Teach them what you know, or take them somewhere special. On a three week trip to Japan, Chris Lock wanted his sons, ages 10 and 12, to connect with t...
The Shorts--Mad Dogs And An Englishman
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Susan Greenwood’s family adventures were anything but typical. Led by her father’s wild spirit, their escapades took them up snowy mountains, mean...
Above Ground
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Cam Fields returned from a deployment in Afghanistan, violent dreams filled his nights. Diagnosed with PTSD, Cam tried therapy, but still felt hi...
The Shorts--In The Current
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring you two shorts about the power of currents. As Keith Wagner struggled with PTSD after a career in the Air Force, the thought of wearin...
Tales of Terror Vol. 12
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our annual Tales of Terror, we bring you three terrifying tales. Shadows in the doorway. Disembodied footprints. Dark figures approaching through t...
Story Call Out
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The most memorable gifts often aren’t purchased online. Sometimes, it’s as simple as the time we give to one another. A favorite recipe. An old bi...
Three Wheelin'
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every July, nearly 20,000 cyclists from around the world swarm the roads of Iowa for one week to ride across the state. It’s hot. It’s humid. And ...
The Shorts--Two Feet In
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we bring you two Shorts about love on the trail. Lauren DeLaunay Miller reflects on the bond she forged with her Chevy Astro van. Chuck Radis w...
Backcountry Brushes
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first time Ken Jarvela picked up a sketchpad in the backcountry in the 1980’s, he decided he wanted to become a landscape painter. In his early ...
Jump Start
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After Patrick McGunagle graduated from college, he told himself he’d get a “real job” after a summer on a fire crew in Montana. But the adventur...
The Shorts--Getting to Know Scoot
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After Euan Fraser lost his dad in a mysterious accident, he spent decades of his life wondering what had happened. When he finally learned the truth, ...
Snail Mail Stoke
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We just hit our 300th episode! Whether you’ve been a listener from the mic-in-a-closet days, or you just joined us, it’s you-- our community-- tha...
Endangered Spaces--Oak Flat
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Oak Flat, Arizona: a site sacred to the San Carlos Apache, a beloved climbing area, a rare riparian zone in the desert. The catch? It’s slated to be...
The Shorts -- Coming In
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cycling intervals, homework assignments, planner items: Emily Schaldach raced through her life checking off her list. When Emily’s grandmother invit...
Emergency Twix
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Baker and her husband John both fell in love with mountains before they fell in love with each other. As they started a family of their own, ...
Two Mountains
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two mountains, one in California and one in Nevada, named after the president of the Confederate States decades ago. How can a name be changed? Produc...
The Shorts -- The Dread
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“The dread was there, strong and palpable. I just hoped my will was stronger,” writes Luke Hinz. After losing both his father and his brother in t...
Flight of the Monarch
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“I felt as though the Monarch Butterfly contained some special sort of wisdom that I could connect with,” says Benjamin Jordan. Inspired by the ...
Sacred Slopes
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“I did the skiing thing, I did the Navajo thing, and those worlds didn’t cross,” says Len Necefer. After learning how to ski-mountaineer in the ...
The Shorts -- Balancing Act
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Carly Rushford and Paddy O’Connell find their edge on the snowy mountain slopes. In our first double-short episode, we hear how downhill skii...
Introducing Climbing Gold
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What connects the past, present and future of rock climbing? In season one of Climbing Gold, the sport’s biggest star Alex Honnold and co-host Fit...
False Summit
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“From here, it’s going to be easy.” Ryan Wichelns and Gabe Messercola repeated this phrase throughout their 21 day expedition in Denali National...
The Perfect Pace
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“I think being on foot just allows you to walk past a person's front door. I think that's really important," says Rickey Gates. Rickey learned a lot...
The Shorts -- Little White Canoe
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Thru-hiking started to feel like a compulsion: I had to hike the same way I had to breathe,” writes Eloise Robbins. After she fell in love with a...
Invaluable
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“There should be no friction in the system. If someone wants to come and climb, they should be able to come and climb,” says Abby Dione, owner of ...
The Year of Big Ideas 2021
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Doug Barclift decided to start a business, he headed to an untraditional spot to buy his real estate-- a junkyard. There he found the school bus,...
The Gift
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“No one is going to talk me out of doing this because this is a great idea,” says Becca Skinner. “I just gave the best Christmas gift and everyo...
The Shorts--The Inlet
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, Will Dunlap began having existential questions about his place in the world. So he bought a plane ticket to Alaska, rented a kayak, and set o...
¡Venga, Venga!
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fernanda Rodriguez had never heard of “climbing” until she stumbled across a group of boulderers in the forest....
The Shorts -- Backyard Adventures
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Carmen Kuntz thinks “adventure,” it doesn’t always mean a mega-trip many miles from home. Instead, she challenged herself and her friends t...
Tales of Terror Vol. 11
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bloody tracks on a dark road. Hooded figures juggling lights. Eerie handprints appearing. We hope you’re ready to get spooky with our annual Tales o...
What Unites Us
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Everything that we love is affected by politics for better or worse, and we can't afford to not be engaged with it,” says Canyon Woodward. Toda...
Setting New Sights
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“I'm stubborn,” reflects Steve Baskis. “When my mind tells me not to do something because I'm afraid or nervous, I tend to tell myself to do it....
The Land That Never Has Been Yet
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we are sharing one of our favorite podcasts-- Scene on Radio. Over the course of twelve episodes, host John Biewen and collaborator Chenjerai K...
Hide-N-Seek
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“I do not remember the ‘first time’ we played hide-n-seek in the barn,” recalls producer Cordelia Zars, “it just always happened.” How do ...
Credimus
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bailey, Colorado is a rural town in the Rocky Mountains. “Bailey is boating hell. There is no water around us at all,” says high school teacher St...
Programming Pause
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Shorts -- Twindom
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Lann and her twin sister, Becca, had their lives planned out together. They’d raise their kids hiking, berry-picking, and stargazing together....
Dream Job
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When John Temple and Dean Goodman’s dream job fell into their laps in the summer of 1971, they quickly said yes. From June through August, they live...
Endangered Spaces--The Elwha River Recovery
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After a decades long battle on Washington State’s Elwha River, a coalition of environmentalists, scientists and locals succeeded in having two dams ...
The Shorts -- The F You Wait
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When life pedals ahead on the trail, how do you catch up? You can downshift and sweat harder, or accept that maybe you’ll always feel a little behin...
Brave Like Gabe
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Ladia Albertson-Junkans’ best friend and running teammate, Gabe Grunewald, was diagnosed with cancer, they resolved that it wouldn’t slow the...
A Tale of Two Saves
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready for big waves and two epic ocean rescues. Before becoming a photographer, Jeff Johnson was a young lifeguard, determined to prove himself. A...
Unexpecting
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In her early 20’s, Rachel James would run 10,000 vertical feet every week and ski deep into the Alaskan backcountry in her free time. When her life ...
Shenanigans
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Scott Guinn received a letter in the mail from his friend Mike Flanigan, he didn’t expect to find a page-long, typed challenge to climb 10 tric...
The Shorts -- Number 67
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Ryan Smith set out to hike all sixty-seven 4,000 foot mountains in New England, he expected to be finished in a handful of years. But life threw ...
The Great Indoors
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In an unprecedented time, a lot of us are confined to our homes, yet looking for ways to connect, to create and to be of service. As our community tri...
The UnderDonkey
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Leadville, Colorado is a mecca for endurance racing in the United States and home to some of the country's hardest trails and toughest athletes. In th...
The Shorts -- Franked
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“In the Frank Church—River of No Return Wilderness, getting “Franked” means waking up mid-summer to a foot of snow on your tent, or losing you...
Bolder Love
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When a dirtbag romance starts with a burrito shop and a fire alarm, adventure is bound to follow. Climbers Allen Schaidle and Sara Al-Awadhi who, desp...
Mr. Hodges
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the most powerful learning can happen outside the classroom. In the summer of 1975, public school teacher Mr. Hodges took 22 of his students o...
The Year of Big Ideas 2020
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When the DC metro shut down the line that Dylan Lewis used daily, he had to refigure his commute. Borrow a car? Uber? Walk 11 miles? What started as a...
Shop Magic
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Great gear shops are like a toy stores filled with skis and bikes, ropes and chalk. Walking through the door can sow the seeds for the next adventure....
All In The Family
13 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How many feet of snow would you shovel each year to own a rad backcountry ski lodge? Well if you’re the Schaffer family, the answer is 60. Today, we...
Widge
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
“It’s like you’re scared to move forward– you just need something to give you a little nudge,” says Jonah Manning. “You can call it suppor...
The Shorts-- Dada Needs Ski Patrol
08 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Dan Kostrzewski had an accident with his daughter on the bunny hill, he gained a new perspective on a lifetime of skiing— both as a career and ...
Tales of Terror Vol. 10
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Disembodied footsteps, screams in the dark, hooded figures: our tenth annual Tales of Terror might have you questioning who -- or what -- else shares ...
The 50,000 Ft. View
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
“When I think about it, I'm not happy because I got to the top of some point on the planet,” says Steve Swenson. “I'm happy because of all the t...
Better Than I Found It
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"The land doesn't belong to me, it doesn’t belong to any of us,” says Joshua Tree resident Rand Abbott. “We’re guests here on this earth. It's...
The Shorts -- Out and Back
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"A lot of folks like a loop trail or a point-to-point run, but I find something really magical about a good out-and-back. On the way out, I feel one w...