Matt Avitabile - Owner of The Mountain Eagle

Hear Here was joined by Robbie Gilbertsen, the new Terrain Park Manager at Windham Mountain Club. Robbie’s connection to Windham goes all the way back. Being a true local who grew up in Windham, attended Windham school, and had in the past worked park staff at the mountain, Robbie’s return is true full circle. Evan and Jesse also having a deep history in the area brought out lots of reminiscing on bygone eras of after school night skiing with groups of friends so big they filled many chairlifts. It was actually these very same connections that led to his return! Robbie’s journey led him out of state to Vermont, where he spent years honing his skill set on and off the board, and provided opportunity for him to take steps from staff to supervisor and now into the role in management. The chance to return to Windham and build the Terrain Park Program up to the potential it has was too good to pass up! Not that it was an easy task! There were many hours of gathering features, cleaning shop space, and re-envisioning what the parks and freestyle programs could be and the proof is in the product! With a bold new color scheme, graphic and visionary behind it all, the excitement for the Terrain Parks at Windham Mountain Club is building! Great to have Robbie back!

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Hear Here was joined by Owen Hartman, the head brewer from Windham’s Mountain King Brewery. The first time Owen was on the podcast, we talked about the origin story of the brewery and how he and founder Bob McLynn both found their love for beers while traveling in Germany. This time the boys just talked beer. Owen brought Jesse and Evan in some samples to open, taste, taste again, talk about and have another taste. Needless to say, they did not last long! And we are not the only ones who recognize how good their beer is! Mountain King has already been recognized for their incredible quality with an award from NYS Craft Beer Competition for the Burnt Knob Porter! Although no one in the room was a cicerone, all heartily agreed that they were some incredible beers. Owen dug in to the process from choosing a recipe, managing ingredients, modifying it, controlling for quality, and not crying over spilled beer. A point that really hit home was the quality of water in Windham which all on the mountain top knows and loves and how that lends to the quality of beer! Just in case you needed another reason to stop in and have a beer or grab some cans to go next time you go through Windham.

We are joined by Tony Vasile, program manager at Adaptive Sports Foundation. Based at Windham Mountain, ASF provides winter and summer programs for individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities. Tony’s journey through his education in physical therapy set him up perfectly for the role that opened up at ASF. He speaks on how he grew up, how that affected his career choice, and how that brought him to applying for the job at ASF. Opening up about his current position and the programs provided, Tony talks about the different gear, how that gear fits the individual, the training needed to use that gear, and the massive number of volunteers who step up to make the programs what they are. These volunteers are the backbone of the programs from taking out lessons to cooking food and everything in between. Huge shoutout to all of their effort over so many years! ASF recently produced a short video “We Are Athletes” which is viewable on Youtube. The short follows the stories of two individuals and their journey through ASF and how it has impacted their lives. Incredibly powerful.

Jen joined the podcast to talk books, Windham, books, Main Street Community Center, books, and more books. 7 years ago, Jen found herself in need of a new book to read while at her home on Windham Mountain and quickly realized there was not only nothing in town, but there were no options even at a reasonable drive! Well one thing leads to another and within a few months the lease was signed and the boxes of books began flowing in. It did not take long for people to catch on to this new addition to Windham and new clubs, programs, and projects around reading, authors, and art have followed ever since. One of these projects, amidst Covid no less, was the birth of the Main Street Community Center (see our first ever podcast featuring the executive director Sadhbh Aborn).

Danny Hairston is the Founder/Executive Director of Snowboarders Help Reimagine Education or better know as SHRED. His journey from snowboarding 15 years ago to creating one of the best programs in upstate New York is extraordinary.

Steve joined the podcast to talk about EMS education, difficulties in serving a rural county, the structure of medical services in Greene County NY, some of the parts that work well and some that don’t, specific stresses on the system, and New York State Legislature discussions on possibly combining county wide services.

Mountain King established itself last year in 2024 and become the talk of the town. It has been several years since there has been a brewery in Windham. Bob and Owen's vision is going to bring great energy and beer to Main Street once again. Hear Here sat down with them to listen to their story and how the vision for Windham had come about. Before Bob found Crush Management he was touring around Germany with his band find his love for beer at local breweries. At another time Owen found his love for making beer when he was in Germany coach lacrosse. Together they were able to find a great combination to brew right here in Windham, NY. For any questions or event set ups contact their manager!

Stephanie Briggs

Mountain King Manager and Events

Cell: 6077608414

Email: stephanie@mountainkingbrewing.com