In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with Mike Hogan, Scott Richards, and Dan Mellish to unpack their experience racing the legendary Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) in Switzerland. A race that’s as much about survival and teamwork as it is about endurance.

This is a 57km, 4,000+ meter ski mountaineering race that starts in the middle of the night, crosses glaciated terrain, and demands that teams move together, often roped up, through steep climbs, technical descents, and brutal conditions. For Mike, Scott, and Dan, it turned into a 16-hour effort chasing cutoffs at every checkpoint, managing hydration issues, navigating the dark, and relying on each other to keep moving forward.

But this episode goes deeper than the race stats.

They share what it’s like to:

• Race under constant time pressure, hitting checkpoints with minutes to spare
• Ski technical terrain roped together in the dark
• Manage physical lows, cramping, and nutrition challenges mid-race
• Stay mentally engaged when the margin for error disappears
• Lean on teammates when things start to unravel

More than anything, this is a story about friendship, resilience, and what happens when you commit to something that pushes you well past your comfort zone.

Because at the end of it, this wasn’t just about finishing PDG. It was about doing it together.

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

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Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

What can ski mountaineers learn from a WorldTour cyclist?

In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with professional cyclist Joe Dombrowski for a wide-ranging conversation about endurance training, racing strategy, and the mindset required to perform at the highest level across demanding mountain sports.

Joe shares insights from his years competing in Grand Tours and major international races, including how elite cyclists structure training, manage recovery, and prepare for long seasons of high-intensity competition. The conversation explores the overlap between cycling and ski mountaineering, from pacing and fueling to altitude adaptation and durability over multi-hour efforts.

They also discuss how athletes transition between disciplines, what mountain athletes can learn from cycling culture, and why longevity in endurance sport often comes down to consistency, curiosity, and staying motivated over time.

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

In this episode of Skimo Gold, Travis Macy sits down with journalist and author Devon O’Neil to explore the story behind his book The Way Out—a deeply reported account of a backcountry hut trip that ended in tragedy and reshaped an entire community.

The conversation centers on a 2017 trip to a 10th Mountain Division hut in Colorado, where two skiers left for a quick run and never returned. What followed was a chaotic search effort, a powerful survival story, and years of unanswered questions that O’Neil would spend nearly a decade trying to understand.

But this episode goes far beyond the incident itself.

Travis and Devon dig into the deeper themes that sit underneath the story:

• How risk shows up in seemingly “routine” backcountry decisions
• What preparedness really means—and how often we overestimate it
• The emotional weight carried by survivors, families, and communities
• How mountain towns like Salida respond when something goes wrong
• And the question that lingers for anyone who spends time in the mountains: is the adventure worth it?

Devon also shares his writing process, the years it took to earn trust and tell this story, and how reporting the book ultimately changed his own relationship with risk, fatherhood, and the outdoors.

This is a conversation about skiing, but also about perspective, consequence, and what we’re really chasing when we head into the mountains.

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Thanks to our sponsor CAMP

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Learn more about Travis Macy and Cam Smith

Follow along with Skimo Gold and the Travis Macy Show

Skimo Gold is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.