Between The Mountains

Ignore Your Fear and Do That Adventure with Fiona Quinn

Fiona Quinn is most notably known for setting a world first and Stand-Up Paddleboarding from Lands End to John O’Groats – including crossing the Irish Sea and narrowly avoiding the third-largest whirlpool in the world.

Still not impressed? Fiona is also afraid of the sea and open water, which makes this incredible feat that much more impressive.

It was a pleasure to have Fiona on for a quick talk about her background, achievements, mindset, and what’s next!

You can catch her on her website, purchase her book “Ignore The Fear”, and follow her on Instagram to keep up to date with her adventures:

Exploring Mountains and Mindset with Jenny Tough

This episode is supported by Sidetracked Magazine

Jenny Tough is an incredible and highly-respected member of the outdoors community. From exploring 3rd world cultures as a child, to cycling 3000km from Calgary to the Yukon, to running across a mountain range on every continent we explore and discuss new questions and topics.

The episode covers Jenny’s early experiences and exposure to adventure, processing and managing adversity, the pull of solo expeditions and the discipline it gives you, finding the rewards from hard-pressed Type 2 moments, perusing maps and planning an expedition somewhere new every night, and so much more!

Taking The Path Less Travelled with Matthew Robertson

Matthew Robertson is the founder of Momentum Media: specialists in the creation of captivating outdoor content in remarkable locations. But, the origins of that company really capture the attention: bespoke adventures and expeditions which exist to give people life-changing moments in the outdoors. Matthew Robertson himself is even more than that though. His depth of passion that he has for remote and wild places is incredibly inspiring and contagious!

Diving into his insightful experiences with adventure, the episodes discusses his childhood full of adventure and the outdoors, taking the path less travelled, exploring the most incredible hidden gems in Iceland, the importance of the outdoors, the elusive ‘happiness’, and more!

Talking Scandinavia and Resilience with Anna Blackwell

Anna Blackwell is an adventurer with a special place in her heart for the north of Scandinavia. With multiple trekking and hiking trips to the region under her belt plus more – such as kayaking across Europe from London to the Black Sea – Anna has a huge adventure CV, which we dive into in more depth within the interview.

The episode discusses the pull of adventure, kayaking across Europe, getting on with your travel partner, her love for Scandinavia, lessons learned from adventuring solo in nature, adventure vs. escapism, resilience, and so much more.

Ray Blakney Giving the Most Insightful View on Culture, Travel, and Languages

“I could never live in the same place, and not wonder what’s over the next hill”

Growing up as a 3rd culture child, Ray Blakney is a nomadic entrepreneur who has travelled to over 50 countries and speaks four languages. Having lived 75% of his life so far as an expat, he has a unique and insightful view on travel, culture, and languages – he’s even set up his own language-learning company called LiveLingua where you can get online tutoring for your language of choice.

In the episode, we discuss growing up as a 3rd culture child (and what that means!), the importance of small things in culture, being more comfortable in foreign countries, volunteering in the Peace Corps, adventure camping on the Great Wall of China, why Morocco is so special, the Inca Trail and watching clouds flow like rivers, an insightful look on the benefits of second languages, and more!

5 Must-Do Adventures on Kauai, Hawaii

For Episode 100 we take a dive in to 5 must-do adventures on Kauai, Hawaii. Naturally, who else to bring on for this momentous occasion than Dustin himself from That Adventure Life.

The episode covers what Dustin decides are 5 Must-Do Adventures for the island, including trails, rivers, and the sea!

Exploring Wild Places and Indigenous Culture with Hayley Gendron

Hayley Gendron is a multi-disciplined and quietly adventurous character who advocates for indigenous and environmental rights. Without making a song and dance about it all, her experience sees her in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian rainforest working with animals, travelling and adventuring from Patagonia to Canada, and mountaineering and rock climbing all while learning her native language Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) and promoting indigenous rights. When she’s not doing this? You can probably find her paddling in the bay around Vancouver or hiking a nearby mountain.

The episode talks about the influence of adventure, purest canoe expeditions (is portaging necessary?), type 2 fun, wearing a hockey helmet for rock climbing, falling in love with landscapes, the Yosemite Of The Sea, indigenous rights and its relation to environmental protection, lessons learned from native languages, an adventure-gone-wrong in Patagonia, and more!

A Life of Alaskan Adventure with Luc Mehl

This episode is supported by Sidetracked Magazine

Luc Mehl is a lover of Alaskan wilderness and nature, with an incredible ‘adventure CV’ under his belt. Born, raised, and residing in Alaska, he has traversed the three highest mountains in North America, headed out to remote and wild regions of Alaska, and completed extreme, multi-day endurance events. For education and vacation he has also travelled and explored places like Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Nepal. All of this while expanding his self-powered method to include hiking, biking, ice-skating, packrafting, and skiing.

In the episode, we discuss traversing the three biggest mountains in North America, discovering – and staying well away from – the line of acceptable risk, adventures in Alaska and the Alaskan Wilderness Classics, experiencing ‘gifts’ of nature, ‘good fear’ and ‘bad fear’, the 60% rule, and so much more such as mindset and even mental health in the outdoors. Luc really delivers on insight, wisdom, and inspiration, so check out the podcast using the links below.

The Sound of Volcanoes, Glaciers, and Rainforests with George Vlad

George Vlad travels to and explores wild and remote places to capture soundscapes. Doing his best to avoid man-made sounds to grasp the purest of sound, his expeditions have led him all over the world from glaciers to volcanoes – providing him with an inspiring and positive view of adventure and conservation along the way.

In this episode, we discuss unique encounters with wildlife, recording poachers and illegal mining, the importance of positivity, expeditions to capture sound, pairing sound capture with expeditions, escaping burnout of 100 hours per week to the Romanian mountains, capturing sound from glaciers to rainforests to volcanoes, and so much more! This one is a must listen.

From Adventure Travel to First Ascents with Rebecca Coles

Rebecca Coles has led expeditions, travelled, and climbed on all 7 continents and in over 70 countries. Her experience ranges right from overland travel from Nepal to the UK, to first ascents, and a love for mountaineering from little old Wales to big and huge peaks.

In this episode we explore her huge depth and width of knowledge, talking about being the first all-women’s team to climb the 4000m peaks in the alps, tackling first ascents in your comfort zone, pushing into the uncomfortable on well known terrain, dealing with the cold and why you should take 4 pairs of gloves to Scotland, why Rebecca adventures, and so much more!

What You Need to Know for Denali and Alaska

This episode is from The Road To Denali series. Click here to read more

Denali is not a mountain you want to head out to unprepared. It’s big, it’s cold, and it’s stormy. So, future guest Luc Mehl offered his expertise to offer a bird’s eye view on Denali and Alaska for us.

In this episode Luc essentially gives us an overview on Denali specifically, but big mountains in Alaska in general. We talk about the importance of keeping warm and crevasses, being patient, altitude, training, winter camping, logistics of getting to Alaskan ranges, equipment, and more!

Travel, The Outdoors, and Achieving Your Passions with Kierra Summer

Kierra Summer is a travel photographer coming out of Alberta, Canada. With her unique entry in to this lifestyle, Kierra has worked and manifested her way towards her view of success. Having built an engaged and brilliant following, Kierra only builds more and more on to her beautiful photography and travel CV.

In this episode we talk about doing what you love, a free trip to Costa Rica, a dodgy experience from saying “yes” to everything, absorbing the knowledge of others, building an engaging audience and staying consistent, Kierra’s travel history, summer hikes in Canada, fast-track exploring countries in Europe, getting fired up for the work as well as the end-goal, van life, gender stereotypes, Alberta and the Canadian Rocky Mountains, unique and quiet Canadian mountain ranges, having no expectations with travel, living in the moment vs. capturing the moment, balancing the future and the present, manifestation, creating your opportunities, and of course: positivity.

Attempting To Cross The Darien Gap – One of the World’s Most Dangerous Jungles

Daniel Eggington has set his sights on an expedition, and is only working harder and harder until it’s done. Returning in April 2021 for his 5th time, Dan will look to cross on foot the Darien Gap: one of the world’s most dangerous jungles along the pacific coastline.

In this open conversation with Dan, we talk about planning and researching for expeditions, his passion for Columbia, the drives for trying again, the issues and problems the region faces, his resolution priorities to ensure success, contingencies, connecting with local people, the best place to discover Columbia, and why Dan keeps returning.

Continuously Climbing 282 Mountains, Self-Powered – Project 282

One lovely summer, Emily Scott decided to take on an epic adventure: she was going to climb all 282 Munros, continuously. Emily took on the challenge with the image of a ‘pure’, self-powered journey, in one go of 120 days – the fantastic carbon footprint was just a plus!

In this episode we talk about balancing your social life with the outdoors, preparing for adventures, type 2 weather, beautiful Scotland, the culture shock from almost complete isolation for 4 months straight to the city, and sticky toffee puddings.

Pursuing Happiness, Mountains, and Adventure with Emily Scott

Leaving full-time accounting behind, Emily Scott has chosen adventure and happiness over all else. In doing so, she has become a ski instructor, summer mountain leader, and is shooting for international mountain leader. So, that’s worked out incredibly well so far!

In this episode, we talk about many Ironman Competitions, mountains, adventure, pursuing the importance of happiness, and more!

For more information on Emily’s Project 282 where she climbed all of the 282 Munros continuously, click here

The Road To Denali

This episode is from The Road To Denali series. Click here to read more

I’m Chris, the host of Between The Mountains and I’m going to climb Denali in May 2023.

Well, that kinds of feels like a white lie. There’s still training to be had, money to save, sponsorship to acquire… but we’ll get on to that. The main thing for me, is that my wording has changed.

The main thing for you, is you’re about to receive a whole lot of value! Find out how below.

Exploring Cultures and Wild Places with Ian Finch

Insightful, Inspiring, and Incredible are three words that come to mind when both researching and recording with Ian Finch. With a fisherman Father fascinated by native cultures and with Ian’s own background in the Royal Marines, he has gone on to explore and adventure with culture at the forefront of his mind.

Having paddled the Yukon river, led expeditions across Norway, canoed into the wild Highlands, and so much more, Ian’s experience and stories are unique… and yet the experience connecting with people over the love and necessity of nature can be experienced by all.