Mountain Reinvention

After his personal life takes a surprise turn, Luis Alonzo dares to reinvent himself by trying something far outside his comfort zone– summiting Mt. Rainier. With a crew of other novice climbers, Luis spends six months preparing to climb a complex, looming presence that is far from inviting. Will the climb move him closer to the person he wants to be?
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Lagos by Saberteeth • Stirling by Ghillie Dhu • Up by Heliix • Darkness Falls by SPIRA • Loess by Joya • Run It Up by Jupyter feat. Risqkae • Aerial by Otros • Northern Lights by Fields of Ethera • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club
The Shorts– Without You
Loss. Grief. Healing. It’s part of being human. The emotions that almost tear us apart have the power to bring us together. Today, we bring you two powerful stories from Alison Kaplan and Monica Nigon.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Signals Lost (ft. Laura Wolf) by Feverkin • Nowhere Land by Luca Tomassini • Aurora by Pastek • Samsara by Baleen • Weches by Ehren Ebbage • Dimensions Distilled by Frozen Mesa • Lost Lake by David Swenson • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club
Good, Good, Bad: The Never Ender
It started so harmlessly. Four years ago, professional skier Brody Leven embarked on a simple challenge – exercise outdoors everyday. In a complicated moment in time and life, it was a way to exert some control over his day to day. It was never supposed to last forever.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists.
The Diagnosis
Matt Martin and his fiancé, Hannah, were just starting out on their shared life, when a breast cancer diagnosis rewrote the script they’d imagined for life. Matt stepped into a new role – caregiver. Life became a blur of treatment, worry and existing with unknown outcomes. After a year of caring for Hannah, Matt received the chance to attend one of First Descent’s week-long trips down the famed Rogue River. Under the guidance of legendary kayaker and cancer survivor Willie Kerns, Matt’s week on the river left him with a lasting understanding of the difference between reacting and responding to the difficult stretches.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Beneath The Surface by Sigurd Jøhnk-Jensen • A Good Year by Jono Hill • Lariat Lane by Keen Collective • Chronos by Markus Huber • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club
Growing Home
Raised in the hollers of West Virginia, coal ran deep in Corey Lilly’s family, but it was the local ski hill with 600 feet of vertical that sparked his imagination and started an improbable run into professional skiing. After a head injury permanently impacted his vision and ended his career, Corey returned home to a struggling economy and the depths of the opioid epidemic. It takes a certain kind of person to see opportunity where others miss it and Corey went to work building a new future for himself and his community.
Check out the Grasstops Collective.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • The Switchblade by Drexler • Molalla by David Swensen • Father Father by Omgimjoe • Nighttime Cowboy by BBOOYYSS • Cactus Practice by BBOOYYSS • Hollyhock by Graham Barton • El Jefe by Topo Azul • Hazy Drake by Drexler • Hawthorne Bowl by Greg Jong • The Clincher by Graham Barton • Koog by Aero Ross • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club.