Crude Conversations

EP 062 with Callan Chythlook-Sifsof

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with Olympian and climate activist Callan Chythlook-Sifsof. Callan’s life has been a mixture of snowboarding, social justice, and climate activism. She was raised in Aleknagik, Alaska, a village of about 300, just outside Dillingham. Aleknagik, like Dillingham, is a community that relies on fishing, and is located near Pebble Mine. So, Callan has been around the Pebble Mine controversy since it began, which led to her early involvement in activism. Alongside that activism, she’s worked as a professional snowboarder, competing in the Olympics, as well as medaling in many endemic competitions. In 2011, she started working with Protect Our Winters, also know as POW, as a climate ambassador. Since then, she has presented on climate awareness, and spoken to congress about climate awareness. In 2014, she unofficially retired from professional snowboarding after three back-to-back knee surgeries leading up to the Sochi Olympics, and then injured her knee during the qualifying Olympic season. She is currently the Head Coach for the Park City Boardercross Team.
Looking at Callan’s life, she’s always fought against injustice. She’s always been on the side of the under-represented and the disadvantaged. She knows that to achieve success, you need to be mindful of all the small decisions along the way. She understands that change can be slow and meandering, which is why patience is important. She says that “as humans we can get very narrow and very linear, and the reality is you can’t do anything if you have a linear perspective because it’s just not the truth of our world.”

EP 061 with John Stallone

In this episode, Cody and guest host Mike Dempsey have a conversation with John Stallone. John comes from a military family—his grandfather served in World War II, and his dad and his uncle served in Vietnam—so enlisting in the military was a no-brainer for him. He joined the US Air Force at 18. From 1998 to 2002, he served as a security forces member and was deployed four times in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 2002, at the age of 22, he joined the Alaska Air National Guard. After he left the Guard in 2009, he took a number of jobs where he was in a position to promote and encourage safety, namely as a safety officer for OSHA, and a bouncer in downtown Anchorage. The common thread that links these jobs is John's sense of duty. He says that one of the core values of the Air Force is, "service before self," which is something he continues to live by.
For a good portion of this conversation, John talks about his struggle with depression and PTSD. He talks about the psychological aftermath of spending 8 months in active war zones. How it was a continuous evolution of “hurry up and get ready” or “hurry up and get used to this.” But by the time you acclimated to that environment, it was time to go home. And then once you were home, you were forced to deal with everything you had been through—among civilians who have no frame of reference for war. In 2011, everything kind of came to a head and John had a mental breakdown. He called the Veterans Crisis Line and they helped him work through it and also directed him toward local mental health resources.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Veterans Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255.

"lost anchorage" EP 07 with Joe Rambur

In this episode of "lost anchorage," we look at addiction through the perspective of a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Joe Rambur took his first drink of alcohol at 13. Although his first experience getting high on opiates was at 14, it wasn't until adulthood that he became addicted. He smoked heroin for 12 years. He's been sober for the last 9 months, and for that he credits a program and turning his will over to his higher power.
He says that if telling his story can help somebody else get sober and stay alive, then it's worth telling.

EP 060 with Laura Cole

In this one, Cody has a conversation with chef Laura Cole. Laura grew up with a strong sense of duty to community, and a refined palate. Both were instilled in her by her parents, and continue to influence her taste and her actions to this day. In 2019, Laura was a contestant on Top Chef, an experience that she says gave her some of her closest friends. Today, she splits her seasons between her restaurant near Denali National Park, called 229 Parks Restaurant and Tavern, and Muse, the restaurant at the Anchorage Museum. She says that in all her professional endeavors, she has a mantra, which is “To nourish and nurture all those who come to our table.”
 
When Laura talks about food, she talks about it in relation to memories. How a certain food or meal can leave an indelible impression; how a good meal, with good company, and good conversation can be remembered forever. Laura calls these “food memories,” and she’s constantly trying to create them.

EP 059 with Micah Hollinger

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with professional skateboarder turned videographer Micah Hollinger. Micah grew up skateboarding with a tight-knit crew in Anchorage, Alaska. At the same time, he was learning his way around a camera—filming everything he could. From skateboarding to parties to neighborhood fights, nothing was off limits. Micah’s 40 now, he’s a videographer, and as far as skateboarding goes, he says that “if you wanna keep skating as you get older, you have to adapt.”
 
If you were skating or snowboarding in Alaska in the 90s and early 2000s, then you’re probably familiar with Micah. He’s the skater that everyone in Alaska looked up to, he’s the guy who hit rails on his skateboard that snowboarders thought were too big, he’s one of the guys who showed us that the Alaska snow and skate scene was relevant, and could hold its own.
Lately, Micah’s been working with Jesse Burtner—the creator of Think Thank films—on a documentary about the old Boarderline Alaska Snow and Skate days. From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, Boarderline was a major figure in the Alaska snow and skate scene. Through interviews and archival footage, Micah and Jesse are working to capture that era.
 

2019 Recap: EP 023 with Scott Liska

This week, Crude is revisiting the top 5 most popular podcast episodes of 2019. Tied for the number 1 spot is with Cody's dad, Scott Liska, the founder of Boarderline, an Alaskan snowboard and skateboard shop that nurtured, represented and influenced the Alaska snow and skate scene in the late 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. They talk about a lot of firsts: how Boarderline began and what it turned into, how King of the Hill—a three day snowboard competition in Thompson Pass—got started, and how Boarderline Summer Camp got started. They also discuss the importance of local businesses to a community, and Scott's current venture, Alaska Surf Adventures.
This episode originally aired on January 31, 2019. 

2019 Recap: EP 033 with Jason Borgstede

This week, Crude is revisiting the top 5 most popular podcast episodes of 2019. Tied for the number 1 spot is EP 033 with Jason Borgstede, owner of the Anchorage-based snowboard and skateboard shop Blue & Gold Boardshop. Cody and Jason talk about how he went from being a professional snowboarder to a professional poker player to a waiter and now the owner of a local snow and skate shop. Jason's history with the Alaska snow and skate scene goes back twenty some odd years and includes some pretty wild stories. They get into that (story time) as well as what it means to be a local retail business pushing a culture.
This episode originally aired on January 3, 2019. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2019 Recap: EP 053 with Roger Sparks

This week, Crude will be revisiting the top 5 most popular episodes of 2019. Number 2 on the list is with retired marine and pararescueman Roger Sparks. In 2010, Roger was part of operation Bulldog Bite 2 Charlie, a heavy firefight with insurgents in the Watapur Valley in Afghanistan. The fight was, as Roger puts it, surreal. He talks about how, after the fight, he was in such disbelief that he checked Wikipedia for proof that the fight actually happened. For his part, he was awarded the Silver Star, one of the highest awards for valor in combat you can receive from the United States Armed Forces.
After a 25-year-long career in special forces, Roger is now a tattoo artist and author. It’s taken him a long time to be where he is now—with the understanding and the self-analysis that comes with soul searching. His perspective is a reflection of a life spent in uncomfortable situations, be it as a Recon Marine, an Air Force pararescueman, or a tattoo artist. Because, as he puts, “if you’re risking virtuously, it leads to better and more things.”
This episode originally aired on Friday, October 25, 2019. 

2019 Recap: EP 029 with Jay Liska

This week, Crude will be revisiting the top 5 most popular episodes of 2019. Number 3 on the list is with Cody's uncle, Jay Liska. Jay was the first professional snowboarder from Alaska to get his own pro-model. He also started Boarderline Alaska Snow and Skate with his brother, Scott Liska, and went on to start his own shop, Northern Boarder. They talk about the snowboard scene in the 80s and 90s, and Jay shares some of his most memorable stories from back in the day, including the time he was in a helicopter crash on Mount Spurr and the time he took Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys snowboarding in Thompson Pass.
This episode originally aired on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. 

2019 Recap: "lost anchorage" EP 05 with Claude "Muff" Butler

This week, Crude will be revisiting the top 5 most popular episodes of 2019. Number 4 on the list is "lost anchorage" episode 05 with Claude "Muff" Butler. Muff ran a crackhouse in the late '80s. After he gave that up, he made deliveries all over town. Between dealing drugs, prison and tragedy, Muff's past was a turbulent one. Today, he is an ideal example of someone who turned their life around. He now teaches kids how to play basketball and emphasizes the importance of school.
This episode originally aired on Thursday, September 5, 2019.