The Adventurepreneur Podcast: Noah Howell on Forging Your Own Path, Ski Mountaineering, and Building a Popular Video Production Company

Noah Howell on Forging Your Own Path, Ski Mountaineering, and Building a Popular Video Production Company

Nov 5, 2019

Today on the show I have Noah Howell, a maverick ski mountaineer, story teller, and creator of Powderwhore Productions. Noah writes for Ascent Backcountry Magazine and runs a popular skiing blog at his personal website NoahHowell.com, documenting dozens of entertaining and cutting edge ski descents, including his journey to climb and ski the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America (which has become a cult classic of sorts within the backcountry and ski mountaineering communities).

There’s a couple of things worth pointing out about Noah. First of all, he’s kind of hilarious. His ‘don’t take yourself too seriously’ vibe is not only refreshing, but also kept us both laughing throughout the conversation. On top of that, the guy truly dances to the beat of his own drum, which you have to have mad respect for, especially because that path doesn’t always lead to mainstream commercial success.

Instead of focusing on traditional popularity metrics common among many in the industry, Noah tows the line that all you need is a compelling vision that resonates with you, and the work will speak for itself. But don’t let the self-deprecating humor and fly under the radar ethos fool you. All you have to do is do a quick google search or ask around the backcountry skiing community, and you’ll find out real quick that Noah is one of the most accomplished and well-respected skiers out there.

In this episode, Noah and I cover topics like the gratification of building things with your own hands, death and risk in the outdoor community, and how snow science is overemphasized in avalanche awareness and education and how interpersonal communication and group dynamics within the backcountry skiing community deserves much more focus. I genuinely enjoyed this funny and raw conversation with Noah and I hope you will too.

Before we jump in to the chat, I have one request for those of you listening. Join me in supporting Noah and the work he does. If you’re a skier, and even if you’re not I promise you’ll be entertained, head over to Noah’s website and check out how painstakingly detailed his blog posts are. You can think of it as one of the most comprehensive and useful guidebooks out there, chock full of some of the most iconic lines and ridiculous shenanigans out there. Like me, I think you’ll quickly realize that Noah’s work, insights, and sarcasm are an asset to our community. Treat yourself to a couple of posts, then do the guy and rest of us a solid by clicking on the Patreon button and consider donating a couple of bucks. In most cases there's some swag in it for you, but more than that it just feels good to support such an authentic adventurer and story teller.

Episode Resources:

Noah Howell - Website/Blog, Instagram, and Patreon Page

Powderwhore Productions (Noah’s ski movie production company) filmography, media coverage of business closing announcement, and a tattoo sesh

50 Classic Ski Descents of North America (here’s Noah’s Journey and progress)

Ascent Magazine

Noah’s sponsors and gear recommendations (Black Diamond, Julbo, Scarpa, Gnarly Nutrition)

Andrew McLean - The Chuting Gallery

Andy Dorais and Jason Dorais

Jonah Howell (brother)

Jeff Taylor

Hans Saari

Cody Townsend