Lani Bruntz: Intrepid Explorer

We recently sat down with intrepid explorer Lani Bruntz, soon after she arrived home from a bikepacking trip in Mexico. Prior to that adventure, she was skiing and guiding in Chile. If there's one thing we learned about Bruntz during our interview, it's that she's almost always on the move.  Whether exploring her Crested Butte, Colorado backyard, or remote mountain regions around the globe, Bruntz feels most at home in wild places. She came up as a Nordic ski racer, before discovering a passion for the more vertical world beyond the groomed track. Today she's a mountain guide, sponsored athlete, and a professional writer. Her most recent work entitled "Stepping Out" appears in the January issue of Backcountry. The story documents a trip to Alaska where remote terrain and an unforgiving winter environment provided immense challenges at nearly every turn. Like so many who make a life in the backcountry, Bruntz knows firsthand what the mountains provide, and what they can take away. She's endured her own personal loss to avalanche. Still, she can't imagine spending her life doing anything else. This episode is brought to you in part by Taos Ski Valley.  Backcountry Magazine Website | Instagram | Facebook Get the print mag and more…. www.backcountrymagazine.com Host: Adam Howard Guest: Lani Bruntz Producer + Engineer: Mike Horn Photos by Lani Bruntz and Fred Marmsater