A Guide in Life - The Outmap Podcast

Today I'm talking to one of the most competent outdoor all-rounders I've ever - Troy Becker. A vastly experienced and skilled outdoorsman, Troy has poured 25 years into Adaptive Adventures - an organisation dedicated to getting disabled people into the outdoors. The story of the last quarter century is incredible and inspiring in equal measure.

In this episode of the Outmap Podcast, we sit down with Emilie Mann, an ultrarunner whose approach to endurance is as much about mindset as it is about miles. Emilie shares what draws her to long days in the mountains, how she prepares for the physical and mental demands of ultrarunning, and why moving efficiently through wild terrain is both a skill and an art. We talk about pacing, resilience, and the quiet discipline required when the distances stretch far beyond what most people consider possible. Emilie also reflects on how running changes the way you see landscapes — reading terrain, managing effort, and learning to stay calm when things inevitably get difficult. It’s a conversation about endurance in its truest sense: patience, curiosity, and the deep satisfaction that comes from covering ground under your own power.

On today's episode we're talking to Rob Benton (https://www.ecrinscollective.com/), a passionate climber, skier, kayaker and guide. Rob had a great career in the UK but was hungry to spend more time in the mountains, so he took a chance and moved out to the southern French Alps. The plan was to give it a couple of years and see how it went, and 20 years later he's still there, still excited and still passionate. We got into his story, and what it is that keeps him going back to the mountains day after day. 

Today on the Outmap podcast we're talking to Tom Odell - a man with enough passion to power a house! Tom is a smart guy, as his academic qualifications prove, but it's his drive and determination that really stand out. He doesn't know where he's going, he doesn't know how, but he'll get there. Be ready for half an hour or psyche, self-belief and pure joy.

In this episode we dive into Project Sisu with Pyry Hyppölä — a backcountry skier and adventurer who’s got BIG plans in Norway this season. Pyry’s Project Sisu isn’t about chasing aesthetic lines or accumulating vertical meters (though there’s plenty of that in Lyngen) — it’s a mindset rooted in ethics, perseverance, resilience, and the kind of determination the Finns call sisu. 

On today's episode of A Guide In Life I'm talking to guide and professor (that's not a combination you often hear) Jerry Isaak. Jerry is an ACMG/AMGA ski guide and has overseen more than 135 student-led expeditions across 26 countries. His passions include backcountry skiing, avalanche studies, expedition planning, and exploring how culture and decision-making intersect in extreme environments. We talk about Jerry's career, and get into why the "why" matters most!

Today's guest is Mountain Guide Tom Grant, a long-time friend of Charlie's, and one of the most accomplished ski mountaineers on the planet. We talk about Tom's life in the mountains and how he got here from East Sussex!  It's been an amazing journey so far, and as you'll come to understand when you hear the psyche he has for climbing and skiing, he's not stopping anytime soon.

Our first guest is IFMGA Mountain Guide Evan Stephens, owner of Zenith Mountain Guides in Squamish, BC, and a passionate climber and skier. From avalanche forecasting to owning a ski lodge and, now, running a successful guiding business, it's been a life and a career built on passion for the mountains.