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We sit down with Mike Ranquet in Bend, Oregon and trace the whole arc, from that first childhood feeling of rolling on four wheels to moving to Bend in 1987 with Craig Kelly and the responsibility Craig modeled behind the scenes. Mike tells the truth about addiction patterns that “turn a corner,” why rock bottom can have a trapdoor, and what it’s like to face emotions you never learned to process. We also dig into dopamine and compulsion beyond alcohol, including gambling and the many ways people try to keep the high going after the mountain day ends.

Along the way, we keep it grounded in board sports: what “rad” actually means, why style and taste matter, and the legends and scenes that shaped a generation. Mike shares Japan stories from an all-time winter, plus the less-talked-about mental health side of recovery, including recognizing post-addiction psychosis and choosing to get help. Buster Tronolone jumps in with a perspective on sober support and what it looks like to show up for your friends.

If you care about snowboarding, recovery, mental health, or simply doing hard things with honesty, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find it.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

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A snowboarding contest that runs like a surf heat shouldn’t work this well, but the Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge at Mt Bachelor has become a Bend, Oregon staple for a reason. The stoke is real, the course is custom every year, and the whole thing feels more like a skatepark jam than a rulebook competition. When you add Hawaiian food, reggae on the deck, and a lift line full of groms, pros, and proud “kooks,” you start to understand why people plan their season around it.

We talk with key organizers Jason and Mo Baldessari, plus Ryan Buccola and Anne DosPassos, about how the event gets built, why volunteering is the secret sauce, and how Bend’s outdoor culture makes this community fundraiser possible. You’ll hear how an unlikely connection through Active Skin Repair started a friendship between Jason and Gerry, and how Big Wave becomes a doorway into friendships, local commitment, and a broader “give back” mindset. We also get into what’s new, including a groms division and an adaptive snowboarding category, along with the surf-style jam format that keeps the day fun and fast.

On the back end, we’re joined by snowboarding veterans Curtis Ciszek and Austin Smith to honor Pat Malendoski, one of the most influential terrain builders in the sport. Pat isn’t just known for perfect halfpipes, but for a creative eye that turns snow into something closer to art, and the Big Wave Challenge now raises funds to support him and other beneficiaries. If you care about snowboarding culture, Mt Bachelor, Bend events, or how a community rally turns into real impact, this conversation hits home.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves snowboarding, and leave a review so more people can find the story.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

Remember, the health of our community, relies on us!

Send us Fan Mail

Join host Adam Short as he sits down with Gerry Lopez and Anne DosPassos to tell the origin story of the Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge and how Aloha isn't just something you say; it's something you practice. From naming wind lips after beloved breaks to shaping courses that move with rhythm and flow, the tradition holds tight to family, fun, and creativity over results.

You’ll hear how the event came alive when builders decided to make waves out of snow, transforming a hillside into a frozen lineup where every rider can draw their own line. We honor the influence and contribution to the sport of snowboarding of Pat Malendowski—his eye for terrain, his unassuming style, and the mentorship that helped launch terrain park builder Alex Storjohann into shaping some of the best courses on snow today. And how that passing of the torch didn’t just preserve the event; it's allowed it to continue to grow and evolve.

Community sits at the center. Entry fees and auctions support environmental groups, non profits and most importantly people. Friends like Pat Malendowski and Michelle Schnake, longtime pillars of the scene now facing serious health challenges. That’s Aloha in practice: celebrating together on the hill, then showing up when it matters most.

If you care about snowboard culture, surf-inspired course design, and events that give back, this story will land. Hit play, and make sure to show up at this years Big Wave Challenge at Mt. Bachelor March 26 to 29, 2026 and tell us what Aloha means to you.

If the episode moves you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs a little extra stoke today.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

Remember, the health of our community, relies on us!