Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • MULTIPLICITY

MULTIPLICITY 2019: Jon Turk and the Cosmic Luck-O-Meter App

  • March 8, 2019
  • Bradford McArthur
Total
12
Shares
12
0
0
0
0
0
Total
12
Shares
Share 12
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

Don’t have tickets to Multiplicity yet? Get them here.

Jon Turk earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1971 and was nominated by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten Adventurers of the Year in 2012.  Between these bookends, Jon co-authored the first college level environmental science textbook in North America, followed by 26 additional texts in environmental, physical, and earth sciences.  

At the same time, he has kayaked around Cape Horn and across the North Pacific from Japan to Alaska, mountain biked across the Gobi in Mongolia, and made numerous first ski descents and first rock climbing ascents around the globe.  Jon has published four books about these adventures: Cold Oceans (HarperCollins), In the Wake of the Jomon (McGraw Hill), The Raven’s Gift (St Martin’s Press) and Crocodiles and Ice (Oolichan Press). During extended travel in northeast Siberia, Jon’s worldview was altered by Moolynaut, a Siberian shaman, and his later books reflect these spiritual journeys.

 

Jon Turk


Hey Jon, welcome to Multiplicity.   You’re a repeat offender here at Mountain Life, and we’ve enjoyed many of your well crafted stories and adventures over the years.  Can you clue us into your presentation for this years event?

It is titled something like, “The Cosmic Luck-O-Meter App.  With total appreciation that I am talking to the most avalanche-aware audience in the world, I am giving a talk about avalanche awareness.  But not exactly, because avalanche awareness is just a subset of awareness, or maybe just love of nature in general, because why would you be out there in avalanche terrain if you didn’t truly love nature?  And holistically, no talk, for any audience, has any value if we take ourselves too seriously. Something like that.

 

Cosmic Luck o Meter App


Where can we download this app?

The app will be available, free of charge, immediately after the event, for anyone with 6 G internet capabilities.

 

Have you ever been caught in a slide, or been involved in a rescue?

Yes, actually, this talk centers around a slide that caught me in December of this season.  But what haunts me, and will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life, was the slide in 2005 where my wife and a dear friend were buried and killed.  I saw the danger clearly enough to save myself, but not with sufficient social conviction to save Chris and Will. We have to talk about that.

 

Jon Turk Skiing


Which would you say has influenced your opinions and views on avalanche awareness more, standout avalanche events and pivotal decision making moments with partners, or a mass of unidentifiable events spanning your entire backcountry career?

It’s a mass of identifiable events spanning not only my entire backcountry skiing career, but my broader career in many different gravity sports.  Anyone who has been in this game for a long time, has lost dear friends. Some of those people were much more skilled and knowledgeable than I will ever be.  So, you know, the cosmic questions. Why did that falling refrigerator sized boulder take an odd bounce and miss me on that climb in the Bugaboos; or why did that polar bear rip a hole in my tent and then decide not to eat me?  There are no definitive answers to these questions, but it is sometimes a very fine line between a big WHEW! HOLY SHIT! and being dead. We need to look at that fine line.

 

Jon Turk Avalanche Awareness


So many of your articles and books are full of deep ponderings and yet possess a flare of not taking things too seriously.  Do you feel in this age of instant media consumption, a slower more thoughtful meditation on our activities is craved by readers?

I feel that it is essential to be both slow and thoughtful and not take things too seriously, all at the same time.  Storytelling evolved, deep in our Stone Age past, as a way of engaging the people in our tribe emotionally and viscerally.  And then, once you have everyone’s attention, we share our experiences and knowledge, as a tool for survival.

 

Have you actively tried to cultivate this style of yours or has it slowly evolved over time?

I grew up in suburban Connecticut, went to a fancy prep school with George W. Bush, graduated from a prestigious University with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry.  I had absolutely no idea where I was headed. But…During a two year expedition to kayak from Japan to Alaska, I met an old Koryak shaman and then spend a considerable amount of time in that Siberian village over the next five years.  The Koryak people, the Shaman and the Hunter, and ultimately the Tundra itself taught me to take life seriously and lightly at the same time.

 

You’ve said that “avalanche awareness is just a subset of awareness, or maybe just love of nature in general, because why would you be out there in avalanche terrain if you didn’t truly love nature?”  The assumption that humans only expose themselves to danger because of a motivation of love seems to avoid the many habits, such as drinking and other reckless behavior, that in some instances stem from an attempt at covering up pain, not a love of the vice itself.  Have you ever looked at these risky outdoor activities as similar forms of “self medication” or do you see it ultimately as an act of love, regardless of internal storms?

Please, please, don’t ever conflate skiing avalanche terrain with being a drunk.  One opens awareness, flow, concentration, while the other closes the mind and spirit.  It’s been said many times, but since you ask, I’ll say it again. When you are in avalanche terrain, or high on a rock wall, or running a technical rapid, you open the Power of Now.  If you can’t find joy in the moment, You’re dead. This is not a metaphor. I’m not making this up.

 

Jon Turk Circling Ellesmere Island


When pondering these deeper meanings behind motivations, actions, purpose, what settings do you find you’re doing most of your thinking and conclusion drawing?  While on your adventures, while writing, conversations with others, other moments?

Yes.  All of the above.  

 

Are there any philosophers or people you feel have had an impact on your worldview on what nature fundamentally is, what it means to spend time there and the ability, whether it exists or not, that humans can connect with what’s there?

Oh boy.  There are so many excellent, wise philosophers and writers out there.  But if I had to narrow it down to a few, it would be Moolynaut, the Koryak shaman and Oleg the hunter.  It’s not that they were necessarily any wiser than the great philosophers I have read, it’s that their teaching was so tactile.  I wandered with Moolynaut on a hallucinogenic passage toward the Other World, and sat out real life tundra blizzards in a tattered wall tent with Oleg.  These experiences have been so visceral that they will always remain fresh.

 

Photo of wolf on ice


Can you tell us a bit about your springs and summers in Montana?  Where do you and Nina live and is the seasonal migration between there and Fernie as wonderful as it sounds?

We actually live in three places.  In the spring and part of the summer, we live on the road, wandering around in the desert, mainly riding our mountain bikes.  In summer, we live in the great forest of Western Montana, in a small modest house, sort of remote, but sort of connected, with a few wonderful neighbors.  In winter, we live in Fernie and ski a lot. It definitely is a rich life. I stumbled across an early version of the Cosmic-Luck-O-Meter app early in life and it’s been a wild ride.

 

We really look forward to having you at Multiplicity this year!  Enjoy the snow until then and we’ll see you this spring.

Thanks, I’m looking forward to it as well.

 

BUY YOUR TICKETS TO MULTIPLICITY NOW!

Multiplicity 2019

 

Imagine sitting around a campfire telling stories, then take that experience and multiply it. That’s MULTIPLICITY 2019. The annual event, presented by Mountain Life Media, captures human beings’ rich tradition of storytelling, then elevates it, adding in visual elements of photography, slideshows and video. The result is best compared to a TEDTalk® on adrenalin, with stories brought to you by explorers, athletes, outdoor thought-leaders, and passionate personalities from the mountain world.

Hosted by Mountain Life editor and emcee extraordinaire Feet Banks, MULTIPLICITY is a must-see celebration of true-mountain and adventure culture, and one hell of a good ride. Plus, the event is a special flagship fundraiser for the Spearhead Huts Project.

This event premiered in 2013 and has been a sell-out success each year since – don’t miss out. Grab your tickets today.

Total
12
Shares
Share 12
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Avalanche Awareness
  • Jon Turk
  • MULTIPLICITY
Bradford McArthur

Previous Article
Ski picnic
  • CLIMBING
  • Skiing

A Mountain Lifers Guide to the Perfect Date  

  • March 7, 2019
  • Bradford McArthur
View Post
Next Article
  • THE GEAR SHED

Zenbivy Is Changing The Backcountry Sleep Game

  • March 9, 2019
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • The Great Outdoors
  • MULTIPLICITY

MULTIPLICITY: Greg Long Isn’t Backing Down From Anything

  • Ben Osborne
  • April 4, 2019
View Post
  • The Great Outdoors
  • MULTIPLICITY

MULTIPLICITY: Her First Responders Wrote Her Fatality Report, And Now She Is Back On Snow

  • Ben Osborne
  • April 1, 2019
View Post
  • The Great Outdoors
  • MULTIPLICITY

MULTIPLICITY: Raised By The Mountains

  • Ben Osborne
  • March 28, 2019
View Post
  • The Great Outdoors
  • MULTIPLICITY

MULTIPLICITY 2019: Meet The Man Who Walked Across Africa

  • Ben Osborne
  • March 15, 2019
Jay Demerit Portrait
View Post
  • MULTIPLICITY

World Cup Soccer Player with Most Grit – Jay DeMerit Multiplicity 2019

  • Bradford McArthur
  • March 2, 2019
View Post
  • MULTIPLICITY
  • Skiing

MULTIPLICITY 2018: Johnny Thrash, A Ski Bum’s Life of No Regrets

  • Ben Osborne
  • April 9, 2018
View Post
  • MULTIPLICITY
  • Mountain Biking

MULTIPLICITY 2018: Hans ‘No Way’ Rey, On Wheels, For Life

  • Ben Osborne
  • April 3, 2018
View Post
  • MULTIPLICITY
  • CLIMBING
  • The Great Outdoors

MULTIPLICITY 2018: John ‘Largo’ Long, What Does a Stonemaster Do for an Encore?

  • Ben Osborne
  • March 29, 2018
Featured Posts
  • Norco-Bigfoot2-fat-bike-winter-ride-MTB 1
    Gear Shed: Midwinter Picks
    • February 7, 2023
  • Skeena-Cat-Skiing-Northern-BC 2
    We Were Here
    • February 6, 2023
  • Mountain-Life-Coast-Mountains-Winter-2023 3
    ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue Out Now
    • February 3, 2023
  • Saint-Lawrence-ice-canoe-Jean-Anderson 4
    Jean Anderson: 40 Years of Ice Canoeing
    • January 31, 2023
  • CHOK-Images-RAB-Avril-2022 5
    Chic-Chocs: True Eastern Alpine
    • February 2, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • Life-Time-Grand-Prix-gravel-bike
    New Docuseries Profiles the World’s Elite Off-Road Cyclists
    • January 30, 2023
  • L'Hymne-des-Trembles-Laurentians-Quebec
    L’Hymne des Trembles: Uncompromising Laurentian Skiing
    • January 27, 2023
  • Fjallraven-Nuuk-Parka-daniel-blom-photo_jacket
    Gear Shed: Multisport Winter Roundup
    • January 26, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
There is a trend—mostly with tourism organizations and marketing departments, but travel journalists have been on board for a while now too… and the trend is to use the phrase “untouched wilderness” when writing about remote areas like the Skeena Mountains of northern B.C.
Help us wish ML Publisher @glenedwardharris a very happy, pow filled birthday! #mountainlifer
Live It Up EP 22 is OUT NOW!
NEW ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue is OUT NOW! 🙌
There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
With four decades of ice canoeing under his belt, Jean Anderson has dominated a sport that's unique to Quebec and that he helped shape.
Featuring three gravel and three MTB events, the series explores the intense competition and love of the sport among 60 of the world’s premier cyclists.
Winter commute with #mountainlifer @michelle_pittam ❄️🚵‍♀️🌲
@lhymnedestrembles.ca is no mirage. Set in the lush Laurentian forest, yet easily accessible (less than an hour and a half from Montreal), this luxurious ski-in ski-out residential resort by @groupebrivia is nestled at the foot of the Versant Soleil side of Mont Tremblant. The Tremblant region is a perennial destination for outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, and within the province, attracting 3.5 million visitors annually.
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

There is a trend—mostly with tourism organizations and marketing departments, but travel journalists have been on board for a while now too… and the trend is to use the phrase “untouched wilderness” when writing about remote areas like the Skeena Mountains of northern B.C.
Help us wish ML Publisher @glenedwardharris a very happy, pow filled birthday! #mountainlifer
Live It Up EP 22 is OUT NOW!
NEW ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue is OUT NOW! 🙌
There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.