You've seen them online, but who is Thrashing Thursday
Courtesy photo Marty Gibson (left) and Mitch Alexander, collectively known as Thrashing Thursday, have made their adventurous exploits a weekly highlight for many people on social media. They are also a little goofy, as you can see from this photo, which was taken last year on Silver Mountain.
OSBURN — Over the past year, Mitch Alexander, along with Marty Gibson, has been entertaining Facebook views with their Thrashing Thursday exploits and adventures.
This week, both Alexander and Gibson stopped by the News-Press office to be the guests on the SNP NOW podcast.
“We started the Facebook page a year ago and this thing has kinda taken off,” Alexander said. “Thrashing Thursday is an adventure day, whether it’s skiing, hiking, fishing, really any kind of outdoor pursuit. Because Marty and I work so much indoors, when we do get a day off, we try to take advantage of it.”
Originally it was Alexander and his friend, Harris Lane, but Lane moved and Marty had recently joined them for an adventure and was a natural fit with the group.
“It just worked out,” Gibson said. “Two guys who work at the same place, have the same days off, and like to do the same stuff. It’s been pretty cool.”
Together the two of them have become almost must-watch TV with their adventures, which include a weekly ski-report from whichever mountain they happen to find themselves on top of.
Both of them work at Dave Smith Motors, and while they are thankful for their jobs, the industry is one that can keep you from taking time off due to the seeming constant amount of work that is available to do.
“We were working like 240 hours a month,” Alexander said. “We knew we needed to take charge of our days off to really make the best of it. We work behind desks, so we don’t get a ton of sunshine and air.”
Both Alexander and Gibson enjoy the outdoors, but the adventures they go on are best done in tandem, both because of safety reasons and because it’s simply more fun to do things with someone as opposed to being alone.
Thrashing Thursday was integral in putting together the Shoshone News-Press special Hike and Bike publication, which was essentially a trail guide written by Alexander based on many of his and Gibson’s adventures.
That publication highlighted many of the beautiful mountain lakes — complete with stunning photos — and even rated them on degree of difficulty for people who wish to attempt the journey themselves.
Being adventurous doesn’t come without its dangers though, in fact just ask Gibson, who might need to get a hospital punch card for all of the work he had done.
“At the end of last ski season, both of my ankles and knees were hurting, I actually went in and had MRIs done on both because I could barely walk,” Gibson said with a chuckle. “Thankfully they ended up healing themselves, I never had to follow up with a doctor, although I’m still paying that MRI bill.”
Both men really like pushing themselves during these adventures, hiking at a breakneck pace, skiing the fastest and most difficult runs they can get their skis on, but they also enjoy taking their wives along when they want to go for a picnic or even stopping and taking a soak in some hot springs.
As the Thrashing Thursday following grows, Alexander has expressed a desired endgame for his passion project and that would be to begin his own local guide service.
“I would like to possibly start a guiding business to where we’re guiding people on some of these adventures,” Alexander said. “Maybe in our retirement, we could earn a little extra money and show some people some of these beautiful places.”
Gibson is all about living life to the fullest, which means that he is up for any adventure as long as it gives him that opportunity.
“I’m just in it for the fun to enjoy my day off,” Gibson said. “We’ve talked about maybe getting some GoPros and, you know, creating a YouTube channel in the future, but yeah, I’m just in it for the fun and to enjoy myself. I just want to live every day to the max.”
Follow Thrashing Thursday on their Facebook page and to hear the entire SNP Now interview, visit shoshonenewspress.com under the SNP NOW tab.