GEAR:30

Today we’re talking about one of the most important concepts in ski design: suspension. So what do we mean by “suspension”? Are terms like “plush” or “damp” synonyms, or are there important differences? And what are some of the best skis of all-time when it comes to suspension? Let the debate begin.TOPICS & TIMES:Updates & fake IG accounts (0:00)Suspension: concepts, terms, & questions (6:29)Our Mt. Rushmore selections (20:26)What We’re Celebrating (53:18)RELATED LINKS:Blister Summit VideosRossignol Black Ops Sender Squad Flash ReviewThe real BLISTER instagram accountThe real BLISTER facebook account Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa & Jonathan Ellsworth report on the new skis they’ve been reviewing from Black Crows, Salomon, Dynastar, Wagner, RMU, Moment, & more.TOPICS & TIMES:CB's closing day, Luke's diet, & more (0:00)Black Crows Mirus COR (8:35)Salomon Stance 96 (13:14)Dynastar M-Free 108 (19:31)Wagner Blister Summit 97 (22:40)RMU Apostle 3.0 106 (25:46)Moment Commander 98 (26:55)Pit Viper jeans (32:55)What We’re Celebrating (35:15)RELATED LINKS:Blister Summit Videos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our patron saint of GEAR:30 is back on the show today, and we talked to Hoji about the new Dynafit Radical Pro; how it compares to the Hoji Free boot; the evolution of the “Hoji Hole” testing prototypes; and more.TOPICS & TIMESThe new Dynafit Radical Pro (2:06)Updates to the Hoji Lock walk mode? (6:21)Radical Pro tongue update (10:12)Radical Pro vs Hoji Free (13:12)Hoji Hole & Skiing in the Future (15:55)Whistler lockdown, testing prototypes (19:06)More on the Hoji Hole (20:55)Hoji’s podcast recommendation (25:22)RELATED LINKSGEAR:30 ep.138: Escape Route director, James Reddy on the Radical ProBlister Summit Videos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sascha Anastas and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss a couple of new liners they’re reviewing: the Zipfit World Cup liner, and the Atomic Mimic Professional liner that Matt Manser and Jonathan talked about on episode #132 of GEAR:30.And be sure to check out the Blister Summit Panel sessions that we’re rolling out on our BLISTER YouTube channel. We just posted a conversation about Rossignol’s 21/22 lineup — and Rossi’s decision to retire their “7 Series” and the Soul 7, and what they are going for with the Black Ops series that replaces it.TOPICS & TIMES:Blister Summit Panels & Product Lineup Videos (1:20)Blister Recommended Shop: Escape Route (3:35 )Sascha: Zipfit World Cup liner (10:37)Jonathan: Atomic Mimic Professional liner (19:56)What We’re Celebrating This Week (28:50)RELATED LINKSEp. 138: Escape Route director, James ReddyEp. 132: Matt Manser: Atomic Mimic Professional LinerEp. 35: Zipfit founder, Sven CoomerBLISTER YOUTUBE CHANNEL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MADE is a new company that’s setting out to make custom technical apparel. Their 3 co-founders are all veterans of the technical apparel and outdoor industries, and Luke Koppa and I talked to Cheryl LeBarr, Capri Philip, and Dustin Butcher about why they started MADE and how they are making this happen. (And, of course, we argue about anoraks, too.)TOPICS & TIMES:Co-founder backgrounds (04:63)How did you all meet? (06:26)MADE’s mission statement (09:46)How do companies decide what’s a S,M,L,XL, etc? (10:23)MADE’s measuring process (13:49)Modular designs (15:16)When does MADE launch? (17:18)Who is the MADE customer? (19:34)Industry sizing standards — or the lack thereof  (21:27)Materials (22:43)Feature Sets (26:43)Anorak Fight! (30:49)Sustainability (37:03)Time from placing order to receiving product (39:34)Circularity (43:22)Inclusivity & removing the concept of gender (44:50)The present & future of MADE (47:07)What We’re Celebrating (50:36)RELATED LINKSMADE’s Indiegogo campaignBlister Recommended Shop: The Ski MonsterBikes & Big Ideas: Cassie Abel, Wild Rye Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’ve got another Shop Talk episode for you, where we speak with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics ranging from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves.James Reddy, the director of Escape Route in Whistler and Squamish, British Columbia, joins us to talk about Escape Route’s backcountry-only focus; the ski culture(s) of the Sea-to-Sky Corridor; elephant snot; the new Dynafit Radical Pro boot; the Fritschi Tecton; avy pack comparisons, and more.SPECIAL PROMO FOR OUR CANADIAN LISTENERS: Go to escaperoute.ca and enter the promo code “blisterreview” for $50 off your purchase of $200 or more! Good till 6.30.21TOPICS & TIMESEscape Route today (3:40)James’ background & history of Escape Route (5:51)Alpine Demo Center (12:46)Squamish vs Whistler: ski culture (21:17)Elephant Snot (23:07)Fritschi Tecton A/T binding (27:36)New Hoji walk-mode boot: Dynafit Radical Pro (36:16)DPS skis (41:40)Avy airbag pack comparisons (48:36)What We’re Celebrating (54:14) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luka Koppa, Sascha Anastas, Kara Williard, and Jonathan Ellsworth offer a bit of a recap of our inaugural Blister Summit in Mt. Crested Butte, then discuss a number of skis from 4FRNT, Rossignol, Wagner Custom Skis, Dynastar, Icelantic Skis, WNDR Alpine, and Folsom Custom Skis that we spent time on at the Summit. TOPICS & TIMESBlister Summit Recap (00:42)4FRNT MSP 99, 107, & MSP CC (13:50)The new 4FRNT Hoji (17:19)Dynastar MFree 108 - 182 vs 192 cm lengths (23:09)Rossignol Rallybird TI (27:26)Rossi Soul 7 vs Rallybird (29:10)Rossi Sender vs Sender TI (32:34)Wagner Skis’ custom ‘Blister Summit’ skis (36:49)WNDR Alpine Vital 100 & Intention 110 (45:50)Iclenatic Nia Pro (54:45)Folsom Cash 106 & Folsom Primary 104 (57:16)What We’re Celebrating (1:09:19) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’ve got another Shop Talk episode for you, where we speak with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics ranging from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves.Mark "Osman" Osell and Jeff Perry join us from Gear West in Long Lake, Minnesota. We talk about the Minnesota ski scene; the Gear West campus; dropping cliffs in the Iowa backcountry; the fantastic bike culture of Minnesota, and more.TOPICS & TIMESThe surrounding community & ski culture of Long Lake, MN (4:32)How covid has changed the dynamics at the shop (9:44)The Gear West “campus” (15:42)The progressive bike culture of MN (17:37)Dropping cliffs in the Iowa backcountry (19:56)“Dad boards” & the snowboard side of Gear West (23:48)The bike side of Gear West (26:41)What We’re Celebrating (32:46) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’ve got another installment of our “Reviewing the Reviewer” series, where we ask various BLISTER reviewers questions about their backgrounds and gear preferences to give you a more complete picture of the people behind our reviews. And since we like to rank & review things around here, we also give a score to each of our reviewers’ answers, then come up with a cumulative review grade for each of them. And in the hot seat today is our mountain bike and ski reviewer, Dylan Wood.TOPICS & TIMES:Dylan’s Dry February / Athletic Brewing (3:58)Dylan’s background (8:43)What sports did you play growing up? (9:42))How did you first get connected with Blister? (22:41)Injuries (27:46)Dylan’s bike & ski preferences (35:56)Who is your favorite reviewer at Blister? (40:35)Who is your favorite pro biker & skier? (41:56)What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? (45:14)What are you better at than Sam Shaheen? (54:07)What gear are you most & least picky about? (55:09)Top 3 favorite books, movies, and musicians (58:47)Random review (1:01:32)What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (1:07:11)What We’re Celebrating This Week (1:13:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our inaugural Blister Summit launches in less than two weeks! So Kristin Sinnott, our Blister Summit director, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about the origins of the idea, why we think it’s important; why we think you should come!; and we cover a ton of the details and logistics of this first-of-its-kind event in the snowsports world.TOPICS & TIMESOrigins of the idea for the Blister Summit (5:09)Collecting feedback from Summit participants (9:35)The Summit as a “Ski Tasting” event (13:15)Don’t be intimidated about providing feedback (16:25)Interlude: Baby Ski Quivers (22:30) Backcountry portion of the Summit (23:39)Which ski brands will be there? (31:50)Why launch the Summit this year? / Health protocols (33:03)Summit Swag! (40:45) What We’re Celebrating This Week (42:03)RELATED LINKSOutdoor Gear Exchange Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’ve got another Shop Talk episode for you, where we speak with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics ranging from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves.Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound Ski & Bike Shop in Girdwood, Alaska, is back on the show to talk about this season in Girdwood; Fizz Nation; some of the gear that he and his staff are particularly high on this season; and, of course, we had to talk about Juras.TOPICS & TIMESBlister Summit (1:38)Update on the season in Girdwood (2:50)Fizz Nation (6:42)Jura coffee makers (9:48)Gear they’re liking in Girdwood (14:13)What We’re Celebrating (40:32) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Product Manager of Atomic Ski Boots, Matt Manser, is back to talk about heel pockets and tongue volume and Luke Koppa’s feet and how plug boots are not a thing and Atomic’s new Hawx Ultra and their new “Professional” Series of Liners and Dual Straps.TOPICS & TIMES:Whiskey & Jonathan being late (4:63)Atomic’s new 21/22 Hawx Ultra (8:23)Atomic’s new Professional Series (34:08)Mimic Professional Liner (41:31)Tongue Volume (59:56)Professional Dual Strap (1:11:41)Heel Pockets (1:21:35)Plug Boots are Not a Thing (1:29:05)What We’re Celebrating This Week (1:41:05)RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Black Sheep SportsA Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 1: Plastics (Ep. 54)Part 2: Flex Patterns (Ep. 55)Part 3: Racers & Race Boots (Ep.60)Part 4: Liners, Ramp Angle, & Forward Lean (Ep. 88) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re talking with Megan Shenton, the head of the ski dept. at Outdoor Gear Exchange, about how this ski season is going so far in New England; the history of Outdoor Gear Exchange; some of her personal favorite gear and some of the OGE staff’s favorite products; and more.TOPICS & TIMESAbout Outdoor Gear Exchange (1:42)Burglington, VT (8:55)Backcountry Skiing & this ski season (9:56)EC skiing (20:53)Some of the OGE staff’s ‘go-to’ products (26:38)Adjustments OGE has made for COVID (41:44) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth offer their initial thoughts on the new Volkl Mantra M6 & Secret 96; reviewer, Drew Kelly (aka, The Hulk), makes his GEAR:30 debut to compare the Volkl Katana 108 vs the HEAD Monster 108 vs the Blizzard Cochise 106; Luke discusses some of the Movement skis he’s been getting time on; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Introducing: reviewer, Drew Kelly (3:09)New volkl Mantra M6 & Secret 96 (6:18)Volkl Katana 108 vs Monster 108 vs Blizzard Cochise 106 (12:05)Movement Alp Tracks 106, Go 106 Ti, & Fly Two 115 (22:19)What We’re Celebrating (26:40)RELATED LINKS:The Skier’s Sportshop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of the skis they’ve recently been testing; name some of the most surprising products of 2020 and some of the standout products of 2020; offer a few gear predictions for 2021; and end with what they’re celebrating this week.TOPICS & TIMESThe end of the Year of Ellsworth (1:15)Luke’s new diet (2:26)Renoun skis are still mind-blowing (4:36)New 4FRNT Devastator & Sego Big Horn 106 (10:50)New ski we can’t talk about yet (16:18)Elan Wingman 86 CTi (16:47)102 Wars: Ranger 102 vs. Mantra 102 vs. Stance 102 (19:15)Most Surprising Products of 2020 (28:05)Standout Products of 2020 (35:12)Gear Predictions for 2021 (39:18)What We’re Celebrating (50:36) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re talking with Chris Gerston, founder of Backcountry Essentials, talking about Bellingham; starting Backcountry Essentials; and some of the gear that he thinks works really well for skiing at Mt Baker and for volcano skiing.TOPICS & TIMESGear & Beer (4:14)Bellingham, Washington (6:20)If Mt Baker were a beer… (7:14)Starting Backcountry Essentials (8:29)Quiver Killers & Tele & Disco (15:40)Favorite products for Mt Baker & volcano skiing (19:27)RELATED LINKSSurvivor Endurance phone case Jonathan’s experience with the Survivor Endurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss several listener questions about ski quivers; 1-boot quivers; some game-changing news in the ski boot world; a number of skis, apparel pieces, and ski masks we’ve been testing; & what we’re celebrating this week.TOPICS & TIMESWatch the YouTube Video of this EpisodeMood Enhancers: Skiing & Georgetown Beer (2:45)Listener Questions: ski quivers (6:35)1-Boot Quiver (14:55)Game-Changing Ski Boot News (22:50)Skis we’ve been testing (28:00)Apparel we’ve been testing (45:54)Masks we’ve been testing (59:00)What We’re Celebrating This Week (1:05:10)RELATED LINKSSurvivor Endurance phone case Jonathan’s experience with the Survivor Endurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got another edition of Shop Talk for you, where we talk with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics that range from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves.Today, we’ve got Eric Gerrmann & George Michaelsen, two friends who started The Ski Monster. You can stop by their very cool shop located at 60 Canal St in Boston, Massachusetts, or you can check them out online at theskimonster.com.We talk about how George and Eric met; how getting fired - twice! - turned out to be a very positive development; the diverse customer base they serve; why ski shops ought to work to elevate the experience of purchasing all of this expensive gear; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:How George & Eric met (8:06)Origins story of The Ski Monster (16:19)Avoiding the “race to the bottom” (39:34)Handling negative feedback (48:33)GEAR (54:23)Serving new skiers (58:52)Testing the products they carry (1:08:55)Covid & going “by appointment only” (1:17:12)Wrap up (1:28:54)What We’re Celebrating (1:31:21)RELATED LINKS:blister.getspot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Blister reviewers Sascha Anastas & Paul Forward about their ski quivers; binding preferences; coffee in AK; your questions; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Sascha’s quiver selections (10:17)Sascha’s general take on bindings (23:45)Paul’s 18-month-old son’s ski quiver (30:51)Shocking coffee revelations about Girdwood, AK (33:24)Best pow ski, regardless of place? (39:43)Blister member questions (44:01)Paul’s 3-ski quiver (51:13)DPS Lotus 124 vs DPS Koala 119 (58:21)Bindings (another shocking revelation) (1:02:21)Paul’s 2-ski quiver (1:06:07)Paul’s 1-ski quiver (1:10:15)RELATED LINKS:blister.getspot.comBlister Recommended Shop: Gear WestBlister Alpine Bindings GuideBlister Lightweight Touring Bindings Shootout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the opening day of the ski season; approaches to building ski quivers; our specific selections; Luke’s latest rant; What We’re Celebrating; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Buttered Noodles & Air Fresheners (3:31)Opening Day! (11:04)Frontside Skis We’re Now Testing (17:21)*Our* Quiver Selections (19:26)Approaches to Building a Quiver (23:11)Luke’s 3-ski quiver (33:36)Jonathan’s 3-ski quiver (36:04)Rossignol Black Ops Sender Ti (38:12)K2 Mindbender 108 Ti (40:16)Luke’s Rant (42:42)What We’re Celebrating (45:39)RELATED LINKS:Our featured Shop: PowderhoundGEAR:30 Ep. 41: Eric Helmbrecht, PowderhoundOur 20/21 Winter Buyer’s GuideBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re talking with one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics that range from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the specific local community that each particular shop serves.Earlier this week I sat down in Blister headquarters with Tyson Stellrecht, the founder of Boise Gear Collective, to talk about the selling of both used gear and brand new gear; how it’s going with backcountry.com one year later; why Tyson isn’t moving into e-commerce; gear snobs; predictions for the upcoming season; and more.TOPICS & TIMESThe outdoor scene around Boise (5:12)backcountry.com - one year later (8:09)Tyson’s backstory & starting a used gear shop (14:16)The value of offering used gear & new & service (21:45)Why Tyson isn’t moving into e-commerce (24:40)Starting to sell new gear alongside used (33:17)Gear snobs (42:00)Predictions for the upcoming winter (50:34)What We’re Celebrating (59:40)RELATED LINKS:Blister Podcast ep. 109: Jason Blevins on backcountry.comBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you are a true gear head, you are going to love this conversation. And if you aren’t a full-on gear nerd but you’d like to better understand what “waterproof” really means, and when you should and shouldn’t worry about a 10k or 20k rating on the jacket or pants you are thinking of buying, then you also ought to listen to this conversation.Luke Koppa and I spoke this week with Michael Cattanach, who is the Product Design Director at Polartec. Polartec is a very interesting company with a hundred years of history behind it. But you might not be too familiar with them, since Polartec makes the textiles and fabrics that a lot of your favorite outerwear and apparel are made of, but they don’t make or sell the end products. In other words, Polartec makes the ingredients used to make your favorite apparel. And so today, we’re going to dive deep into the details about ingredients and textiles and fabrics, and Polartec’s history, and what Polartec is up to today.Now as we said, we do get into the weeds quite a bit in this conversation, so we strongly encourage you to check out the show notes to this episode, where we have listed a number of very relevant terms and definitions.TOPICS & TIMES:History of Polartec (2:48)Michael’s background (6:52)History of NeoShell (8:44)Hydrostatic Head Pressure (14:31)MVTR & RET Tests (and see our Show Notes!) (18:34)Handfeel (28:53)“Electrospun” membranes (31:45)Polartec Power Shield Pro vs Neoshell (36:48)Being an “ingredient” brand (47:010Product control & Polartec’s Apex Awards (51:29)Polartec Power Fill, Alpha, & Power Air (59:20)Fleece, Microplastics, & Sustainability (1:03:13)Polartec.com - see the brands working with Polartec (1:10:32)RELATED LINKS:Show Notes —  Important Terms & Definitions Our “Outerwear 101” articleOur “Outerwear 201” article Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the highlights and big takeaways from our new Winter Buyer’s Guide. We’ll talk about some of our Best Of award winners; whether or not the 20/21 crop of ski gear represents a step forward; and more. Then we answer a lot of the questions you submitted.TOPICS & TIMES:Luke’s soap (2:49)Our 20/21 BLISTER Buyer’s Guide (5:47)“Rounded” Flex pattern (8:50)Volkl Mantra 102 & Katana 108 (15:24)Majesty Superwolf (21:35)Salomon QST 99 (22:35)Dynastar Menace 98 (27:00)Your questions (33:49)Where did the name Blister come from? (44:59)What do I need to do to work for Blister? (50:28)Coffee makers! (1:00:45)What We’re Celebrating (1:20:33)RELATED LINKS:Watch on our YouTube channelOur featured Shop: Backcountry EssentialsOur 20/21 Winter Buyer’s GuideBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’ve got another edition of Blister Shop Talk, where we check in with one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on topics that range from universally applicable, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on the particular, local communities that they serve.Bentgate is an outstanding shop located in Golden, Colorado, and our guest today is John Weir. John and I talk about fitting AT boots; the rise of splitboarding; John’s (really good) predictions for this upcoming season; some of the precautions and protocols that Bentgate is taking and putting in place this winter; a lasting (positive) effect that COVID may have on the bootfitting process; and more.TOPICS & TIMESBackground on Bentgate (4:58)Backcountry boots: “Comfort Performance” fit?? (6:59)Prediction #1: upcoming season (10:38)The rise of splitboarding (14:59)Prediction #2: avy courses (19:39)Prediction #3: snow dynamics (29:33)What’s Bentgate doing different this season? (37:35)What We’re Celebrating (44:51)RELATED LINKS:Become a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We sat down in Blister HQ with Cody Townsend to talk about coffee makers, bindings, beacons, terrain management, mortality, movies, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Coffee Makers (9:29)SHIFT binding (14:40)Bindings in general (27:02)Movies (38:17)Tech bindings (46:33)Beacons (56:12)Terrain management & avalanche education (1:06:55)Topics for future conversations (1:20:18)What We’re Celebrating This Week (1:23:53)RELATED LINKS:Blister Podcast: Cody Townsend, Blister Speaker SeriesOff The Couch Podcast: Cody Townsend Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you know about Alpaca wool? And how well do you know the ins and outs of manufacturing in Peru? We talk about these things and more with the founders of Arms of Andes, which is a company that makes outdoor clothing from Royal Alpaca wool that is single-sourced and produced in Peru. We discuss the characteristics and benefits of Royal Alpaca wool; the traditional method used to collect the wool; their commitment to (and the unique challenges of) manufacturing in Peru; what they’re doing to try to be one of the most sustainable clothing brands in the world; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:What is Arms of Andes? (3:38)More specifics of Alpaca Wool (13:28)Manufacturing in Peru (21:00)Types of Alpaca Wool (31:32)Arms of Andes product line (36:25)Where to Purchase (40:59)What We’re Celebrating (42:41) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got Folsom Skis CEO, Mike McCabe, back on the show to catch us up on what’s been going on at Folsom; the PPE equipment they’ve been making; their lineup for the 20/21 season; and more. Mike also flips the script and asks me how things have been at Blister, and we wrap with what we’re celebrating this week. I also provide a quick update on the status of our 20/21 Winter Buyer’s Guide. TOPICS & TIMESUpdate on our Buyer’s Guide (1:52)Update on Folsom (5:53)PPE (6:57)Folsom’s Pop-Up Shop in Aspen (17:31)Who is the Folsom customer now? (22:33)Spar 88 (27:45)Spar 78 (37:15)Spar Turbo (43:21)“Favorable” Rocker (47:54)Primary 104 (51:40)Touring Constructions (55:36)Mike’s question for Jonathan (58:37)What Mike’s celebrating this week (1:00:56)What Jonathan’s celebrating this week (1:03:42)RELATED LINKS:icelab.co - Come live & work in the Gunnison Valley!GEAR:30 ep. 66: Folsom Skis & the new Blister Pro 104GEAR:30 ep. 19: Dialing in "The Hammer" + other new Folsom SkisBlister Podcast ep. 33: Roundtable on Custom Skis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Black Sheep Sports is a freeride shop in Munich, Germany, and we talk to its founder, Sebastian Steinbach, about this past ski season; his predictions for the upcoming ski season in Europe — and whether we’ll see a backcountry boom in Europe? We then talk about the critical art of customer service; why friends shouldn’t tell friends to just “Go buy this boot”; and more. Order our 20/21 Winter Buyer’s GuideTOPICS & TIMES:Black Sheep Sports: Background (7:25)Last Season Recap / Pandemic (11:28)Predictions for the upcoming European season? (17:35)The crucial art of customer service (31:57)“Local shops” vs “Great local shops” (47:29)What We’re Celebrating (1:10:34)Check out our other GEAR:30 conversation with Sebastian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For some time now, Faction has been one of the hottest brands in skiing. But how much do you actually know about the company? This week we are talking about the history of the brand, some key moments in the company, and some big recent changes; you’ll hear what it’s like to go skiing with and design skis for Candide Thovex; and we go over Faction’s lineup for the upcoming season. We’re joined by Faction engineer, Daniel Tanzer; product manager, Josh Cohen; and North American marketing manager and mono ski advocate, Hank Lampert.TOPICS & TIMESHow do you describe Faction? (3:05)Introductions: Hank, Josh, Daniel (4:32)Changing factories and turning points in Faction’s history (11:21)Designing skis with Candide  (19:38)20/21 Lineup: Dictator series (33:03)Agent Series (47:06)Prodigy and Candide series (51:40)Le Mono (55:01)Le Machine (57:45)Le Mogul (1:00:33)Final Thoughts (1:05:54)What We’re Celebrating (1:07:25)CHECK OUT: blister.getspot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, it was announced that Jason Levinthal had sold 4FRNT Skis. So we talked to Jason about how this deal came about; learn the background of the new leadership group at 4FRNT; ask what the group does and doesn’t intend to change about the brand; and more.BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: blister.getspot.comTOPICS & TIMESSale of 4FRNT (3:33)4FRNT introductions (5:16)What are the opportunities for 4FRNT? (32:22)Pricing of skis (36:14)4FRNT athletes (42:18)Jonathan’s new role at 4FRNT (51:24) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Northern-Michigan-based Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis co-founder & product engineer, Jeff Thompson, about their 20/21 lineup; their unusual “nanoMag” construction; and more. Then Luke Koppa talks about skiing pow this week (??) in Crested Butte.TOPICS & TIMESMaking Faceshields & Skis (6:21)Background of Shaggy’s (9:04)Does your MI location influence your design? (11:16)General characteristics of Shaggy’s skis (13:07)Fat Tips (14:27)Shaggy’s Graphics & Custom Graphics (17:16)Build Option #1: standard (19:18)Build Option #2: mid-light (20:12)Build Option #3: nanoMAG (21:08)Build Option #4: carbon (28:21)Ahmeek 95, 105, & 115 (33:47)Brockway 80, 90, & 100 (40:37)Belle 80 & 90 (46:01)Medora 95 & 105 (49:16)Sarge 95 (51:48)Tubby 120 (53:25)Phoenix 105 Carbon (55:46)What We’re Celebrating (1:02:24)BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: blister.getspot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not all bikes or skis are equally good at all things — and the same goes for protective face masks. So we talked with Alex Lauver and Kat Schoewe of Outdoor Research about what type of masks are the most and least effective; how Outdoor Research’s work on medical-grade PPE has influenced their commercially available Essential Face Mask; we make some predictions about the upcoming ski season; and more.TOPICS & TIMESAlex & Kat’s backgrounds (3:34)History of Outdoor Research (6:41)Current state of PPE? (10:06)Differences in protective coverings (11:50)When to wear masks? (35:36)The future of masks(41:34)Predictions on this coming ski season (50:59)What We’re Celebrating This Week (56:37) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, is back on the show to talk with Jonathan Ellsworth about the 20/21 lineup. Come to learn what’s new, stay for all their arguments and tangents.[Note: Luke accidentally says in the conversation that the previous (19/20) Commander had a -10 cm mount point; it actually had a -8 cm mount point.]TOPICS & TIMESGeneral Update (1:33)Commander Series Updates (7:25)Base material nerdery (24:55)Sidewall nerdy (33:07)Wildcat Series (35:24)Interlude: Ski Length (36:57)Touring Skis (45:56)Women’s Skis (48:34)Comi (51:14)Frankenblade (52:42)What We’re Celebrating (58:05) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Voormi is not interested in being just another outdoor apparel company. They develop their own textiles inhouse; they manufacture in the United States; and they’ve got some big plans. So we sat down in Blister HQ with Timm Smith, their head of materials development, to learn more about the Voormi story and where the brand is heading.TOPICS & TIMES:Voormi’s origin story (2:02)Materials (11:19)Highlighting some specific products (19:43)Manufacturing Processes (25:21)River Run Hoodie (26:17)Voormi Socks (31:46)Manufacturing in the USA (36:45)“Responsible” production (39:04)Where will Voormi be in 10 years? (47:30)WATCH THE VIDEO ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Sterbenz, Pep Fujas, and Xan Marshland came to Crested Butte and sat down with us in Blister HQ to fill us in on WNDR Alpine’s new materials, new updates to the Intention 110, and their brand new ski, the Vital 100. And you’ll also hear some stories about Matt and Pep competing in slopestyle events against each other back in the day, and more.To learn more about the WNDR Alpine backstory, check out these other conversations we’ve had with them:Blister Podcast, Ep. 98: Origins & science behind WNDRGEAR:30, Ep. 63: Ski talk with Sterbenz & XanBlister Podcast, Ep. 100: Pep Fujas on how & why he got involvedTOPICS & TIMESWNDR Alpine’s background (6:55)What’s been easy, what’s been hard? (16:54)Greenwashing (19:47)Updates to the Intention 110 (30:01)New Vital 100 (41:27)Vital 120? (45:57)Fujas vs. Sterbenz in slopestyle comps (50:40)More on the Vital 100 (56:55)The WNDR Roost event (1:01:19) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Ellsworth talks to David Golay, Dylan Wood, & Luke Koppa about the Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana; Manitou Mezzer & RockShox ZEB; Rocky Mountain Instinct BC; our 20/21 Winter Buyer’s Guide (become a Blister Member to reserve your copy + get a ton of other benefits); and … ‘The Year of Ellsworth.’TOPICS & TIMESGuerrilla Gravity Gnarvana (5:43)Manitou Mezzer & RockShox ZEB (8:00)Rocky Mountain Instinct BC (17:33)Our 20/21 Winter Buyers Guide (28:10)2020: The Year of Ellsworth (34:33)Buyer’s Guide Cover (38:18) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Normally on GEAR:30 we dive deep into the details of specific ski, apparel, or bike equipment. But this week, we’re taking a close look at a massive emerging category — CBD products in general — and one specific company in particular, Aprch. And to walk us through some of the relevant science, regulations, production processes, and the trajectory of this industry, we’re talking with Aprch co-founder, Adam Hunter.TOPICS & TIMES:Origins of Aprch (4:58)Defining Terms (10:07)Marketing this product? (24:06)Price (29:38)Production Process (36:09)Bubbles! (37:44)Future of Aprch & this industry? (41:37)LINKS TO LEARN MORE:• CBD Researcher, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam • Article on Dr. Mechoulam's research findings regarding CBD and potential benefits Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our “Reviewing the Reviewer” series, we ask various BLISTER reviewers questions about their backgrounds and gear preferences to give you a more complete picture of the people behind our reviews. And since we like to rank & review things around here, we also give a score to each of our reviewers’ answers, then come up with a cumulative review grade for each of them. In the hot seat today is Kristin Sinnott, and I recently subjected Kristin to our regular gauntlet of Reviewing-the-Reviewer questions, which led to answers that involved Family Feud, killer bees, ski dance videos, her background in alpine and nordic skiing; and some of her gear preferences. TOPICS & TIMES:Kristin’s background (4:39)What sports did you play growing up? (7:04)Trajectory after college (17:11)How did you first get connected with Blister? (21:48)Why are you so picky about certain foods? (25:54)What gear are you most & least picky about? (28:05)Who is your favorite reviewer at Blister? (30:30)Who is your favorite pro skier? (32:24)What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? (35:03)What are you better at than Sam Shaheen? (41:45)Top 3 favorite books, movies, and musicians (43:38)Give us a random review (46:33)What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (49:16)What we’re celebrating (57:28) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristin Sinnott and Justin Bobb join Jonathan Ellsworth to talk about some of the kid’s gear they’ve found to be the most game changing. And even if you don’t have kids, you should still definitely listen to this episode if only to learn about a piece of gear that we’ve currently named, “The JBobber.” And there’s another piece of equipment that currently has a unanimous approval rating among our Blister parents, and might be the single greatest piece of kid’s gear of all time? Check it out.TOPICS & TIMES:Patagonia Daily Sun Hoody (5:00)The JBobber (6:47)Baby Carriers (10:24)Mac Ride (12:18)What We’re Celebrating (16:24) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kingswood Skis is a custom indie ski manufacturer based on the South Island of New Zealand, and we caught up with Kingswood founder, Alex Herbert, as the southern hemisphere ski season is getting underway to talk about ski materials, sidewalls, cosmetics & construction, base material thickness, and Kingswood’s rather unconventional Race Department.TOPICS & TIMES:New Zealand & Covid-19 (2:09)The southern hemisphere ski season (8:41)The quick Kingswood backstory (15:31)Ski materials (17:09)Sidewalls & cap construction (25:13)Cosmetics & Ski Repairs (28:20)Base material thickness (32:57)Ski shapes (39:59)Being 100% made to order (49:26)Kingswood’s Race Department (53.08)What We’re Celebrating (56:53) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth answer your questions and discuss our preferred gear for skiing funky spring / summer snow; what we’re reading; ski knickers?; mountain bike shoes; ski boot liners & durability; and more. TOPICS & TIMES:On our current state of affairs (1:03)Eating Food vs Photosynthesis? (6:33)Ski-Touring Knickers? (10:07)How long should a ski boot liner last? (13:7)What is Jonathan reading? (19:44)The best type of ski for funky, summer snow? (24:36)Mtn Bike Shoes (30:40)Climbing Skins 101 - upcoming article (34:06)What we’re celebrating (34:38) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re talking with the founder of ON3P Skis, Scott Andrus, about the new ON3P lineup for the upcoming season. There is a lot of new and interesting stuff going on at ON3P, and we break quite a bit of news in this conversation. Check it out.TOPICS & TIMES:How are things in Portland, OR? (2:19)The movie Dead Alive (4:17)ON3P’s new cores (6:36)Directional: Wren 102 Ti & Wren Pro (9:52)All-Mountain: Woodsman & Mera series (14:47)Freestyle: Jeffrey & Jesse series (18:56)Park: Magnus series (23:15)Touring Skis (26:03)50/50 Skis (Custom) (31:16)What else? (34:26) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast, we got the backstory from 28-year-old Adam Miller about his founding of Borealis Fat Bikes, Why Cycles, and Revel Bikes, and you can hear the whole fascinating backstory on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast, episode #25.And today we are airing the 2nd half of our conversation, where Adam dive deep into the details about Revel’s new wheels — that he claims are the strongest wheels on the market — and this thing they’re using called “fusion fiber.” We talk about what it is; why Adam believes these wheels are the strongest; their recyclability; the unique production process; other applications of fusion fiber, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Materials & Adam’s background (2:20)Types of carbon fiber (5:57)Testing prototypes (13:20)What is Fusion Fiber? (15:37)Recyclability of Fusion Fiber (18:54)The claim: strongest wheels on the market (21:53)Development & production process (28:08)Other potential applications of Fusion Fiber (31:56))Environmental considerations (36:34) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In celebration of episode #100, of course we had to have Hoji back on, our patron saint of GEAR:30.We discuss all the tinkering he’s been doing during quarantine; what ski gear has the most room for improvement; snowmobiles; climbing skins; the Pomoca & 4FRNT collab; monoskiing; and then one of the best big-mountain skiers of all time talks about one of the greatest basketball players of all time.TOPICS & TIMES:What have you been up to? (7:52)What gear have you been tinkering with lately? (9:46)What ski gear has the most room for improvement? (13:10)What other outdoor gear has room to improve? (18:04)Snowmobiles (23:50)Climbing skins (30:15)Pomoca & 4FRNT collab (38:34)Still skiing with your boots unbuckled? (49:57)Hoji on monoskiing, teleskiing, noboarding & snowblading (54:14)Hoji on Michael (1:01:05) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What outdoor gear is in need of the biggest improvement? How old is too old to try your first backflip? If you had to opt for skis that are too long or too short, which would you pick? What should I do with my life? How does one start reviewing for Blister? Could you please provide an unbiased review and comparison of the Blister Membership, Deep Dive Subscription, and Blister Premier Membership? Luke Koppa and I answer these and many more.TOPICS & TIMES:Jonathan’s review of PBR’s Hard Coffee (2:35)Skis, Ski Length, & Ski Brands (12:38)What gear needs the most improvement? (24:25)What’s your favorite quarantine apparel? (31:45)How old is too old to try your 1st backflip? (34:24)Preferred conditions to monoski? (36:25)Best anorak of 20/21 (38:24)What makes you happiest? (43:00)Deep Dive vs. Blister Membership vs. Premier? (53:05)What should I do with my life? (1:06:15)How do I review for Blister? (1:09:00)Luke’s review of Beastie Boys Story (1:13:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our “Reviewing the Reviewer” series, we ask various BLISTER reviewers questions about their backgrounds and gear preferences to give you a more complete picture of the people behind our reviews. And since we like to rank & review things around here, we also give a score to each of our reviewers’ answers, then come up with a cumulative review grade for each of them. In the hot seat today is mountain bike and ski reviewer, Eric Freson, and Luke Koppa and I recently subjected Eric to our regular gauntlet of reviewing the reviewer questions, but we also threw in a few questions specifically for Eric, including, How many times have you broken your neck? The story behind his co-founding the freeride team at Western Colorado University? And, of course, we ask him about a couple of Freson-isms, like “torksmash” and “smoking rocks.” You can also watch the video of our conversation on our Blister YouTube Channel. TOPICS & TIMES:Eric’s background (3:26)What sports did you play growing up? (7:50)Broken Neck? (16:30)How did you first get connected with Blister? (25:35)Eric’s bike & ski preferences (33:15)Who is your favorite reviewer at Blister? (42:50)Who is your favorite pro biker & skier? (45:00)What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? (49:22)What are you better at than Sam Shaheen? (53:55)What gear are you most & least picky about? (54:40)Top 3 favorite books, movies, and musicians (1:00:09)Give us a random review (1:05:03)What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (1:10:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mystery Ranch has a long history of working with and making packs for the US military, fire departments, and law enforcement. They also make everything from backpacks for everyday use, to packs for backcountry skiing, and the company has quite a unique culture. So we sat down with product designer, Alex Rich, to discuss what it’s like to design packs for US special forces; how their military designs trickle down to outdoor packs (and vice versa); how their design ethos reflects their sustainability culture; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Starting on the production floor (2:00)Durability & designing for the military (5:55)Resisting lightweight pack design (8:52)Durability & Weight: what’s the future look like? (10:20)“Supportive” vs. “Light” (11:50)Why designing for hunters is so difficult (13:45)Working with Special Ops (14:40)Urban Assault Daypacks (24:12)Saddle Peak Pack for resort skiing (29:25)Durability & Sustainability (40:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Koppa, Jonathan Ellsworth, and Luke’s mustache discuss the pros and cons of a number of current AT bindings, including the new Marker Duke PT, the SHIFT binding, Daymaker Alpine adaptors, frame bindings, and tech toe bindings. They then discuss four new touring skis: the J Skis Slacker, Sego Condor, 4FRNT Raven, and Volkl Blaze 106. Then it’s time to talk Tiger King.TOPICS & TIMESUpdate: Luke’s mustache & cooking skillz (3:20)Marker Duke PT (8:12)Duke PT vs. SHIFT binding (11:08)Daymakers (and Frame Bindings) (22:53)Marker Kingpin & other tech bindings (31:28)New J Skis Slacker (42:28)A Rant (46:00)Updated Sego Condor 108 (49:12)Updated 4FRNT Raven (50:56)New Volkl Blaze 106 (53:51)Tiger King: Our Review (56:35) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since we now have to learn how to tele ski and shoot a tele video, we’re crowdsourcing a crash course in telemark technique (see Blister Podcast episode 125) and in telemark gear. So here in Tele Gear Part 1, we’re talking again with the artist, Geoff McFetridge; Flylow Gear co-founder and president, Dan Abrams; and Blister reviewers Paul Forward and Kristin Sinnott.TOPICS & TIMES:Geoff McFetridge (2:42)Dan Abrams (21:25)Paul Forward (30:50)Kristin Sinnott (42:26) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reviewers Paul Forward, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about the signs we’re going stir crazy; Shane McConkey’s Volant Spatula vs. other modern pow skis; the DPS Koala 119; the new LINE Vision 118; our current nominations for best underwear; Luke’s new mustache; and more.And you should also listen to this Bikes & Big Ideas episode, where Jonathan Ellsworth talks to several outdoor-industry companies that have pivoted to fight COVID-19.TOPICS & TIMES:Our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast (0:21)Our next Listener Appreciation Video (1:57)Signs we’re going stir crazy (5:50)McConkey’s Spatula (14:59)Houdini Anorak (29:20)Spatula vs other pow skis (33:25)Clarifying Terms: “Spines” & “Cliffs” (35:10)Reverse camber skis (40:30)Line Vision 118 (43:39)DPS Koala 119 (49:40)Best underwear nominees (56:40) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.