GEAR:30

Avalanche beacons might not be as sexy as other ski & snowboard gear, but their proper use and design can be the difference between life and death. So we sat down with the co-founder of Backcountry Access, Bruce Edgerly, to talk about avalanche transceiver design, backcountry safety research, and the most important — yet often overlooked — aspects of a rescue.TOPICS & TIMES:BCA’s transceiver design philosophy + a new Tracker (1:21)Improving backcountry strategy & increasing your safety (7:24)Scenario: multiple burials (13:59)Ski media & backcountry safety (16:28)How old is too old when it comes to transceivers? (18:50)The changing backcountry scene (20:31) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Shaheen, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of their favorite new skis, then — in what might be our most anticipated review ever — Sam Shaheen gives us his honest, in-depth, pretty hilarious, and surprisingly insightful take on the dating app, Tinder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alaska is a place where your gear really needs to hold up. So we talk to Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound Ski Shop in Girdwood Alaska, about the trends he’s seeing in skiing and snowboarding; the gear with the most and the least durability issues; some of his favorite gear; the most Alaskan thing ever; and more.TOPICS & TIMESHow Powder Hound has evolved (2:30)Trending: Resort skiing vs. backcountry skiing (7:00)What gear are you most psyched on? (9:58)Ski boots: heat molding shells vs. traditional boot work (15:37)Favorite bindings? (19:53)Some favorite skis for Alyeska / AK? (24:29)Gear with the least & most durability issues (31:32)Eric’s take on “Bang for your buck” products (35:23)Favorite new outerwear (40:55)Powder Hound’s growing snowboard business (43:17)The most Alaskan thing ever (51:08) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blister editors Sam Shaheen, and Luke Koppa, talk about the enormous amount of new apparel that has arrived at our HQ over the past few weeks. Sam and Luke are both serious nerds when it comes to this stuff, and their conversation highlights a ton of new apparel, from crazy new tech all the way to head-turning casual pieces. Let the geek-out begin.TOPICS & TIMES:The most sustainable shoe ever? (2:15)Ultra-comfortable hardshells from Patagonia & Flylow (5:32)Super warm, super shiny, and super “extra” Mammut Anorak (14:24)What Holden’s Jacket has in common with wine corks (17:18)The recent anorak takeover at Blister (20:46)New Brand Alert: Forward (25:06)Update on the product Sam wanted to steal (27:58) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Prior’s head snowboard and ski shaper, Dominic Morin, about the origins of Prior, their philosophy of ski and snowboard shaping, their craziest designs, their new shapes for 19/20, and the legacy of Chris Prior.TOPICS & TIMES:The origins of Prior (2:15)Why Prior shapes cores by hand (3:43)What’s the craziest custom design you’ve done? (8:08)How do your snowboard designs influence Prior’s ski designs? (12:13)Why is there a wider variety of snowboard shapes than ski shapes? (15:38)The Prior CBC and Husume (20:23)The Prior Northwest 110 and 100 (26:06)Why Prior has several niche models (31:12)How does Prior respond to trends in snowboard shapes? (33:37)Chris Prior’s lasting legacy (42:21) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about next year’s lineup of skis; space movies; Ryan Gosling; Tyler Curle’s ski preferences; the “Google Bump”; and … more Ryan Gosling.TOPICS & TIMES:“Freestyle” collection: PB&J, Meridian, Wildcat 108, Deathwish, & Wildcat (5:00)The inspiration behind Moment’s space-themed 19/20 graphics (17:00)“Freeride” collection: Commander 98, 108, 118, & 124 (24:00)Moment team rider and ski builder Tyler Curle’s ski preferences (27:50)How the Commander 124 differs from the rest of the Commander series (36:20)Luke & Jonathan’s suggestions for alternative ski names (39:43)“Tour” collection: Wildcat Tour 108, Deathwish Tour, & Wildcat Tour (41:22)“Women’s” collection: Hot Mess, Sierra, & Bella (46:00)Moment’s collaboration with Google and the “Google Bump” (53:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re talking about a whole bunch of skis, including the new Line Outline and new Sir Francis Bacon; the new Nordica Enforcer 104 Free; the 4FRNT InThayne; and the J Skis Friend. We also talk a bit about Luke and Sam’s article on caring for outerwear; and Jonathan Ellsworth makes a quasi-apology / mini confession about his previous stance on lightweight, inbound skis. Finally, there is a MASSIVELY IMPORTANT teaser about a forthcoming GEAR:30 episode.TOPICS & TIMES:Line’s Outline and new Sir Francis Bacon (3:24)Nordica Enforcer 104 Free (11:33)4FRNT Inthayne (16:36)J Skis The Friend, 183 cm (19:29)Change in perspective on lightweight inbound skis (23:30)Luke and Sam’s article on outerwear care (26:10)Sneak peek of an incredible upcoming episode (30:10) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Outdoor Retailer / SIA show ended yesterday, so we sat down right after to debrief and discuss some of the most notable trends we saw, talk about the products we’re dying to try (and were most tempted to just steal), and some of the other odd and / or noteworthy people and things we saw at the show.TOPICS & TIMES:New trends in apparel and skis (1:10)What we’re most curious to try (8:29)Gear we’re most tempted to steal (16:31)Weirdest thing we saw (25:44)Swagger Award (27:05)Best graphics (30:57) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you one of the many people who have ever wished that your ski touring boots were a bit stiffer or more comfortable? Well then listen up, because the bootfitters at Pulse Boot Lab in Revelstoke have come up with a number of innovative ways to achieve both.TOPICS & TIMES:Pulse’s “mathematical” approach to bootfitting (2:12)The Pulse Fit Assistant App (5:26)New tools for shell modifications (8:30)Thermo-moldable vs. injection-style liners (11:12)Biggest trends in bootfitting (17:24)What is the Pulse Proflex? (18:48)And how exactly does it work? (22:24)Why did they choose to work with Pebax? (28:10)The Pulse ProFlex Kickstarter Campaign Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to K2 ski designer, Jed Yeiser, about the 13 new skis that make up K2’s brand new “Mindbender” series.TOPICS & TIMES:Background: the Mindbender series (2:55)The individual skis: Mindbender 85 (9:20)Mindbender 90C (10:50)Torsional stiffness and design controls (12:21)Mindbender 90Ti (16:50)Mindbender 99Ti (18:55)Mindbender 108Ti (22:40)Mindbender 116C (29:10)Mindbender vs the previous Pinnacle series (32:25)Men’s line vs Women’s line (35:03)New “Powerwall” Tech (38:10)Mindbender Jr. Ski (41:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the latest skis and outerwear we’re reviewing, including the Black Crows Corvus, Rossi Black Ops, Parlor Cardinal 90, Argent Skis Badger, Flylow Baker Bibs, and Patagonia Micro Puff Storm.TOPICS & TIMES:Rossignol Black Ops (1:40)Black Crows Corvus (6:35)Parlor Cardinal 90 (13:41)Argent Badger (18:51)Flylow Baker Bib (plus bibs vs. non-bibs) (21:33)Patagonia Micro Puff Storm (25:03) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caleb and Morgan Weinberg are brothers who founded Romp Skis in Crested Butte, Colorado, so we sat down with them at our headquarters in CB to discuss their backgrounds, what it specifically means to them to be a “custom” ski building manufacturer, how they ended up building skis for the 10th Special Forces Group, and more.Follow Romp Skis on InstagramTOPICS & TIMES:Finding their way to Gunnison / Crested Butte (1:18)Why the name “Romp”? (9:25)The early days: figuring it out (10:25)What does the word “custom” mean for Romp? (18:13)Their approach to shaping skis (29:35)Thoughts on ski weight & related tech (33:20)Building skis for the 10th Special Forces Group (42:35) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are making good on some past promises, so I sat down with Luke Koppa and Sam Shaheen at our Blister headquarters at Elevation in Mt Crested Butte. We start by talking about 3 skis that just missed the cut from earning a Best Of award from us this year. Then we turn to talk about a number of new skis we’ve been getting on or are about to get on, including the Folsom Trophy Carbon, Rossignol Black Ops 118, the HEAD World Cup Rebel i.Speed Pro, the Dynastar PR-OTO Factory, and the Moment Commander 98 and 108.TOPICS & TIMES:Prior CBC (2:06)Fischer Ranger 102 FR (5:00)Dynastar Mythic 97 (8:30)Folsom Trophy (9:10)Rossignol Black Ops 118 (9:53)Head Worldcup Rebels i.Speed Pro (13:05)Dynastar PR-oto (15:48)Moment Commander 98 & 108 (18:43)Blister Showroom (23:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not all gear is great — or even good. So today we’re discussing a number of intriguing products that turned out to disappoint. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re talking with the one and only Eric Hjorleifson about his brand-new boot, the Dynafit Hoji Free, what’s new with this boot, and how it differs from the current Hoji Pro Tour.Then you’re going hear Eric talk about trying to improve and refine the latest iteration of his favorite ski, the 4FRNT Renegade, and finally, we wrap up our gear geekery by talking a bit about outerwear and Eric’s work with Arc’teryx.And if you somehow missed it yesterday, we ran over on the Blister Podcast platform what was basically Part 1 of our conversation, where we talk to Hoji about his new film, “Hoji.”TOPICS & TIMES:Hoji on the Dynafit Hoji Free. (3:00)Differences between the Hoji Pro Tour and Hoji Free. (5:50)Did weight play a factor in designing the Hoji Free? (22:32)Hoji Free crampon compatibility? (27:12)What’s new with the 4FRNT Renegade? (30:55)The problem with updating for the sake of updating. (37:55)Does Eric geek out on outerwear, too? (43:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week we talked to Will Ritter, the founder of the biggest splitboard binding company in the world, Spark R&D, about the origin story of Spark R&D, and some of the milestones and setbacks that the company has achieved — and survived — along the way.This week we’re running Part 2 of our conversation, and Will and I discuss some of Spark R&D’s current products, discuss the old hard boots vs. soft boots debate, talk collaborating with companies like CAST Touring and 22 Designs, and using solar power at the Spark R&D factory.TOPICS & TIMES:Sparks’ new "Pro Series" of bindings (1:05)Should we expect any drastic changes in Spark's splitboard interface? (4:43)Thoughts on Karakoram’s new interface? (14:02)Hard boots vs. soft boots (15:48)Will the next biggest innovation be in bindings, splitboards or boots? (21:30)Spark's collaborations with CAST Touring, 22 Designs, Phantom, etc. (29:31)What’s the best question I haven't asked you? (35:54)Using solar power at Spark R&D (38:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Ritter is the founder of Spark R&D, the largest splitboard binding company in the world, and Spark R&D designs and manufactures all of their products in Bozeman, Montana. This turned into such an interesting conversation with Will that we are presenting it in two parts. Here in part 1, we talk about the history of Spark R&D, and whether or not you’ve ever ridden a snowboard, if you have ever thought about starting any company of any kind, listen closely, because I promise you that you will glean some very real insights into what actually goes into starting and running a company.And then we will be posting later part 2 of our conversation, where Will and I went deeper into Spark R&D’s specific products, we discuss hard boots vs. soft boots, how much room Will thinks there is for splitboards to improve, and more.But for now, let’s get the origin story of Spark R&D, and listen to Will kindly share some real words of wisdom for anyone thinking of starting anything.TOPICS & TIMES:Trick or Treating & the myth of the Sugar Sprite?? (1:44)When, where, and why did Will start Spark R&D? (3:48)The many products Will worked on as an engineering consultant (5:25)Working on the MFD ALLTIME touring binding with Jason Prigge (7:27)The move from consulting to factory production (10:06)The backcountry touring scene back when Will started Spark R&D (14:05)"Making One" - and other major milestones (23:35)How to have Zen get beaten into you (35:35)The state of Spark R&D today (46:35)STAY TUNED FOR PART 2... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blister editors Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, and Sam Shaheen talk about the making of our 18/19 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide, the current state of Buyer's Guides in general, some of the “Best Of” award winners, and our Product of the Year.And if you have any comments or questions about the Guide that you’d like to see us address on a future GEAR:30 episode, feel free to email us or leave a question in the comments section to this episode’s show notes on the website.TOPICS & TIMES:On the Print Buyer's Guide & Other News (2:12)Our Guide and the state of Buyer's Guides in general (5:31)Our Product of the Year (9:12)Some of our "Best Of" Award Winners (11:56)What we'll be discussing in Part 2 (29:06) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're discussing the wonders and weirdness of Interbike, 2018, with Blister's bike editor, Noah Bodman. Noah gives the rundown on Interbike's new digs (it moved from Las Vegas to Reno this year), what he saw, what he didn't see, and what he rode.And we open with Jonathan Ellsworth giving a bit of an update on our 18/19 Winter Buyer’s Guide, and revealing some sketchy details about his participation at Interbike last year.TOPICS & TIMES:Update on Winter Buyer's Guide (2:20)Confessions from Interbike, 2017 (4:00)Interbike's New Digs — from Vegas to Reno, NV (6:40)The new Pivot Shuttle and the predominance of e-bikes (8:20)Pivot 429 Trail (14:45)How this year's show compared to last year's (16:20)Dumb or Niche: folding e-fat bikes (20:05)Tariffs impact on Asian companies (20:45)Single bike racks are for the lonely and / or lazy (22:06)PRESENTING SPONSOR:750 Miles of Trail in Gunnison/Crested Butte, CO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Boston-based Parlor Custom Skis co-founder, Mark Wallace, about the origins story of Parlor; the very successful “Build Your Own Skis” class they offer; the new models in their 18/19 lineup — including Parlor snowboards and splitboards; and several trends on the East Coast ski scene.And if you’d like to hear Mark talk more about custom ski building, check out our Round Table on Custom Skis, which is episode #33 of the Blister Podcast.TOPICS & TIMES:Brief history of Parlor Skis (2:50)On Parlor's "Build Your Own Skis" class (8:21)18/19 Parlor Skis Lineup (19:58)"Project Warbird" (21:20)Naming skis (22:53)Working with titanal (24:47)The Cardinal Pro (26:59)The "Dad Skinner"?? (29:24)Parlor's New Snowboards (31:39)Trends in East Coast Skiing: backcountry skiing (34:15)East Coast Ski Width (36:54)EC Snowmaking (43:55)What's the best question I haven't asked you? (48:38) PRESENTING SPONSOR:750 Miles of Trail in Gunnison/Crested Butte, CO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back with round 2 of Bikes vs. Skis, where our bike editor, Noah Bodman, and I ask the question, “Which particular bike company is most like which particular ski company?”And the response to Bikes vs Skis, Part 1 certainly warmed our hearts, since we learned that a lot of you wonder about these sorts of questions, too. Noah and I talk about a number of your suggestions in this episode, so listen up to see where we think you had the better answer, and where we think you are clearly crazy.Here in Part 2, Noah offers his rather surprising vote for the “best looking bikes ever made"; we discuss which bike is the equivalent of the Moment Bibby / Wildcat / Blister Pro; and we give our take on another 20+ bike companies.TOPICS & TIMES:Which bike company is Moment Skis? (4:50)Santa Cruz (7:50)Yeti (9:16)Bike equivalent of Kaestle or Stockli? (10:40)What bike is the Moment Bibby Pro? (13:19)Commencal (22:39)Canfield (25:01)Devinci (26:30)Zerode (30:35)Surly (32:17)Salsa (36:40)Intense (39:38)Kona (43:59)Rocky Mountain (46:08)J Skis? (47:40)Knolly (51:09)Schwinn (54:57)Smaller indie bike vs. indie ski co's (57:15)Scott (1:02:30)KHS (1:08:34)Diamondback (1:11:25)GT (1:13:44)Mongoose (1:16:33)How to apply for Team Disappointment (1:20:30)RELATED LINKS:Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 2Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 2Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 2PRESENTING SPONSOR:750 Miles of Trail in Gunnison/Crested Butte, CO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk with DPS Skis founder, Stephan Drake, about DPS Dreamtime; the new DPS Wailer 110; the DPS Spoon, Lotus 138, and 124; and some very big news about DPS Phantom, the ski and snowboard base treatment that DPS introduced this past season.(If you’d like to learn more about Stephan’s own background and the history of DPS skis, you should check out Episode #38 of the Blister Podcast. And if you’d like to hear the conversation I had with Stephan about the introduction of DPS Phantom, check out Episode #59 of the Blister podcast.)Presenting Sponsor: The 750 Miles of Trail in the Gunnison Valley — Check out Outerbike in Crested ButteTOPICS & TIMES:Stephan's current ski testing (2:45)What is DPS Dreamtime? (3:22)DPS "Powderworks" - and the new DPS Wailer 110 (5:18)Clarifying the DPS framework: constructions & shapes (9:49)The DPS Lotus 138 (13:47)DPS Spoon (17:53)Lotus 138 vs. DPS Spoon (19:10)Lotus 124 vs. Lotus 138 (22:40)Cassiar 94 and Cassiar 79 (24:54)Big News about DPS Phantom (27:52) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which ski company is most like which bike company? Who is the Moment Skis of the bike world? And which ski company shares the most family resemblance with Yeti? Or Transition?Jonathan Ellsworth and Blister's bike editor, Noah Bodman, have been having this conversation for years, and they're now taking the debate public. So give it a listen, then let us know in the comments section of the show notes to this episode on the site where you agree, where you disagree, and where you've got the better analogies. Then in a week or two, we'll run Part 2 of this conversation, where we’ll share some of your comments and questions, and do another round of Bikes vs Skis.TOPICS & TIMES:Which ski brand is most like Specialized? (4:15)Evil & Transition? (8:48)Yeti (15:41)Santa Cruz (25:40)Giant (34:02)Trek (42:04)YT (45:55)Cannondale? (51:08)Ellsworth? (52:48)Pivot vs. Ibis, Transition, and Yeti (55:03)Preview of Part 2 of Bikes vs. Skis (59:25)RELATED LINKS:Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 2Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 2Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 2PRESENTING SPONSOR:The 750 miles of trail in Gunnison / Crested Butte Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk with Blister editors, Luke Koppa and Sam Shaheen, about the recent Alpenglow Mountain Festival and running with our hero, Courtney Dauwalter. Then we talk about some of the key things we learned during our ski testing this spring, including the correct thing to think about Domino's thin-crust pizza, dumb gear, and great gear.TOPICS & TIMES:Luke's recap of the Alpenglow Summer Mountain Festival (2:01)In praise of our hero, Courtney Dauwalter (4:02)Rants & Revelations from our spring ski testing - #1: Domino's thin-crust pizza (7:36)Recommendation #2: Primus Kuchoma Grill (11:05)On Hubris - groomers & pond skims (12:08)Rant #1: waterproof jackets: hard shells vs soft shells (19:05)Rant #2: socks (24:14)Rant #3: waterproof low-cut shoes (26:33)Recommendation #3: Patagonia's new R1 TechFace (28:18)Recommendation #4: the redesigned Flylow Richie Hoody (29:15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Ellsworth sat down with Mike McCabe at the Folsom Skis headquarters in Denver, Colorado, to dial in "The Hammer" that they have been discussing for a long time now, and that's based on the Folsom Primary Jonathan reviewed last season.They then talk about three other new skis that Mike's recently developed, the Spar 88, some new editions of the Rad Dad, and the Primary Plus. (You can see graphics for all these skis - including The Hammer - here on the site.)TOPICS & TIMES:Background on The Hammer (2:33)Folsom's new "Primary Plus" (11:14)Tweaks to the Primary to create The Hammer (12:08)The new Folsom SPAR 88 (27:06)New variation of the Folsom Rad Dad (31:09)More on the new Folsom Primary Plus (35:53) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Ellsworth and Blister senior editor, Sam Shaheen, discuss a number of new skis they've been reviewing recently, including two skis from Prior Skis — the CBC and the Husume. They then discuss the new Atomic Bent Chetler 100, the K2 Wayback 106, the Scott Super Guide 105, and Sam offers his thoughts on the ski that is serving as our reference ski for the lightweight AT binding comparison review we’re conducting, the Salomon MTN Explore 95.TOPICS & TIMES:Prior CBC (1:50)Prior Husume (7:44)K2 Wayback 106 (11:55)Scott Super Guide 105 (15:33)Atomic Bent Chetler 100 (16:47)Salomon MTN Explore 95 (20:01) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It seems like everyone who hasn’t been to Alaska dreams of going, and those who have been dream of going back. So today we’re talking about spring skiing and biking in Alaska with Eric Helmbrecht, the owner of Powder Hound ski shop in Girdwood, AK.Eric and I talk a bit about some of the inbounds and touring gear that he thinks works particularly well in Alaska’s maritime snowpack and unique terrain, and some of the boots and bindings that are coming out next year. Then, Eric provides a bit of beta on spring skiing and biking in Alaska, and we wrap up with some talk about the quickly-growing mountain bike scene around Girdwood and Anchorage.TOPICS & TIMES:Introducing Eric / starting Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK (1:05)What skis do you like for AK's snowpack and terrain? (7:32)AT boots - Scarpa Maestrale RS, Atomic XTD 130, Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro (19:14)AT boot liners (27:57)AT bindings (31:29)Beta on spring ski skiing in Alaska (38:31)Spring mountain biking in Alaska (46:04) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

G3 (aka, Genuine Guide Gear) is introducing a new touring binding — the Zed — that they’re calling the lightest fully-featured AT binding on the market. So we talk to G3’s engineers about their design philosophy and development process, current trends in AT bindings, and the compromises inherent in any AT binding.TOPICS & TIMES:Introductions (2:15)When did work begin on this binding, and what was the primary aim? (4:55)The “Dark Swamp of Despair” (8:03)The difficulty of naming products (11:09)The G3 ION as the precursor to the ZED (12:37)Cutting weight on the ZED (17:14)Why choose the ION over the ZED? (26:03)Why choose the Zed over "ultralight" bindings (29:07)Using ultralight bindings on wide skis (30:19)Carbon reinforced plastics (33:51)Current binding trends and U-Spring bindings (37:15)Understanding the inherent compromises in bindings (44:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We just finished testing a bunch of skis at Taos, and because of a closing-week snowstorm, we ended up getting on everything from very heavy, modified race skis, to a new, extremely light big mountain ski. So Blister editors Sam Shaheen and Luke Koppa join me to go over a number of the highlights, including the new Atomic Bent Chetler 100, the HEAD Supershape i.Titan, a new carver from DPS, the Black Crows Orb, and what might be my new personal favorite ski from Blizzard.TOPICS & TIMES:Shredding West Basin in a Hello Kitty onesie & snowblades (2:04)Atomic Bent Chetler 100 (5:48)Bent Chetler 100 vs. LINE Sick Day 104 (8:20)Renoun Citadel 106 (13:41)Blizzard Brahma (17:28)Update on the Fritschi Tecton (20:00)Black Crows Orb (22:15)HEAD SuperShape i.Titan (29:10)HEAD i.Speed Pro (33:10)DPS Cassiar 79 - “The Trainer” (35:34) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're talking about new backcountry gear and some of the changes to backcountry ski culture with the founder of Bentgate, Greg Floyd. Greg founded Bentgate in Golden, Colorado back in 1994, and Bentgate has become a cornerstone shop in the front range of Colorado for all things skiing and climbing.TOPICS & TIMES:How Bentgate got its start (2:20)How Greg has watched backcountry skiing culture change (6:05)Bentgate’s Backcountry 101 sessions (7:23)Sam Shaheen’s close call in Japan (19:04)Some of Greg’s favorite AT gear (23:25)Bentgate’s take on the Atomic / Salomon Shift binding (25:47)G3 Zed binding (28:07)Icelantic Skis (29:44)22 Designs bindings (31:04)Arc’teryx outerwear (32:00)Flylow Gear (33:36)Black Crows skis (34:32)Climbing skins: G3 vs. Black Diamond vs. Pomoca vs. Contour (35:31) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got 2 parts to this episode — first, I talk with Blister reviewer, Sam Shaheen, about the most unusual ski we’ve ever reviewed (and the ski that nearly caused Sam and me to fight), the Renoun Endurance 98. And then Sam and I wrap up with an update on the Scott Scrapper 115.Then I talk with Blister reviewers Sascha Anastas and Kara Williard about women’s ski boots and the problem it can be for good skiers (that happen to have small feet) to find boots that works for them. Having Sascha and Kara weigh in on this is great, since they are both good skiers, and Kara also happens to be very good bootfitter who works at the Boot Doctors in Taos Ski Valley. Sascha has just gone through a pretty extensive process of trying to find a new boot that really works for her, so she and Kara talk a bit about that, and why Sascha ended up going with the Atomic Hawx Ultra 110 W.TOPICS & TIMES:Renoun Endurance 98 (1:42)Scott Scrapper 115 (16:15)Sascha & Kara's backgrounds (19:30)Sascha & Kara on the problem of women's ski boots (24:50)Atomic Hawx Ultra 110 W (30:28) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ON3P is releasing their entire new ski line early next month. So we talk to ON3P founder, Scott Andrus, about this decision, then go over every ski in the 18/19 line, including what’s new, what's unchanged, and what’s so new and experimental that Scott didn’t want to talk about it. (But we got him to anyway.) And you can also see all the new 18/19 ON3P graphics in the show notes to this episode on blister.TOPICS & TIMES:Why release the new line next month? (03:20)Kartel 96, 108, & 116 (05:06)Magnus 90 & 102 (08:16)Wrenegade 96, 108, & 114 (12:41)New *Metal* Wrenegades (15:59)Jessie 96 & 108 (20:47)Women’s Billy Goat? (22:34)Billy Goat - and the 2 skis that originally inspired it (24:24)Graphics & Scott’s all-time favorite ON3P graphic (26:26)ON3P Kid’s Ski: the Charlie Murphy + Scott’s cats (31:45)ON3P snowblades & ON3P monoski? (34:15)Cease & Desist (35:36)The Super Goat (37:25)Experimental New Project - The St. Lucas (39:46)Touring Skis: available “Tour” layups of the Kartels, Wrens, and Billy Goats (46:58) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss a bunch of the brand new ski equipment we've been testing at Telluride, including the Line Sakana, ON3P Wrenegade 114, Faction Dictator 4.0, Rossi Soul 7, the new Atomic-Salomon SHIFT binding, and more.TOPICS & TIMES: A recap of Telluride, plus JE getting back on snow - and heli skiing (1:23)Rossignol Soul 7 HD & Blizzard Rustler 11 (5:00)Line Sakana (10:30)ON3P Wrenegade 114 (12:45)Faction Dictator 4.0 (15:00)Atomic / Salomon SHIFT MNC binding (18:55)Black Crows Daemon (23:20)Volkl Mantra M5 & Blizzard Bonafide (26:30)Renoun Endurance 98 (29:31)ON3P Kartel 108 (35:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to the CEO and head designer of Moment Skis, Luke Jacobson, about Moment's lineup for next season — what’s new, what's unchanged, and what's tweaked — and we cover everything from touring skis, kid's skis, women’s skis and even … the Chief Commander.TOPICS & TIMES:On Moment athlete - and current Olympian - David Wise winning X Games SuperPipe (1:12)The 18/19 Moment lineup: the revised Deathwish (4:55)Meridian 107 & 117 (10:18)PB&J - “unchanged but changed” (10:42)Wildcat & Wildcat Tour (13:08)Commander 98 and Commander 108 (17:06)“Women’s” skis - Hot Mess, Sierra, Bella (28:58)The Carson (and Zephyr) - Moment’s kid's ski (31:34)Touring Skis - Deathwish Tour 106 & Wildcat Tour (35:40)Meridian Tour (37:25)The Chief Commander! (40:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about some of the powder skis he’s been reviewing recently in Alaska and Japan, including the Faction Prime 4.0, the Black Diamond Helio 116, and the DPS Spoon.And then we talk to Jeremy Cole, owner of Alpine Sports, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is one of our Blister Recommended Shops. Jeremy and I cover 3 topics: new gear; some of his favorite price-point boots & skis, and some real-world issues surrounding boots, bindings, and bench test results.TOPICS & TIMES:Join us in Telluride the weekends of February 24, March 10, March 17 (2:11)Paul Forward on the DPS Spoon, Faction Prime 4.0, Black Diamond Helio 116 (3:01)Jeremy Cole, owner of Alpine Sports, Santa Fe, New Mexico (20:31)As a buyer, what were some of the most intriguing new products you saw at OR/SIA (21:52)Bang for the Buck: some of Jeremy’s favorite price-point boots & skis (27:02)Bench Test Results: real-world issues around boots + binding compatibility (32:41) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a roundtable recap from the Outdoor Retailer / SIA show in Denver with five of our editors and reviewers about some of the most interesting new gear we saw at the show.We hope you’d been following us along on instagram, because we put up about a hundred Insta stories that captured pretty well the highlights of what we were seeing. So if you aren’t following us on instagram, you can find us at @blisterreview.For this round table conversation, I was joined by reviewers Sascha Anastas, Kristin Sinnott, Sam Shaheen, and Luke Koppa. We talk about a ton of gear, so check our show notes to this episode (below) or on your phone if you want to jump around in our conversation.TOPICS & TIMES:Thoughts on the new combination of OR and SIA (2:10)Trade Show Awards - They're Still Dumb (7:00)Women’s ski trends (8:20)New developments from Gore (11:18)Tecnica’s new Zero G boots (14:00)Mogul Skis (16:48)Lightweight Inbounds Ski Boots: HEAD Kore LYT, K2 Recon 130, Hawx Ultra 130, Nordica Pro Machine (17:11)Lightweight AT Boots: HEAD Kore boot, Fischer Ranger Free, Rossignol All Track LT (20:48)Ski Bindings: G3 Zed, Marker Alpinist, Black Diamond / ATK (23:06)New Skis: Volkl Mantra M5, Rossignol Experience 94, Atomic Vantage 97, Armada Invictus 99, Blizzard Rustler 9 & Sheeva 9, Armada Trace 98, new Line Pandora (26:18)New Light & Playful Skis: Atomic Backland 107, Scott Scrapper 105, Atomic Bent Chetler 120 & 100 (31:16)Products We’d Most Want to Steal (33:11)Outerwear: the most intriguing pieces we saw (39:46)New Avi Pack: the Scott Backcountry Patrol AP 30 (46:15)This episode is presented by Marble Brewery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Black Crows co-founder, Camille Jaccoux, and head ski designer, Julien Regnier. Here, we get into the topic of women-specific skis, then go over what’s new in the Black Crows 18/19 lineup before it gets unveiled in Denver next week at the SIA tradeshow.You can check out Part 1 of our conversation with Camille and Julien about the history and trajectory of the Black Crows on the Blister Podcast (episode 64), and here is Part 2:TOPICS & TIMES:The Black Crows approach to “women-specific” skis (2:12)The Black Crows Arto and Vertis (12:50)The difference between the 16/17 Atris and the current Atris (13:27)Julien’s take on mount points (21:39)The redesigned Corvus (24:19)The redesigned Camox Freebird (25:45)The new Solis (26:55)Camille on the new Black Crows apparel (29:37)This episode is presented by Marble Brewery. Check out their Reserve Ale that we talk about in the intro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in 2010, Sebastian Steinbach had the crazy idea to go against traditional European ski culture and open a freeride-specific shop in Munich, Germany. Black Sheep Sports became one of the first dedicated freeride shops in Europe, and it has since evolved into one of the best freeride and backcountry shops in the Alps — which is why Black Sheep is on our list of Blister Recommended Shops.Blister senior editor, Sam Shaheen, was in Munich earlier this season to talk with Sebastian about how Black Sheep got started, the ski culture in Europe vs the ski culture in North America, and about some of Sebastian’s current favorite skis and boots for skiing in Europe.TOPICS & TIMES:Justin Bobb on his favorite Marble beer, Marble Red Ale (1:23)Why the name "Black Sheep"? (7:50)The crazy idea of opening a freeride shop in Europe (11:16)European race & ski touring culture vs freeride culture (14:56)Off-Piste Skiing & Resort Boundary Lines — US vs Europe (18:49)For skiing in the Alps, which skis & brands are you currently high on? (25:21)Which ski boots are you most excited about? (32:48)Interlude: Breakfast Beer! (36:12)Back to ski boots & ski bindings (36:48) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are talking about two new alpine-touring bindings from Fritschi, the Tecton 12, and the Vipec Evo 12. We’ve just put up full reviews of both the Tecton 12 and the Vipec Evo 12, and we wanted to go deeper with Blister reviewers Brian Lindahl and Cy Whitling about their experience with these new products, and how they would rank them against some of the the other most popular alpine touring bindings on the market.TOPICS & TIMES:Brian's extremely memorable tour on the Tecton (1:35)How Brian first got interested in the Fritschi Vipec very early on (3:00)A/B-ing the Tecton with the Marker Kingpin (8:15)A/B-ing the Tecton with an alpine binding (17:40)On the Fritschi Vipec Evo 12 (22:39)Updates to the Vipec Evo (24:43)Fritschi Vipec Evo vs. Dynafit Radical 2.0, G3 ION, and Marker Kingpin (27:38) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Volkl is unveiling today the new Mantra M5, the fifth iteration of the Mantra that Volkl originally released back in 2005. A lot has changed in skiing since then, but the Mantra is still one of the most recognizable and most iconic names in the game.Last month, Blister editor Sam Shaheen headed to Germany to ski the new Mantra M5, to tour the extremely impressive Volkl factory in Straubing, Germany, and to speak to two key designers at Volkl: Tobias Heil, the head of R&D at Volkl, and Dominik Grunert, the lead designer on the Mantra M5 and the women’s version of the Mantra, the Volkl Secret.This is a really fascinating conversation — and an extremely uncommon event. In 90+ years that Volkl has been around, rarely (if ever) has a review publication been granted this degree of direct access to Volkl R&D and Engineering, and Tobias and Dominik were extremely interesting, candid, and knowledgeable talking about the Mantra M5 in particular, and about the guiding design principles at Volkl in general.So you can check out Sam’s conversation with Tobias and Dominik here, then head over to blisterreview.com to read our accompanying writeup and Sam’s initial on-snow impressions of the new Mantra M5.TOPICS & TIMES:What were your trying to achieve with this 5th version of the Mantra, the M5? (2:28)Changes and the guiding design principles (3:38)History of the Mantra (6:55)Will this new shape and / or construction make its way into other Volkl skis? (9:35)The women’s version of the Mantra — the Volkl Secret (10:08)Which skis on the market is the Mantra M5 set to compete against? (12:20)Of the 5 different iterations of the Mantra, which are your personal favorites? (13:38)Dominik on the Volkl 100Eight (16:30)Rocker Profiles & Flex Patterns (17:50)Weight — what is Volkl’s position on construction & weight? (23:03)The possibility of bringing back a limited run of the metal Katana? (25:35)Predictions: where is ski design headed in the next 5 years? (28:15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new SHIFT MNC 13 from Salomon & Atomic represents a significant leap forward in binding design. Check out our conversation with Salomon's Cody Townsend Chris Rubens, and Benoit Sublet, and our initial on-snow impressions.TOPICS & TIMES:Introductions — Cody Townsend, Chris Rubens, Sam Shaheen, and Ben Sublet (1:58)What does this binding do, and what makes it different? (5:45)Which boots work with this binding? (11:15)"No compromise" safety (14:23)How & when did the idea originate, and why was it controversial? (15:10)How long has the current version of the binding been tested? (23:33)The big breakthrough: carbon-infused plastic (27:09)Downhill Performance: Salomon STH2 vs. S/LAB SHIFT (29:20)What was the most difficult element of this binding to design? (34:23)How the toe works (37:10)How often and in what scenarios will Cody & Chris use this binding? (39:40)Uphill performance (and why "touring steep is stupid" (47:48)Icing Issues? (52:08)Durability & the question of consumers as Beta testers (55:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the making of — and our takeaways from — our 17/18 Winter Buyer's Guide, including our "Best Of" awards, our Blister Spectrums, our ski quiver selections, and some of the strangest claims we saw in some of the other buyer's guides out there.TOPICS & TIMES:A very cool thing we did recently at marblebrewing.com (2:16)The blurring of ski categories (3:15)What we talk about when we talk about “Frontside” (8:56)The pros and cons of the growing category of “50/50” Skis (13:57)17/18 Season -- the year of the binding? (22:15)“Stated Range of Motion” numbers on AT boots & the Scarpa Freedom RS (23:07)Head-scratching claims we saw in other buyers guides about the Blizzard Rustler 10, J Skis The Metal, and ON3P Billy Goat (29:03)Our “Blister Spectrums” (35:37)Our Ski Quiver Selections in the Buyer’s Guide (38:19)The rationale behind our Blister “Best Of” Awards + some specific winners: Patagonia MicroPuff; Scarpa Maestrale RS; and K2 Ikonic 84 Ti (42:52)Almost “Best Of” Award winners: G3 SENDr 112, The North Face Ventrix (51:46) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dynafit is introducing today their new Hoji series of boots, so we went very in-depth with Hoji himself about the boot, what makes it unique, and what's potentially still to come. (And there's more information in the show notes to this podcast episode on our website.)TOPICS & TIMES:Welcome to our new GEAR:30 podcast (0:00)When and where the idea of Blister was born (1:10)What were the design aims of this boot, and what is unique about it? (2:52)The “PDA” design of this boot (15:42)The various iterations of the “Hoji” boot (18:07)Weight of the Hoji (23:32)The width of the boot + Hoji’s sizing recommendations (27:18)Fit of the Hoji Pro Tour vs. Fit of the Dynafit Vulcan (31:15)The buckles & ankle retention (35:30); Crampon Compatibility (39:58)Range of Motion - Forward & Rearward (42:05)Durability - Bushings & Cables (44:33)Hoji’s approach to boot testing (53:20)Where would you locate the Hoji among the Vulcan, Beast, and TLT 7? (1:00:15)Where would you locate the Hoji among non-Dynafit boots? (1:02:31)Flex of the boot (1:07:17)Why Eric thinks you should try skiing with your boots unbuckled (1:12:58)Any plans to work on a new AT binding? (1:16:05) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to GEAR:30. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.