We’re back with Eric Helmbrecht, co-owner of Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK, to discuss Alaska’s banner El Niño season; the gear he enjoyed most; the gear Kara Williard brought to Girdwood; what’s changed at Alyeska Resort since joining the Ikon pass; the reliability of various AT & alpine bindings, and more. RELATED LINKS: Shop Talk: Powder Hound, Girdwood, AK (Ep.133) Shop Talk: Celebrating 10 Years of Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK (Ep.222) Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Powder Hound Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Intro & Updates (2:36) Blizzard Anomaly 88 (9:50) K2 Omen Team (20:00) Blizzard Anomaly 94 (23:32) Armada Declivity X 102 & Declivity X 108 (33:58) Moment Commander 102 (40:46) Line Pandora 99 & Pandora 106 (49:14) Black Crows Corvus (57:38) Rossignol Sender Free 118 (1:03:57) Crashes &...

After years in the backcountry and a near-death experience, IFMGA Guide, Jeff Banks, wanted to build a tool that could simplify and improve the decision-making of any backcountry user. The result is Aspect Avy.  Kara Williard sat down with Jeff to discuss how this app compares to and complements other backcountry tools; key features such as Adaptive Slop Shading and “No Go Zones”; how it accounts for human factors; different types of risk; the general state of tech in the backcountry; and...

What’s in and what’s out in ski design? And how have U.S. ski companies been doing over the past few years? At Blister Summit 2024, we discussed this and much more with Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, and Icelantic Skis founder, Ben Anderson. We cover notable trends; why skis cost what they do; the challenges of manufacturing skis in the U.S.; whether a core-shot-proof ski is possible, and more. And, if you’d like to check out the video of this conversation, then head over to the BLISTER...

This week, Jonathan, Luke, Kara, Kristin, and JBobb were testing a bunch of skis, boots, snowboards, and apparel in Taos Ski Valley. But it was more than just a review trip, since it was also the first time back at TSV for several of us who previously spent many seasons there — which meant there were a lot of feelings. So in this conversation, we discuss a number of the carving-oriented and narrower all-mountain skis we were on this week; Luke’s food choices; the heated debate between Taos’...

Luke Koppa and Kara Williard talk with Trygve Sande, one of the founders of Vertical Playground (VPG), which is our Blister Recommended Shop in Oppdal, Norway, to get a read on the past, present, and future of backcountry gear. We discuss current trends; all-time pivotal pieces of gear; the most durable products; the easiest ones to use; gear that helps break down the barriers to entry; skiing in Norway; and last but not least, Trygve’s involvement and collaboration with Hoji and 4FRNT’s new...

Today we’re discussing current helmet technology, head injuries, and best practices for skiers & snowboarders with Blister reviewer (and physician assistant), Sascha Anastas; Sr. Director of R&D at Giro, Steven Kennedy; the CMO of MIPS, Frederik Kjellberg; and pro skier, Drew Petersen. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Boone Mtn Sports Get Covered: BLISTER+ VIDEOS: Blister YouTube Channel TOPICS & TIMES: MIPS Backstory & Purpose (4:28) Skull Fractures & Concussions...

Jeremy Jones was in town last week, so in addition to getting out on snow together, Jonathan and he sat down in Blister HQ in Elevation Hotel to talk about gear reviews; the biggest gear mistakes riders make; full-camber vs. no-camber boards; soft vs. hard boots (including Shane McConkey’s tinkering on that front); and more. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Willi’s Get Covered: BLISTER+ Jeremy & Xavier Nidecker on Re-Up Tech TOPICS & TIMES: Riding CBMR, CBMR Freeride Comp...

How should you think about ski boot flex patterns, and which one is “right” for you? For the latest installment of our “Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting” series, Kara Williard talks with bootfitter and Pulse Boot Lab’s Revelstoke store manager, Bryn Vickers, to cover the complex and often misunderstood aspects of ski boot flex.  We discuss how the ankle joint and an individual’s biomechanics are the most important pieces of the puzzle; what exactly boot “flex” even means when it comes to on-snow...

Luke Koppa sits down with Kristin Sinnott, Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb to do a bit of a recap on our 2024 Blister Summit, which took place in Mt. Crested Butte last week. We go over a few of the MANY highlights of the event, and then dive into a bunch of the standout products they were each able to try at the Summit. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Sturtevants Blister Summit 2024: A Brief Recap of an Epic Event BLISTER+ Membership: Sign Up   TOPICS &...

Kara Williard sits down with Katy Jackson, co-founder and CEO of our Blister Recommended Shop, Lone Pine Gear Exchange, to understand the logistics of running a robust consignment program; how to shop for and sell used gear; the importance of consignment for both accessibility and sustainability in outdoor recreation; gear repair; planting trees; how living off-grid led her and her husband to where they are today; and a whole lot more.  RELATED LINKS: Lone Pine Gear Exchange | 15% off your...

Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our Blister Labs’ ski flex project, and to explain how and why ski boots are becoming an integral part of this project, too. RELATED LINKS: Boone Mountain Sports OpenSnow Last Chance! Blister Summit 2024 BLISTER+: Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Scope of the Project (6:26) Dynamic Modeling (7:05) Machine Learning (17:50) Creating a Profile? (23:28) The Holy Grail Project & Ski Boots (28:18) Blister Summit / Blister Labs...

Luke Koppa, Dylan Wood, and Eric Freson join Kara Williard to talk about the epic storm cycle we recently had in Crested Butte, and the powder-ski testing that followed. We also discuss several of the new all-mountain skis we’ve been on lately; Dylan’s new favorite ski poles; a standout touring boot; 3D-printed custom goggles; and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls.  RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: Spokane Alpine Haus Join Us at Blister Summit 2024 Become a Member & Get Yourself...

Luke Koppa sits down with Kyle Siegel, the founder of Raide, which is one of the newest players in the backcountry softgoods category. They launched with a lightweight 40-liter backpack that immediately made a splash when it was released, so we sat down with Kyle to learn about how — and why — he started Raide. We cover the problems he’s looking to solve; how he went about doing so with the Raide LF 40 pack; we do a deep dive on some of the latest high-end, ultralight pack materials; the...

Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? What’s the difference between “advanced” and “expert”? Today, we’re following up on our GEAR:30 conversation with Luke Koppa (episode 277) to revisit these questions — having received a lot of great responses from all of you. Joining Jonathan today to rethink these things is Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7, to provide a retailer’s perspective on these things. See what you think, and let us know whether you...

Today, we’re following up last week’s episode, where we looked back at 2023’s “Gear Of The Year,” and we’re now looking forward to 2024. Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out,” what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and spin off into several other tangents. RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: OpenSnow.com/Blister Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Ep. 278: Gear of the...

Jonathan Ellsworth sits down with Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb to reflect on some of the standout products and notable trends that defined the past year in ski and snowboard gear.  So, what trend does Luke think is “the gear equivalent of superhero movies?” How many BOA dials has JBobb broken in a decade as a self-described BOA convert? What’s Kara’s pick for the “Not New But Still Amazing Award?” Take a listen and find out. RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: Taos Ski...

We just launched our new Blister Labs project, Blister Community Reviews, so Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss where it is today; how it will evolve; and some big questions like, how much info is too much or too little?; how to best define the difference between an intermediate, advanced, and expert skier; rating scale debates; and more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Video: Blister Labs Summit Panel Session GEAR:30 #257: Previous Labs...

Shane McConkey’s college roommate is back on GEAR:30, and Jonathan talks to Greg Klein (president of Willi’s Ski & Snowboard Shops) about all the stuff in the episode title, plus the $10,000 bet made at our Blister Summit that it looks like he’s won? RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 TOPICS & TIMES: Shop Pizza (4:02) Greg @ the White House / Sustainability (8:17) Ski Boots, Walk Modes & Winning Bets (22:04) The Future: Cables, BOAs, or...

Jonathan and Folsom Custom Ski’s Mike McCabe discuss the skinniest ski in the Folsom lineup, the Spar 78; Folsom’s new huge pow ski, the Rotor; and then they discuss a new custom touring-ski project for Jonathan, and dive deep into the various layup & core combinations one would use to hit certain weight targets. Our fellow gear dorks, you’re going to dig this one. RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: Powder7.com Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS &...

Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss getting back on snow, the best holiday of the year, ski boots, frontside skis, mountain biking in Nepal, engagement taco parties, and new apparel. RELATED LINKS: Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Blister Summit Update (0:00) Back on Snow (3:41) Ski Boots (12:16) Mtn Biking in Nepal (23:49) Frontside Skis (32:02) Apparel (50:01) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes...

What are some of the biggest mistakes skiers make when buying gear? And what do regular, recreational skiers & snowboarders need to know about ski tuning and waxing? Jonathan discusses these questions and more with Logan and Riley Boone of Boone Mountain Sports. They also talk about how they all met (it was in Austria), and Jonathan reveals the upcoming ‘Blister 90-Flex Challenge’. TOPICS & TIMES: Blister Summit Update (1:50) How / Where We All Met (8:09) Intros: Logan, Riley, &...

Jonathan talks with Ted Ligety (2x Olympic Gold Medalist & 5x World Cup champion) about his approach to gear; the specific gear he’s using today; how to best deal with flat light and low-vis conditions; his take on the current state of skiing and ski racing; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: How Do You Prepare & Train for Ski Season? (3:55) Ski Boots (11:25) CARV (18:59) Your Ski Quiver These Days? (35:07) Tuning & Waxing (37:32) Goggle Lenses for Flat Light (46:16) Current State of...

Jonathan was at the Parlor Custom Skis factory in East Boston to check out the factory and talk with Parlor owner & manager, Mark Wallace, about building custom skis in Boston; assessing skiers (and skiers assessing themselves); custom vs. semi-custom skis; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: What is Parlor? (4:46) Parlor’s Ski Building Classes (7:45) Assessing Skiers & Self Assessments (21:17) Fitting skiers into the right skis (23:27) Bringing Back Old Skis (30:15) Custom vs. Semi-Custom...