So who was really behind the creation of BLISTER, how did the whole thing get started, and was it actually due to a misunderstanding over a couple of beers on the weekend of Independence Day, 2010? Today, Jonathan Ellsworth and Michael Clarke discuss all of the above, as well as giant tortoises, some keys to long-lasting friendships, and more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Michael’s Role In Blister’s Existence (and Tortoises) (3:18) Michael’s Skiing...

Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, is back to discuss the ongoing feud I have with him; media coverage of the eclipse; two stories from the soon-to-be-released MG #201; what we’re reading and watching (including Bluey, Road House, and why Rogge often tells people to watch the movie, Cocktail with Tom Cruise), and more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Our Ongoing Feud (3:34) Media Eclipse Coverage (11:17) Last Issue: #200 (15:24) Next Issue: #201...

At our Blister Summit, Angel Collinson, Mallory Duncan, Elyse Saugstad, & Vasu Sojitra shared stories about their all-time favorite days in the mountains; their scariest experiences; times they were the most starstruck; what they wish they could tell their younger selves; and more. Watch on our YouTube Channel. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Sturtevants Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Watch on our YouTube Channel TOPICS & TIMES: How’d You Get into Skiing? (3:31) All-Time...

Cody and Jonathan discuss the end of The Fifty; the Crankworx riders’ strike; JHMR’s parking lot controversy; the all-drugs-are-legal Olympic Games; the ‘Road House’ remake; & more. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: vpg.no Get Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Catching Up, Cody’s Next 3 Months (0:00) The End of The Fifty? (7:35) Crankworx Canceled / Riders’ Strike (16:22) JHMR “Parking Hack” (41:26) The Enhanced Games (55:51) Ullr Sighting (1:10:18) What We’re Reading &...

What should we do to most significantly and quickly improve the current climate situation? Should we all be pooping in buckets? At Blister Summit 2024, I had a conversation with Amie Engerbretson (Atomic); Dr. Len Necefer (Founder, NativesOutdoors & the Sonoran Avalanche Center); and Jake Black (Sr. Director of Programs, Protect Our Winters) to address this and a whole lot more. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Lone Pine Gear Exchange BLISTER+ Membership: Learn More & Sign...

After they competed in last weekend’s FWT Challenger stop in Crested Butte, Britta Winans, Colton Shaff, Mia Winans, and Tyler Curle sat down with us to peel back the curtain on the current freeride competition scene and discuss how the skiing and riding have evolved; differences between the FWQ and FWT events; their personal favorite moments from this season + personal favorite riders, and much more. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Gear West BLISTER+ Membership: Learn More &...

Today we are talking about an often overlooked — and sometimes looked down upon — form of self-expression in freeriding and freeskiing: fashion. Our guests are professional skiers Hadley Hammer and Kellyn Wilson, the founders of TOGS, which is a new project dedicated to widening ski culture and making it more acceptable for each of us to be our full selves. RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Backcountry Essentials Get Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Hadley and BLISTER+ (7:41) What is...

Trevor Kennison, Teton Brown, Cody Townsend, & Hoji swap stories about their experiences in the mountains & more. RELATED LINKS: VIDEO VERSION: Blister YouTube Blister Recommended Shop: Bluebird Mtn Sports OpenSnow Get Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: The Epic Story of Hoji’s Hat (4:21) Teton Brown’s Story (12:05) Cody: Favorite Day (or Trip) in the Mtns? (18:52) Trevor: Skiing Rambo (22:58) Trevor’s 1st Trip to Japan (24:58) Teton’s Most Memorable Line (25:43) Skiing Big Lines...

The Natural Selection Tour, created by Travis Rice, is one of the most innovative competitions out there. Top snowboarders openly covet an invite, and top skiers openly talk about how they’d love to someday compete. And with two Natural Selection Duels events taking place during our recent Blister Summit, it was a perfect chance to talk about Natural Selection and the future of comps with the Olympic & X Games gold medalist, Red Gerard; the legendary T. Bird (Tom Monterosso); and the CEO...

As people who love the outdoors, why can’t we just steer clear of the often gross world of politics and let other people deal with that stuff? Jason Blevins (co-founder, Colorado Sun) discusses this with 3 people who will make the case and are setting the example for the rest of us: Caroline Gleich (professional ski mountaineer & U.S. Senate candidate), Nina Waters (athlete, creative, & Summit County commissioner), & Dr. Len Necefer (founder, Sonoran Avalanche Center & Natives...

Last week at our Blister Summit, Cody and Jonathan recorded their first episode of Reviewing the News in front of a live audience, and it was great. Enjoy! RELATED LINKS: Get Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Cody Should Quit the Fifty (7:07) “Underground” Ski Instructors (19:13) Most Canadian News (28:03) Killington & 20+ Lost Skiers (31:14) Mountain Town Advice (40:31) NFL / Super Bowl Talk (45:32) Audience Questions (49:16) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister...

Blister Summit 2024 kicks off this Sunday. So Jonathan talks with our Blister Summit Director, Kristin Sinnott, about the latest details; the things they’re most excited about; and more. If you’re coming to the Summit, listen up. And if you’ve never been, this conversation should help you understand why the Summit is our favorite week of the winter. RELATED LINKS: Powder7 Taos Ski Valley Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Current Conditions, Etc....

Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest athletic achievements in outdoor sports in 2023; Caroline Gleich’s run for the U.S. Senate; ski area & ski media business models; mountain town advice, the Most Canadian News; & more. RELATED LINKS: Moment Factory Store (Reno, NV) OpenSnow.com/Blister Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Live Taping of Reviewing the News (00:30) Cody’s December (6:31) Biggest Athletic Achievements of 2023 (11:08) Ski...

Many of us have daydreamed about starting our own ski or snowboard company, but what’s it like to actually do it? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? We sat down with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more. RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: CARV Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: CARV (1:33) Blister Summit Update...

Once again, we are sharing some of our team’s highlights and new year’s resolutions. This is a fun one, and it certainly fills out the picture of the people behind all of our reviews, videos, articles, podcasts, and Blister Summit events. And then tomorrow on our CRAFTED podcast, you’ll get to hear our reviewers talk about the hobbies and crafts they adopted in 2023. (I guarantee that some of the answers will surprise you — perhaps especially, Dylan Wood’s.) RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor:...

What things should you consider when you’re wondering about turning a passion into a career? Should you pursue your passions at the cost of relationships? How do you say No to someone if they aren’t the right fit for a project? Angel Collinson is back on the show to dive deep into the topics of passion, curiosity, and boundaries, and how they relate to our favorite pastimes, our careers, and our relationships.  RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: Willi’s Ski & Board Join Us! Blister Summit...

Last week, we had one of the most accomplished athletes of all time come to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series. And it was quite an opportunity to get to pick the brain of Courtney Dauwalter and get her thoughts on life and the limits we tend to place on ourselves; her approach to training and competition; how she goes about setting goals; and more. Ultimately, while we’ve watched Courtney’s staggering achievements as she crosses finish line after finish line, setting...

Cody and Jonathan discuss the 1.1 *trillion* dollar outdoor industry; e-bike bans?; the business of retro sneakers / retro skis; Cody snowboarding; the Most Canadian News; mtn town relationship advice; the greatest burn in the history of Reviewing the News; & more. RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: Bluebird Mountain Sports Episode Sponsor: OpenSnow.com/Blister Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Join Us! Blister Summit 2024 TOPICS & TIMES: Update on the Blister “100” (4:32) Blevins’ Corner:...

Today we are talking about weather forecasting — as well as finding your people in this dark, cold, and sometimes lonely universe — with two of the weather forecasters from OpenSnow, Bryan Allegretto and Evan Thayer. We discuss last season’s historic winter; how much stock you ought to put into ‘El Nino / La Nina’ predictions; whether the stated snowfall amounts at various ski areas are fake news; all the ingredients that go into the creation of snowfall; and more. TOPICS &...

Jonathan and Blister reviewer (and guide, doctor, and bow hunter), Paul Forward, discuss Paul’s first day of the ski season; their recent, respective injuries; Paul’s favorite ski movies; why we need to broaden the tent of who — and what — counts as, “the outdoor community,” and they discuss some ideas and practices that the broader outdoor industry should probably adopt. TOPICS & TIMES: Paul’s 1st Day of the Ski Season (3:16) Injury Updates (6:44) Paul’s Favorite Ski Movies (9:51) The...

Today, Angel Collinson and Jonathan discuss an experience that every single one of us will deal with at some point in our lives: grief. It’s a topic that we don’t talk much about in outdoor media circles — how to process it, how best to help others who are grieving, etc. And yet, for reasons that are rather painfully obvious to the outdoor community, we clearly need to. TOPICS & TIMES:  Why We’re Talking about Grief (4:46) Defining Grief (7:34) Why Now? (11:55) Healthy Grieving...

Last week, Trevor Kennison & Level 1 founder & director, Josh Bermann, came to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series for a follow-up conversation about their new film, Full Circle. We discussed what life’s been like for both of them since the film premiered; we take questions from the audience; and Trevor answers the big question: is he glad the injury happened? We’ll also be posting a video of this Speaker Series conversation, so if you’d like to watch while you...

Cody and Jonathan discuss the latest FIFTY film, Comstock, and the conflict that lies at the heart of the FIFTY Project; FIS vs POW; a new division of Blister called, ‘Blister Cinematic’; bigfoot & aliens; the Most Canadian News; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: The 100, etc. (6:35) Cody’s lastest FIFTY film, ‘Comstock’ (13:43) Follow Up: New Ski Areas (30:03) FIS vs POW (34:02) Blister Cinematic & Blister Awards (50:16) Bigfoot? (1:03:46) Most Canadian News (1:11:42) Mountain Town...

What goes into getting a ski area ready for opening day? We discuss snow making, maintaining & operating chairlifts, and ski area culture and sustainability with Taos Ski Valley’s chief operations officer, John Kelly. TOPICS & TIMES: John’s role at TSV (4:57) Starting out as a Lifty (5:12) The lead-up to opening a ski area (6:56) Early season snowmaking variables (10:40) How snowmaking has evolved (14:18) Why do lifts end up closed? (18:27) Catering the ski experience to folks from...