2019-2020 Faction Dictator 4.0
We’ve now had 3 reviewers on Faction’s big-mountain charger, the Dictator 4.0. Check out our full review for each of their takes.
Jonathan Ellsworth
New Skis, New Goggles, & Random Reviews (Ep.44)
Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about new goggles; new skis; which ski companies made the biggest impressions on us this season; funniest answers so far to our BLISTER Survey; and more.
Win Folsom Custom Skis / Blister Survey
A penny for your thoughts? How about a fully custom, $1300 ski for your thoughts? Fill out our survey to help us make BLISTER better, and you’ll be entered to win the Folsom custom ski of your choice.
We’re Hiring
We are looking to bring on an editor to direct the bike side of BLISTER. If you really know bikes and you really know how to write, learn more here.
Filmmaker, Sanjay Rawal, on the World’s Longest Race (Ep.2)
Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk with filmmaker, Sanjay Rawal, about a 3,100 mile-long race that takes place on a sidewalk in Queens, NY; the attempt to save the traditional ways of life of the San Bushmen of Botswana; the long-distance (and extremely consequential) rituals of a Buddhist monastic community in Japan, and a whole lot more.
Blister Speaker Series 1.3: Dan Abrams, Flylow (Ep.84)
Our 3rd Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University was with Dan Abrams, president and co-founder of Flylow. Dan gets into the details of running an outerwear company, and in doing so, offers insight into maintaining perspective while under pressure, how he approaches risky decisions, making the most of bad situations, and more.
New Gear + Sam’s Review of Tinder (Ep.42)
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.
2019-2020 Prior Husume
We’ve now had several reviewers on Prior’s all-mountain / big-mountain charger, the Husume, and you can now check out our full review.
Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable Products, with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound AK (Ep.41)
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 & least durability issues; some of his favorite gear; and more.
Michael “Bird” Shaffer on Old & New Ways of Experiencing the Mountains (Ep.83)
To be sure, a guy named Bird is going to see the world a bit differently. So we talked to Bird about growing up on a commune in Washington; falling in love with skiing; finding a home away from home in Chamonix; his passion for speed riding, better (and worse) ways of experiencing the mountains, and more.
Zoetica: Solutions to the Global Recycling & Trash Crisis (Ep.82)
Trash is a growing global crisis, and currently, the majority of “recycled” products are still ending up in landfills or being burned. So we discuss the crisis, the myths, and the solutions to these problems with the founders of Zoetica, who are working to help us rethink these issues and take concrete actions to address them.
Deep Dive: K2 Mindbender 108Ti
We compare the Mindbender 108Ti to the Blizzard Cochise, ON3P Wrenegade 108, Prior Husume, Folsom Hammer, 4FRNT MSP 107, Black Crows Corvus, Faction Dictator 3.0, Head Kore 105, Moment Commander 108, Nordica Enforcer 110, and J Skis Metal.
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What Makes Someone a “Runner”? (Ep.1)
In our inaugural episode of Blister’s new running podcast, Off The Couch, Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about their running backgrounds; their love / hate relationships with running; and Strava as a modern-day spiritual exercise??
Blister Speaker Series 1.2: Eric Larsen – Polar Adventurer, Expedition Guide, & Educator (Ep.81)
Last week we held our 2nd Blister Speaker Series event at Western Colorado University with Eric Larsen, a North and South Pole adventurer, expedition guide, author, and climate educator. Here is that conversation, where we talk to Eric about the importance of doing difficult things, perseverance, leadership, and more.
2019-2020 Armada Invictus 99 Ti
5 reviewers, 1 ski. We’ve now had a handful of reviewers on Armada’s metal-laminate Invictus 99 Ti, and you can check out our full review for each of their takes.
Kristen Ulmer on the Art of Fear (Ep.80)
Kristen Ulmer was once the best female big mountain skier in the world, and many regarded her as fearless. But she wasn’t fearless, and her ways of coping with fear took a heavy toll on her. Kristen has since become a specialist of this deeply misunderstood emotion, so we discuss how we can all develop a healthier relationship with fear in any and every area of our lives.
Moment Skis 19/20 Lineup (Ep.38)
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.
Introducing: Off The Couch
We are very excited to announce “Off The Couch” — a new podcast that will be taking a closer look at the wide, weird, and wonderful world of running.
Snowboarder Kelly Clark on Her 20-Year Career (Ep.79)
The winningest snowboarder in history, Kelly Clark, recently retired after an astonishing 20-year career of competition. So we talked to Kelly about that career; the new limited-edition “RISE” snowboard she designed with Burton; how snowboarding has evolved; her relationship with Chloe Kim; the mission of the Kelly Clark Foundation; her extremely important thoughts on “achievement” and “success”; and what’s next for her.
New Skis from LINE, Nordica, 4FRNT, and J Skis + a Confession & Sneak Peek (Ep.37)
We talk new skis from Line, Nordica, 4FRNT, and J Skis. Also, I share my change of heart over light skis, Luke and Sam discuss their new article on caring for your outerwear, and we give a sneak peek for our upcoming and very intimate episode of GEAR:30.