The Guide Life with AMGA President, Angela Hawse (Ep.85)
Angela Hawse is the president of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), and is certified to the highest international mountain guide standards. We talk to her about how she got into guiding; the various roles she has taken on in her career; what advice she would offer to aspiring guides; her company Chicks Climbing and Skiing, her work with POW Climb, and 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cody Townsend on The FIFTY Project (Ep.78)
We talk to Cody Townsend about his massive new undertaking to ski 50 classic North American lines. We discuss his approach to the project; how it’s going so far; dealing with its incredibly tricky logistics; which lines are the most daunting; the line he’d just skied; what gear he is using; and more.
Blister Speaker Series 1.1 – Brendan Leonard, Semi-Rad.com
We just held the inaugural Blister Speaker Series event at Western Colorado University with Brendan Leonard — author, filmmaker, and creator of semi-rad.com. So here is that live conversation where we talk with Brendan about work, work ethic, creativity, and how to keep from compromising your vision in whatever field you are passionate about pursuing.
Ski Mountaineer Greg Hill on “Progress, not Perfection” (Ep.76)
We talk to Greg Hill about the new Canadian chapter of Protect Our Winters, his take on how to address “eco-anxiety”, backcountry ski guiding and safety, and more.
HOJI on “HOJI” (Ep.75)
Few people are so good at what they do that they can have a film made about their life and career while they’re still in the middle of both. But Eric Hjorleifson is one of those people, so we talked to Hoji about the new Matchstick movie and more.
Elyse Saugstad, Big Mtn Skier (Ep.74)
We talk with Elyse about filming the new MSP movie, All In; growing up in Alaska; her work with Safe As Clinics; figure skating and fantasy football (?); and the value of repeatedly finding new ways to challenge yourself.
Julian Carr on Big Mtn Running & Massive Cliff Jumping (Ep.73)
We talk to Julian Carr about his series of big-mountain “adventure” races, the Cirque Series; on the preparation and state of mind required to send massive cliffs; and how his company, Discrete, has evolved over the past 10 years.
Product Innovation at Patagonia, with Glen Morden (Ep.72)
Glen Morden has an extremely cool job — he’s the head of Product Innovation at Patagonia. So we talked to Glen about his background and how he got this position, then Glen pulls back the curtain on the product design process at Patagonia, what he and his colleagues are currently most concerned with, and what sorts of projects are on the horizon.
Bullying in Outdoor Sports: Reactions & Responsibilities (Ep.71)
Last week, professional climber, Sascha Digulian, announced that she has been bullied for years by a fellow pro climber. A firestorm of responses ensued, and sponsorships were terminated. So we discuss why this is more than just some isolated issue in the climbing world; whether the brand sponsors did the right thing; and what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate responses — by each of us — to situations like this.
Climber & Filmmaker, Renan Ozturk, on MOUNTAIN (Ep.70)
We talk to Renan Ozturk, principal cinematographer of MOUNTAIN, about this film, what makes it truly unique, what he hopes the takeaway of the film will be, and his own evolving relationship to the mountains.
Sego Skis Founders: Tim & Peter Wells (Ep.69)
We talk to Sego Skis’ founders – brothers Tim and Peter Wells – about the backstory of Sego; manufacturing in Victor, Idaho; their 18/19 skis, women’s line, and working with Lynsey Dyer; and Sego snowblades.
Venture Snowboards: Building in Silverton, CO (Ep. 68)
We went to Silverton, Colorado, to talk to the founders of Venture Snowboards about how & why Venture does things different from most snowboard companies; building boards from scratch in Silverton; “greenwashing” in the snowsports industry; current trends in board design, and more.
Rethink Everything: Renoun founder, Cyrus Schenck (Ep.67)
Cyrus Schenck is the founder of Renoun, and a ski designer with an award-winning technology that’s used by no other ski manufacturer in the world. Cyrus is thinking big. And definitely outside of the box. And definitely not just about skis…
Greg Hill & Chris Rubens’ Electric Adventures (Ep.66)
We talk to Greg Hill and Chris Rubens about their latest “Electric Adventure,” their efforts to balance a love of the outdoors with the impacts we have on our environments, and their new film, The Curve of Time.
New York Times sportswriter, Karen Crouse (Ep.65)
We talk to Karen Crouse about her new book on the history and principles of the Olympian incubator town of Norwich, Vermont; the current state of the Olympics; and how all-time achievers like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods have informed her thoughts on the price of greatness.
Black Crows Skis – Camille Jaccoux & Julien Regnier (Ep.64)
We talk to the co-founder and the head ski designer of one of the hottest brands skiing, Black Crows about the origins and design principles of the brand, a few of the important skis in the history of the company, and what’s next.
Matt Manser, Atomic Ski Boots (Ep.63)
We talk to the global product manager of Atomic ski boots about how a kid from a little town in New York got that position, how his study of philosophy helped him get there, the design decisions behind the Atomic Hawx Ultra & Ultra XTD boots, and more.
Backcountry Travel & Wilderness Medicine (Ep.62)
What items should you be carrying with you, and what do you need to know before venturing out into the backcountry in the first place? We discuss backcountry travel and wilderness medicine with Blister reviewer, AWLS instructor, and physician Paul Forward.
Danny Davis on Peace Park, the Olympics, and More (Ep.61)
We talk to Danny Davis about the upcoming Peace Park 6; why Peace Park should become a new discipline; “technical” tricks vs. “stylish” tricks; the Olympics; and the need for a unified snowboarding tour; and Danny’s growing passion for splitboarding.
Scott Gaffney – Skier & Director, Matchstick Productions (Ep.60)
We talk to one of the most accomplished ski movie directors of all time about working with legends like Shane McConkey; his favorite Matchstick Productions films; and the most mind-melting sessions he ever witnessed.
DPS Phantom & the End of Ski Wax (Ep.59)
DPS Phantom is a new product that claims to eliminate the need to ever again wax your skis or board. Sounds crazy, so we talked to DPS founder, Stephan Drake, and Jeff Bates, the technological developer of Phantom, to have them explain how this is possible.
Claudio Caluori on Redbull Rampage, DH, & the Meaning of Life (Ep.58)
You know him from his course previews of Redbull Rampage and WC DH, but you don’t know Claudio like this. We discuss Rampage, this past DH season, soccer, life, China, Elon Musk … and pretty much everything else.
Wagner Custom Skis founder, Pete Wagner (Ep.57)
We talk to Pete Wagner about why the “indie” ski scene is so confusing; the Wagner factory and the unique connection with Telluride; what about their ski-building process that Pete is most proud of, and more.
Camo is the New Black: Interbike 2017 (Ep.56)
On location in Las Vegas, we talk to Blister bike editor, Noah Bodman, about the current state of Interbike; the most intriguing bikes we rode; the most interesting products we’ve seen; and the most bizarre stuff on the trade show floor.