Cody and Jonathan discuss athletes & mental health; the affordable housing issues facing mountain towns; Pit Viper vs. far-right extremists (??); the ongoing consolidation of outdoor media; and more.
Andrew Alexander King tells us about his experience on Denali and some of the most important gear he used.
Sabra Davison grew up ski racing and running, but when she got into mountain biking, she saw girls participating at far lower rates — so she decided to do something about it. Sabra (along with her sister, World Cup XC racer and two-time Olympian, Lea) founded Little Bellas to get girls into riding bikes, and develop the confidence to keep with it. We sat down with Sabra to talk about Little Bellas; how to make skill building fun; removing barriers to participation in what is an expensive sport; and a whole lot more.
Jonathan Ellsworth was in Ketchum, Idaho, this past week hanging out and riding bikes with Blister member, Jake Bilbro, who is the founder of Revelshine. In this conversation, they talk about Jake’s unique background; skiing and wine culture; the joys of getting out but going easy; and more.
This spring, Sam Shaheen and friends took on the very big challenge of a Denali expedition. So on GEAR:30 we get the debrief from Sam, discuss what he and his crew learned in the process, and go over some of the most important gear he used (including a homemade unicorn nose guard), and of that gear, what worked well and what didn’t.
Sanjay Rawal is back on the podcast to discuss his latest film project about the American runner, Patti Catalano Dillon; how being coached by Patti has caused him to completely overhaul how he trains; and why we all might benefit by remembering to “run easy.”
When he was in his 20s Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding; how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more.
We talk with Dr. Rami Hashish about a whole lot of topics surrounding high-level human performance, injury prevention, and how to age well. Dr. Hashish is the founder of the National Biomechanics Institute, has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and a PhD in Biomechanics, serves on the review board for various national and international medical and engineering journals, and sits on a global committee for spine and brain injury.
We talk to the co-founder of WaveCel, and discuss the origins & development of WaveCel; Dr. Madey makes what might be the best case we’ve ever heard about why rotational forces play such a critical role in brain injuries; and we discuss how WaveCel compares to MIPS and Koroyd.
The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The just-released, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, too, so we sat down with Manitou’s Phil Ott to discuss the past and present of the Dorado; the advantages and disadvantages of inverted forks; fork offset; and a whole bunch more.
Previously on GEAR:30 we laid out our Mt. Rushmore of Ski Suspension. Now, we’re moving to the opposite end of the spectrum. We define some terms, talk about some of the characteristics that can help make a ski more poppy; and work our way through a bunch of skis. Check it out, and let us know what skis you think are most deserving.
Few (if any) riders have the power, balance, & creativity of Brad Simms. So you might assume it’s been a pretty quick and easy path to prominence for someone this unique. But it hasn’t been an easy road, and in this conversation, Brad spells it all out; talks about how close he came to calling it quits; his new partnership with Canyon bikes; his interest in all types of riding; and more.
This week we discuss grizzlies, whales, microbes, humankind, & the future of the world with the wildlife biologist & author, Doug Chadwick. All of these are topics in Doug’s excellent new book, Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All.
We talk with the Head of Product at POC, Oscar Huss, about headforms — the things they stick into helmets to mimic your head before smashing up helmets in testing; the numerous variables that need to be considered when setting up a way to test “safety”; the different considerations that go into designing kids helmets; and more.
Which ski brand is most similar to Transition? Guerrilla Gravity? Specialized? Which bike company is most like K2? ON3P? Moment? We answer all of these questions and more in Part 2 of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out — and let us know your answers.
If you’re reading this, then you need to listen to this episode. Because many of us in the outdoor community either don’t have insurance, or have deductibles that we can barely afford to pay when the inevitable accident happens. But Spot is disrupting the insurance industry with a hard-to-believe alternative that is actually affordable. We sat down with the co-founder and CEO of Spot, Matt Randall, to discuss exactly how Spot works; why the insurance industry is such a mess; and why we think you and pretty much everyone you know ought to be covered by Spot.
We talk with the president & CEO of Pret Helmets about the “dart test” portion of the safety certification process; the prospects of implementing customizable helmet liners; why Pret places such an emphasis on ventilation; and more.
Which bike & ski company would you buy stock in right now? Which company is currently holding the “Cool Kids Belt”? Who is currently overhyped, and who is flying under the radar? Who do other brands secretly wish they could trade places with? We answer all these questions and more, so check it out and tell us your answers to these questions in the comments section.
Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about Cody’s recent adventure in AK; surges in National Park visits; ski patrol unionization; UFOs … and more.
In part 2 of our conversation with one of the top ultrarunners in the world, we discuss Michele’s book, Ultra, that comes out today; his motivation heading into the Moab 240 last year; the “art of the pull”; death; purpose; and Michele makes an announcement about a big upcoming project.