In the world of ski and ski boot design, Thor Verdonk is well known and very well respected. So we talked to Thor about his background, his 25+ year career with the Rossignol Group and how he became the Global Brand Director for Lange, then we talk about the history of ski design and ski boot design; developing the Rossi S7; and we get his predictions about what the ski industry will look like 10 years from now.
On our latest episode of GEAR:30, we talk to Lange’s Global Brand Director, Thor Verdonk, about Lange’s use of “dual core” technology; why “ski boots should be alive”; the brand-new, 3rd generation, Lange “XT3”; heat-moldable shells; 3d printed boots; the future of Lange; and more.
What will the mountain biking industry look like 10 years from now? What current product categories have the most room for improvement, and where will the actual advancements in bike tech take place by the end of 2029? What categories of riding will have grown, and which will have shrunk? We discuss all of this and more, including our wildest predictions for this next decade.
In 2019, Grayson Murphy won the US Mountain Running Championship; the World Mountain Running Championship; and the Xterra Trail Run World Championship. But there were many twists and turns along the way in getting there, and perhaps even more impressive and instructive than her wins is her willingness to experiment, adjust, and explore new ideas and practices, which we discuss in this conversation.
Geoff McFetridge is an iconic designer and visual artist who’s worked with the Beastie Boys, Pharrell Williams, Spike Jonez and Rick Rubin, and companies ranging from Patagonia, Nike, the New York Times, Oreo, and many more. Geoff is also a passionate skateboarder and skier, and a big fan of … BLISTER??? So we talk to Geoff about going from being a sponsored skater to starting a skateboard company to designing for some of the biggest companies, bands, musicians, and directors in the world. We discuss skate vs. ski vs. snowboard culture; being a “conflicted” telemarker; and a whole lot more.
What will ski gear look like 10 years from now? What gear has the most room for improvement? What gear will *actually* change the most, and what will change the least? And what are our wildest gear predictions for where gear could be in 10 years? We discuss all of this and more.
Of the entire past decade, what was the most influential bike or bike part? What were the best bikes or bike parts? What were the biggest gear trends? And what was our selection for the Best Product of the Decade? We cover all of this and more.
We talk to Sanjay Rawal about his rather spectacular performance — and even more spectacular meltdown — near the end of the California International Marathon, and discuss the concepts of running dumb; training slow; finding joy through exertion; whether it is possible to run a great time by not caring about running a great time; and more.
What will the ski & snowboard industry look like 10 years from now? Will backcountry skiing and splitboarding keep growing? Will indoor ski areas become more common? Will there be fewer or more ski companies in existence 10 years from now? We offer our predictions on all of these questions and more.
Of the entire past decade, what was the most influential ski, ski boot, and ski binding? What was the best ski? What were the biggest trends? And what was our selection for the Best Product of the Decade? We cover all of this and more.
What’s the best way to eat to feel good and perform well? Nutrition and Diet are massive topics, as are all of the related issues surrounding them. So on our latest Off The Couch podcast, we talk with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Kylee Van Horn, about the various diets out there; whether certain diets are prone to help or hurt training recovery; athletes & eating disorders, and more.
We’ve been thinking and talking about New Year’s resolutions, so in this episode, we ask a number of BLISTER reviewers what they’re pursuing in this new year and new decade.
We catch up with reviewer, Paul Forward, about some of the skis, AT boots, and an AT binding that Paul has been spending time on in Girdwood, Alaska. Paul and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the Volkl Mantra 102; the DPS Koala 119; the new Atomic Backland Carbon AT boot; the Fritschi Xenic lightweight touring binding; and more.
New running events seem to be popping up all the time, which raises the question: Are there some specific policies, and practices that should be built into all or most running events? To help us think about this, we talked to Caleb Efta, the race director of the High Lonesome 100, about some of the specific policies and requirements of the event that are designed to mitigate its environmental impacts and increase gender equality.
A recent conversation with Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) about his 2019 goal of running 52 marathons in 52 weeks (!!!) got us thinking that we should take a more creative approach to New Year’s Resolutions and goals. And then very soon, we’ll be posting a series of interviews with some Blister reviewers and other folks about their own take on new year’s resolutions, and some of their own creative goals.
This week, Sam Shaheen visited SCARPA’s North American headquarters to talk with SCARPA’s CEO, Kim Miller. Here in Part 1 of the conversation, they discuss Kim’s impressive career in the outdoor industry; SCARPA’s philosophy of ski boot design; their position within the market; the specifics of the new Maestrale XT; Kim’s thoughts on boot/binding compatibility; and more.
For 2019, Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) set a goal for himself: run 52 marathons in 52 weeks. He told very few people about this goal, and we are proud to report that Brendan accomplished his goal with several weeks to spare. So we talked to Brendan about what prompted him to create this plan; why he decided to tell very few people about it; exactly what the parameters were for these ‘marathons’; how he handled the logistics; what he learned along the way; and more.
Last week on GEAR:30, Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and I addressed some of the questions you have been asking us about ski quivers, and we also discussed the topic of the one-boot quiver. And now, we are running part 2 of this conversation with our reviewers Kristin Sinnott, Sascha Anastas, and Kara Williard.
We talk to Blister reviewers, Maddie Hart and Gordon Gianniny, about how they handle running and training in the cold and on icy roads and trails; what gear works and doesn’t work for them; and more. Check it out, and let us know your own best tips, tricks, and practices.
We’re not sure that anyone loves skiing more than Tyler Curle, and Tyler also happens to be one very hard-charging and versatile skier who has appeared in Matchstick and TGR films. So we had Tyler come out to Crested Butte to talk about growing up skiing at Mt. Rose; starting to help out at Moment Skis at the ripe old age of twelve; his favorite skis, skiers, and ski movies of all time, and a whole lot more.