BLISTER Podcast

Food Sovereignty, Indigenous Rights, & the Film, Gather (Ep.131)

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We talk with our friend, Sanjay Rawal, about his new film, Gather. (Sanjay directed the film, Renan Ozturk was the cinematographer, & Jason Momoa produced it.) Gather tells the story of the growing food sovereignty movement among Native American tribes across the U.S., and this film is sure to cause you to re-evaluate your own relationship to food and to land and to a lot of other things.
Nurse Sascha Anastas discusses on the Blister Podcast the most responsible and safest ways to recreate in the time of COVID-19

How to Recreate Responsibly in the Time of COVID (Ep. 130)

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As a number of locations are beginning to relax travel restrictions and are able to welcome visitors back, we wanted to discuss some important reminders and best practices for recreating responsibly in this time of COVID. We’ve also included some important links in the show notes to this episode that you should check out to ensure that you are up-to-date on state and local ordinances. So give this a listen, and let’s all do our best to do things the right way.
Blister Book Club; Geoff McFetridge & Jonathan Ellsworth discuss Jack Turner's The Abstract Wild on the Blister Podcast

Geoff McFetridge on The Abstract Wild by Jack Turner (Ep. 129)

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In the latest installment of our Blister Book Club, we talk with the artist, Geoff McFetridge, about Jack Turner’s book, The Abstract Wild. We discuss why Geoff selected this book; why it isn’t designed to be a comfortable read; why we need to get clear on the distinction between “the wild” and “wilderness”; and why we think that every reader of BLISTER ought to read this book.
Chugach Powder Guides lead guide, Henry Munter, goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss the current state of heli skiing, how COVID-19 has impacted heli skiing, environmental impacts of heli skiing, & more

On the State of Heli Skiing: Henry Munter, Chugach Powder Guides (Ep. 128)

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Henry Munter is a lead heli guide and the general manager of Chugach Powder Guides in Girdwood, AK, and we talk with him about making the call to shut down operations right as the heli season was in full swing; the evolution of heli skiing; decision making, memory, and some of the tools and practices Henry uses in forecasting, guiding clients, and handling all types of different aspects of the business; and we discuss environmentalism and heli skiing, and how Henry and others at CPG are thinking about those two things.
X Games Real Ski Gold Medalist, Jake Mageau goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss his skiing career, filming for Real Ski, fishing, his thoughts on style, & more

X Games Real Ski 2020 Gold Medalist, Jake Mageau (Ep. 127)

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The creativity and talent on display in X Games Real Ski is always so bonkers that it can be easy to overlook all that goes into making these 90-second edits. So we talked with Real Ski 2020 winner, Jake Mageau, about what really goes into filming a successful 90-second edit; scouting and settling on locations; the insane “Mind Flip” he puts down in this edit, and more.
Author of SKI INC 2020, Chris Diamond, goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss the status of the ski industry, the effect of the EPIC & IKON Passes, how COVID-19 is impacting the ski industry, & more

SKI INC. 2020: The Current State & Future of the Ski Industry (Ep. 126)

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The ski industry has undergone rapid changes in the past several years, and we are currently in another unprecedented moment with the COVID-19 pandemic. So to help us better understand the past, present, and future of the ski industry, we talked to industry veteran and author of SKI INC, and SKI INC. 2020, Chris Diamond, about the rise of the EPIC and IKON passes; this recent era of rampant ski resort acquisitions; the state (and fate) of independent ski areas; whether COVID-19 will likely have lasting impacts on the ski industry; and more.
Geoff McFetridge, Dan Abrams, Kristin Sinnott, & Paul Forward discuss on the Blister podcast their recommendations for how to start telemark skiing

Crash Course: How to Telemark Ski, Part 1 (Ep.125)

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Baby giraffes? Organic bamboo scissors? Superman? Since we now have to learn how to tele ski (we’ll explain), we’re crowdsourcing a crash course in what we need to know to avoid embarrassing and / or killing ourselves. So here in Part 1, we solicited the best tips and advice from artist and telemarker, Geoff McFetridge; Flylow Gear president, Dan Abrams; and Blister reviewers, Paul Forward and Kristin Sinnott.
Caite Zeliff goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss competing in and winning Kings & Queens of Corbets; filming with Teton Gravity Research & Warren Miller Entertainment; & More.

Catching Up with Caite Zeliff (Ep.124)

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Caite Zeliff is a former ski racer turned big mountain skier who won the first ever Kings & Queens of Corbet’s competition in 2018, then won it again in 2019, then was on the podium this past year. She’s filmed with Warren Miller and TGR, she is equally fun to ski with and to shoot the breeze with, and, while she’s already accomplished a lot, it seems like Caite is just getting started. So we caught up with Caite on her birthday to discuss skiing; filming vs photo shoots; her best Marcus Caston story; her music and podcast recommendations; and more.
Isaac Freeland goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss winning the 2020 Freeride World Tour & Rookie of the Year

Up & Coming? FWT World Champion, Isaac Freeland (Ep.123)

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Before this FWT season, Isaac Freeland, was a very good skier who was definitely on his way up. But then Isaac not only was named the 2020 Freeride World Tour Rookie of the Year, he also became the FTW World Champion. So we had Isaac take us through his first season on the FWT, and walk us through each stop. We also discuss what it was like competing against some of the biggest names in skiing; how he approached each particular comp; the rather surreal — and abrupt — end to this comp season, and more.
Blister Outdoor Gear review Crested Butte

Without Precedent: COVID-19, Ski Area Closures, & Ski Towns (Ep.122)

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We talk to veteran ski industry reporter, Jason Blevins of the Colorado Sun, about the COVID-19 pandemic and this past weekend’s historic and abrupt mass closure of ski areas. We discuss what, exactly, is going on; what is likely to come next; the impact on ski towns; and what each of us should and shouldn’t be doing right now.
Bobby Brown goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss his competition and filming career.

Bobby Brown on Big Air & Backcountry Skiing

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Bobby Brown is one of the best slopestyle and big-air comp skiers of all time, but he’s currently focused on finding out what he’s capable of in the backcountry. So I talked to Bobby about his trajectory; the art of landings, air awareness, and making mid-air adjustments; who he most enjoys watching these days; what’s next for him; and more.
Tommy Caldwell presents at the Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, CO.

Blister Speaker Series 2.5: Tommy Caldwell (Ep.120)

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Last week at Western Colorado University, we talked to Tommy Caldwell about speed climbing & setting the speed record on the Nose with Alex Honnold; strength vs. experience; how he focuses on climbing projects while also having more disparate responsibilities than ever; and how and why he’s become increasingly involved with environmental causes; and more.
Rob Coppalillo joins Jonathan Ellsworth on the Blister Podcast to talk about guiding.

Mtn Guide Rob Coppolillo on Backcountry Travel, Education, & Gear (Ep.119)

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We talk to IFMGA / AMGA mountain guide, Rob Coppolillo (author of The Mountain Guide Manual and the new book, The Ski Guide Manual) about how he got into guiding; the current state of backcountry and avalanche education; his take on the pros and cons of avalanche airbag packs; the fundamental question of the most effective way to travel in the backcountry; and more.
Wendy Fischer speaks at the Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University.

Blister Speaker Series 2.4: Wendy Fisher (Ep.118)

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Wendy Fisher is one of the all-time greats. She is a two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion; was on the U.S. Ski Team; filmed with Warren Miller and MSP; and played a huge role in showing the world what women could do in big-mountain arenas. We spoke to Wendy about all of this and more (including a few fantastic Shane McConkey and Seth Morrison stories).
Thor Verdonk joins Jonathan Ellsworth on the BLISTER Podcast

Thor Verdonk: A Life in Ski & Ski Boot Design (Ep.117)

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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.
Geoff McFetridge goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss designing artwork for Beastie Boys, Pharrell Williams, Spike Jonez and Rick Rubin, and companies ranging from Patagonia, Nike, the New York Times, Oreo, and many more; designing skateboards; skateboarding vs. skiing vs. snowboarding culture; telemark skiing; and more

Geoff McFetridge: Artist, Designer, Skater, Skier (Ep.116)

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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.
Brendan Leonard talks on Blister's Off The Couch Podcast about how and why he ran 52 marathons over the course of a single year

New Year’s Resolutions with Brendan Leonard (Ep.113)

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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.
Tyler Curle goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss how he started building skis for Moment, his ski career, filming with TGR and Matchstick Productions, and more.

Up & Coming: Tyler Curle (Ep.112)

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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.
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