GEAR:30 | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

Good Idea or Bad Idea? Dreams, Doorknobs, & Binding Innovations w/ Austin Smith (Ep.322)

November 15, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Recently, Austin Smith posted a video of a prototype of a snowboard binding that rotates. So Jonathan talks with Austin about the idea, his prototyping process, the testing process, and his predictions for whether we’ll see a development like this come to market.

Gear Quiz, Ski Recycling, & Circular Business w/ Powder7 (Ep.321)

November 8, 2024 by Kara Williard

It’s time to quiz our Blister Recommended Shop, Powder7, to see which gear has them most excited for the season and hear all their hot takes; we also dive into the backstory of their circular business model, from its garage-born roots to their expansive current setup.

Powder Ski Comparisons: Old vs New vs What Should Be Next? (Ep.320)

November 1, 2024November 1, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

The snow’s been falling, and we’re already fantasizing about those really deep days. So today, Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth make the case for wide pow skis, then they talk about a bunch of current pow skis, old pow skis, and some design specifics they think are good ideas.

Moment Skis 24/25 Lineup with Luke Jacobson (Ep.319)

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan talks with Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about Moment’s latest skis; some former Moment skis; some other companies’ skis; why Hoji is a traitor(!!); and more.

Spokane Alpine Haus: Our Blister Recommended Shop in Spokane, WA

24/25 Ski Season & Big Moves w/ Spokane Alpine Haus (Ep.318)

October 18, 2024 by Kara Williard

We catch up with Drew and Rachel Harding of our Blister Recommended Shop, Spokane Alpine Haus, to hear all about the exciting recent developments at the shop; how this news runs counter to a lot of what you see from local retailers these days; what ski / snowboard gear they’re excited about for the 24/25 season, and more.

GEAR THERAPY: Elite Football Player Gets Back into Skiing (Ep.317)

October 11, 2024October 11, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

BLISTER+ member, Pete Brantley, talks about getting back into skiing; playing football for the Oregon Ducks (and Chicago Bears!); poses his most-pressing gear questions; and gets Jonathan’s best recommendations.

ON3P Skis 24/25 Lineup with Scott Andrus (Ep.316)

October 4, 2024October 4, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

We talk to ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, about their 24/25 lineup, and we dive into the weeds about numerous aspects of ski design and ski manufacturing that you really won’t hear about anywhere else.

Does the Color of Your Jacket Affect Its Performance? Blister Labs Apparel Testing Update (Ep.315)

September 27, 2024September 27, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

For this Blister Labs update, we talk with Dr. Jeni Blacklock about exploding fabrics, microwaving hotdogs, and whether the color of your jacket affects its performance.

We spend so much time reviewing the news these days on our Blister Podcast, we were officially overdue to have Cody Townsend back on GEAR:30 to talk about his current gear preferences and the specific gear he’s using most these days. So today on GEAR:30, we remedy that.

The Pro’s Gear: Cody Townsend (Ep.314)

September 20, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Cody Townsend is back on GEAR:30 to talk about his current gear preferences and the specific gear he’s using most these days.

A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt.7: The Pedorthist’s Perspective (Ep.313)

September 13, 2024 by Kara Williard

A Pedorthist is someone who is trained in the assessment of lower limb anatomy, biomechanics, and, of course – feet. Heather Van Gilder is both a Pedorthist and an experienced ski bootfitter who runs the women-owned and operated bootfitting operation, Boulder Orthotics, and we get her perspective on ski bootfitting, custom insoles, and much more.

Flylow’s Dan Abrams on Burrito Grease & PFAS; Slide Gliding; Palisades Tahoe; & More (Ep.312)

September 6, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Dan Abrams is back to talk about toxic positivity, slide gliding, burrito grease, give his review of Palisades Tahoe, and more.

Venture Snowboards — and New Venture Skis — w/ Klem Branner (Ep.311)

August 30, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Venture Snowboards just announced that they will also be making Venture skis. So Jonathan talked with Klem Branner about why skis & why skis now; what’s harder or easier about making skis vs snowboards; and what, exactly, is this new ski of theirs, the Sultan?

The 10th Anniversary of the Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide: Why We Started It, How It’s Evolved, & What’s in the Latest One (Ep.310)

August 23, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Since we’re releasing soon the 10th edition of our Really Big Book, Jonathan talks with Luke and Kara about what’s in this latest one, how it’s evolved, and of course, we talk about that super sexy cover photo….

The Pro’s Gear: Nikolai Schirmer (Ep.309)

August 16, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Niko and Jonathan have the great debate about pin bindings; learn about his approach to selecting gear; discuss the specific gear he’s currently using the most; when & why he prefers lightweight ski gear; and more.

We talk to Blister bike reviewer Zach Henderson about his gear preferences when it comes to bikes, skis, and snowboarders. We also start the episode by remembering our friend and fellow reviewer, Eric Freson.

Reviewing the Reviewer: Zack Henderson (Ep.308)

August 9, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

We talk to Blister bike reviewer Zach Henderson about his gear preferences when it comes to bikes, skis, and snowboarders. We also start the episode by remembering our friend and fellow reviewer, Eric Freson.

Blister Labs: Results from our On-Snow Ski Testing & Dynamic Modeling (Ep.307)

August 2, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Interested in ski design? Curious about where the next advancements in ski design might come from? Then you need to check out this conversation with Dr. Sean Humbert.

Helping Everyone ‘Go’ Outside w/ Gnara (Ep.306)

July 26, 2024 by Kara Williard

Pants weren’t originally designed for female anatomy, and that creates problems for a lot of people in a lot of different scenarios – from climbing with a harness to peeing at a festival. Gnara, with their patented “GoFly Technology,” has been working to address this overlooked issue for the past several years, and we talk to their co-founder, Georgia Grace Edwards, about all the work that’s gone into solving this problem and the impact it has had.

A Novel Twist on Wool w/ Nuyarn CEO, Andy Wynne (Ep.305)

July 19, 2024 by Luke Koppa

It’s a bold goal to change something that’s remained largely the same for decades (if not centuries), and come up with something truly better. That’s what Nuyarn claims they’ve done with their unique method of spinning wool for technical fabrics, and we got all the details from their CEO, Andy Wynne.

New Zealand Ski Season, Gear Trends, & How a Specialty Retailer Curates Their Products (Ep.304)

July 12, 2024 by Kara Williard

How has the ski / snowboard season in the southern hemisphere been this year? To find out, we caught up with Benji Knight and Darren Grimmett from Outside Sports in New Zealand, and they also fill us in on their local gear trends, how they go about curating the gear they offer, and more.

24/25 Black Crows lineup, new Corvus, & more w/ co-founder Camille Jaccoux (Ep.303)

July 4, 2024June 28, 2024 by Kara Williard

Camille Jaccoux, co-founder of Black Crows Skis, is back on GEAR:30 to discuss recent developments at the brand; the legacy of the iconic Corvus; how they overhauled it for 24/25; other new products they’re rolling out this winter; and a whole lot more.

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