GEAR:30 | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

On GEAR:30, Luke Koppa, Paul Forward, Kristin Sinnott, Sascha Anastas, and Dylan Wood discuss a bunch of the latest gear they’ve been testing, including multiple powder-touring setups; new skis from Heritage Lab; women’s all-mountain skis; apparel for skiing and lounging; some very interesting new big-mountain models from Dynastar, Rossignol, & Head; and more.

Reviewer Reports: Big-Mountain Ski Showdowns, Powder-Touring Setups, & Much More (Ep.339)

March 21, 2025 by Luke Koppa

Luke Koppa, Paul Forward, Kristin Sinnott, Sascha Anastas, and Dylan Wood discuss a bunch of the latest gear they’ve been testing, including multiple powder-touring setups; new skis from Heritage Lab; women’s all-mountain skis; apparel for skiing and lounging; some very interesting new big-mountain models from Dynastar, Rossignol, & Head; and more.

25/26 Gear, Boot Trends, Making the Most of Any Season, & More w/ Powder Hound (Ep.338)

March 14, 2025March 14, 2025 by Kara Williard

We catch up with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound, our Blister Recommended Shop in Girdwood, Alaska to discuss the ups and downs of this season up in Alaska; our tips and tricks on how to make the most of any season; 25/26 gear; Dual BOA; boot trends; aftermarket liners; and more.

On GEAR:30, Blister reviewers Jonathan, Luke, Sascha, Kristin, and the strikingly handsome Justin Bobb discuss some of the new ski and snowboard gear they spent time on at last week’s Blister Summit, including several prototypes.

New Gear from Blister Summit 2025 (Ep. 337)

March 7, 2025 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Blister reviewers Jonathan, Luke, Sascha, Kristin, and the strikingly handsome Justin Bobb discuss some of the new ski and snowboard gear they spent time on at last week’s Blister Summit, including several prototypes.

On GEAR:30, Jonathan and Luke discuss the new pow skis they tested during Crested Butte’s big storm cycle, including the Head Kore 118Ti and Kore 112Ti; the latest iteration of the ON3P Billy Goat; Tyrolia’s Attack Hybrid binding; Salomon’s revised QST Blank and QST 106, and more.

Reviewer Reports: Pow Skis, New Bindings, & Our 40” Storm (Ep.336)

February 21, 2025 by Luke Koppa

Crested Butte Mountain Resort recently got 40+ inches of new snow in just a few days, so Jonathan and Luke sat down to discuss several of the new pow skis they’ve been testing from Head, ON3P, Salomon, Rossignol, and more.

Love, Drugs, & Graphene: Mito Materials’ Founders on Next-Gen Ski Construction (Ep.335)

February 14, 2025 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Today we are talking about love, materials science, and ski construction. We’re looking at graphene, why you might soon be hearing more about it in skis in the near future, and the unique properties of Mito Materials’ functionalized graphene.

Matt Manser on Atomic’s New Redster Ski Boots, New Remedy 130, & More (Ep.334)

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025 by Jonathan Ellsworth

What’s the difference between a true race boot; a race-inspired ski boot; and a high-performance freeride or freestyle boot? Matt and Jonathan discuss all of these things and more, and you’ll hear the most important rant / public service announcement in GEAR:30 history.

Reviewer Reports: New Head Kores, Ski Boots, & One Age-Old Question (Ep.333)

January 31, 2025 by Luke Koppa

Luke, Kara, & Jonathan discuss Head’s overhauled collection of Kore skis; Jonathan makes a confession after he took some carving skis off piste; Kara and Luke discuss a bunch of boots they’ve been testing; Jonathan poses an age-old question about boot flexes; Kara breaks down the setups she’s bringing to Japan; and much more.

New Salomon Dual BOA Ski Boot & New Salomon QST Skis (Ep.332)

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025 by Jonathan Ellsworth

We talk about the biggest development in the world of snowsports gear: dual BOA ski boots. You’ll learn about dual BOA boots in general, but also the specific design decisions Salomon made to implement this system into their new S/Pro Supra dual BOA ski boot. Then we talk with Quentin Boutry about the new generation of QST skis.

After a great day of skiing together, Jonathan recorded a GEAR:30 conversation with Jake Stevens (Rossignol’s Winter Sports Equipment Director for North America) about world-cup race skis vs. recreational skis: what do they have in common; how do they incorporate technological advances; and what are the available options between skis designed to win gold medals and those designed to have fun on the weekends with your family and friends? It’s a conversation that is guaranteed to get you thinking about various approaches to the mountain — and your own approach to sliding around on snow.

From World-Cup Race Skis to Recreational Skis & Everything In Between w/ Rossignol’s Jake Stevens (Ep.331)

January 17, 2025January 17, 2025 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan talks with Jake Stevens (Rossignol’s Winter Sports Equipment Director for North America) about world-cup race skis vs. recreational skis: what do they have in common; how do they incorporate technological advances; and what are all the options out there?

Athletes & Bootfitting w/ Freeride Skier Nat Segal x Pulse Boot Labs (Ep.330)

January 10, 2025 by Kara Williard

Freeride athlete Nat Segal has had a long and impressive journey as a professional skier, and a key part of it has been getting in a properly fitting ski boot. Our Blister Recommended Shop, Pulse Boot Labs and Ski Co., has helped her along the way, so we talk with Nat and Pulse to hear about bootfitting from an athlete’s perspective, and a whole lot more.

The New Armada AR ONE Ski Boot: What Is It & Who’s It For? (Ep.329)

January 3, 2025 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Today, for the first time, Armada is releasing a ski boot: the AR ONE. But why do a boot? And why now? What sort of boot is the AR ONE, how is it different from what’s out there, and who's it for? We discuss all of this and more with Armada’s Matt Rihm and Bransford Briggs.

On our latest GEAR:30 podcast, Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the frontside skis they’ve been on recently; why choosing the right frontside ski requires as much consideration as any other type of ski; and they give an update on how they’ve been using the CARV system (so far) to enhance their ski reviews.

Reviewer Reports: Luke Koppa & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.328)

December 27, 2024December 27, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the frontside skis they’ve been on; why choosing the right frontside ski requires as much consideration as any other type of ski; and they give an update on how they’ve been using the CARV system (so far) to enhance their ski reviews.

A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 8: Your Questions Answered by Master Bootfitter, Jeremy Johnston (Ep.327)

December 20, 2024 by Kara Williard

In this episode, Jeremey Johnston, Master Bootfitter and founder of Boot Mechanics, responds to several really interesting and important questions from the audience. We bet that you’ve had some of these questions yourself, so here are in-depth answers to several of bootfitting’s complexities.

This week on GEAR:30, DPS introduced a new product that represents quite a departure for the company: the DPS Carbon Pisteworks 79. And today, you’re going to hear one of the deepest dives we’ve ever done on GEAR:30 about the design and development of a new ski; how Blister Labs was involved; and the lengthy process of developing a ‘metal ski without the metal.’

The Design & Development of the New DPS Carbon Pisteworks 79 (Ep.326)

December 13, 2024December 13, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Today, you’re going to hear one of the deepest dives we’ve ever done on GEAR:30 about the design and development of a new ski; how Blister Labs was involved; and the lengthy process of developing a ‘metal ski without the metal,’ the DPS Carbon Pisteworks 79.

Ski Racing, Ski Tuning, & State of the Bike & Ski Industry w/ Sturtevant’s Olin Glenne (Ep.325)

December 6, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Today we’re talking ski racing, ski tuning, ski finishing, ski-base flatness, and the state of the bike & ski Industry w/ Sturtevant’s Olin Glenne.

On GEAR:30, Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth offer their early-season reviewer reports, then Jonathan talks to Bangtail Bike & Ski’s new owner about why he did something that no other shop in the world has done — but why others might want to.

Reviewer Reports + a Shop Talk First (Ep.324)

December 2, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Luke and Jonathan offer their early-season reviewer reports, then Jonathan talks to Bangtail Bike & Ski’s new owner about why he did something that no other shop in the world has done — but why others might want to.

CARV Co-Founder Alex Jackson & Pro Skier Marcus Caston on Using New Tech to Ski Better & Have More Fun On Snow (Ep.323)

November 22, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

We’re geeking out with pro skier, Marcus Caston, and CARV co-founder, Alex Jackson, about CARV’s slick & sophisticated system that aims to help skiers improve their skiing and have more fun on snow. Fans of new tech, high edge angles, and / or skiing better, listen up.

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.

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