GEAR:30 Podcast
This is where we geek out hard & go deep into the details about the most important outdoor gear.
Recent Episodes:
What are the Top 10 skis of the century? Top 3? #1 Ski? Today, Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, reveals his very personal picks, plus we share a story from the Blister archives that involves New Zealand...
Do “women-specific” skis need to exist? What about ski boots? In our conversation today, Leslie Baker-Brown shares her thoughts after leading Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women program for the past 10 yea...
In Part 3 of our series, Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the great answers from our BLISTER+ members and Digital Access Pass subscribers, as well as the selections from various ski designers, pro skiers,...
In Part 2 of our series on the Best Skis of the Century, Luke Koppa and Sascha Anastas join Jonathan Ellsworth to dive into the best skis from 23 more brands, and we also discuss some of the best and most...
Today, we are kicking off a new series, where we will debate and try to identify the best skis of the 21st Century from over 30 ski brands. Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, Paul Forward, and our great friend,...
Today we’re talking with Hoji and Stinius Skjøtskift about the creation of Stinius’ new pro model, the 4FRNT Sinister. There are lots of great stories in this one, plus you’ll find out why a number of...
Luke and Jonathan talk about our big new book, the Blister 25/26 Winter Buyer’s Guide, including the big takeaways, trends, and controversies. (Plus, stick around to hear Luke’s insane bear story at the...
We see new brands pop up all the time, but what happens when your idea is so novel that it essentially births an entire sport and industry? That was the case when Thor Tingey started Alpacka Raft, and...
Today we’re spilling the beans on the new dates - and new location — of Blister Summit 2026. Then we give a quick update on our Winter Buyer’s Guide, and wrap up with an important challenge to all outdoor...
Today’s episode contains a number of “firsts.” So tune in to learn about a new collab between Spark R&D and ATK bindings, or tune in to hear Jonathan caught completely off guard multiple times.
We discuss some of our favorite gear we’ve used this summer, and make the argument for the single greatest piece of summer gear. But we begin by discussing our Weekly Blister Survey question, and bottom...
We’re releasing our first-ever Blister Mountain Bike Guide, and we’re doing it in a way that we don’t think has ever been done in the bike (or ski) world. We’re also talking about the state of buyer’s...
Jonathan talks with Sito Luis Salas, the CEO of NNormal, about NNormal founder, Kilian Jornet, plus the NNormal name, its origin story, and its well-defined principles. NNormal is a company you’ll be hearing...
Jonathan talks to the FWT champ, Marcus Goguen, about the gear he skis on to film, rip around the resort, and yes, win the FWT. We also talk about his new YouTube series (it’s must-see-TV), and Marcus...
Luke and Jonathan discuss the latest with respect to public lands and the revisions to the reconciliation bill; share more news about Peak Skis; and preview some new gear they’re going to be talking about...
Jonathan lays out his thoughts about the Peak Skis debacle, Luke Koppa offers his perspective too, and we discuss what we think needs to happen going forward.
Today, we head south to the snow, and back behind the counter at Outside Sports in New Zealand. We talk about the gear and innovations they're stoked on; what it takes to keep a mountain town business...
In this panel discussion from Blister Summit 2025, we asked apparel designers from Patagonia, Flylow, Ortovox, and Rab to discuss what you should expect from the new generation of PFAS-free apparel; how...
Today, we take a look at the state of ski shops vs bike shops; what each industry is doing to grow participation and engagement in their sport; gear wins and fails; and our reviewers weigh in on which...
In past years, we’ve done a series called ‘Bikes vs Skis’ where we’ve posed the question: Which bike company is most like which ski company? But today our team is zooming out and comparing the ski vs bike...