Buttered Noodles; Opening Day; & Ski Quivers (Ep.124)
Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the opening day of the ski season; approaches to building ski quivers; our specific selections; Luke’s latest rant; What we’re Celebrating; & more.
GEAR:30
Shop Talk: Tyson Stellrecht, Boise Gear Collective (Ep.123)
We sat down with Tyson Stellrecht, the founder of Boise Gear Collective, to talk about the selling of both used gear and brand new gear; how it’s going with backcountry.com one year later; why Tyson isn’t moving into e-commerce; gear snobs; predictions for the upcoming season; and more.
Bending the Paradigm: Polartec’s Approach to “Waterproofness” & Comfort (Ep.122)
What does “waterproof” really mean, and when should you worry (and not worry) about a 10k or 20k rating on the jacket or pants you are thinking of buying? Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth spoke with Michael Cattanach, the product design director at Polartec, about the “ingredients” used to make your favorite apparel; Polartec’s history; and what Polartec is up to today.
20/21 Blister Buyer’s Guide + Your Questions (Ep.121)
Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the highlights and big takeaways from our new Winter Buyer’s Guide; our Best Of award winners; whether or not the 20/21 crop of ski gear represents a step forward; and we then answer a lot of the questions you submitted.
Shop Talk: John Weir, Bentgate (Ep.120)
We talk to John Weir from Bentgate in Golden, Colorado, about fitting AT boots; the rise of splitboarding; John’s predictions for this upcoming season; some of the precautions and protocols that Bentgate is taking and putting in place this winter; a lasting (positive) effect that COVID may have on the bootfitting process; and more.
Cody Townsend on Coffee Makers, Bindings, & Beacons (Ep.119)
On our latest GEAR:30 podcast, we sat down in Blister HQ with Cody Townsend to talk about coffee makers, bindings, beacons, terrain management, mortality, movies, and more.
What You’re Wearing, Part 6: Alpaca Wool (Ep.118)
How much do you know about Alpaca wool? And what do you about manufacturing in Peru? We talk about these things and more with the founders of Arms of Andes, which is a company that makes outdoor clothing from Royal Alpaca wool that is single-sourced and produced in Peru. We discuss the characteristics and benefits of Royal Alpaca wool; the traditional method used to collect the wool; their commitment to manufacturing in Peru; what they’re doing to try to be one of the most sustainable clothing brands in the world; and more.
Folsom Skis 20/21 Lineup + Update on our Buyer’s Guide (Ep.117)
We’ve got Folsom Skis CEO, Mike McCabe, back on the show to catch us up on what’s been going on at Folsom; the PPE equipment they’ve been making; their lineup for the 20/21 season; and more. Mike also asks how things have been at Blister, we share what we’re celebrating this week, and give an update on the status of our 20/21 Winter Buyer’s Guide.
Shop Talk: Sebastian Steinbach, Black Sheep Sports (Ep.116)
We talk to the founder of Black Sheep Sports about this past ski season; his predictions for the upcoming ski season in Europe — and whether we’ll see a backcountry boom in Europe? We then talk about the critical art of customer service; why friends shouldn’t tell friends to just “Go buy this boot”; and more.
Faction Skis: Company History & 20/21 Lineup (Ep.115)
For some time now, Faction has been one of the hottest brands in skiing. But how much do you actually know about the company? This week we are talking about the history of the brand, some key moments in the company, and some big recent changes; what it’s like to go skiing with and design skis for Candide Thovex; and Faction’s lineup for the upcoming season.
Jason Levinthal & 4FRNT’s New Ownership Group (Ep.114)
Last week, it was announced that Jason Levinthal had sold 4FRNT Skis. So we talked to Jason about how this deal came about; learn the background of the new leadership group at 4FRNT; ask what the group does and doesn’t intend to change about the brand; and more.
Shaggy’s Skis 20/21 Lineup + Luke & Drew Ski Pow on 9.9.20 (Ep.113)
We talk to Northern-Michigan-based Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis co-founder & product engineer, Jeff Thompson, about their 20/21 lineup; their unusual “nanoMag” construction; and more. Then Luke Koppa talks about skiing pow this week (??) in Crested Butte.
What Makes a Face Mask More or Less Effective? (Ep.112)
Not all bikes or skis are equally good at all things — and the same goes for protective face masks. So we talked with Alex Lauver and Kat Schoewe of Outdoor Research about what type of masks are the most & least effective; how Outdoor Research’s work on medical-grade PPE has influenced their commercially available Essential Face Mask; we make some predictions about the upcoming ski season; and more.
Moment Skis 20/21 Lineup (Ep.111)
Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, is back on the show to talk with Jonathan Ellsworth about the 20/21 lineup. Come to learn what’s new, stay for all their arguments and tangents.
Voormi: How a ‘Textile Technology’ Company Does Outdoor Apparel (Ep.110)
Voormi is not interested in being just another outdoor apparel company. They develop their own textiles inhouse; they manufacture in the United States; and they’ve got some big plans. So we sat down in Blister HQ with Timm Smith, their head of materials development, to learn more about the Voormi story and where the brand is heading.
WNDR Alpine’s 20/21 Lineup with Matt Sterbenz, Pep Fujas, & Xan Marshland (Ep.109)
Matt Sterbenz, Pep Fujas, and Xan Marshland came to Crested Butte and sat down with us in Blister HQ to fill us in on WNDR Alpine’s new materials, new updates to the Intention 110, and their brand new ski, the Vital 100. And you’ll also hear some stories about Matt and Pep competing in slopestyle events against each other back in the day, and more.
Bikes, Forks, & Our 20/21 Winter Buyer’s Guide (Ep.108)
Jonathan Ellsworth talks to David Golay, Dylan Wood, & Luke Koppa about the Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana; Manitou Mezzer & RockShox ZEB; Rocky Mountain Instinct BC; our 20/21 Winter Buyer’s Guide; and … ‘The Year of Ellsworth.’
Aprch, CBD, & the Story Behind an Emerging Category (Ep.107)
This week we’re switching things up a bit and taking a close look at a massive emerging category — CBD products in general — and one specific company, Aprch. And to walk us through some of the relevant science, regulations, production processes, and the trajectory of this industry, we talk with Aprch co-founder, Adam Hunter.
Reviewing the Reviewer: Kristin Sinnott (Ep.106)
On our latest “Reviewing the Reviewer” episode of GEAR:30, we talk to Kristin Sinnott about her gear preferences; Family Feud; killer bees; her background in alpine and nordic skiing; and more.
Our Favorite Kid’s Gear, Part 1 (Ep.105)
Kristin Sinnott and Justin Bobb join Jonathan Ellsworth to talk about some of the kid’s gear they’ve found to be the most game changing. And even if you don’t have kids, you should still listen to learn about a piece of gear that we’ve currently named, “The JBobber.” And there’s another piece of equipment that currently has a unanimous approval rating among our Blister parents, and might be the single greatest piece of kid’s gear of all time? Check it out.