Safeback SBX: A New Avalanche Survival System (Ep.244)
If you spend any time — inbounds or in the backcountry — skiing or riding in avalanche terrain or near tree wells, then you need to listen to this episode.
GEAR:30
Powder Ski Design w/ Folsom’s Mike McCabe (Ep.243)
Today Mike McCabe and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about the design elements of skis built for the deepest of days, and their recent trip to Alaska.
Coalition Snow: 10 Years of Skis & Snowboards, 23/24 Lineup, & More w/ Founder & CEO, Jen Gurecki (Ep.242)
Kara Williard talks with Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow, about operating a women-owned ski and snowboard company for the past 10 years; how the vision has evolved; their brick-and-mortar storefront; inclusive trips around the world; initiatives to grow the sport and the community; their 23/24 lineup; and more.
Powder Skis in AK with Paul & Jonathan (Ep.241)
Jonathan is currently in AK with Paul Forward, Chugach Powder Guides, and a great crew. So he & Paul talk about the skis they’ve been getting time on (from Heritage Lab, Folsom, DPS, K2); some new skis we’d like to see; crème brûlée crust; and the new Lange Shadow boot.
Jonathan’s Gear for AK, Luke’s Latest Crash, & More (Ep.240)
Jonathan and Luke talk about closing day at CBMR; the gear JE is bringing to AK; liners; the Rossi Sender Free 110, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, Volkl Revolt 114, Luke’s new stitches, & more.
Diving into Blizzard’s 23/24 Ski Lineup (Ep.239)
We talk with Blizzard’s Christian Avery about the overhauled Rustler & Sheeva skis; where their Hustle line of skis slots into the mix; and why nobody should be sleeping on the Cochise.
Shop Talk: Gear West on Year-Round Relevance, Community, & Specialty Service (Ep.238)
We talk with Jeff and Isabel from Gear West in Long Lake, MN to hear about how they’ve built a year-round community at their “campus”; the challenges and upsides of providing multi-sport services throughout the year; the effects of recent uphill access at Buck Hill; a couple of gear trends, and more.
ZipFit “Inner Boots”; the Growth of ZipFit; Reviewing Ski Boots; & More with Jeff Colt (Ep.237)
We talk with Jeff Colt, Brand Director for ZipFit, about “inner boots”; first-day vs. 3rd-day fit; reviewing ski boots; the new Zipfit x Fischer Ski Boots collab; and more.
Shop Talk: Skiing with Kids w/ Spokane Alpine Haus (Ep.236)
For this edition of Shop Talk, we are back with the owners of Spokane Alpine Haus to talk kids and skiing, growing the next generation of skiers and snowboarders, and the gear that helps make it possible.
New Gear from Blister Summit 2023 (Ep.235)
Luke Koppa, Justin Bobb, Kara Williard, Dylan Wood, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the standout gear they were able to test at last week’s Blister Summit, from skis to snowboards, ski boots, bindings, and even snow blades.
Shop Talk: 3D Printing & Bootfitting w/ Pulse Boot Lab (Ep.234)
We are back with Kai Palkeinen, founder of Pulse Boot Lab, to hear what Kai and the team at Pulse have been up to, including 3D printing, fitting race boots, and his thoughts on some other recent boot technology, including the rise of BOA dials.
Blister Labs: AI, Machine Learning, & Ski Reviewing (Ep.233)
Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our ski testing at Blister Labs; discuss the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning for product reviewing and ski recommendation engines; and more.
Year of the BOA? Atomic’s Matt Manser on New Ski Boots, Liners, & BOA Systems (Ep.232)
Matt Manser is back to go deep on the new 23/24 Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD (and XTD BOA GW); the new Hawx Ultra XTD Mimic Professional liner; the all-new Atomic Backland XTD; and why we’re seeing the proliferation of the BOA system on ski boots.
Shop Talk: Powder7 + ‘Crashes & Close Calls’ (Ep.231)
Jonathan talks shop life, gear, the price of single-day lift passes, and more with Alex and Matt from Powder7 in Golden, Colorado. Then Blister bike editor, David Golay, jumps on to tell his “Crashes & Close Calls” story.
Jeremy Jones on the Evolution of Snowboard Design (Ep.230)
Today we’ve got for you a masterclass on the history and evolution of snowboard design with Jeremy Jones, as well as Jeremy’s own philosophy behind product creation and refinement at Jones Snowboards.
Shop Talk: Outdoor Gear Exchange, Burlington, VT + Crashes & Close Calls (Ep.229)
We talk ski gear, customer trends, & sustainability initiatives (from the POV of a shop owner) with Mike Donohue of OGE, and we have a great listener-submitted story for “Crashes & Close Calls.”
Reviewer Reports + Crashes & Close Calls (Ep.228)
Jonathan, Kara, Luke, and Dylan discuss some of the notable gear they’ve been reviewing this season, and we also launch a new GEAR:30 segment called Crashes & Close Calls.
Blister Labs: Travis Hainsworth on Soft Robotics, MoCap, & Wheelsets (Ep.227)
When Travis Hainsworth isn’t out on his highly questionable one-ski quiver, he’s busy being the associate director of the Western-CU Boulder Computer Science Program here in Gunnison, CO, and an integral member of our Blister Labs team.
Heritage Lab Skis, with Marshal Olson (Ep.226)
Too often, we have to mourn the discontinuation of our all-time favorite ski designs. So Marshal Olson started Heritage Lab Skis to fix that.
Matt Manser on Atomic’s 22/23 Ski Boot Lineup & More (Ep.225)
Matt Manser is back to discuss the current lineup of Atomic ski boots and what’s new for this season; running through airports in ski boots; Tom Cruise; the Atomic Redster CS vs. the Hawx Ultra Professional; and more.