GEAR:30 | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

Jonathan’s Gear for AK, Luke’s Latest Crash, & More (Ep.240)

April 7, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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.

On Blister's GEAR:30 podcast, 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.

Diving into Blizzard’s 23/24 Ski Lineup (Ep.239)

March 31, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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)

October 17, 2023March 17, 2023 by Kara Williard

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)

March 10, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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)

March 4, 2023 by Kristin Sinnott

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)

February 24, 2023 by Luke Koppa

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.

On this GEAR:30 episode, we are back with Kai Palkeinen, founder of Pulse Boot Lab, to hear about what Kai’s been up to since we last talked, including opening a third location in Collingwood; the evolution of Pulse and what they have in mind for the future; their process for developing and refining some 3D printing technology that is being applied to more than just ski boots; what it means to spend the day fitting race boots; why liners are everything, subjective, and also circular (?); Kai’s thoughts on BOA dials in ski boots, and more.

Shop Talk: 3D Printing & Bootfitting w/ Pulse Boot Lab (Ep.234)

February 3, 2023 by Kara Williard

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)

February 1, 2024January 27, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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.

Jonathan Ellsworth & Dylan Wood review the Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 BOA for Blister

Year of the BOA? Atomic’s Matt Manser on New Ski Boots, Liners, & BOA Systems (Ep.232)

June 5, 2023January 20, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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.

On GEAR:30, Jonathan is joined by Alex and Matt from Powder7 in Golden, Colorado, to talk about shop life, gear, the price of single-day lift passes, and more. Then Blister bike editor, David Golay, jumps on to tell his Crashes & Close Calls story.

Shop Talk: Powder7 + ‘Crashes & Close Calls’ (Ep.231)

January 13, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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)

January 6, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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.

On GEAR:30, we’re talking ski gear, customer trends, & sustainability initiatives (from the POV of a shop owner) with Mike Donohue of Outdoor Gear Exchange, our Blister Recommended Shop in Burlington, Vermont. And we have a great listener-submitted story for “Crashes & Close Calls.”

Shop Talk: Outdoor Gear Exchange, Burlington, VT + Crashes & Close Calls (Ep.229)

December 30, 2022 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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.”

Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Dylan Wood discuss some of the notable gear they’ve been reviewing this season. They also discuss Christmas quesadillas; whether it’s okay to put sweaty ski socks on boot dryers; and we launch a new GEAR:30 segment called Crashes & Close Calls.

Reviewer Reports + Crashes & Close Calls (Ep.228)

December 23, 2022 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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)

February 1, 2024December 16, 2022 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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)

December 9, 2022 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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)

December 2, 2022 by Jonathan Ellsworth

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.

Shop Talk: Willi’s Ski & Board on Ski Shops as Conduits and Founding Winter Divas (Ep.224)

November 25, 2022November 25, 2022 by Kara Williard

Kristin Sinnott and Kara Williard caught up with Kjerstin Klein, co-owner of Willi’s Ski and Board, to talk about Kjerstin’s amazingly diverse background; what it means to stay innovative and adaptable as a local, family-run business; the vital role that local ski shops play in the ski industry; why Kjerstin founded the Winter Divas women’s focus group to help guide the industry, and more.

Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women Program with Leslie Baker-Brown (Ep.223)

November 21, 2022November 18, 2022 by Kara Williard

Kristin Sinnott and Kara Williard talk with Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women program founder and ski legend, Leslie Baker-Brown, about her background in ski racing; her 32 years of work for Blizzard-Tecnica; their design process for women’s gear (including designing the #1 selling ski in the world); what gives her hope and inspiration for the future; and where we can still work to improve the industry.

Shop Talk: Celebrating 10 Years of Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK (Ep.222)

November 11, 2022 by Kara Williard

Our Blister Recommended Shop, Powder Hound, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, so we caught up with one of the owners, Eric Helmbrecht, to go over some of the major trends, takeaways, and reflections he has after a decade of running a local, year-round shop in Girdwood, AK.

A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 4: Big-Mountain Freeride Bootfitting with Fasa (Ep.221)

June 21, 2023November 4, 2022 by Kara Williard

For the fourth installment of our Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, we talked with Fasa, who not only works at the Moment Ski Factory, but also happens to run one of the best bootfitting shops in the Reno area. Fasa runs us through what a “big-mountain freeride” approach to bootfitting looks like; how his background in running informs his understanding of feet and biomechanics; some weirdness about what athletes can tolerate, and much more.

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