Podcasts | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

If you love skiing, snowboarding, trail running, or mountain biking, then why the hell do you need to know about things like short-term rentals, zoning codes, and accessory dwelling units? Because those things will impact whether or not you will be able to continue to ski, snowboard, run, bike, or live in some of your favorite places. So Troy Russ is back on the Blister Podcast for another conversation about what we need to know — and do — re: housing issues and mountain town economics

Housing Solutions & Mountain Town Economics with Troy Russ (Ep.308)

May 20, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

If you love skiing, snowboarding, trail running, or mountain biking, then why the hell do you need to know about things like short-term rentals, zoning codes, and accessory dwelling units? Troy Russ explains.

Reviewer Reports: Travel Gear, Dinosaurs, & Camcorders (Ep.298)

May 20, 2024May 18, 2024 by Luke Koppa

Luke Koppa and Kristin Sinnott discuss some of the products they’ve found useful, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy while on the road or hurtling through the sky. They also get into extremely relevant things like camcorder storage solutions and dinosaur podcasts, the fact that Luke doesn’t actually like traveling, and more.

Reviewer Reports: World Cup DH Recap, Tons of Bikes, Suspension, Tires, & More (Ep.222)

May 17, 2024May 16, 2024 by David Golay

We’ve been testing a huge spectrum of bikes — from Gravel to Enduro — plus a bunch of new tires, suspension, and more. Simon Stewart and David Golay sat down to talk about all of it, recap the World Cup DH season opener, and more.

‘Better Off Dead’ & ‘Hot Dog’ with Amie Engerbretson & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.12)

September 9, 2024May 14, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Pro skier, Amie Engerbretson, joins us to coin new terms; offer scalding-hot takes; debate whether ‘Better Off Dead’ is responsible for rockered skis; and she definitely WANTS HER TWO DOLLARS!

Neuhaus Metalworks on Metal Bikes’ Resurgence, Learning to Build Frames, Size-Specific Geometry & More (Ep.221)

May 10, 2024 by David Golay

High-end metal bikes are having a resurgence, and we sat down with Daniel Yang and Nick Neuhaus of Neuhaus Metalworks to talk about why; hear their takes on frame design and size-specific geometry; discuss the value of communal learning; and a whole lot more.

GEAR THERAPY: A Skier (Blister’s founder) Learns to Snowboard, Part 2 (Ep.297)

May 10, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

In part 2 of this GEAR THERAPY mini-saga, Justin Bobb lays out his specific recommendations for boots, bindings, boards, & more to get Jonathan started on his snowboarding journey.

Blister Cinematic is back, and we’re coming in hot — hot as in, Hot Dog…The Movie. Joining Jonathan to talk about this 40-year-old cult favorite is Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, and they dive in to discuss how well it holds up; its impact on ski films; water beds; ski ballet; what’s aged the best; what’s aged the worst; and more.

‘Hot Dog… The Movie’ with Mike Rogge & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.11)

May 7, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan and Mike discuss how well the cult favorite, Hot Dog…The Movie, holds up; its impact on subsequent ski films; what’s aged the best; what’s aged the worst; & more.

Dr. Len Necefer (founder of the Sonoran Avalanche Center & NativesOutdoors) is back on the Blister Podcast to discuss cloud seeding; the passing of the EXPLORE Act; trigger warnings; the most Italian news?; skiing on mushroom moguls; what we’re reading & watching; and more

Reviewing the News w/ Dr. Len Necefer, April 2024 (Ep.307)

May 6, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan and Len discuss cloud seeding; the passing of the EXPLORE Act; trigger warnings; skiing on mushroom moguls; what we’re reading & watching; and more.

When it comes to gear, we’ve all been there: loads of questions, crippling confusion, severe analysis paralysis. You need some help! So on our GEAR:30 podcast, we’ve just published our inaugural episode of GEAR THERAPY, where Jason Verlinde — a self described “average / normal / non-industry / non-pro Blister member” — poses some gear questions and conundrums to Jonathan Ellsworth & Luke Koppa, and “gets to confess my ignorance and state my real-world situation, with the experts weighing in, straightening me out, and steering me toward some products I might love.”

GEAR THERAPY: A Skier (Blister’s founder) Learns to Snowboard, Part 1 (Ep.296)

May 3, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

How much does knowing how to ski help when learning how to snowboard? How do you slam as little as possible while learning to ride? Why don’t snowboards have releasable bindings? These are a few of our Blister founder’s questions as he learns to ‘think sideways.’

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, April 2024 (Ep.220)

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 by Simon Stewart

Simon Stewart is joined by special guest host Mike Ferrentino to talk about Kona’s Sea Otter debacle and the state of the industry more broadly; the start of XC World Cup season; new XC race bikes being awesome; microphone eating; zombies; and more on the latest iteration of Reviewing the News.

Sex & Ski Boots: Hoji, Matt Manser, & Greg Klein on the Present & Future of Ski Boot Design (Ep.295)

April 26, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

At Blister Summit 2024, we talked about sex, ski boots, and more with Hoji, Matt Manser, and Greg Klein.

Norco’s New DH Race Bike (Ep.219)

April 25, 2024 by David Golay

Norco hasn’t been shy about the fact that they’re working on a new DH race bike, and we sat down with Norco engineers Adrian Ward and Kirk McDowall to hear all about it.

A Brief-ish History of Blister with Jonathan Ellsworth and Michael Clarke (Ep.306)

April 23, 2024April 22, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

So who was really behind the creation of BLISTER, and did the whole thing get started because of a misunderstanding over a couple of beers? Today, we dive into the origins story of Blister, with the two people most responsible for it.

Alaska’s Epic El Niño Season, Ski Bindings, & More with Powder Hound (Ep.294)

April 19, 2024 by Kara Williard

We’re back with Eric Helmbrecht, co-owner of Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK, to discuss Alaska’s banner El Niño season; the gear he enjoyed most; the gear Kara Williard brought to Girdwood; what’s changed at Alyeska Resort since joining the Ikon pass; the reliability of various AT & alpine bindings, and more.

Reviewer Reports: So Many New Bikes (Ep.218)

April 18, 2024 by David Golay

It’s been an insanely busy last few weeks for new bike launches, and we’ve been riding a whole lot of them. We sat down to chat about our early impressions of a *lot* of new bikes, from the Specialized Epic Evo to the Yeti SB165, and a whole bunch in between.

On our latest Blister Podcast, Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, is back to talk with Jonathan about their ongoing feud; media coverage of the eclipse; two stories from the soon-to-be-released MG #201; what they’re reading and watching (including Bluey, Road House, and why Rogge often tells people to watch the movie, Cocktail with Tom Cruise), and more.

Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge on Feuds, Media Coverage, Movies, & More (Ep.305)

April 17, 2024April 15, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, is back to talk with Jonathan about their ongoing feud; media coverage of the eclipse; two stories from the soon-to-be-released MG #201; what they’re reading and watching; and more.

On today’s GEAR:30 podcast, Luke and Jonathan discuss a number of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring, including ones from Blizzard, K2, Armada, Moment, Line, Rossignol, Black Crows, & more.

Whiskey, Murder, and a Bunch of New Skis (Ep.293)

April 12, 2024April 12, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring

Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, March 2024 (Ep.217)

May 2, 2024April 11, 2024 by Simon Stewart

In their third installment of Reviewing The News, Ryan and Simon get into: the slopestyle strike; Scott’s apparent management instability; riding in Tuscany; some reflections on how we ever rode without dropper posts; and some new lightweight eMTBs running the hotrod Bosch SX motor — including the 39 lb Norco Fluid VLT.

At our Blister Summit, Angel Collinson, Mallory Duncan, Elyse Saugstad, & Vasu Sojitra shared stories about their all-time favorite days in the mountains; their scariest experiences; times they were the most starstruck; what they wish they could tell their younger selves; and more. Listen Here, or watch on our YouTube Channel.

Angel Collinson, Mallory Duncan, Elyse Saugstad, & Vasu Sojitra: Stories from the Field (Ep.304)

April 8, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Angel Collinson, Mallory Duncan, Elyse Saugstad, & Vasu Sojitra share stories about their all-time favorite days in the mountains; their scariest experiences; times they were the most starstruck; what they wish they could tell their younger selves; and more.

New Tech to Simplify Decision Making in the Backcountry (Ep.292)

April 6, 2024April 5, 2024 by Kara Williard

After years in the backcountry and a near-death experience, IFMGA Guide, Jeff Banks, wanted to build a tool that could simplify and improve the decision-making of any backcountry user. The result is Aspect Avy. We talk with Jeff about how this app compares to and complements other backcountry tools; how it accounts for human factors; the general state of tech in the backcountry; and more.