Podcasts | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

Reviewer Reports: Storm Cycles, All-Mountain Skis, 3D-Printed Goggles, & More (Ep.282)

January 26, 2024 by Kara Williard

Kara, Luke, Dylan, and Eric discuss some of the powder and all-mountain skis they’ve been testing, plus Dylan’s new favorite ski poles, a standout touring boot, 3D-printed custom goggles, and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls.

Rónán Dunne on Joining Mondraker Factory Racing (Ep.206)

January 25, 2024 by David Golay

Rónán Dunne is on a meteoric rise through the World Cup Downhill ranks, and he’ll look to continue that on the newly formed Mondraker Factory Racing team. We sat down with Rónán to chat about leaving Nukeproof for Mondraker, the state of DH racing in general, his goals for 2024 and beyond, and much more.

They’re back! On our latest Blister Podcast, Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest athletic achievements in outdoor sports in 2023; Caroline Gleich’s run for the U.S. Senate; ski area & ski media business models; mountain town advice, the Most Canadian News; & more.

Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, Dec ’23 & Jan ’24 (Ep.294)

January 24, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest athletic achievements in outdoor sports in 2023; Caroline Gleich’s run for the U.S. Senate; ski area & ski media business models; mountain town advice, the Most Canadian News; & more.

Many of us have daydreamed about starting our own ski or snowboard company, but what’s it like to actually do it? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? On our latest Blister Podcast, Jonathan talks with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more.

So You Wanna Start a Ski Company? (Ep.293)

January 22, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

What’s it like to actually start a ski company? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? We talk with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more.

Raide: Building a Solutions-Based Backcountry Brand (Ep.281)

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 by Luke Koppa

We talk with Kyle Siegel, the founder of Raide, about how — and why — he started the brand; their lightweight 40L backpack that immediately made a splash in the backcountry market when it was released; and more.

Outbound Lighting on Night Riding, Light Design, & More (Ep.205)

January 18, 2024January 18, 2024 by David Golay

Night riding is a lot of fun, and often the only way for many folks to find time to get out in the darker winter months. We sat down with Outbound Lighting’s Tom Place to chat about light design, how they go about it, how to choose the right lights for your needs, and much more.

On our CRAFTED podcast, WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz — aka, the ‘Sauna Shaman’ — talks about how Hoji kicked off his obsession with saunas; their numerous benefits; and he lays out what it takes (and costs) to build your own sauna.

WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, on the Benefits, Culture, & Craft of Saunas (Ep.40)

January 17, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, aka, the ‘Sauna Shaman’ talks about how Hoji kicked off his obsession with saunas; their numerous benefits; and he lays out what it takes (and costs) to build your own sauna.

On our latest Blister Cinematic podcast, Jonathan talks with Connor Ryan about his new video series, “The New Radical,” which kicks things off by asking the question, What is Radical?

‘The New Radical’ with Connor Ryan & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.9)

January 16, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan talks with Connor Ryan about his new video series, “The New Radical,” which kicks things off by asking the question, What is Radical?

Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? What’s the difference between “advanced” and “expert”? Today on GEAR:30, we’re following up on our GEAR:30 conversation with Luke Koppa (episode 277) to revisit these questions — having received a lot of great responses from all of you. Joining Jonathan is Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7, to provide a retailer’s perspective on these things. See what you think, and let us know whether you think we ought to change or tweak our 6 ability level categories for Community Reviews.

Skier Ability Ratings Revisited; Monoskiing; & More with Powder7’s Jordan Jones (Ep.280)

January 12, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? We’re revisiting these questions with Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7. See what you think, then let us know your thoughts.

RAAW Bikes Founder Ruben Torenbeek (Ep.204)

January 11, 2024 by David Golay

RAAW has built a reputation for offering burly, no-nonsense bikes, and we sat down with founder and engineer Ruben Torenbeek to chat about his vision for the company, the bikes he wanted to build, how their lineup has evolved over the years, and much more.

What were the best snowboard team edits of 2023? On this week’s Blister Cinematic podcast, Justin Bobb and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the contenders, and why they made the cut. LISTEN HERE, and let us know what your contenders are.

Contenders: Best Team Edits of 2023, Snowboard (Ep.8)

February 23, 2024January 9, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

What were the best snowboard team edits of 2023? Justin Bobb and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the contenders, and why they made the cut. What do you think should be in the top 3?

On this week’s GEAR:30 podcast, Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out” when it comes to gear in 2024, what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and they spin off into several other tangents.

Gear Predictions, 2024 (Ep.279)

January 5, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out” when it comes to gear in 2024, what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and they spin off into several other tangents.

Vorsprung’s New Coil Shock & Development Process (Ep.203)

January 4, 2024 by David Golay

Vorsprung Suspension has been teasing an upcoming coil shock for a while now, and we sat down with founder Steve Mathews to get the rundown on its design, the prototyping and testing process, and a whole lot more.

‘Out Cold’ with Mike Rogge & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.7)

January 3, 2024 by Jonathan Ellsworth

We’re discussing the cult classic, Out Cold, starring Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover); Jack London (Dazed & Confused); snowboard legend, Todd Richards; and a number of other Hollywood staples. And we ask you: are you among the 8%?

On GEAR:30, Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobbto reflect on some of the standout products and notable trends that defined the past year in ski and snowboard gear. So, what trend does Luke think is “the gear equivalent of superhero movies?” How many BOA dials has JBobb broken in a decade as a self-described BOA convert? What’s Kara’s pick for the “Not New But Still Amazing Award?” Take a listen and find out.

Gear of the Year, 2023 (Ep.278)

January 4, 2024December 30, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb reflect on some of the standout products and notable trends that defined the past year in ski and snowboard gear.

Our Reviewers’ 2023 Craft Obsessions & 2024 Curiosities (Ep.39)

December 28, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Today we are sharing the craft categories that most captivated our reviewers in 2023, and the categories they’re most curious about heading into 2024. This is a fun one, and it fills out the picture of the people behind our reviews, videos, articles, podcasts, & Blister Summit events.

Gear of the Year, 2023 (Ep.202)

January 18, 2024December 28, 2023 by David Golay

David Golay, Simon Stewart, and Dylan Wood sat down to recap their favorite bikes and bike-related gear from 2023, argue about headset cable routing, and more.

For our final Blister Podcast of 2023, we are once again sharing with you some of our reviewers’ highlights from 2023, as well as their resolutions for 2024. This is a fun one, and it certainly fills out the picture of the people behind all of our reviews, videos, articles, and Blister Summit events.

Our Reviewers’ 2023 Highlights & 2024 Resolutions (Ep.292)

December 28, 2023December 27, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

Once again, we are sharing some of our team’s highlights and new year’s resolutions. This is a fun one, and it certainly fills out the picture of the people behind all of our reviews, videos, articles, podcasts, and Blister Summit events. Happy New Year!

We just launched our new Blister Labs project, Blister Community Reviews, so on today’s GEAR:30 podcast, Luke and Jonathan discuss where it is today; how it will evolve; and some big questions like, how much info is too much or too little?; how to best define the difference between an intermediate, advanced, and expert skier; rating scale debates; and more. Check out the conversation, then let us know your thoughts?

Blister Community Reviews Launch; How Much Info is Too Much or Too Little?; Defining Skier Ability Levels; & Other Contentious Topics (Ep.277)

February 1, 2024December 22, 2023 by Jonathan Ellsworth

We’ve launched our new Blister Community Reviews, so Luke and Jonathan discuss where it is today; how it will evolve; & some big questions like, how to best define the difference between an intermediate, advanced, & expert skier; rating scale debates; and more.

Forbidden Bikes Founder Owen Pemberton (Ep.201)

December 21, 2023 by David Golay

Forbidden does a lot of things differently, from offering a full lineup of high-pivot bikes to taking an unconventional approach to size-specific geometry, and we sat down with founder and engineer Owen Pemberton to hear all about it.

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