Podcasts

After discovering running in his 30’s, ultra-endurance athlete Robbie Balenger became obsessed with the power of human endurance and quickly found that he needed challenges far exceeding standard ultramarathons to test his limits. So, he started creating his own. Since then, Robbie has run across America, completed the “Colorado Crush,” and recently outran a Tesla. On Off The Couch, we had him on to unpack each of these efforts before asking him about the mental side of endurance, recovery techniques, his next challenge, and much more.

Robbie Balenger on Testing Limits, Exploring Recovery Techniques, & Outrunning a Tesla (Ep. 121)

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After discovering running in his 30’s, ultra-endurance athlete Robbie Balenger became obsessed with the power of human endurance and quickly found that he needed challenges far exceeding standard ultramarathons to test his limits. So, he started creating his own. Since then, Robbie has run across America, completed the “Colorado Crush,” and recently outran a Tesla. We had him on to unpack all of these efforts before asking him about the mental side of endurance, recovery techniques, his next challenge, and much more.
Professional skiers are often asked about the mental preparation it takes to ski big lines and perform at a high level. But in this Blister Podcast conversation (recorded at our Blister Summit), John Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, and Drew Petersen offer a much broader perspective on ‘the mental game’ as it relates to dealing with injury and adversity; self identity; mental health; and much more.

Johnny Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, & Drew Petersen on The Mental Game (Ep.212)

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Professional skiers are often asked about the mental preparation it takes to ski big lines and perform at a high level. But in this conversation (recorded at our Blister Summit), John Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, and Drew Petersen offer a much broader perspective on ‘the mental game’ as it relates to dealing with injury and adversity; self identity; mental health; and much more.
On this week’s GEAR:30 podcast, Kristin Sinnott, Dylan Wood, Kara Williard, Drew Kelly, and Luke Koppa cover everything from the setups Drew used while touring for several weeks in Alaska this spring, to a whole bunch of skis, boots, and bindings from Faction, Blizzard, K2, Nordica, Salomon, and more. We also touch on some new Strafe outerwear, get an update from Kara on some heated socks, and discuss some unique gear and tricks that Kristin’s been using to ski with her son.

Reviewer Reports: Touring Setups, Resort Skis, & Jelly Bean Bribery (Ep.197)

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Kristin Sinnott, Dylan Wood, Kara Williard, Drew Kelly, and Luke Koppa cover everything from the setups Drew used while touring for several weeks in Alaska this spring, to a whole bunch of skis, boots, and bindings from Faction, Blizzard, K2, Nordica, Salomon, and more. We also touch on some new Strafe outerwear, get an update from Kara on some heated socks, and discuss some unique gear and tricks that Kristin’s been using to ski with her son.

Contra Bikes on Building a Bike From Scratch (Ep.118)

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Designing a bike frame is hard enough. Taking it to production is an even bigger challenge, but that hasn’t stopped Evan Turpen, and his Contra Bikes high-pivot prototype is extremely impressive. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Evan to chat about why he decided to start a bike company, and what he hopes to achieve with the bike; learn all about designing and fabricating frames from scratch (and how he learned to do it), and a whole lot more.
Jonathan is in Iceland this week, skiing at Deplar Farm and being guided by AMGA-certified guide, Ian Havlick. So for our Blister Podcast, they sat down to talk about Ian’s path to becoming a professional guide; the misperceptions about the profession; recommendations for how to get into guiding; the confusion around tipping; and more.

The Guide Life, with Ian Havlick (Ep.211)

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Jonathan is in Iceland this week, skiing at Deplar Farm and being guided by AMGA-certified guide, Ian Havlick. They sat down to talk about Ian’s path to becoming a professional guide; the misperceptions about the profession; recommendations for how to get into guiding; the confusion around tipping; and more.
Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.

Kavenz on Engineering a Better Enduro Bike (Ep.117)

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Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.
Brian Metzler has been writing about running, in one form or another, for the better part of the last 25 years. His latest book, Trail Running Illustrated: The Art of Running Free (which he co-authored with Doug Mayer) is a genre-bending book with an interesting backstory, so on our Off The Couch Podcast, we talked to Brian about how it all came together; his writing (and running) career; and much more.

Brian Metzler on a Writer’s Life & the Art of Running Free (Ep.119)

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Brian Metzler has been writing about running, in one form or another, for the better part of the last 25 years. His latest book, Trail Running Illustrated: The Art of Running Free (which he co-authored with Doug Mayer) is a genre-bending book with an interesting backstory, so we talked to Brian about how it all came together; his writing (and running) career; and much more.
Between Corrine Malcolm’s many roles as a member of the media, it could be easy to overlook her as an elite runner in her own right. So on our Off the Couch Podcast we talk to Corrine about how she went from an olympic-level biathlete to running professionally for adidas Terrex; setting the supported FKT on the Tahoe Rim Trail; her return to racing; and much more.

Corrine Malcolm on Suffering, the Tahoe Rim Trail, and Her Return to Racing (Ep.118)

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If you’ve followed coverage of ultrarunning at all over the last few years, Corrine Malcolm is a name you’ve probably heard a lot. But between her many roles as a member of the media, it could be easy to overlook her as an elite runner in her own right. So we talk to Corrine about how she went from an olympic-level biathlete to running professionally for adidas Terrex; setting the supported FKT on the Tahoe Rim Trail; her return to racing; and much more.
Pablo Vigil has been called the greatest mountain runner in the world. In the 1980s he was nearly unbeatable, winning the famous Sierre-Zinal four consecutive times. So on the Off The Couch Podcast, we talk to Pablo about the early days of mountain running; what has changed since then; why he thinks simplicity is still the key to training (and life); and much more.

Pablo Vigil on the Early Days of Mountain Running & Lessons from 50 Years of Racing (Ep.117)

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Pablo Vigil has been called the greatest mountain runner in the world. In the 1980s he was nearly unbeatable, winning the famous Sierre-Zinal four consecutive times. We talk to Pablo about the early days of mountain running; what has changed since then; why he thinks simplicity is still the key to training (and life); and much more.
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