BLISTER Podcast

Cody and Jonathan discuss ‘fast pass’ programs at ski areas; Angel Collinson’s retirement announcement; the recent climate change / energy bill; bighorn sheep terrain closures in the Tetons; what we’re reading & watching; and more. (And note: Jonathan is talking to Angel Collinson later today about her recent announcement, so stay tuned for that conversation.) TOPICS & TIMES: Introducing:...

We talk to the American skier who now calls Sweden home, Jackie Paaso , about her very raw, very real new film, The Arctic 12 . We discuss her background; being on the Freeride World Tour with her husband, Reine Barkered ; and the ins and outs of their 26-day expedition through the tallest peaks of northern Sweden. TOPICS & TIMES Jackie’s background (2:01) Ending up in Europe (4:14) Freeskiing...

Today we are airing one of the panel sessions we held this past February at the Blister Summit, and this is a great conversation. We brought together four very accomplished artists and designers to discuss the intersection of art and the ski and snowboard worlds, as well as the broader outdoor industry. Our panelists are Yorgo Tloupas , co-founder of Black Crows Skis ; Geoff McFetridge (who has wo...

Last Friday, we published a GEAR:30 episode with McKenna Peterson , where we discuss her ski gear preferences; what piece of gear she’s still searching for; & more. Today, we dive into McKenna’s past and present to talk about her segment in the new Matchstick film, “The Stomping Grounds”; discuss some of the formative events of her life, and learn more about what makes this professional skier...

Cody and Jonathan discuss some of the outdoor-industry-related news of the past month, including the NFL(?); the massive increase in Epic Pass sales; the name change to “Palisades Tahoe”; whether you should shower; our best ideas for your next adventure; some of our all-time favorite TV characters; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: Fifty Project : new episode (4:29) The NFL & the outdoor industry?...

How does a ski bum go from starring in the beloved movie G.N.A.R. to running for mayor? And why? We talked to Spencer Cordovano to get some answers, and you’ll get to hear how and why Spencer went from ripping BN runs in the movie G.N.A.R., to working to mobilize a certain constituency to make the mountain town he lives in and the community he loves … even better.  TOPICS & TIMES What pro...

Austin Smith is the co-founder of Season Eqpt and the man in charge of the snowboard side of Season, while his co-founder, Eric Pollard , oversees the ski side. Today you’ll get Austin’s perspective on Season and their 21/22 snowboard lineup (plus a whole bunch of other topics), and then this Friday on our GEAR:30 podcast , you’ll hear Eric offer his perspective on the development of Season and th...

Cody and Jonathan discuss wildfire management; athlete sponsorships and why the current model needs to be fixed; emerging technologies designed to capture CO2; having to pay to ski uphill; the prospects of Airbnb returning to its roots; and they also fight about coffee, share what they’re reading and watching, and more. TOPICS & TIMES Life with Fire podcast (1:19) Coffee Talk / Shots Fired (14...

As of this morning, massive fires are drawing closer and closer to South Lake Tahoe. So while we have been talking about the crisis of affordable housing, we are also dealing with a crisis of megafires. And our guest today, Scott Ehlert , is here to make clear how these two crises are related, and what solutions are available to mitigate both. We discuss the sordid history of development, regulati...

This week we are talking again about a number of the logistics facing most mountain town communities — and discussing a number of potential solutions. So if you are someone who lives in a mountain town or you are someone who loves to visit them, you ought to listen to this conversation. Our guest is Troy Russ, who is the community development director of Crested Butte. Troy has a long history in c...

Benji Alexander is a passionate ski racer and backcountry skier with a stranger-than-fiction backstory. So we talk about how Burning Man got him into skiing; what inspired his Olympic aspirations; the numerous logistics he has had to navigate to make this happen; the financial hurdles that all Olympic hopefuls have to face; and what motivates him to keep pushing forward. TOPICS & TIMES: Benji’...

Last week, Cody Townsend and I talked about the profusion of short term rentals that have become increasingly common in mountain towns. This week, our guest is Dr. Jenny Stuber, a sociologist and author of the book, Aspen and the American Dream . Jenny talks about some of the policies that the town of Aspen has employed, and which of them might be applicable to other towns trying to navigate the n...

Cody and Jonathan discuss athletes & mental health; the affordable housing issues facing mountain towns; Pit Viper vs. far-right extremists (??); the ongoing consolidation of outdoor media; and more.  TOPICS & TIMES: Cody & Elyse are gonna be parents! (2:30) Athletes & Mental Health (9:32) Pit Viper vs. the Far Right (24:51) Consolidation in Outdoor Media (35:45) Housing short...

Jonathan Ellsworth has been in Ketchum, Idaho, this past week hanging out and riding bikes with Blister member, Jake Bilbro, who is the founder of Revelshine . In this conversation, we talk about Jake’s unique background; skiing and wine culture; riding bikes; and more.  TOPICS & TIMES: How Jake and Jonathan met (1:20) Winemaking & founding Revelshine (10:10) Enjoying all forms of the...

Today we’re talking with Dr. Rami Hashish about high-level human performance, injury prevention, and how to age well. Dr. Hashish is the founder of the National Biomechanics Institute , has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and a PhD in Biomechanics; serves on the review board for various national and international medical and engineering journals, and sits on a global committee for spine and brain...

This week we discuss grizzlies, whales, microbes, humankind, & the future of the world with the wildlife biologist & author, Doug Chadwick. All of these are topics in Doug’s excellent new book, Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All . TOPICS & TIMES: Why did you write this book? (1:12) Recalibrating our behaviors (20:25) What really is progress?...

If you’re reading this, then you definitely need to listen to this episode. Because many of us in the outdoor community either don’t have insurance, or have deductibles that we can barely afford to pay when the inevitable accident happens. But Spot is disrupting the insurance industry with an incredible alternative that is actually affordable. We’ve had multiple conversations this week with the co...

Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about Cody’s recent adventure in AK; surges in National Park visits; ski patrol unionization; UFOs … and more.  TOPICS & TIMES: Cody’s Alaska Update (2:47) When can you claim to have summited? (7:59) Will Gadd on the Ethos of Guiding (20:39) Indoor Ski Areas (25:52) Surge in National Parks visits (36:13) Unionization of Ski Patrol (49:20) Results...

We talk to the CEO of Alpine-X about his vision of developing indoor snowsports destinations in North American metropolitan markets. Could this have a similar effect that indoor climbing gyms have had on the popularity of climbing? Could such indoor facilities help create a more inclusive and more diverse snowsports demographic? Could this lead to a world where some people only ski indoors? TOPICS...

We talk with Matthias Giraud and Chase Ogden about their excellent new film, Super Frenchie , which documents Matthias’ exploits as a skier, base jumper, and ski base jumper, while also detailing the philosophy of life that drives his decision to do things like ski base off the Matterhorn.  TOPICS & TIMES: The backstory of Super Frenchie (1:22) Matthias’ philosophy of life (8:46) Fear (22...

We’re firing back up the Blister Book Club with mountaineer, climber, and big-wave surfer, Andrew Alexander King . Andrew and Jonathan discuss the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and why this book written in the 2nd century is still so relevant today when it comes to topics like the pursuit of fame, dealing with criticism, and more. TOPICS & TIMES: Andrew’s upcoming Denali mission (1:24) Why t...

It’s time once again to review the outdoor-industry news, and this time around Cody Townsend and I discuss some recent criticism of REI; spraying vs. not spraying the locations of your outdoor adventures; Mt. Bohemia’s plan to incentivize vaccinations; gear libraries & outdoor accessibility; sex and ski touring; & more. TOPICS & TIMES: Sleeping at 14,700 ft — at sea level? (0:00) REI &...

We’ve talked quite a bit on Blister about the ski season in North America, but today we’re talking with Sebastian Steinbach, the owner of Blacksheep Sports in Munich, Germany, about the European ski season; we revisit some of the predictions that Sebastian had made prior to this ski season, and we get his early predictions for what he thinks this next ski season will look like in Europe. TOPICS &a...

Cody and Jonathan discuss the introduction of criminal charges for triggering avalanches; the case against straightlining; ski area news; our media recommendations; & more. TOPICS & TIMES: Criminal charges for Triggering Avalanches (3:01) The Result of the Avalanche Trial (12:23) Straight Lining vs. Turning (14:42) Most US Ski Areas made it through COVID! (19:42) Ski Areas might have to pu...

We talk to the skier and adventure photographer, Adam Clark , about how he got started in photography; how he went about making a name for himself and honing his craft; his favorite camera gear; one of his most memorable ski trips; and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: Dentists + whale watching = photo career (5:06) Adam’s 1st season shooting skiing (13:49) Shooting with film vs digital camera...