BLISTER Podcast

Today, we are talking about health, fitness, and performance with Dr. Steve Burkert, owner of Snow Beast Performance , located just outside of Burlington, Vermont. Steve and Jonathan discuss some best practices for training for outdoor sports, the most common summer injuries, what we can do to prevent those, and how best to treat them once they happen. They then discuss some eye-opening trends in...

At Blister Summit 2025, we brought together some legends of snowsports — Hoji, Marcus Caston, Nick Russell, & Chris Davenport — to have them share some life updates; their best mountain-town (and relationship) advice; trip reports and travel stories; and more. Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing...

What does the future of freeskiing look like? And who is working to shape that future? Today, Luke Koppa talks with James Woods (aka Woodsy) about how he and fellow pro skiers, Ferdinand Dahl and Oystein Braaten, founded Jib League to fill voids that they were noticing in the freeskiing world. What they came up with proved to be a unique event series that’s been loved by athletes and viewers alike...

Jonathan talks with Will Cockrell about his excellent book, Everest, Inc.: The Renegades & Rogues who Built an Industry at the Top of the World . They discuss the fascinating history of guiding on Everest, the evolution of the industry, and the broader topic of ethics, principles, and parameters of guiding in general, anywhere. Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share the sto...

Cody and Jonathan discuss Rob Katz’s return as the CEO of Vail; what’s going on with REI; the sale of Pieps; the latest way to speed up Mt. Everest; the Most Canadian News; the return of the Blister Book Club; what we’re reading & watching; and more. Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; your mo...

Public lands are one of the few unifiers for a huge number of Americans — but they’re currently under attack. On this episode, Luke Koppa talks with Blister reviewer and conservation advocate, Paul Forward, about these developments and why anyone who enjoys the outdoors should be concerned about some recent legislation. We cover several worrying provisions in the U.S. Budget Reconciliation bill; h...

Lots of people dream of starting a ski or snowboard or some type of company in the outdoor industry. But how do you go about actually doing that, and really getting a company off the ground? At Blister Summit 2025, I talked with four individuals who had the dream — and the audacity — to start their own companies: Klem Branner, Venture Snowboards ; Will Ritter, Spark R&D ; Jamie Grant, CARV ; a...

Jonathan talks about Natural Selection’s first ski comp with Craig ‘Weazy’ Murray , winner of the men’s division. Craig blew minds in AK with his style and massive transfer gaps, and it’s all even more impressive when you consider the ludicrous talent level at the comp, as well as the fact that Craig was dealing with a knee injury that had him questioning whether he’d even be able to compete. Weaz...

Mali Noyes just pulled off a mind-blowing feat in the ski world: completing the Chuting Gallery in 47 days. That’s 93 chutes (she actually did more than that) around the Wasatch in 47 days, with over 200,000 feet of vert climbed, while navigating tricky conditions, complex terrain, incredible physical demands, and mental and emotional fatigue. And she pulled it all off in a time that seems almost...

At our Blister Summit 2025, we had an all-star lineup of guests share their stories of times when things went wrong in the mountains, and also share some of their best advice and tips to respond to such moments — or, ideally, avoid them altogether. If you recreate in the mountains, please listen. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: New BLISTER+ Members (2:33) Dr. Glor...

Mountain Gazette owner & editor, Mike Rogge, is back to talk about Travis Rice’s Natural Selection SKI comp and the importance of being “stewards of the culture.” We also talk about the virtues of crappy old gear; Jim Morrison’s excellent trip report in the new issue of Mountain Gazette; Mike’s unorthodox picks for movies to cover on Blister Cinematic ; and more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Co...

Cody and Jonathan discuss tariff zaniness and the goal of manufacturing more in America; the state of outdoor-sports comps; whether it’s a good thing when big companies move into outdoor sports (Nike & snowboarding?); and more. They also rate your takes, talk about Cody’s trips to Norway & Utah, and share what they’ve been reading & watching. RELATED LINKS: Get Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS...

Jonathan is currently in Sun Valley for the World Cup Finals, and today, you’ll hear his live conversation that happened at 5850 Fest with US ski racer and Rossignol athlete, River Radamus , about his upcoming WC Finals GS race; this World Cup season; & more. Then, former World Cup ski racer, Will Brandenburg , joins Jonathan to talk about the Herculean effort it was to build — and prep — the...

Cody and Jonathan are back to review the news, including the passing of ZipFit’s Sven Coomer; threats to public lands; JD Vance’s ski trip; and more. We also rate your takes, discuss the most Canadian news, and share what we’ve been reading and watching. RELATED LINKS: Recreate Responsibly: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: BLISTER+ (2:37) Blister Summit , “Bjarne,” & Ted Ligety (4:37) Quick NFL Ta...

Jonathan talks with Todd Ligare about his career in big-mountain skiing; his background in ski racing; movies & marriage; his two new 5-minute ski films, On the Hunt Part 1 & Part 2 ; Sammy Carlson; Mikaela Shiffrin; the current world cup ski racing season; & more. RELATED LINKS: On the Hunt, Part 1 On the Hunt, Part 2 5850 Fest , Sun Valley, Idaho Blister Rec Shop: Gear West BLISTER+...

We just wrapped up another outstanding Blister Summit, so Blister Summit Director, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth caught up to share a few of their favorite moments, discuss the new things that took place this year (including the DJ set / dance party that broke out in Blister HQ); and talk about the future of the event. RELATED LINKS BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered:  TOPICS & TIMES...

Molly Armanino recently won the FWT comp in Kicking Horse; her new film, Slopes of Change, comes out today; and she is currently in the country of Georgia on hold waiting for the next FWT comp. So Jonathan spoke with Molly about all of the above, plus her relationships with pro skiers McKenna Peterson and Josh Daiek; working with a sports psychologist; and more. RELATED LINKS Molly’s Film, Slopes...

Today we’re talking about all things ‘ Kings & Queens of Corbet’s ’ with Alex Hackel , who has podiumed both times he’s competed in the event. Alex Hackel just took 2nd place at Kings & Queens, he’s also 2-times X-games medalist, he’s the co-founder of 1000skis , and he’s a terrific filmmaker. Jonathan sat down with Alex in Jackson Hole after the comp to talk about all of this and a whole...

You spent hours pouring over Blister reviews, and you’ve found the perfect skis, bike, or snowboard. You’re ready to go. But once you’re outside and going … what are you doing to keep going? What are you eating and drinking? Are you eating and drinking? Should you be? What, when, and how much? What does the latest science have to say about all of this? To walk us through these questions and more,...

Cody and Jonathan review some of the big news of January; rate Cody’s take; share what we’re reading & watching; offer some mountain town advice; and more. RELATED LINKS: Taos Ski Valley Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Join Us! Blister Summit 2025 TOPICS & TIMES: Taos Ski Valley (0:50) Our Neighbors & BLISTER+ (1:23) Blister Summit (3:19) Cody’s Pro Tip / Life Advice (4:05) Cody on Coul...

Jonathan talks with Jason Blevins, the outdoors reporter for The Colorado Sun , about the recent ski patrol strike, union talks, and the current state of ski areas. Jason brings some important historical reminders to the conversation, and we discuss what it all means for the future of skiing & snowboarding, as well as the future of mountain towns. RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec. Shop: Powder7 Get...

In the future, will we still have public lands? Will new economic policies crash the outdoor industry? Will a popular drug actually get more people outside? Will we all soon be ski touring on e-skis (just as more and more people are riding e-bikes)? And will the phones in our pockets eventually replace satellite phones and our avy beacons? Jonathan Ellsworth and Paul Forward discuss all of this an...

The Freeride World Tour kicks off this weekend, so today we are talking with one of the best comp skiers in the world, Marcus Goguen . We talk about tooling around France together back in 2022; Marcus’ rise as a skier; we analyze his insane comp run in Verbier last season; and more. RELATED LINKS: VIDEO: Marcus’ Run down the Bec des Rosses OpenSnow.com/buy - code: blister50 Bluebird Mtn Sports Joi...

Cody and Jonathan are back to review some of the big news of December and this new year; rate your takes; share what we’re reading & watching; and more. RELATED LINKS: Taos Ski Valley Join Us! Blister Summit 2025 Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Catching Up: AK, the NFL, Etc (3:00) The Explore Act Passed   (8:00) United Healthcare CEO Assassination (16:05) Murder Hornets...

For our final Blister Podcast of 2024, we are once again sharing with you some of the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned by our team this past year, and talking about some of our reviewers’ plans and resolutions for 2025. Then this Wednesday, over on our CRAFTED podcast , you’ll also get to hear some of our reviewers reveal the projects and pursuits they took up in 2024, or are looking to ex...