GEAR:30

We talk with the president & CEO of Pret Helmets about Pret’s approach to helmet design; the “dart test” portion of the safety certification process; the prospects of implementing customizable helmet liners; why Pret places such an emphasis on ventilation; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: Steve Bellefeuille’s background (2:46) Safety Standards & the Dart Test (13:16) Fit & Ventilation (17...

We talk with Rob Wesson about Giro’s approach to various helmet safety standards and certifications; the differences between a $65 helmet and a $260 helmet; the pros and cons of adding a chin bar to a full-face helmet, or a large visor to an enduro bike helmet; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: Giro / Bell background + Rob’s background (4:05) Overview of the helmet market & sales (5:05) How Giro h...

In our new GEAR:30 mini-series, we’re talking to key designers in the world of snowsport and bike helmets to stitch together a current state of helmet tech and helmet R&D. To get things started, we are talking with Ståle Møller, the co-founder of Sweet Protection , about the pros and cons of the two different safety certifications out there; advances in materials & our understanding of hea...

Matt Manser is back to talk about bike crashes and ski boot suspension. TOPICS & TIMES: Bike crash stories (2:17) Ski-boot suspension (11:43) Damp vs. Plush (14:25) How to achieve good suspension (21:18) Ski bindings (28:08) “Playful” ski boots (30:51) Cuff Test: compression & rebound (36:01) What We're Celebrating (48:52) RELATED LINKS: Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide A Very Deep Dive...

Carl Moriarty was the Design Director at Arc’teryx, and is currently the Design Director at Rapha. We discuss his background and career in the outdoor industry, then dive into several principles of technical apparel design; the pros and cons of various technologies; the challenge of balancing high performance with sustainability; and how being clear on these things can help us evaluate advertising...

Which tech bindings feel the most like alpine bindings? What “very light” skis offer the best suspension and damping? Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about a bunch of ski touring gear they’ve been reviewing and answer a number of your touring-related questions. TOPICS & TIMES: Blister Membership details (0:37) Fischer TransAlp Pro (3:46) DPS Pagoda Tour 100 RP (10:26) Ronin 108 (13:21)...

We talk with Sebastian Steinbach, the owner of Blacksheep Sports Freeride Shop in Munich, Germany, about a bunch of ski touring gear, including the new Tecnica Cochise 130 , Lange XT3 Tour Pro, Dalbello Quantum Free 130, Plum Summit 12 binding, Moment Wildcat Tour 108 , and more. TOPICS & TIMES Tecnica Cochise 130 (3:30) Dalbello Krypton with tech toes (25:50) Dalbello Quantum Free 130 (36:13)...

Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about a bunch of the powder skis Paul’s been reviewing this season in Girdwood, Alaska. TOPICS: This heli season in AK (3:34) Moment Chipotle Banana (5:32) Folsom Rapture (19:48) Faction La Machine (28:02) 4FRNT Renegade 184 & 191 (35:01) More on La Machine (39:21) Blizzard Spur (40:05) Kye Shapes Numinous (49:16) Whitedot Ragnarok ASYM (52:59) What we’...

Today we’re talking about one of the most important concepts in ski design: suspension. So what do we mean by “suspension”? Are terms like “plush” or “damp” synonyms, or are there important differences? And what are some of the best skis of all-time when it comes to suspension? Let the debate begin. TOPICS & TIMES: Updates & fake IG accounts (0:00) Suspension: concepts, terms, & questi...

Luke Koppa & Jonathan Ellsworth report on the new skis they’ve been reviewing from Black Crows, Salomon, Dynastar, Wagner, RMU, Moment, & more. TOPICS & TIMES: CB's closing day, Luke's diet, & more (0:00) Black Crows Mirus COR (8:35) Salomon Stance 96 (13:14) Dynastar M-Free 108 (19:31) Wagner Blister Summit 97 (22:40) RMU Apostle 3.0 106 (25:46) Moment Commander 98 (26:55) Pit Vip...

Our patron saint of GEAR:30 is back on the show today, and we talked to Hoji about the new Dynafit Radical Pro; how it compares to the Hoji Free boot; the evolution of the “Hoji Hole” testing prototypes; and more. TOPICS & TIMES The new Dynafit Radical Pro (2:06) Updates to the Hoji Lock walk mode? (6:21) Radical Pro tongue update (10:12) Radical Pro vs Hoji Free (13:12) Hoji Hole & Skiing...

Sascha Anastas and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss a couple of new liners they’re reviewing: the Zipfit World Cup liner, and the Atomic Mimic Professional liner that Matt Manser and Jonathan talked about on episode #132 of GEAR:30 . And be sure to check out the Blister Summit Panel sessions that we’re rolling out on our BLISTER YouTube channel . We just posted a conversation about Rossignol’s 21/22 lin...

MADE is a new company that’s setting out to make custom technical apparel. Their 3 co-founders are all veterans of the technical apparel and outdoor industries, and Luke Koppa and I talked to Cheryl LeBarr, Capri Philip, and Dustin Butcher about why they started MADE and how they are making this happen. (And, of course, we argue about anoraks, too.) TOPICS & TIMES: Co-founder backgrounds (04:6...

Today we’ve got another Shop Talk episode for you, where we speak with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics ranging from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves. James Reddy, the director of Escape Route in Whistler and Squamish, British Columbia, jo...

Luka Koppa, Sascha Anastas, Kara Williard, and Jonathan Ellsworth offer a bit of a recap of our inaugural Blister Summit in Mt. Crested Butte, then discuss a number of skis from 4FRNT , Rossignol , Wagner Custom Skis , Dynastar , Icelantic Skis , WNDR Alpine , and Folsom Custom Skis that we spent time on at the Summit.  TOPICS & TIMES Blister Summit Recap (00:42) 4FRNT MSP 99, 107, &...

Today we’ve got another Shop Talk episode for you, where we speak with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics ranging from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves. Mark "Osman" Osell and Jeff Perry join us from Gear West in Long Lake, Minnesota. We tal...

Today we’ve got another installment of our “Reviewing the Reviewer” series, where we ask various BLISTER reviewers questions about their backgrounds and gear preferences to give you a more complete picture of the people behind our reviews. And since we like to rank & review things around here, we also give a score to each of our reviewers’ answers, then come up with a cumulative review grade f...

Our inaugural Blister Summit launches in less than two weeks! So Kristin Sinnott, our Blister Summit director, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about the origins of the idea, why we think it’s important; why we think you should come!; and we cover a ton of the details and logistics of this first-of-its-kind event in the snowsports world. TOPICS & TIMES Origins of the idea for the Blister Summit (5:...

Today we’ve got another Shop Talk episode for you, where we speak with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics ranging from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves. Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound Ski & Bike Shop in Girdwood, Alaska, is back...

Product Manager of Atomic Ski Boots, Matt Manser, is back to talk about heel pockets and tongue volume and Luke Koppa’s feet and how plug boots are not a thing and Atomic’s new Hawx Ultra and their new “Professional” Series of Liners and Dual Straps. TOPICS & TIMES: Whiskey & Jonathan being late (4:63) Atomic’s new 21/22 Hawx Ultra (8:23) Atomic’s new Professional Series (34:08) Mimic Prof...

We’re talking with Megan Shenton, the head of the ski dept. at Outdoor Gear Exchange , about how this ski season is going so far in New England; the history of Outdoor Gear Exchange; some of her personal favorite gear and some of the OGE staff’s favorite products; and more. TOPICS & TIMES About Outdoor Gear Exchange (1:42) Burglington, VT (8:55) Backcountry Skiing & this ski season (9:56)...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth offer their initial thoughts on the new Volkl Mantra M6 & Secret 96 ; reviewer, Drew Kelly (aka, The Hulk), makes his GEAR:30 debut to compare the Volkl Katana 108 vs the HEAD Monster 108 vs the Blizzard Cochise 106 ; Luke discusses some of the Movement skis he’s been getting time on; & more. TOPICS & TIMES: Introducing: reviewer, Drew Kelly (3:09) New...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of the skis they’ve recently been testing; name some of the most surprising products of 2020 and some of the standout products of 2020; offer a few gear predictions for 2021; and end with what they’re celebrating this week. TOPICS & TIMES The end of the Year of Ellsworth (1:15) Luke’s new diet (2:26) Renoun skis are still mind-blowing (4:36) Ne...

We’re talking with Chris Gerston, founder of Backcountry Essentials , talking about Bellingham; starting Backcountry Essentials; and some of the gear that he thinks works really well for skiing at Mt Baker and for volcano skiing. TOPICS & TIMES Gear & Beer (4:14) Bellingham, Washington (6:20) If Mt Baker were a beer… (7:14) Starting Backcountry Essentials (8:29) Quiver Killers & Tele &...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss several listener questions about ski quivers; 1- boot quivers; some game-changing news in the ski boot world; a number of skis, apparel pieces, and ski masks we’ve been testing; & what we’re celebrating this week. TOPICS & TIMES Watch the YouTube Video of this Episode Mood Enhancers: Skiing & Georgetown Beer (2:45) Listener Questions: ski quive...