GEAR:30

What are the most significant developments in snowsports gear of the 21st century? We’ve already covered the ‘Best Skis of the Century’ on GEAR:30 , and now, we’re ranking the most important gear and / or technological developments in skiing and snowboarding. And today, you’re going to get the real story of the first rockered ski. RELATED LINKS: Get CARV Get Yourself Covered with BLISTER+ Enter Ou...

What are the most significant developments in snowsports gear of the 21st century? We’ve already covered the ‘Best Skis of the Century’ on GEAR:30 , and now, we’re ranking the most important gear and / or technological developments in skiing and snowboarding. RELATED LINKS: OpenSnow CARV Get Yourself Covered with BLISTER+ Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaways Our Blister Recommended Shops Join Us At Bli...

What can you learn when you analyze hundreds of thousands of ski turns? What does it tell you about ski technique? And what can be learned about the gear you use to make those turns — and the gear we test and evaluate? Luke Koppa discusses all of the above with the team at Carv . RELATED LINKS: Carv Digital Ski Coach System Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaways Our Blister Recommended Shops Join Us At B...

The skis, ski boots, and bindings made for human-powered ski-touring are very different from the ones built for the resort. But what about the clothes? Raide has been rethinking what apparel for the skintrack vs. the resort should look like, and their new collection is quite the ambitious debut. Luke Koppa discusses it all with Raide founder, Kyle Siegel. RELATED LINKS: Carv Digital Ski Coach Syst...

We’re back on snow! And testing gear! And excited to talk about it! Jonathan and Luke cover several of the standout skis so far; Luke confesses to one of the dumbest things he’s ever done on skis; they discuss underappreciated upsides of early-season skiing; some interesting new outerwear and gloves; and more. RELATED LINKS: Our Recommended Shop: Round House Sports Center Enter Our Weekly Gear Giv...

Today we spill some tea, break some news, fire off a few rants, and we walk through Moment’s 25/26 lineup, including what Moment CEO, Luke Jacobson, believes to be the most significant changes to the line. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you’d like to nominate yourself for a ‘Gear Therap...

If you’ve worn a puffy jacket in the past 30+ years, there’s a good chance it used PrimaLoft insulation. And they’ve just announced their warmest insulation to date. So today, we get all the details on PrimaLoft UltraPeak from Andrea Paulson, PrimaLoft’s Senior Vice President of Innovation & Technology — and learn a ton about insulation in general along the way. Whether you’re curious about th...

What are the Top 10 skis of the century? Top 3? #1 Ski? Today, Blister reviewers Dylan Wood, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth reveal their selections, and we also share some of the picks and insights from a number of pro skiers and ski industry professionals. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30....

What are the Top 10 skis of the century? Top 3? #1 Ski? Today, Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, reveals his very personal picks, plus we share a story from the Blister archives that involves New Zealand farmers and helicopters. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you’d like to nominate yourse...

Do “women-specific” skis need to exist? What about ski boots? In our conversation today, Leslie Baker-Brown shares her thoughts after leading Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women program for the past 10 years. Few people have been as deeply involved with women’s ski gear — and the community of women in skiing — as Leslie. Today, she discusses what the landscape looked like 10 years ago; the details of h...

In Part 3 of our series on the Best Skis of the Century, Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the great answers from our BLISTER+ members and Digital Access Pass subscribers, as well as the selections from various ski designers, pro skiers, and folks from some of our Blister Recommended Shops. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’...

In Part 2 of our series on the Best Skis of the Century, Luke Koppa and Sascha Anastas join Jonathan Ellsworth to dive into the best skis from 23 more brands, and we also discuss some of the best and most notable women-specific skis of the past 25 years. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if y...

Today, we are kicking off a new series, where we will debate and try to identify the best skis of the 21st Century from over 30 ski brands. So over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to be hearing our choices, but we are also going to be sending out a survey to our BLISTER+ members, Digital Access Pass members, and a number of pro athletes and product designers around the ski industry. Then, i...

Today we’re talking with Hoji and Stinius Skjøtskift about the creation of Stinius’ new pro model, the 4FRNT Sinister . There are lots of great stories in this one, plus you’ll find out why a number of us at BLISTER are extremely intrigued by this ski. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about our big new book, the Blister 25/26 Winter Buyer’s Guide , including the big takeaways, trends, and controversies. (Plus, stick around to hear Luke’s insane bear story at the end.) Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you’d like to nominate yoursel...

We see new brands pop up all the time, but what happens when your idea is so novel that it essentially births an entire sport and industry? That was the case when Thor Tingey and his mom, Sheri, started Alpacka Raft . So today, Thor and Luke Koppa discuss the unique challenges and advantages this scenario presented; how and why Thor and Sheri were able to craft these ultralight rafts themselves; t...

Today we’re spilling the beans on the new dates - and new location — of Blister Summit 2026. Then we give a quick update on our Winter Buyer’s Guide Update, and wrap up with an important challenge to all outdoor brands. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you’d like to nominate yourself for...

Today’s episode contains a number of “firsts”; like the fact that we are going to be talking about a product launch that we didn’t know was happening until we sat down to record this conversation, and that’s just the beginning. So tune in to hear about a new collab between the splitboard binding company, Spark R&D, and ATK bindings. Or tune in to hear Jonathan caught completely off guard multi...

Luke and Jonathan discuss some of our favorite gear we’ve been using this summer, and I make the argument for the single greatest piece of summer gear — so let us know if you agree. But we begin by discussing our Weekly Blister Survey question, and bottom line: we think half of you might be crazy?? Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a gu...

Today we’ve got some big news and announcements for you: we’re releasing our first-ever Blister Mountain Bike Guide, and we’re doing it in a way that we don’t think has ever been done in the bike (or ski) world. We’re also talking about the state of buyer’s guides in 2025, and you’ll get the latest updates on our 25/26 Winter Buyer’s Guide — which you can pre-order now . Note: We Want to Hear From...

Jonathan talks with Sito Luis Salas, the CEO of NNormal , about NNormal founder, Kilian Jornet, and his recent performance at Western States, and they also discuss the NNormal name, its origin story, and its well-defined principles. NNormal is a company we predict you’ll be hearing about more and more in the coming years, and in this conversation, you’ll see why.  Note: We Want to Hear From Y...

Jonathan talks to the reigning FWT champion, Marcus Goguen , about the gear he skis on to film, rip around the resort, and yes, win the FWT. We also talk about his new YouTube series (it’s must-see-TV), and Marcus breaks news about his new project that comes out in October. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the latest with respect to public lands and the revisions to the reconciliation bill; share more news about Peak Skis; and preview some new gear they’re going to be talking about and testing in the very near future. RELATED LINKS: BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways Luke Koppa on Public Lands Sale GEAR:30 ep. 353: Our...

Today, Jonathan lays out more fully his thoughts about the Peak Skis debacle; Luke Koppa offers his perspective too; and they discuss Jonathan’s initial comments made here on GEAR:30 back on May 23, what he’s been up to and learning since then, and what we think needs to happen going forward. RELATED LINKS: Skratch Labs BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered Jason Blevins’ article on Peak Skis GEAR:30 ep 1...

Today, we head south to the snow, and back behind the counter at Outside Sports in New Zealand. We talk about the gear and innovations they're stoked on; what it takes to keep a mountain town business thriving; sustainability from a local shop’s perspective; business strategies for adapting to the unpredictability of climate change; and a whole lot more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTE...