GEAR:30

Since Jonathan missed our GEAR:30 ‘travel gear’ conversation a few weeks ago, he wanted to weigh in. So he and Kristin Sinnott open by discussing their recent trips; they discuss the question of ‘why we travel?’; and then, they dive into some of their favorite travel gear. RELATED LINKS: Bag Balm : 20% Off w/ Code: BLISTER Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Blister Summit 2025: Early-Bird Registration...

Launching your own outdoor apparel company is no small feat, especially if it’s a one-woman operation. But with Curious Creatures , that’s exactly what Tasha Woodworth has done, and Kara Williard sat down with Tasha to hear all about her unique path to where she is today, as well as the ups, downs, and key takeaways from the journey.  We discuss how Tasha’s background in both the fashion indu...

Taylor Ahearn has been photographing skiing, snowboarding, biking, and day-to-day life in the Gunnison / Crested Butte Valley for many years now, and in this conversation, Luke Koppa chats with him about how he turned that into a career; their favorite camera-related gear; tips to help *you* capture better photos next time you’re outside; the most rewarding, frustrating, and unusual parts of getti...

For this episode, Luke Koppa sat down with Kristin Sinnott to go over some of the products they’ve found useful, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy while on the road or hurtling through the sky. They also discuss extremely relevant things like camcorder storage solutions and dinosaur podcasts, the fact that Luke doesn’t actually like traveling, and more. RELATED LINKS: Bag Balm : 20% Off w/ Code:...

In part 2 of this GEAR THERAPY mini-saga, Justin Bobb lays out his specific recommendations for boots, bindings, boards, & more to get Jonathan started on his snowboarding journey. They also discuss how many days on a board JE will need before he’s ready to head up to the Headwall at Crested Butte. RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Boone Mtn Sports Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Listen to Part...

How much does knowing how to ski help when learning how to snowboard? How do you slam as little as possible while learning to ride? Why don’t snowboards have releasable bindings? These are a few of our Blister founder's questions as he learns to ‘think sideways.’ RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Powder Hound Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Hot Dog…The Movie (4:56) Snowboarding S...

At Blister Summit 2024, we got a state of the union on the present and future of ski boot design from 3 people with a wealth of experience in this world: Eric “Hoji” Hjorleifson, Matt Manser, and Greg Klein. They cover everything from the reception and performance of BOA boots to Hoji’s new Dynafit Ridge Pro boot; cold feet (literal & metaphorical…), and much more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself...

We’re back with Eric Helmbrecht, co-owner of Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK, to discuss Alaska’s banner El Niño season; the gear he enjoyed most; the gear Kara Williard brought to Girdwood; what’s changed at Alyeska Resort since joining the Ikon pass; the reliability of various AT & alpine bindings, and more. RELATED LINKS: Shop Talk: Powder Hound, Girdwood, AK (Ep.133) Shop Talk: Celebrating 10...

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Powder Hound Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Intro & Updates (2:36) Blizzard Anomaly 88 (9:50) K2 Omen Team (20:00) Blizzard Anomaly 94 (23:32) Armada Declivity X 102 & Declivity X 108 (33:58) Moment Commander 102 (40:46) Line Pandora 99 &...

After years in the backcountry and a near-death experience, IFMGA Guide, Jeff Banks, wanted to build a tool that could simplify and improve the decision-making of any backcountry user. The result is Aspect Avy .  Kara Williard sat down with Jeff to discuss how this app compares to and complements other backcountry tools; key features such as Adaptive Slop Shading and “No Go Zones”; how it acc...

What’s in and what’s out in ski design? And how have U.S. ski companies been doing over the past few years? At Blister Summit 2024, we discussed this and much more with Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, and Icelantic Skis founder, Ben Anderson. We cover notable trends; why skis cost what they do; the challenges of manufacturing skis in the U.S.; whether a core-shot-proof ski is possible, and more. A...

This week, Jonathan, Luke, Kara, Kristin, and JBobb were testing a bunch of skis, boots, snowboards, and apparel in Taos Ski Valley . But it was more than just a review trip, since it was also the first time back at TSV for several of us who previously spent many seasons there — which meant there were a lot of feelings. So in this conversation, we discuss a number of the carving-oriented and narro...

Luke Koppa and Kara Williard talk with Trygve Sande, one of the founders of Vertical Playground (VPG), which is our Blister Recommended Shop in Oppdal, Norway, to get a read on the past, present, and future of backcountry gear. We discuss current trends; all-time pivotal pieces of gear; the most durable products; the easiest ones to use; gear that helps break down the barriers to entry; skiing in...

Today we’re discussing current helmet technology, head injuries, and best practices for skiers & snowboarders with Blister reviewer (and physician assistant), Sascha Anastas; Sr. Director of R&D at Giro, Steven Kennedy; the CMO of MIPS, Frederik Kjellberg; and pro skier, Drew Petersen. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Boone Mtn Sports Get Covered: BLISTER+ VIDEOS: Blister YouTube C...

Jeremy Jones was in town last week, so in addition to getting out on snow together, Jonathan and he sat down in Blister HQ in Elevation Hotel to talk about gear reviews; the biggest gear mistakes riders make; full-camber vs. no-camber boards; soft vs. hard boots (including Shane McConkey’s tinkering on that front); and more. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Willi’s Get Covered: BLISTER+ Je...

How should you think about ski boot flex patterns, and which one is “right” for you? For the latest installment of our “Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting” series, Kara Williard talks with bootfitter and Pulse Boot Lab’s Revelstoke store manager, Bryn Vickers, to cover the complex and often misunderstood aspects of ski boot flex.  We discuss how the ankle joint and an individual’s biomechanics are...

Luke Koppa sits down with Kristin Sinnott, Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb to do a bit of a recap on our 2024 Blister Summit , which took place in Mt. Crested Butte last week. We go over a few of the MANY highlights of the event, and then dive into a bunch of the standout products they were each able to try at the Summit. RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Sturtevants Blis...

Kara Williard sits down with Katy Jackson, co-founder and CEO of our Blister Recommended Shop, Lone Pine Gear Exchange , to understand the logistics of running a robust consignment program; how to shop for and sell used gear; the importance of consignment for both accessibility and sustainability in outdoor recreation; gear repair; planting trees; how living off-grid led her and her husband to whe...

Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our Blister Labs ’ ski flex project, and to explain how and why ski boots are becoming an integral part of this project, too. RELATED LINKS: Boone Mountain Sports OpenSnow Last Chance! Blister Summit 2024 BLISTER+ : Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Scope of the Project (6:26) Dynamic Modeling (7:05) Machine Learning (17:50) Creating a Profil...

Luke Koppa, Dylan Wood, and Eric Freson join Kara Williard to talk about the epic storm cycle we recently had in Crested Butte, and the powder-ski testing that followed. We also discuss several of the new all-mountain skis we’ve been on lately; Dylan’s new favorite ski poles; a standout touring boot; 3D-printed custom goggles; and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls.  RELATED LINKS: Episode...

Luke Koppa sits down with Kyle Siegel, the founder of Raide , which is one of the newest players in the backcountry softgoods category. They launched with a lightweight 40-liter backpack that immediately made a splash when it was released, so we sat down with Kyle to learn about how — and why — he started Raide. We cover the problems he’s looking to solve; how he went about doing so with the...

Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? What’s the difference between “advanced” and “expert”? Today, we’re following up on our GEAR:30 conversation with Luke Koppa (episode 277) to revisit these questions — having received a lot of great responses from all of you. Joining Jonathan today to rethink these things is Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7 , to pro...

Today, we’re following up last week’s episode, where we looked back at 2023’s “Gear Of The Year,” and we’re now looking forward to 2024. Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out,” what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and spin off into several other tangents. RELATED LINKS: Episode Sponsor: OpenSn...

Jonathan Ellsworth sits down with Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb to reflect on some of the standout products and notable trends that defined the past year in ski and snowboard gear.  So, what trend does Luke think is “the gear equivalent of superhero movies?” How many BOA dials has JBobb broken in a decade as a self-described BOA convert? What’s Kara’s pick for the “Not New But St...

We just launched our new Blister Labs project, Blister Community Reviews , so Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss where it is today; how it will evolve; and some big questions like, how much info is too much or too little?; how to best define the difference between an intermediate, advanced, and expert skier; rating scale debates; and more. RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Join...