GEAR:30

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The Pro's Gear: McKenna Peterson Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

This week, we sat down with McKenna Peterson, one of the stars of Matchstick Productions’ new film, The Stomping Grounds, to discuss her personal gear preferences; what ski equipment she’d most like to see get made; the topic of women-specific gear; the best ways to get more women involved in skiing; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Recommend Shop info: Blacksheep Sports (00:57)
Kristin Sinnott on the Blister Summit (3:00)
Praise / Roast of K2’s Jed Yeiser (9:01)
What gear are you most particular about? (12:53)
Skis (25:37)
Ski length & which skis are you on most on most? (28:07)
Backcountry skis: what are your design priorities (33:15)
Telemark interlude (38:00)
Women-specific gear (42:55)
Bindings (55:14)
Ski poles & avy packs (1:04:46)
What We're Celebrating (1:08:51)

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A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 7: Atomic’s 21/22 Lineup Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Matt Manser is back for a deep dive on Atomic’s new 21/22 lineup, and we also discuss ski boot design and construction in general; the “Frodo Pro”; “Complete Tech” vs. “Hybrid Tech”; Immanuel Kant; Omar Little; and he offers his take on Bode Miller’s recent GEAR:30 thoughts on ski boots.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Manser on Bode Miller on ski boots (8:24)
Atomic ski boots range walkthrough (17:42)
Redster Ti & STi (21:44)
Redster Club Sport (30:02)
Hawx Ultra vs Redster Club Sport (44:25)
Atomic’s Mimic Liner & Professional Dualstrap (49:27)
Atomic’s Professional Series (53:01)
Hawx Ultra XTD & Prime XTD (1:08:10)
Hawx Prime XTD “CT” vs “HT” (1:23:32)
Crazy thing about tech inserts (1:30:19)
What We’re Celebrating (1:47:58)

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Eric Pollard on Innovation, Graphics, & Season's Ski Lineup Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

It is difficult to overstate the innovation that Eric Pollard has brought to modern skiing, and in this conversation, you’ll get to hear more about how Eric sees the world and finds himself pursuing new directions. We also talk about graphics; Season’s all-black topsheets; and each of the models in Season’s ski lineup.

TOPICS & TIMES:

From ‘Drawn from Here’ to Season (3:27)
1st time meeting Austin Smith (8:14)
Principles behind Season Eqpt (11:33)
Skiers vs Snowboarders - (14:45)
Graphics / Season’s black topsheets (18:01)
Teams (34:07)
Season’s ski lineup (38:50)
Aero - design concepts (42:14)
Mount points (46:13)
Hypothetical: coming up now vs when you did (48:16)
More on the Aero (55:57)
Ski width (1:01:38)
Kin (1:06:35)
Nexus and Forma (1:10:52)
What else are you working on now? (1:15:40)
What We’re Celebrating (1:19:40)

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The Pro’s Gear: Bode Miller Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

We had Bode on the Blister Podcast (ep. 154) talking about education, mental preparation, and more, and that is a not-to-be-missed conversation. This time around, we dive deep into gear talk, and Bode makes clear that his different and creative ways of thinking weren’t just hallmarks of his approach to racing, they define his approach to skis, ski boots, bindings, and eyewear, too.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Race ski design priorities (5:09)
Materials & Tennis analogies (10:48)
More on race skis (14:02)
Ski Boots (18:30)
Raichle & Full Tilt boots (23:42)
Ski boot flex patterns (35:15)
Ski bindings (39:18)
Eyewear & Optics (41:24)
Update on Crosson skis (57:15)
What We’re Celebrating (1:03:37)

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Gear Talk, Mic Drops, & Zen Koans with Flylow’s Dan Abrams Sep 11, 2021

Show notes

Flylow founder (and certified gear nerd) Dan Abrams is back to talk about the skis and ski boots he’s interested in for the coming season; Flylow’s mountain bike apparel; and what’s new in the Flylow lineup for Winter 21/22.

TOPICS & TIMES:

The skis & ski boots Dan is considering (4:01)
Update on Flylow’s mountain bike apparel (14:53)
Production logistics & mic drops (19:09)
Winter gear, bibs, & a confession(26:25)
Koan: “You don’t break in the garment…” (37:37)
More gear confessions (43:05)
Up & coming athlete on your radar? (44:44)
What We’re Celebrating (52:43)

RELATED LINKS

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Your Questions, Our Buyer’s Guide, & Luke’s Cry for Help Sep 03, 2021

Show notes

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth answer listener gear questions; share some info about our new winter buyer’s guide; and Luke shares with us some good news, but also presents new reasons for us to worry about him.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Info on our new Buyers guide (3:14)
Q: What’s your favorite ski ever? (10:24)
Q: Best way to communicate with a boot fitter? (15:27)
Q: More accessible skis vs. more demanding skis (22:45)
Q: Impact of ski mass relative to width? (33:18)
Q: Big ski brands & sustainability (41:08)
Q: Favorite ski graphics? (48:06)
Luke’s cry for help (51:10)
What We’re Celebrating (56:31)

RELATED LINKS

Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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Shop Talk: Spokane Alpine Haus Aug 27, 2021

Show notes

We’re talking with Rachel and Drew Harding, the owners of The Spokane Alpine Haus, about the ski scene in Spokane, Washington; the Alpine Haus’ massive equipment leasing program; interesting ways to destroy skis; kid’s gear; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Rachel & Drew’s origin story (2:10)
The ski scene in Spokane (11:38)
The 5 ski areas and how they differ (14:44)
The shop & the Spokane community (18:36)
Their leasing program (22:50)
Their damage policy (36:54)
Kid’s equipment (43:20)
What We’re Celebrating (53:54)

RELATED LINKS:

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Blister Summit Panel on Ski Design Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

Today we are airing the panel session on ski design that we held at the Blister Summit. We talk to the designers behind the skis from Blizzard, Folsom Custom Skis, Rossignol, Dynastar, and Wagner Custom Skis to get their respective design philosophies; discuss current trends in ski design; debate whether skis are being dumbed down today; determine once and for all whether stated sidecut radius numbers are fake; & more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Different approaches to ski design 01:46
Jed Duke, Blizzard Skis 02:25
Mike McCabe, Folsom Custom Skis 5:08
Pete Wagner, Wagner Custom Skis 9:32
Thor Verdonk, Rossignol & Dynastar 11:10
Rank the top 3 innovations in ski design today 14:50
Are skis being dumbed down today? 24:15
How much has the manufacturing process changed? 33:06
Women’s skis 40:06
Current demand: specific touring skis vs. “50/50” skis 49:39
Are stated sidecut radius numbers fake? 57:41
Which ski design trends do you like best? 1:06:31
Which ski design trends do you like least? 1:10:07

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A Very Deep Dive on Coffee Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

You had to know we’d do this, right? We’re doing a deep dive on coffee with Sam Higby of First Ascent. We discuss the difference between good and bad instant coffee; light roasts vs. dark roasts (and what some dark roasts have in common with hot sauce or double IPAs); the brewing process & brewing at altitude; how to make great coffee on a budget; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Sam’s background (5:44)
First Ascent Coffee (10:09)
History of instant coffee & what makes it good or bad (11:33)
Light Roasts vs Dark Roasts (23:44)
The roasting process (32:19)
Q Graders vs Sommeliers (35:49)
Hot sauce, hops, & dark roasts (38:42)
Brewing at altitude (43:39)
Grinding & Grinders (47:29)
Extraction / grind size (52:43)
Different brewing methods (52:43)
How to: good coffee on a budget (1:03:33)
What We’re Celebrating (1:11:16)

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The Pro’s Gear: Chris Davenport Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

Chris Davenport walked over to Blister HQ from Aspen to talk about how he thinks about ski gear and his own personal preferences. We also discuss monoskiing; which gear he is most and least picky about; ski width; mount points; weight; and whether Shane McConkey would be into these GEAR:30 conversations.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Chris’ 1st comp: the CB Extremes (3:44)
Old skis & how they've changed (7:46)
Chris’ gear preferences (9:57)
Chris’ ski quiver + light gear vs heavier gear (13:23)
Chris’ ski boot quiver (18:25)
Where do you look to save weight? (30:28)
What gear are you the pickiest about? (36:05)
Least picky? (38:11)
Would McConkey be into GEAR:30? (42:00)
Mount points (43:28)
Which ski were you on the most the last 2 years? (45:58)
Sidecut vs. rocker profile? (50:04)
Being on the right gear for the day (58:59)
Topics for our next talk (1:01:21)

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