Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the highlights and big takeaways from our new Winter Buyer’s Guide. We’ll talk about some of our Best Of award winners; whether or not the 20/21 crop of ski gear represents a step forward; and more. Then we answer a lot of the questions you submitted.
TOPICS & TIMES:Luke’s soap (2:49)Our 20/21 BLISTER Buyer’s Guide (5:47)“Rounded” Flex pattern (8:50)Volkl Mantra 102 & Katana 108 (15:24)Majesty Superwolf (21:35)Salomon QST 99 (22:35)Dynastar Menace 98 (27:00)Your questions (33:49)Where did the name Blister come from? (44:59)What do I need to do to work for Blister? (50:28)Coffee makers! (1:00:45)What We’re Celebrating (1:20:33)RELATED LINKS:Watch on our YouTube channelOur featured Shop: Backcountry EssentialsOur 20/21 Winter Buyer’s GuideBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20/21 Blister Buyer’s Guide + Your Questions

GEAR:30 is the podcast from BLISTER that dives deep into the details of the most interesting and innovative outdoor gear. You'll hear BLISTER reviewers discuss the gear they're testing, as well as product designers, professional athletes, and some of the gear-obsessed folks from our recommended shops weigh in on gear trends and the equipment they’ve been most impressed with. If you love outdoor gear, you're going to love this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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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 Years of Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK (Ep.222) Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable Products, with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound AK (Ep.41)  Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Blister Recommended Shops TOPICS & TIMES Alaska’s Epic El Niño (3:07) Eric’s Favorite Gear (4:55) Kara’s Gear for AK (7:05) BOA Boots (10:57) Ski Tuning Upgrade (13:17) Ski Racing in AK (17:03) Alyeska on the Ikon Pass (20:03) Eric’s Trip Recommendations (25:19) Alpine Bindings (28:01) Binding Reliability & Longevity (30:56) Eric’s Preferences (40:53) AT Bindings & Trends (44:40) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alaska’s Epic El Niño Season, Ski Bindings, & More with Powder Hound

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 & Pandora 106 (49:14) Black Crows Corvus (57:38) Rossignol Sender Free 118 (1:03:57) Crashes & Close Calls (1:10:07) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whiskey, Murder, and a Bunch of New Skis

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 accounts for human factors; different types of risk; the general state of tech in the backcountry; and more. RELATED LINKS: Download Aspect Avy for FREE Blister Rec Shop: Boulder Orthotics Get Covered: BLISTER+ VIDEOS: BLISTER YouTube Channel Invest in Aspect Avy TOPICS & TIMES: Jeff’s Background: IFMGA & Nordic (3:10) Jeff’s Near-Death Experience (6:15) Intro to Aspect Avy (9:18) Adaptive Slope Shading (10:31) No-Go Zones, Coaching Tool, & Runout Zones (13:21) Human Factors (19:17) Adaptive Tools (23:20) Who’s It For? (30:32) Tech & Backcountry Skiing (46:26) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Tech to Simplify Decision Making in the Backcountry

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.
And, if you’d like to check out the video of this conversation, then head over to the BLISTER YouTube channel to watch this, plus other panel sessions from all of our Blister Summits, plus new brand lineup videos, etc. RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Lone Pine Gear Exchange Get Covered: BLISTER+ VIDEOS: BLISTER YouTube Channel TOPICS & TIMES: Introductions 3:21 Manufacturing Challenges 8:08 Ski Costs vs. Ski Prices 14:10 Exciting New Ski Materials? 26:01 Audience Questions 35:50 CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Icelantic & Moment Skis on Ski Design & U.S. Ski Manufacturing

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 narrower all-mountain skis we were on this week; Luke’s food choices; the heated debate between Taos’ Chair 2 (West Basin) vs Chair 12 (Kachina Peak); and more.  RELATED LINKS: Blister Recommended Shop: Powder Hound AK BLISTER+ Membership: Learn More & Sign Up VIDEOS: Blister YouTube Channel TOPICS & TIMES: We’re Back! (5:45) The Great Debate: Taos’ Chair 2 vs. Chair 12 (11:27) Luke’s Green-Chile Cheeseburger (25:00) Morning Groomers & Carving Skis (30:53) Afternoon Steeps & All-Mountain Skis (44:31) Crashes & Close Calls: Jonathan’s Latest (1:05:54) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20/21 Blister Buyer’s Guide + Your Questions

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