Andrew Alexander King is an explorer, alpinist, climber, and surfer who was born in Detroit, Michigan. Andrew has climbed over 50 different mountains around the world from Kilimanjaro to the highest mountain in the Atlantic, Indian, and the Pacific Ocean, and is currently training and aiming to become the first African American to climb the highest mountain and volcano on each continent.

Andrew’s story is very interesting, and he is currently at work on The Between Worlds Project, which is every bit as interesting and important.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The Between Worlds Project (2:16)
• Growing up in Detroit (7:56)
• Moving to Hawaii, getting into surfing (22:48)
• Representation in the outdoor space (25:11)
• Attending college & navigating the corporate world (34:59)
• Working with brands (46:21)
• Current status of The Between Worlds Project (59:03)

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Sam Anthamatten does things in the mountains that very few skiers do, and in this conversation, you’ll get a better sense of the background and the trajectory that helped Sam get to where he is today. We also get an update from Sam on the status of La Liste 2 (watch La Liste if you haven’t seen it); we talk about the process of flashing massive, big-mountain lines; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES: 

• Update on skiing in Europe (1:36)
• Sam’s background in the mountains (6:11)
• Update: La Liste 2 (17:28)
• Riding with Jeremie Heitz vs riding with Xavier de le Rue (26:20)
• Skiing 55° slopes (30:46)
• Competing on the Freeride World Tour (37:47)
• Gear (and skiing with Candide) (44:06)
• Ski Bindings & Binding Choices (50:38)

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For our first Blister Podcast of 2021, we asked a few of our reviewers to share one highlight of the past year; one thing they’re most looking forward to in 2021; and one new year’s resolution. We got quite a range of answers, and apparently Kristin Sinnott and Jonathan Ellsworth will be starting up a new reality TV show?? Please enjoy, and Happy New Year!

TOPICS & TIMES

• Kristin Sinnott (1:02)
• Eric Freson (9:56)
• Luke Koppa (15:18)
• Sascha Anastas (19:53)
• Gordon Gianniny (30:13)
• Kara Williard (42:44)
• Dylan Wood (50:01)
• Paul Forward & Jonathan Ellsworth (57:45)

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Cody Towsend and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about chess & The Queen’s Gambit; savants & skier savants; ski media; political appointees; avalanche accidents; Cody’s new film, The Mountain Why; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Cody versus the people of Girdwood, AK (2:15)
• The Queen’s Gambit & Savants (4:36)
• Spoiler Alerts for the Queen’s Gambit (6:29 - 19:21)
• Magnus Carlsen, & Skier Savants (8:23)
• Deb Haaland, Interior Secretary (19:25)
• Ski Media & Powder Magazine (37:31)
• Gear Shops, Gear Makers, & Crystal Balls (50:31)
• Who is getting into avalanche accidents? (56:08)
• Cody & Michelle Parker’s film, The Mountain Why (1:09:20)

RELATED LINKS

• David Hill’s excellent article on Walter Tevis

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Elena Hight is an X Games Gold Medalist, two-time Olympian, and a person who everyone in our world describes first and foremost as … a badass.

We talked with Elena about her new film project, Blank Canvas; competitive drive; how similar or different it is preparing to ride a big backcountry line versus a half-pipe contest run; her time in the mountains with the likes of Hana Beaman, Travis Rice, and Danny Davis; the importance for all of us to get better at dealing with the changes and transitions that are an inevitable part of life; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Offseason training & habits (4:49)
• Competitive Background (9:35)
• Mental preparation: contests vs. the backcountry (15:18)
• Shifting from halfpipe riding (22:21)
• Practices to help with moments of transition (33:40)
• Filming with Travis Rice (39:55)
• Current favorite books & music (43:26)
• 2021 plans (44:50)
• Where to watch Blank Canvas (50:15)

RELATED LINKS

• Survivor Endurance phone case 
• Jonathan’s experience with the Survivor Endurance

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Bode Miller is not only one of the greatest ski racers of all time, he’s also working on a number of interesting projects. So we have a very wide-ranging conversation with Bode about his involvement in rethinking education with the Institute for Civic Leadership; the use of technology and data to make skiing easier (SKEO); the crucial lesson his grandmother taught him at a young age; his greatest competitive advantage as a ski racer; his interest in reenvisioning advertising (DTX); what he aims to do in terms of ski design with Crosson Skis; and more. 

TOPICS & TIMES

• Rethinking Education: ICL: Institute for Civic Leadership (2:40)
• Tech, Data, & Skiing: SKEO (11:52)
• Benefits & dangers of new technologies (17:46)
• Lesson from Bode’s grandma (24:36)
• Various factors of ski racing (30:12)
• Bode’s greatest competitive advantage (33:43)
• Rethinking Advertising: DTX & Flowcode (43:33)
• Bode on ski design: Crosson Skis (56:45)

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We talk with Moosejaw CEO, Eoin Comerford, about how to increase diversity and inclusivity in the outdoor industry; the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator — which we hope that a number of you will apply for; what Moosejaw’s aims are today, and how those aims are informed by Moosejaw’s parent company, Walmart; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Moosejaw’s history (3:18)
• Being backed by Walmart (9:24)
• The Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator (18:46)
• Inclusivity in the outdoor space (22:51)
• Large online retailers & indie brick & mortar shops (30:57)
• The current state of the outdoor industry (38:33)
• More details re: the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator (49:58)

RELATED LINKS

• Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator
• blister.getspot.com

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Sales of backcountry guide books are up, and more and more people are venturing out. So we talked with Beacon Guidebooks founder, Andy Sovick (who Cody Townsend and I recently talked about on episode #150), about how he got into publishing guidebooks; why he dislikes the term “guidebooks”; whether backcountry guidebooks should even exist; the responsibilities that come with publishing them; why Andy is an advocate of the “ATES” system (Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale); and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Andy’s ‘back-to-the-land’ upbringing (4:39)
• Mentorship (9:30)
• The responsibility of publishing guidebooks (33:28)
• ATES: The Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (47:45)
• Updating the atlases (55:35)
• Beacon Guidebooks Rakkup app (59:34)
• Steamboat lawsuit (1:04:52)
• Where to find Beacon Guidebooks (1:22:12)

RELATED LINKS:

• blister.getspot.com

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Athletic Brewing Company is a fast-growing brand in an emerging category that is about to blow up: non-alcoholic craft beer. So we talked to Athletic Brewing’s founder about why he started the company; the stigma of not drinking; why “near beer” has been so bad; why there’s such a need for products like this in the outdoors community; Athletic’s brewing process; how he feels about the emerging competition in the space; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When / why did start thinking about starting Athletic? (2:17)
• Stigmas around not drinking (5:06)
• Stigmas around “N/A” beer (8:31)
• Why didn’t N/A beer take off sooner? (12:45)
• Parallels: N/A beer & the plant-based meat industry (28:17)
• Two For the Trails program (31:02)

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Today we are launching a new segment on the Blister Podcast. Each month, Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth will discuss some of the biggest stories and most interesting news headlines from the world of outdoor sports, and on occasion, the broader world, too. Then we’ll conclude each episode by talking about some of the best things we’ve watched, read, or listened to. Check it out, and let us know your thoughts & recommendations in the Comments Section of the show notes on the blister website.

TOPICS, TIMES, & RELATED ARTICLES:

(1) Emily Harrington’s Epic Climb (2:58)

Outside Magazine article

Fox News article

NBC News article & video

(2) The Race to Open Ski Areas (22:21)

Local Freshies article

(3) The Election & Outdoor Athletes (32:00)

San Francisco Chronicles article

(4) Cooking in Geysers (43:48)

Travel and Leisure article

Outside Magazine article

(5) Blevin’s Corner: Are Backcountry Lines Trade Secrets? (49:26)

Jason Blevin’s Colorado Sun article

Andy Sovick’s Beacon Guide Books

(6) The Rise & Spectacular Fall of Quibi (1:00:19)

Wall Street Journal article

(7) Best Things We’ve Watched, Read, or Listened To (1:08:22)

• Jojo Rabbit
• The Social Dilemma
• Above The Clouds, by Kilian Jornet
• The Infinite Machine, by Camila Russo
• No Filter, by Sarah Fried
• Win At All Costs, by Matt Hart
• Last Chance U (seasons 1,2, & 5)
• Ted Lasso
• The Queen’s Gambit

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