Kristin Sinnott and Kara Williard caught up with Kjerstin Klein, co-owner of Willi’s Ski and Board. They dove into Kjerstin’s adventurous background as a model and sponsored snowboarder (among several other amazing things); and what it looked like for Kjerstin and her husband Greg to take on Willi’s and maintain it as a family-owned ski shop. Kjerstin explains how to successfully jump into a family business; techniques for how to stay innovative; what it means to truly grow the sport; why ski shops are “conduits” within the ecosystem that is the ski industry; and we learn a lot about the Winter Divas program, a women’s focus group that Kjerstin founded to grow women’s presence and leadership in the industry, plus a whole bunch more.

TOPICS & TIMES: 

• Kjerstin’s Background (4:18)
• Being a Model & Sponsored Snowboarder (9:31)
• Jumping into a family business (13:12)
• Staying Innovative (19:01)
• Advice for family-run small businesses (21:50)
• Ski shops as conduits (23:19)
• Families that ski together stay together (26:55)
• Women-specific gear taking shape (33:07)
• Winter Divas (49:40)
• Specialty Retail (1:01:40)
• Skiing Meets Our Basic Needs (1:04:54)

RELATED LINKS:

• Ep. Sponsor + Exclusive Offer: OpenSnow.com/BLISTER
• Blister Recommended Shop: Willi’s Ski and Board
• Blister Summit Panel Video: Women in the Ski Industry
• Kjerstin's Music Video Appearance
• Ep.223: Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women Program with Leslie Baker-Brown 
• Ep.167: Willi’s Ski and Snowboard Shops
• Blister Summit 2023 Registration

OUR OTHER PODCASTS

• Off The Couch
• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas 
• CRAFTED

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Kristin Sinnott and Kara Williard talk with Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women program founder and ski legend, Leslie Baker-Brown, about her background in ski racing, and her remarkable 32 years of work for Blizzard-Tecnica. They dive into the origins story of the W2W program, including how it spans beyond women-specific gear via community-building, scholarship programs, and more. Leslie explains Blizzard-Tecnica’s design process for women’s gear, including designing the #1 selling ski in the world; she talks about what it looks like to work with women through the iterative prototyping process; what gives her hope and inspiration for the future; and where we can still work to improve the industry.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• Leslie’s Background in Ski Racing (4:17)
• Competing for Middlebury (4:41)
• 32 years with Tecnica! (7:45)
• Where women-specific gear started (9:35)
• How the idea of W2W was born (14:36)
• The Four Pillars (20:00)
• How W2W has Evolved (22:52)
• The #1 Ski in the World (27:22)
• Women-Specific Ski Boots (34:38)
• What’s hopeful and inspirational right now? (39:14)
• Where can the industry do better? (41:59)
• What We’re Celebrating (48:12)

RELATED LINKS:

• Women2Women 2022 Scholarship Opportunities: 
• US: W2W Hilaree Nelson Scholarship
• Canada: English: W2W Hilaree Nelson Scholarship
• Canada: French: W2W Hilaree Nelson Scholarship
• Become a Blister Member
• Blister Summit 2023 Registration

OUR OTHER PODCASTS

• Off The Couch
• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas 
• CRAFTED

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just in time for our Blister Recommended Shop, Powder Hound, to celebrate its 10-year business anniversary, Kara Williard chatted with the owner and founder, Eric Helmbrecht. They dove into a bunch of topics as a reflection of the 10 years Powder Hound has been a staple shop in Girdwood, AK, including how skis, boots, and bindings have progressed; the ways in which the industry has changed; what it looked like to be adaptable during a global pandemic; accomplishments they’re proud of; getting their start at the Palmer State Fair; what it feels like to ski on skis that are over 140 mm underfoot; snowboarding trends; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• AT Boots & 50/50 Boots (4:22)
• Weight Trends (8:55)
• Macro Industry Trends (16:15)
• Global Pandemics & Adaptability (23:40)
• Influx of Skiers and Industry Growth (25:07)
• Employment Challenges (28:36)
• Things you’re Proud of (31:14)
• Palmer State Fair (32:11)
• Year-Round Stable Shop (36:26)
• Season Lease Program (39:25)
• Fat Skis (44:00)
• Breathable & Waterproof Gear (46:12)
• Binding Improvements (48:56)
• Don’t Forget SNOWBOARDING! (50:50)

RELATED LINKS:

• Our Blister Recommended Shop: Powder Hound
• Ep.133: Shop Talk: Powder Hound, Girdwood, AK
• Ep.41: Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable Products, with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound AK
• Ep. 17: Spring Skiing & Biking in AK
• Blister Summit 2023 Registration 

OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• CRAFTED 
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• BLISTER Podcast 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the fourth installment of our Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, we talked with Jake "Fasa" Nelson, who not only works at the Moment Ski Factory, but also happens to run one of the best bootfitting shops in the Reno area. Fasa runs us through what a “big-mountain freeride” approach to bootfitting looks like; how his background in running informs his understanding of feet and biomechanics, how to work with the unique preferences of athletes (and some of the insanity that athletes can tolerate); what it means to be a “tour guide” rather than a bootfitter; and much more.

TOPICS AND TIMES 

• Self-taught bootfitting & mentorship (1:59)
• Moment Factory Showroom & Store (4:58)
• Big-mountain freeride approach to bootfitting (8:18)
• Suspension and shock absorption in the system (14:03)
• Running vs. skiing (20:13)
• Feet are adaptive and can be trained (24:27)
• Custom Insoles (32:11)
• Fitting preferences for athletes (38:42)
• Circulation & gauging tolerance (45:42)
• Touring or 50/50 boots (53:06)
• Bootfitting is subjective (1:00:47)
• A tour guide, not a bootfitter (1:06:12)

RELATED LINKS:

• A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt 1: The Basics
• A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 2: Your Questions by Sam and Kara
• A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 3: Stance Balancing with Pulse Boot Labs
• A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide
• Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter

OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• CRAFTED 
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• BLISTER Podcast 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Hjorleifson is back on GEAR:30 to answer questions from our Blister Members about gear; his tinkering process; coming to the Blister Summit; how he trains for an upcoming season; mental preparation, and … we get some bonus questions from Markus Eder, too. (We also announce our new “Blister After Hours” sessions — that’s our working title — so learn about that and let us know if you have better ideas for what we ought to call the new show.)

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Catching Up / Coming to the Blister Summit (3:34)
• What gear is going to change most in the next 10 years? (13:03)
• Our Alpine Bindings Test (16:19)
• What gear do people obsess over that doesn’t really matter? (18:19)
• How has your skiing changed as you’ve gotten older? (19:46)
• When are you moving to Austria? (27:26)
• Golden Alpine Holidays lodges (30:07)
• Touring binding priorities? (35:45)
• What would you like to design from scratch? (43:04)
• Mental Prep for something challenging? (46:14)
• The Bec des Rosses (55:31)
• Which element of your setup gets you the most excited to tinker with? (57:10)
• Bode Miller & Hoji on 3-piece boots (59:29)
• Training to perform at a high level? (1:11:37)
• Dumbest thing you've seen Markus Eder do? (1:20:28)
• What’s your process like for gear modification? (1:29:21)
• Do I really get to ski with Hoji at the Blister Summit? (1:44:02)
• What’s up next for you? (1:44:31)
• What We're Celebrating (1:47:11)

RELATED LINKS:

• Become a Blister Member
• BLISTER SUMMIT INFO & REGISTRATION
• Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter

Our Other Conversations with Hoji

• Blister Summit Video: Hoji on the Updated 4FRNT Hoji
• Ep.141: Radical Pro, Hoji Hole & More
• Ep.100: Skins, Michael Jordan, & Mono Skis
• Ep.29: Hoji Free & 4FRNT Renegade
• Blister Pod Ep. 75: Hoji on “HOJI”
• Ep.1: Hoji on the new Dynafit Hoji Boots

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk with Skip and Mac Beitzel, the owners — and father / son duo — from Hickory & Tweed, located in Armonk, New York. We go over the history of the shop; Skip’s background of ski ballet and hot dogging; seasonal lease programs; personal ski quivers; & more.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• Hickory & Tweed story (3:21)
• Ballet & hot dogging (11:12)
• Seasonal lease program (19:07)
• East Coast Skiing (30:34)
• Narrow and Deep (35:36)
• Soft Goods and Custom Top Sheets (50:57)
• Blow your mind guarantee (1:03:34)
• What We’re Celebrating (1:07:38)

RELATED LINKS:

• Hickory and Tweed: BLISTER Recommended Shop 
• SPECIAL OFFER: OpenSnow.com/Blister
• Become a Blister Member / Get Our Buyer’s Guide
• Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter
• 2023 Blister Summit 
• 22/23 BLISTER Winter Buyer’s Guide

OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• CRAFTED 
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• BLISTER Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bunch of our reviewers discuss why our 22/23 Winter Buyer’s Guide is still unique and still the best resource for your winter gear; what’s new & different this year; some of our personal favorite gear of the season; some industry trends and speculation; and why pumpkin-flavored pastries make Drew Kelly sweat.

TOPICS & TIMES 

What makes the Blister Buyer’s Guide unique? (3:36)

What’s New (10:23)

Our Women-Specific Sections & Unisex Skis (12:16)

Gear Trends (14:40)

Leveling Out (21:41)

More Specified Gear (23:31)

Groomer Skiing (29:47)

Insulated Apparel (33:23)

Specific Gear Shoutouts (35:12)

Our BLISTER Spectrums & Quivers (45:50)

What We’re Celebrating (52:23)

RELATED LINKS:

Hickory and Tweed: BLISTER Recommended Shop 

Become a Blister Member / Get Our Buyer’s Guide

Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter

2023 Blister Summit 

22/23 BLISTER Winter Buyer’s Guide

OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

CRAFTED 

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

BLISTER Podcast 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Part 3 of our Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting series, Kara Williard and Kai Palkeinen, Founder of Pulse Boot Labs, dive into the intricate topic of stance balancing and canting ski boots. Kai explains Pulse Boots Labs’ analytical approach to getting it right, his refined methodology of “red light, green light”; the multi-step process of looking at the foot, insole, liner, shell, and then potentially cuff alignment and canting; and all the intricate variables that can play into this process, including snow surface, attitude, and communication.

TOPICS & TIMES

• How does this process start? (3:22)
• The Foundation (4:57)
• Red Light, Green Light (6:50)
• Pulse Methods (10:53)
• Binding Ramp Angle (17:06)
• Why Liners Matter (24:37)
• Cuff Alignment (26:14)
• Canting Schools of Thought (35:06)
• Rigid vs. Flexible (41:33)
• Communication and Stopping Points (47:47)
• Snow Surface (49:32)
• What We’re Celebrating (54:00)

RELATED LINKS:

• Blister Recommended Ski Shop: Pulse Custom Boot Lab
• Ep. 35: New Innovations in Bootfitting with Pulse Boot Lab
• A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt 1: The Basics
• A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 2: Your Questions by Sam and Kara
• A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide
• Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter

OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• CRAFTED 
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• BLISTER Podcast 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Folsom builds custom skis in Denver, Colorado, and they have a LOT going on these days. So we discussed it all with their head ski builder / owner / CEO, Mike McCabe, including their 22/23 lineup; new shapes; new construction materials; their very cool Junior Skis Trade-In Program; Blister Labs; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Folsom & Fatherhood (3:25)
• Folsom Spar series (11:26)
• Completo, Cash, & Primary series (17:21)
• Cash family (20:12)
• Folsom Rapture (26:00)
• New Model: G-Wagon (32:15)
• New Model: Cash 93 (37:42)
• UltraLITE construction (39:00)
• Orders & Production Cycle (45:30)
• Folsom’s Aspen shop (49:32)
• Folsom’s Denver shop (51:36)
• Blister Labs (52:41)
• Junior Skis Trade-In Program (58:15)
• What We’re Celebrating (1:08:10)

RELATED LINKS:

• Become a Blister Member / Get Our Buyer’s Guide
• More on Blister Labs
• Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• CRAFTED 
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• BLISTER Podcast 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Those waterproof & breathability ratings on the tags of that rain jacket or those ski pants you’re about to buy: where did they come from? What’s the history? And how relevant are those standards? We discuss all of this and more with Dr. Lauren Cooper, who heads up our Blister Labs work on technical apparel.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Dr. Cooper’s background (3:37)
• History of standards & ratings (7:23)
• Current Standards (11:11)
• What does the ISO standard tell us? (17:08)
• What doesn’t the ISO standard tell us? (18:05)
• Next Steps (22:36)

RELATED LINKS:

• Become a Blister Member / Get Our Buyer’s Guide
• More on Blister Labs
• VIDEO: Blister Labs Panel Session
• Subscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter

OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• CRAFTED 
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• BLISTER Podcast 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.