GEAR:30

MountainFLOW is disrupting the ski and snowboard industries by producing high-performing products that are also biodegradable and more sustainable than the conventional products in their categories. So we talked with founder, Peter Arlein, about the environmental impacts of ski wax; his appearance on Shark Tank; the upcoming ban on fluorocarbon waxes at the highest levels of ski racing; and Peter reveals mountainFLOW’s brand-new product, which we think is going to have another significant impact on the ski industry.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Background of mountainFlow (3:39)
• Wax & its environmental consequences (10:13)
• Going on Shark Tank (14:43)
• Ski wax misconceptions (19:56) 
• ‘Deck of cards’ analogy (21:53) 
• More interest from backcountry or resort riders? (23:57)
• Ban on fluorocarbons (25:42)
• Ceramic Nano Technology (27:15)
• New Product Reveal (30:47)
• MountainFLOW bike chain lube (36:15)
• What We’re Celebrating (38:42)

RELATED LINKS

• Avocado
• Jonathan’s Sleep Experiment
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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John Weir from Bentgate in Golden, CO, is back to discuss advances in backcountry skis; draw comparisons between some high-profile touring boots; and reassess the pros, cons, & compromises of various AT bindings.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Update on Bentgate (3:29)
• Boots: Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro vs Dynafit Radical Pro (8:41)
• Scarpa F1 LT (19:03)
• Advances in backcountry skis (22:29)
• AT Bindings (26:49)
• “Low Tech” bindings (29:48)
• Dynafit Rotation bindings (35:21)
• CAIC fundraiser (39:06)
• Supply chain realities (42:19)
• What We’re Celebrating (45:19)

RELATED LINKS

• John Weir, GEAR:30, Ep. #120
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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We talk to professional skier, Hadley Hammer, about the gear she’s most & least picky about; her own gear preferences; some of the keys to happiness; and we fight about The Queen’s Gambit.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The Queen’s Gambit (3:04)
• Binge-listening to GEAR:30 (11:55)
• What gear are you the pickiest about? (18:03)
• Inclusion, Diversity, & Ski Boots (22:36)
• Inbounds skis & ski length (29:56)
• Hadley’s background (34:12)
• Backcountry skis: design priorities (38:20)
• Line Pandora 104 & 110 (42:26)
• Mount points (47:55)
• Least picky about? (53:48)
• What We're Celebrating (1:08:51)

RELATED LINKS

• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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We’re pulling back the curtain on ski testing, and to provide their wealth of experience in this arena are The Ski Monster co-founder & CEO, George Michaelsen, and Matt Berkowitz, who is now the brand director of The Ski Monster and who has participated in too many ski tests to count. We discuss good ways and bad ways to conduct gear tests; how and why The Ski Monster has been able to ramp up the amount of gear testing they’re doing; and why not all gear tests are created equal.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• George Michaelsen’s questionable life decision (6:21)
• Matt Berkowitz’s ski industry background (10:28)
• Ski Monster update (17:05)
• How industry ski tests work (19:06)
• Ski tuning & ski testing (42:00)
• Different reviewers & reviewing (53:58)
• What We’re Celebrating (1:10:00)

RELATED LINKS

• Episode Sponsor: Avocado
• Jonathan’s Sleep Experiment
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss our 21/22 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide and some corresponding industry trends and category highlights. They also talk snowblades, clarify our Buyer’s Guide ‘Best Of’ Awards, and go on a rant or two.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Early-season turns & the new Nordica Enforcer 104 Unlimited (6:21)
• Our new glossy Buyers guide (11:27)
• Weight Trends (13:25)
• Unisex vs. ‘women-specific’ trend? (21:56)
• Alpine ski boots (22:54)
• Rant: ski stiffness & stability (29:52)
• Grip Walk soles (34:11)
• ‘Best Of’ awards clarification (36:58)
• What We’re Celebrating (43:48)

RELATED LINKS

• Episode Sponsor: Avocado
• Jonathan’s Sleep Experiment
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, is back on GEAR:30 to talk about Moment’s 21/22 lineup of skis; the new Moment factory; the new Deathwish 104; snowblading; & more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Moment’s new factory (4:51)
• Supply chain issues? (11:35)
• New Deathwish 104 (15:25)
• Deathwish (22:12)
• Wildcat skis (25:23)
• Commander skis (29:16)
• Touring Skis (35:14)
• Deathwish Tour vs Wildcat Tour (37:56)
• Sales of standard vs touring skis (39:44)
• Voyager binding on which skis? (41:27)
• Women’s Sierra Tour & Bella Tour (48:53)
• Women’s Hot Mess, Sierra, Bella (52:04)
• Frankenblade (54:54)
• Blister ‘Crash Course’ Snow blade video (57:27)
• Chipotle Banana (1:04:17)
• What We’re Celebrating (1:09:21)

RELATED LINKS

• Off The Couch podcast: Tessa Chesser
• Getting to Gunnison-Crested Butte: Flights
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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Once upon a time, a couple of friends who were scheming to get some gear for their own adventures ended up creating a phenomenal outdoor shop. We talk to Trygve Sande and Rune Kvalsnes about the origins of Vertical Playground; their trip with Hoji where the idea of the 4FRNT Raven was born; the ski touring and mountain biking scene in central Norway; some of their favorite gear; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Vertical Playground today (4:23)
• Origins story (8:40)
• Ski touring culture in central Norway (14:08)
• Hoji, Sterbenz, & the birth of the 4FRNT Raven (19:07)
• Touring bindings (35:35)
• Mountain biking & summers in Oppdal (43:46)
• The future of Vertical Playground? (49:08)
• What We’re Celebrating (56:00)

RELATED LINKS:

• Vertical Playground
• Episode Sponsor: Avocado
• Jonathan's Sleep Experiment
• Getting to Gunnison-Crested Butte: Flights
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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

We talk to Pete Wagner about three big new things happening at Wagner Custom Skis, where everything is built right in Telluride, Colorado.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Wagner’s new “Summit” skis (4:45)
• Summit 106 (15:56)
• Summit 107 (19:42)
• Summit 97 (21:30)
• Factory skis vs. the full custom process (22:49)
• Current consumer trends? (25:18)
• Avalanche cores (27:13)
• New James Niehues collab (33:42)
• Next Level Skiing podcast & Jonathan’s neck (35:36)
• What will you do for the next Blister Summit? (43:19)

RELATED LINKS

• See Wagner’s “Summit” skis
• Video: Wagner’s “Avalanche Cores
• Wagner’s Niehaus Collab Skis
• Getting to Gunnison-Crested Butte: Flights
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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We talk with Greg Klein, president of Willi’s Ski and Snowboard Shops, which is family owned and operated with several locations in the greater Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. We talk about what brought Greg’s father (Willi) to PA; Seven Springs Mountain Resort; the key ingredients of a great ski shop; ski length & ski width; Willi’s women’s program; shop beer vs. shop pizza; & more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Greg’s father, Willi (4:47)
• The mid-Atlantic ski scene (8:20)
• Willi’s women’s program (13:03)
• How else are you making skiing more accessible? (15:30) 
• The *actual* business of a ski shop (21:35)
• Kickball (24:02) 
• The culture at Willi’s (25:56)
• Ski length & ski width (32:53)
• City shops vs. Mtn Town shops (49:03) 
• Final Thoughts + Shop Pizza (57:22)
• What We’re Celebrating (1:00:30)

RELATED LINKS

• Recommended Shop: Willi’s Ski Shops
• Getting to Gunnison-Crested Butte: Flights
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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

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)

RELATED LINKS

• Recommended Shop: Blacksheep Sports
• Getting to Gunnison-Crested Butte: Flights
• Blister Summit Registration
• Subscribe to our Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
• Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide

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