Reviewers Paul Forward, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about the signs we’re going stir crazy; Shane McConkey’s Volant Spatula vs. other modern pow skis; the DPS Koala 119; the new LINE Vision 118; our current nominations for best underwear; Luke’s new mustache; and more.

And you should also listen to this Bikes & Big Ideas episode, where Jonathan Ellsworth talks to several outdoor-industry companies that have pivoted to fight COVID-19.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast (0:21)
• Our next Listener Appreciation Video (1:57)
• Signs we’re going stir crazy (5:50)
• McConkey’s Spatula (14:59)
• Houdini Anorak (29:20)
• Spatula vs other pow skis (33:25)
• Clarifying Terms: “Spines” & “Cliffs” (35:10)
• Reverse camber skis (40:30)
• Line Vision 118 (43:39)
• DPS Koala 119 (49:40)
• Best underwear nominees (56:40)

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Bison Wool? Bison Down? That’s a thing? Well it’s being used by one company, United By Blue, who started salvaging otherwise wasted bison fibers, and is now incorporating them into a growing range of products.

So we talked with Brendan Raugh, senior apparel designer at United By Blue, which sells bison fiber outerwear. We talk about how United By Blue was founded as a waterway cleanup company; how they went on to develop an entire line of apparel around salvaged bison coat fibers; the logistics of creating a new supply chain; how bison fibers compare to sheep’s wool and goose down; what the futures holds for the company and their unique material; and more. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Brendan’s background & current role (1:35)
• United By Blue’s mission to clean waterways (2:35)
• Why use bison fibers? (7:15)
• Their unique supply chain (11:07)
• What is scouring & dehairing? (13:45)
• The different types of bison fibers (16:20)
• Bison vs. Goose Down (20:31)
• What is bison fiber apparel best suited for? (22:20)
• United By Blue’s sustainability practices (33:40)

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Full Tilt ski boots are beloved by some (including the likes of Bode Miller, Tom Wallisch, Seth Morrison, and Sammy Carlson), but they get pigeonholed by others who think of them as only being for park rats.

So we are joined by Austin Peters, the Ski Boot Engineering Manager for Full Tilt and K2 Ski Boots, to talk about the history of Full Tilt; what makes Full Tilts unique; why you might opt for a Full Tilt vs an ‘overlap’ ski boot; and what’s new for 20/21 (including Sammy Carlson’s new pro model).

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Current Position & Background (3:30)
• History of Full Tilt (11:00)
• 2-Piece / Overlap Boots vs. 3-Piece Boots (13:45)
• Swappable Tongues / Adjustable Flex Pattern (15:30)
• Changes to FT’s flex pattern naming conventions (17:33)
• Standardizing flex ratings (19:00)
• What’s changed & what hasn’t? (21:55)
• New Pro Tongue Liner (25:00)
• Pro Tongue Liner vs. Wrap Liner (27:25)
• What sort of skier ought to consider Full Tilts? (30:43)
• Range of top skiers in Full Tilts (35:03)
• Boot-fitter-friendliness (40:10)
• Sammy Carlson’s new Full Tilt pro model (45:52)

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Picture Organic Clothing is going way beyond common sustainability practices with things like castor bean oil waterproof membranes and sugar cane waste-derived polyester, and they are attempting to eliminate polybags from their entire supply chain.

So Sam Shaheen sat down with Picture’s co-founder, Julien Durant, and their sustainability manager, Florian Palluel to talk about these ambitious projects. And then we go in-depth on the new air-permeable membrane, Xpore, that they are putting in direct competition with Gore Pro and TNF Futurelight.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Julian & Flo’s background (1:00)
• Sustainability practices (5:55)
• Poly Bags (11:14)
• What are the big sustainability problems you can solve? (22:20)
• Wearing atmosphere-captured carbon?? (24:10)
• Castor Bean Oil (28:00)
• Cost vs. Performance (31:50)
• Converting sugar cane into polyester? (34:12)
• Picture Organic’s “Xpore” (36:40)

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Luke Koppa, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the new skis, boots and apparel they’ve been testing. We also discuss what skis we prefer for off-piste, icy conditions; the merits of slim fit ski pants; which ski boots are best described as “donkeys”; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• K2 Reckoner 102, 112, 122 (3:00)
• K2 Reckoners vs. K2 Mindbenders (6:00)
• Nordica Santa Ana 93 & 98 (8:00)
• Blizzard Cochise 106 (13:42)
• Dynastar M-Free 108 (20:40)
• Rossignol Black Ops Rallybird Ti & non-Ti (25:18)
• Ski pant fit: slim vs. baggy (29:26)
• WNDR Intention 110 (35:53)
• Arc'teryx Incendia One-Piece (38:25)
• Hawx Ultra 130S; Hawx Ultra XTD 130; Full Tilt (40:32)
• Hawx Prime XTD 130 (43:10)

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We talk with Graham Lonetto, the Alpine Director for the USA at Swix — the company that invented color-coded waxes, and one of the largest manufacturers of ski wax in the world — about different types of waxes and application methods; the most common mistake made when waxing skis; the FIS’s ban on fluorocarbons in waxes; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Graham’s background in ski racing (1:45)
• Kick Wax vs. Glide Wax (4:00)
• Base Prep & Top Coat (6:30)
• Paraffin vs. Liquid vs. Powdered (8:21)
• Application methods (12:40)
• What is “water management”? (16:12)
• How often do pros “burn” their skis? (21:15)
• The death of hot scraping? (27:20)
• The push to eliminate fluorocarbons (41:26)
• DPS Phantom vs. traditional wax? (50:22)

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Ski boot liners are probably the most overlooked and least appreciated piece of ski gear out there, but they are a critical piece of equipment. So Matt Manser, the product manager of Atomic Ski Boots, is back on GEAR:30 for Part 4 of our “Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots” series, and this time, we’re demystifying the extremely complex, very expensive, and poorly understood category of ski boot liners.

We kick off the conversation by brushing up a bit on plastics (specifically, the not-so-straightforward label, “Grilamid”); then we discuss forward lean and ramp angles; and then we jump down the rabbit hole on ski boot liners, and talk about the different types of liners and their pros and cons; the “30 seconds” test and why Atomic views it as so critical; whether it’s smart to shove an aftermarket liner into a high-performance shell; and then Matt talks about a brand new liner from Atomic that incorporates their “Mimic” technology. In the process, we also talk about next year’s Hawx Ultra 130 S alpine boot, and the also-new-for-next-year Hawx Prime XTD.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Grilamid; Polyamide (PA); Polypropylene (PP) (6:18)
• Forward Lean (14:06)
• Ramp Angles (24:33)
• World Cup ski racers are weird (28:06)
• Forward Lean: what should skiers look for? (31:58)
• The 20/21 Hawx Ultra “S” (38:00)
• Ski Boot Liners (42:38)
• The “First Fit” Battle (46:13)
• Comfort vs Performance (48:13)
• Foam-injected Liners (57:45)
• EVA (“Layered Foam”) Liners (1:06:04)
• 3D Liners (1:08:02)
• Atomic’s “Mimic” liner technology (1:09:14)
• How often can Mimic liners be reshaped? (1:17:14)
• Aftermarket Liners? (1:19:47)
• The new Hawx Prime XTD boot (1:27:03)

OTHER EPISODES IN THIS SERIES:

• Part 1: Plastics (Ep. 54)
• Part 2: Flex Patterns (Ep. 55)
• Part 3: Racers & Race Boots (Ep. 60)

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Sam Shaheen was recently in Courmayeur, Italy to test the new SCOTT Superguide Freetour in the spectacular mountains surrounding Mont Blanc. After several days of big lines and long tours, he came away thoroughly impressed. 

So, in the first half of this conversation, he talks with SCOTT’s CMO, Reto Aeschbacher, about the backstory of SCOTT, the challenges of managing large product lines, and the motivation behind their new line of backcountry skis. Then he does a deep dive with SCOTT’s Ski Product Manager,  Franz Marsan, about the new Superguide Freetour. 

You can also watch this conversation on our Blister YouTube channel.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• SCOTT Sports becoming an “international” brand (5:02)
• Why make so many different types of products? (6:42)
• Will we see a SCOTT binding? (12:08)
• The 2020 Winter Collection (15:41)
• The New Superguide Freetour (20:00)
• What is a 3D sidecut radius? (30:51)
• Superguide 95 vs. Freetour (38:00)
• New touring boot (40:25)

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Patagonia’s Glen Morden (Product Innovation, Materials, & Development) and Corey Simpson (Communications) came to Crested Butte to ski with us and to discuss how Patagonia is thinking about sustainability and product performance; how they continue to evolve on this front; talk about a few of their new pieces; their prototyping process; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Future performance innovations (8:00)
• Sustainability Practices: 5 Years Ago vs. Today (12:20)
• End-of-life solutions for garments (16:20)
• Is sustainability a performance characteristic? (22:06)
• Patagonia’s new Stormstride Kit & Upstride Kit (27:33)
• “Perceived” Comfort & Breathability (33:11)
• Simplifying kits (43:44)
• The death of distinguishing between “hard” and “soft” shells? (46:00)
• Dressing for the worst-case scenario? (47:50)
• Patagonia’s prototyping process (52:29)
• Where will we see the biggest improvements? (57:42)

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We sat down at the Outdoor Retailer / SIA show to discuss some of the most notable trends, interesting products, weirdest products, and the thing at the show that caused Jonathan to legally change his name.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• New trends in apparel (3:43)
• New trends in skis (10:58)
• Gear we’re most curious to try (14:20)
• Gear we’re most tempted to steal (31:00)
• Weirdest thing we saw (39:41)

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