For centuries, hemp has been cultivated around the world and used to make just about everything: rope, clothing, paper, currency, sails — even the earliest American flags. But in 1937, the United States effectively banned the cultivation of hemp, and since then, hemp has faced an uphill battle of public perception and viable production in the US.

Just last year, however, Congress passed the Farm Bill, which re-legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp. 

So we spoke to Rob Jungmann, one of the pioneers of hemp apparel in the United States and the owner of Jungmaven apparel, to discuss Rob’s history in the hemp textile industry; the many uses for hemp (including eating it and building houses with it); how hemp differs from cotton in textiles; and shooting hemp T-shirts with a shotgun (seriously).

• Check out the rest of our “What You’re Wearing” series here.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Anti-hemp propaganda (5:40)
• The battle for hemp legalization (9:15)
• The future of the U.S. hemp industry (13:31)
• Is there an ongoing hemp stigma? (15:30)
• The many uses & history of hemp (16:40)
• “Hempcrete” for building houses?? (18:13)
• What are hemp’s textile qualities? (21:04))
• Why blend hemp & cotton? (24:08)
• Shooting t-shirts with guns (26:10)
• Environmental benefits of growing hemp (31:26)
• Eat hemp every day (*Dr. Dre voice*) (35:44)
• Future of hemp apparel (40:08)

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Misconceptions about down are everywhere — fill power, proper care, and animal welfare are all often wildly misunderstood. So today, in part 3 of our “What You’re Wearing” miniseries, we talk to Matthew Betcher of Allied Feather & Down, a company that works with and supplies down for some of the biggest names in the outdoor industry. (There’s a good chance your down jacket is stuffed with Allied down.) 

Matthew and I discuss down’s fascinating entrance into the outdoor industry; the physical characteristics that make down such a high-performance fiber; the myths about “fill power” caused by marketing strategies; why and how you should DEFINITELY wash your down apparel; animal welfare & the Responsible Down Standard; and much more. 

Have a garment containing Allied down? Check out trackmydown.com to learn about where it came from.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Klaus Obermeyer ‘inventing’ the down jacket (2:40)
• What does a “fill-power” rating actually mean? (8:03)
• Duck Down vs. Goose Down (24:15)
• How Down is different than feathers (30:21)
• Tips for washing your down!! (36:55)
• Animal Welfare (49:40)
• The Responsible Down Standard (56:27)
• Down-proof fabrics (59:20)
• Trackmydown.com (1:06:04)
• The future of down (1:07:10)

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4FRNT Skis founder, Matt Sterbenz, recently launched WNDR Alpine, a company that’s incorporating biotech into skis. So we sat down with Sterbenz and WNDR’s brand manager, Xan Marshland, to discuss the creation of and the future plans for WNDR Alpine; its relation to the biotech company, Checkerspot; and we dive deep into the details of their new ski, the Intention 110, which is available now for pre-order.

To learn more about WNDR Alpine and its relation to the Berkely-based biotech company Checkerspot, check out our latest BLISTER Podcast with Sterbenz and Checkerspot’s co-founder & CEO, Charlie Dimmler.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Matt’s background & founding 4FRNT (3:08)
• Xan’s background (8:36)
• What is WNDR Alpine? (16:20)
• The first ski: the Intention 110 (22:00)
• Why start with a backcountry ski? (22:32)
• Comparable skis to the Intention 110? (29:22)
• Materials (41:08)
• Weight (49:34)
• Mount point (56:54)
• Price (1:00:06)
• Bindings (1:04:50)
• Where to see the skis & ship dates (1:07:07)
• Future plans for WNDR? (1:08:54)

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Why are more and more companies making products out of wool? 

In part two of our “What You’re Wearing” miniseries, we’re taking a closer look at the fabric that was once most associated with itchy old sweaters and fancy suits, but that’s now being used in some of the most comfortable and highest-performing apparel on the market. But how exactly does wool naturally suppress odor? How does the species of sheep affect the finished product? And is wool actually more environmentally friendly than other fibers?

To answer these questions and more, we’re talking with Josh Vaughan, head of Wholesale Sales at Icebreaker. We walk through every step of making wool garments (from sheep to shirt); discuss some exciting new uses for wool in apparel, and Josh provides some incredibly in-depth answers about the secrets behind wool’s unique natural properties.

Topics & Times

• How climate affects wool quality (2:55)
• The process: from herding sheep to the final fabric (9:03)
• How & Why is wool blended with other fibers? (18:40)
• Environmental benefits & drawbacks of wool (24:02)
• Wool from other animals? (32:04)
• Can wool be recycled? (36:13)
• Why is wool odor resistant? (38:12)
• Thermoregulation vs. Insulation (40:15)
• Why is wool more commonly knit than woven? (43:53)
• Icebreaker’s transparency report (45:03)
• Two biggest misconceptions about wool (49:00)

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Crosson Skis is a small, new company building skis outside of Seattle — and they are making some very big claims.

So we talk to their founder, Chase Englehart, about the origins of Crosson; what makes their skis different — and better — than what’s out there; manufacturing skis in Tukwila, WA; working with athletes like Bobby Brown and Banks Gilberti; and their 19/20 lineup.

Topics & Times

• The Crosson Backstory (2:03)
• What makes your skis different / better? (12:44)
• Park Ski: Rogue (22:14)
• All-Mountain Skis: Imperium & Raider (28:11)
• Powder Ski: Marauder (30:21)
• Weight (31:23)
• Crosson bases & custom base structures (35:19)
• Price, Warranty, & Added Value (39:22)
• Materials & what they’re doing in-house (44:34)
• Their press (46:04)
• Why manufacture in Tukwila? (48:55)
• Their athletes: Banks Gilberti & Bobby Brown (51:17)
• Where to check out or buy Crosson Skis (54:59)

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How do elite ski racers like Marcel Hirsher, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller, and Daron Rahlves “feel” their gear, and their ski boots in particular? Matt Manser and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss how some of the all-time greats are superhumanly attuned to the slightest changes of a binding or ski boot.

They also discuss Forward Lean (how to measure it, whether lots or less of it is better, etc.); ‘static’ power straps vs. ‘elastic’ Booster Straps; whether WC skiers or WC DH mtn bikers are pickier about their equipment; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Marcel Hirscher & Bode Miller’s insane attunement (4:11)
• How many boots does Marcel bring to a race? (18:46)
• WC ski racers vs. WC DH bike racers (22:40)
• Mikaela Shriffin’s boot preferences (33:20)
• Which racers wear the stiffest boots? (36:40)
• Forward Lean / measuring forward lean (44:27)
• ‘Static’ power straps vs ‘elastic’ Booster Straps (59:24)
• Why it’s so hard to name ski boots (1:12:03)

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Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, & Sam Shaheen argue about the new Volkl Mantra 102 and how it compares to the M5 Mantra; discuss with more civility the Line Vision 98; Dalbello Lupo Pro HD ski boot; Camp Nano 22 vs. Orbit Wire carabiners; and close with several extremely random reviews.

This episode is presented by Tribe Alpha & GEAR:30 listeners get a special discount!

Tribe Alpha is great ecommerce for the great outdoors, and can help you improve the performance of your ecommerce site. With more than 25 years of web experience, Tribe Alpha has a long and successful history working with retailers in the outdoor industry, and will help you grow your ecommerce business.

GEAR:30 listeners: visit tribealpha.com/gear to receive a 10% discount off their standard pricing. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Volkl Mantra 102 (3:13)
• Volkl Mantra 102 vs. Volkl M5 (13:40)
• Line Vision 98 (22:29)
• Carabiners: CAMP Nano 22 vs. Orbit Wire (24:57)
• Dalbello Lupo Pro HD (28:30)
• Sam’s review of Luke Koppa (31:13)
• Review: buying furniture (33:41)
• Review: new Lion King movie (35:48)

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Today we are launching a new series called, “Reviewing the Reviewer,” and the idea is pretty simple: we’ll be asking various Blister reviewers questions about their backgrounds and gear preferences, to give you a more complete picture of the people behind our reviews. And since we like to rank & review things around here, we will be scoring each of our reviewers’ answers to come up with a review grade for each of them.

I sat down with Luke in Blister HQ and asked him about where he grew up and what he was into as a kid; his gear preferences and what gear he is most picky about and least picky about and why; then ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, wrote in with a number of questions for Luke; and I also asked Luke things like: who his favorite BLISTER reviewer is, and I got him to rank his siblings from most favorite to least favorite, before wrapping up with some questions about Luke’s favorite books, music, and movies.

This episode is presented by Tribe Alpha — tribealpha.com/gear

Tribe Alpha is great ecommerce for the great outdoors, and can help you improve the performance of your ecommerce site. With more than 25 years of web experience, Tribe Alpha has a long and successful history working with retailers in the outdoor industry, and will help you grow your ecommerce business.

Bonus: GEAR:30 listeners get a special discount. Just visit tribealpha.com/gear to receive 10% off their standard pricing.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Random Review: Orange Vanilla Coke (5:52)
• Luke’s Background (7:02)
• How did you first get connected with BLISTER? (19:05)
• What are you ski preferences? (22:30)
• Who is your favorite reviewer at BLISTER? (25:13)
• What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? (26:32)
• What are you better at than Sam Shaheen? (37:07)
• What gear are you most & least picky about? (38:11)
• Questions from ON3P’s Scott Andrus (43:07)
• Rank your siblings from favorite to least favorite (50:07)
• Top 3 favorite books, movies, and musicians (52:29)
• Give us a random review (1:03:19)
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (1:04:32)

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How much do you actually know about the clothes in your closet, and the stuff you wear to go play in the mountains? Today we’re introducing our “What You’re Wearing” miniseries, where we’ll be shining a light on the most foundational part of apparel: the fibers.

In part one, we dive into the world synthetic fibers with Sara Ellis from Gore (the makers of GORE-TEX) to discuss everything from the performance and environmental impact of synthetics compared to natural fibers; the crazy new material that Gore developed with Underarmour; what’s on the horizon in terms of waterproof / breathables; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Synthetic vs. Natural fibers (2:15)
• Where do synthetic fibers come from? (8:08)
• Which synthetics are the most durable? (9:17)
• Polyester vs. Nylon (12:18)
• What are the environmental issues associated with synthetics? (14:38)
• The story behind Gore’s new ePTFE baselayer with Underarmour (24:05)
• Gore’s current (and upcoming) waterproof / breathable lineup (36:54)
• What’s the biggest misconception about synthetics? (52:12)

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We talk to DPS Skis founder, Stephan Drake, about the new DPS 19/20 product lineup, and about two new skis — that incorporate a brand-new construction — they are introducing for their DPS “Dreamtime” event, which officially runs from July 15th to August 1st.

Stephan also breaks news about their “Koala” skis, gives an update on the DPS ski boots that he and I spoke about back on Ep. 38 of the Blister Podcast, and shares some new developments with DPS Phantom base glide treatment.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Building skis in Salt Lake City, Utah (2:45)
• What is “DPS Dreamtime”? (7:17)
• Foam & DPS’ new construction (11:01)
• DPS Wailer 100 RP vs 112 RP (25:10)
• DPS’s “C2“ vs “RP” (29:30)
• The redesigned DPS Wailer 106 (35:12)
• DPS freestyle skis / DPS Koala 119 (36:25)
• Update on the DPS Ski boot (41:10)
• Update on DPS Phantom (44:27)

Other Conversations We’ve Had with Stephan:

• Blister Podcast, Ep. #38: DPS Skis Founder, Stephan Drake (4.17.17)
• Blister Podcast, Ep. #59: DPS Phantom & the End of Ski Wax (11.1.17)
• GEAR:30, Ep. #22: New DPS Skis & Products with Stephan Drake (7.20.18)

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