GEAR:30

There’s no shortage of skis on the market these days, yet we’re still seeing new brands pop up. So what does it take to start your own ski company, and why do it in the first place?

In this episode, Luke Koppa gets the story behind one of the newest brands out there, Ellis Skis, from their founder and engineer, Kevin Schaefer. We discuss why he started Ellis; how he went about prototyping the skis he thought could fill gaps in the market; what he has planned for the future; some misconceptions about ski design, and more.

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Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email those to us here.

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Ellis Skis

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TOPICS & TIMES:

From Longboards to Skis (6:27)

Why Create Your Own Ski Company? (8:26)

Origins of the “Ellis” Name (11:06)

Prototyping Process (11:30)

Feedback From Testers & Customers (12:30)

Ellis Sabr 100 (26:27)

Ellis Meraki 112 (34:10)

Ellis Kanso 106 (40:52)

What’s Next? (48:46)

Clearing Up Ski Design Misconceptions (54:04)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Jonathan talks to our patron saint of GEAR:30, Hoji; Jeff Colt (ZipFit); Shane Chappell (Burton); and Will Ritter (Spark R&D) to get their sense of the most interesting trends and product developments across the ski and snowboard world.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email us at: [email protected]

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Blister Podcast (ep 404): Stories from the Field

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Shoutout: New BLISTER+ Members (2:33)

Our Responses to the Previous Panel: Blister Podcast #404 (3:27)

ZipFit’s Jeff Colt (15:51)

Shane Chappell: Biggest Trends at Burton: Step On (20:06)

Burton, Nitro, and Union: Joining Forces (23:31)

Hoji on the Hoji Hole, etc. (29:57)

Will Ritter: Emerging Trends (33:00)

Emerging Trends from ZipFit (37:43)

Hoji & 90-Flex Ski Boots (40:43)

Snowboard Boot Design (46:21)

Spark’s Tech Toe Collab with ATK (50:29)

Audience Questions:

Booster Straps, Insoles, & Aftermarket Liners (53:24)

Boot Pivot Points (1:00:09)

Ski Technology Trends (1:03:27)

Burton’s ‘Family Tree’ Project (1:05:37)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Often on GEAR:30, we zoom way in on the particular design details of a product. But today, we zoom way out, and take a look at how some of the biggest, global, ski and outdoor gear manufacturers actually operate, with Jake Stevens (Rossignol); Jesse Ambrogi-Yanson (Armada); Joe Johnson (Salomon); and Sean Kennedy (Atomic).

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email us at: [email protected]

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Get Covered: BLISTER+

Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

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Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email us at: [email protected]

TOPICS & TIMES:

Shoutout: New BLISTER+ Members (1:55)

Introductions (3:34)

From Europe to the USA & Beyond (6:44)

Armada: from the USA  to Europe & Beyond (16:33)

Marketing Products: Domestic vs Global (18:12)

Global Campaigns (29:54)

Importance of Athletes for Brands Today? (37:08)

Audience Questions:

Customer Retention: Best Practices? (48:48)

Importance of User-Generated Content? (56:17)

Is Total Consumer Domination The Goal? (59:20)

The Importance of Top Sheets? (1:05:58)

Is Carving Becoming Cool Again? (1:09:55)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Luke and Jonathan compare notes on a number of skis they got on at the Blister Summit; confess some crimes; and offer one public service announcement.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email us at: [email protected]

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Parallel Mountain Sports, Palisades

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Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

CRAFTED Trip Report: Blister Summit & SLC

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Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)

TOPICS & TIMES:

Parallel Mountain Sports, Palisades (1:05)

Hoji & Marcus Goguen: New BLISTER+ Members (3:10)

Nordica Unleashed 106 (6:00)

Dynastar M-Free 100 (11:46)

Ellis Kanso 106 & Meraki 112 (18:51)

Kastle Sublime 93 & Transcend 104 (26:15)

Armada AntiMatter 100 & 114 (35:39)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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We’re still buzzing from Blister Summit 2026, which we held last week at Snowbird, Utah. And in this conversation, a number of our reviewers got together to recap their favorite moments, runs, and gear. We also cover what it’s like to ride with the strikingly handsome Justin Bobb (whether he’s on a board, skis, or blades); one of the aspects of ski reviewing that Sascha Anastas does better than Jonathan and Luke; CRAFTED podcast co-host Eli Brown’s perspective as a newcomer to the Summit; and more.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email us at [email protected]

RELATED LINKS:

Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+

Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)

TOPICS & TIMES:

Jonathan’s Driving Advice (2:40)

Sascha's Summit Record (6:40)

Eli's First Summit (8:15)

Conditions & Favorite Terrain (11:05)

Sascha & Eli’s Standout Gear (24:39)

Upcoming Summit CRAFTED Episode (42:14)

JBobb’s Eventful Last Day (45:02)

Hard Boot Snowboarding (1:00:29)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Luke’s a dad! Our patron saint of GEAR:30, Hoji, will be back at the Blister Summit! You can win custom skis at our Summit Dinner! Plus, you’ll hear lots of talk from Luke and Jonathan about the skis they tested to close out the year at CBMR! (So many exclamation points!!!)

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email those to us here.

RELATED LINKS:

Join Us @ Blister Summit 2026

Win Custom Skis @ Summit Dinner

Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+

Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

TOPICS & TIMES:

Blister Summit Dinner — Win Skis

Luke’s a Dad! (3:08)

Closing Day (5:38)

Blister Summit Snow & Forecast (9:45)

Hoji (12:16)

Win Folsom Custom Skis @ Summit Dinner (13:40)

Panel Sessions & Athlete Guests (16:46)

Armada ARV 106 Ti (22:57)

Kastle Sublime 93 (25:51)

Kastle at Summit (32:45)

Doberman Multi Pista (33:17)

Heritage Lab RC95 (36:48)

Line Poisson (40:13)

Moment Deathwish 112 (50:25)

Moment Wildcat 108 (54:14)

M-Free 108 (1st Gen) at Snowbird (56:26)

Most Surprising Ski of the Season? (59:22)

Skis We Want to Check Out @ the Summit (1:01:51)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Do narrower skis actually make you carve better on piste? What about in moguls? And what sorts of skis are the best skiers actually using? For less-experienced folks, do certain skis make it easier to progress? Luke Koppa dives into these questions and more with the folks at Carv and Stomp It Tutorials. Carv’s Jamie Salter brings a bunch of fascinating data to the conversation, and Stomp It Tutorials’ Jens Nyström adds his perspective as an instructor who’s been helping skiers of all backgrounds for years. 

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email those to us here.

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Recommended Shop: The Ledge Boardshop

Ep. 386: The Ledge Boardshop w/ Suge

Join Us @ Blister Summit 2026

Carv Digital Ski Coach

Stomp It Tutorials & Stomp It Camps

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Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)

TOPICS & TIMES:

The Ledge Boardshop (2:14)

Blister Summit 2026 (3:10)

Introducing Jamie & Jens (4:43)

Scoring Differences w/ Different Skis (15:24)

On-Piste Carving Data (17:21)

Mogul-Skiing Data (26:42)

Highest-Scoring Skis (36:03)

“Training Skis” (and Boots) (44:35)

Carv’s Freestyle Experience w/ Jens (54:56)

Carv at Blister Summit 2026 (1:06:00)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Monoskis! Snowblades! Price Drops! Jonathan talks with Luke Koppa and Kristin Sinnott about some big announcements about our upcoming Blister Summit, and Otto Solberg joins us to give an up-to-date conditions report from the Bird. We also talk about the great-looking forecast, and we go through some of the gear we’re most excited to get on — and get you on.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email those to us here.

RELATED LINKS:

Get Yourself Covered with BLISTER+

Join Us! Blister Summit 2026

BLISTER+ Members: Blister Summit Discount

Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)

TOPICS & TIMES:

Current Conditions at Snowbird (4:58)

The Forecast! (11:18)

Important Info (16:05)

New Discounted Price (21:51)

Companies Attending (24:31)

Another Dan Abrams Story (35:58)

Salomon QST (41:03)

Salomon and Kastle (42:20)

Faction (46:34)

HEAD and DPS (48:33)

Nordica and Scarpa (54:18)

ZipFit and Product Purchasing (55:35)

Elan (56:57)

Zirkel (57:31)

Snowboard Brands (58:31)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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In this episode that we’re dedicating to JBobb, Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth talk frontside carvers; metal freestyle skis; and for the first time in Blister history, we’re reviewing a competition mogul ski.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email those to us here.

RELATED LINKS:

Palisades Tahoe

Get Yourself Covered with BLISTER+

Join Us! Blister Summit 2026

BLISTER+ Members: Blister Summit Discount

Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)

TOPICS & TIMES:

Palisades Tahoe (1:35)

Blister Summit (2:46)

Shoutout: BLISTER+ Members (3:50)

Atomic Carving Skis: (7:36)

Redster Q9.8 (9:07)

Redster X9S (12:37)

Redster S9 & G9 (14:42)

Faction Le Mogul Pro (21:42)

Fischer Carving Skis: (28:23)

The Curv Noize GT 85 (29:05)

The Curv Noize GTX (31:30)

RC4 Noize (33:14)

Armada ARV 106 Ti (36:05)

Faction Prodigy 3 (39:17)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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Last week at Palisades Tahoe, Jonathan Ellsworth & JBobb stopped by the The Ledge Boardshop to talk about snowboard culture & the current state of snowboard gear w/ a rather legendary figure in the snowboard world, Suge (aka, Brett Scott). We talk 90’s Hip-Hop; the history of snowboarding (and its influence on ski gear); and innovation in snowboard gear itself.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email us at [email protected]

RELATED LINKS:

The Ledge Boardshop

Palisades Tahoe

Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+

Join Us! Blister Summit 2026

BLISTER+ Members: Blister Summit Discount

Enter Our Weekly Gear Giveaway

See Our Blister Recommended Shops

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

Blister Studios (our new channel)

Blister Review (our original channel)

TOPICS & TIMES:

‘Know The Ledge’ (3:50)

Hip-Hop & Snowboarding (7:29)

BOA (17:42)

Customization of Snowboard Boots? (18:22)

‘Convenience’ Bindings (23:12)

Indemnified Gear (36:04)

Snowboard Design Updates (43:34)

Shop Culture (48:23)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Blister Podcast

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