Jonathan talks with Ted Ligety (2x Olympic Gold Medalist & 5x World Cup champion) about his approach to gear; the specific gear he’s using today; how to best deal with flat light and low-vis conditions; his take on the current state of skiing and ski racing; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

How Do You Prepare & Train for Ski Season? (3:55)

Ski Boots (11:25)

CARV (18:59)

Your Ski Quiver These Days? (35:07)

Tuning & Waxing (37:32)

Goggle Lenses for Flat Light (46:16)

Current State of Skiing & Ski Racing? (57:34)

Crashes & Close Calls (1:08:57)

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Jonathan was at the Parlor Custom Skis factory in East Boston to check out the factory and talk with Parlor owner & manager, Mark Wallace, about building custom skis in Boston; assessing skiers (and skiers assessing themselves); custom vs. semi-custom skis; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

What is Parlor? (4:46)

Parlor’s Ski Building Classes (7:45)

Assessing Skiers & Self Assessments (21:17)

Fitting skiers into the right skis (23:27)

Bringing Back Old Skis (30:15)

Custom vs. Semi-Custom Skis (33:11)

Ski Width Controversy (38:13)

Best Question I Haven’t Asked You? (58:07)

Crashes & Close Calls (1:01:12)

Where to Learn More about Parlor (1:09:47)

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Jeremy Jones is back on GEAR:30, and this time, he brought along with him Xavier Nidecker, global brand director of Jones Snowboards, to talk about Jones’ new Re-Up Tech — what it is, how it works, why it matters, and what it could mean for the greater ski & snowboard industry. We also discuss FIS, POW, and climate change, and Jonathan solicits some advice about which board Jeremy and Xavier think he ought to get on as a never-ever.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Update: Blister Crash Course Video (2:00)

Circularity (4:26)

Re-Up Tech vs. Virgin Materials (7:28)

Shipping & Collecting Dead Snowboards (15:24)

Which Parts of the Dead Boards Get Used? (27:56)

Small Steps & Big Solutions (38:56)

Jones’ Fair Trade Certified Factory (48:22)

FIS, POW, & Climate Change (49:50)

Which Snowboard Should JE Start On? (1:10:09)

Crashes and Close Calls (1:15:10)

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A very intriguing — and extremely affordable — new piece of ski-touring gear has just been released, and you ought to know about it. So on our latest GEAR:30 episode, Jonathan talks with Giray Dadali, a pro skier, engineer, ski designer, and founder of Daymaker Touring, about their new product, TEKDAPTERS, that allow you to ski tour using a pin-tech toe on the way up, then click into your DIN-certified alpine binding of choice on the way down.

Giray and I dive deep into the design, materials, weight, compatibility, and rationale for this new product, and we think you’ll agree that it represents an intriguing new offering in the world of ski-touring gear.

TOPICS & TIMES:

When was this idea born? (6:17)

Giray’s Background (8:59)

Who’s It For? (11:52)

TEKDAPTERS vs Original Daymaker (17:48)

“Field Goal” guide rails (26:52)

Universal Compatibility (31:47)

Materials & Design (35:18)

User-Error-Avoidance Tips (43:48)

Locked-Out Pins & Avalanche Danger

Using the Right Tool for the Job (54:42)

Crashes & Close Calls (1:02:20)

Where & When can you get TEKDAPTERS? (1:12:37)

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Jonathan Ellsworth sat down with Kara Williard, Dylan Wood, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa to debrief about our 2023-2024 Winter Buyer’s Guide, discuss what changed this year (and more importantly, what has *not* changed), go over some trends, and more. 

Along the way, we dole out our unofficial “RIP,” “Good Riddance,” and new “Best Glow-Up” awards; talk about what we’re most excited to get on this season; and Jonathan debates whether Luke isn’t even invited to his funeral, or if he’ll be managing the whole thing…

TOPICS & TIMES:

What’s New, What’s Different, & What’s the Same (5:34)

Most Notable Trends (14:13)

RIP Awards (20:21) 

Good Riddance Awards (30:20)

Our Blister ‘Best Of’ Section (36:12)

How to get the Guide (56:25)

Snowboarding Talk w/ Jbobb (59:55)

Crashes & Close Calls (1:18:25)

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Kara Williard sat down with Jake “Fasa” Nelson from the Moment Factory Store to clear up some of the most common bootfitting myths and misconceptions, including the idea that ski boots have to be cold and uncomfortable; why adding forward lean to a boot might not help someone get more forward over their skis; why *everyone* (not just experts) will benefit from a well-fit ski boot and custom insoles; how picking the “right” boot can’t fix all your problems, and more. 

We also discuss why these myths are so prevalent in the first place; provide tips on how to shop for a ski boot this season; realistic expectations you should have for a ski boot, and much more.

TOPICS & TIMES 

Where do these misconceptions come from? (3:10)

Myth 1 - Boots = Uncomfortable (6:16)

Myth 2 - Boots = Cold (10:04)

Myth 3 - Body Position & Forward Lean (15:44)

Myth 4 - Boot Stiffness Debunked (28:31)

Myth 5 - Skier Type (34:49)

Myth 6 - Custom Insoles (41:23)

Expectations vs. Reality (59:32)

The Boot, Binding, & Ski equation (1:07:50)

How to Shop for Boots (1:16:21)

Crashes & Close Calls (1:24:27)

RELATED LINKS:

Ep.221: A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 4: Big-Mountain Freeride Bootfitting with Fasa

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In our latest edition of GEAR THERAPY, Luke and Jonathan talk with Blister Member, Giovanni Saccarola (an Italian living in Switzerland), about his ski quiver, ski boots, and ski boot liner options.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Giovanni: most interesting man in the world? (8:25)

Blizzard Zero G 95 (17:03)

Height / Weight (23:09)

Bindings & Pairing Down His Quiver (26:09)

ATK Free Raiders (28:50)

Giovanni’s Current Quiver (32:27)

Black Crows Atris (36:18

4th ski (38:10)

Tecnica Cochise 130 & Liners (47:20)

Crashes and Close Calls (1:00:28)

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Norrøna has been making gear since 1929, and this family-owned company aims to make the best outdoor recreation products on the market. But that’s easier said than done, so Jonathan Ellsworth talks with Jørgen Jørgensen — the 4th-generation owner & CEO of Norrøna — about the brand’s approach to product design & testing, and the origins, evolution, and future of the brand.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Origins & Evolution of Norrøna (4:32)

Customer Satisfaction (31:39)

Product Testing (34:03)

Quality Assurance & Durability (41:14)

Making the "Best Products" (47:46)

Blister Labs & Current Standards (51:38)

PFAS (56:20)

Some of Jørgen’s Favorite Norrøna Products (1:01:35)

RELATED LINKS:

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CDC Factsheet on PFAS

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“PFAS” or “Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances” are a hot topic today, especially in the outdoor apparel world, where they’ve been used for decades, most notably in the “DWR” or Durable Water Repellant finishes that are applied to a lot of clothes these days. But that’s going to be coming to an end in the near future. 

So, to learn more about why this matters and what it means for manufacturers and consumers alike, Luke Koppa sat down with Alex Lauver, the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation, and Sustainability at Outdoor Research. 

They cover why PFAS have been so prevalent in technical apparel for so long; how their use in clothing is just the tip of the iceberg; their downsides and why we’re seeing this recent push to completely eliminate them; the challenges presented by coming up with PFAS-free alternatives; how this shift affects the entire apparel supply chain; how Outdoor Research has approached this transition and worked to stay ahead of the curve; and much more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Alex’s background (3:41)

PFAS vs PFC (8:38)

How long these compounds have been in use (10:41)

Prevalence in the outdoor industry (17:21)

PFAS alternatives (25:28)

Regulatory aspects and timeline (34:08)

What’s next? (50:15)

Crashes and Close Calls (55:42)

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PFAS FAQs from Outdoor Research

CDC Factsheet on PFAS

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When it comes to gear, we’ve all been there: loads of questions, crippling confusion, severe analysis paralysis. Sometimes you don’t even know where to start. You need some help! 

In our 3rd session of GEAR THERAPY, Blister Member, Arika Poulin Weller, joins Blister reviewers Kara Williard and Kristin Sinnott. Arika is a longtime skier with roots in Nordic skiing (Fun Fact: she and Kristin raced together in college) and a mother who wants to spend more time skiing after moving back to CO, but she had no idea where to start. 

So in this episode, we break down some basics, define some ski-gear terms and what it all means on snow, and provide some recommendations for a 1-ski and 1-boot resort quiver.

TOPICS & TIMES

How Arika & Kristin met (3:20)

Arika’s background (7:26)

Her Current Setup (9:25)

Why Boots are #1 (16:29)

Tech Terms (29:12)

Ski Recommendations (42:34)

Binding Recommendations (56:30)

Boot Recommendations (1:00:38)

Where to go from here? (1:03:20)

Crashes & Close Calls (1:05:39)

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Summit Registration

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Blister Recommended Shops

23/24 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide

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