Kara Williard spells out the case for custom insoles in your ski boots, and discusses the Blizzard Black Pearl, Volkl Secret 96, & Salomon Stance 88W. Eric Freson talks about his trip to Canada and the WNDR Alpine Reason 120, 4FRNT Renegade, the Lange RX 130 LV, and the Salomon Shift Pro 130. And Luke Koppa talks about the new Line Blade Optic 96, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, and Moment Deathwish 104. TOPICS & TIMES:Update: Blister Summit (0:00)Custom Insoles (6:34)WNDR Alpine Reason 120 & 4FRNT Renegade (22:53)Shampoo update from Luke (30:13)Line Blade Optic 96 (31:23)Blizzard Black Pearl 97, Volkl Secret 96, Salomon Stance 88W (36:20)Lange RX 130 LV (39:39)Moment Deathwish 104 (46:10)Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95 (49:40)Salomon Shift Pro 130 (53:02)What We’re Celebrating (59:20)RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Backcountry EssentialsEpisode Sponsor: mountainFLOW.comBlister Summit RegistrationSubscribe to our Weekly Gear Giveaway / NewsletterBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister PodcastBikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch
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Reviewer Reports: Custom Insoles, Skis Boots, & Skis

GEAR:30 is the podcast from BLISTER that dives deep into the details of the most interesting and innovative outdoor gear. You'll hear BLISTER reviewers discuss the gear they're testing, as well as product designers, professional athletes, and some of the gear-obsessed folks from our recommended shops weigh in on gear trends and the equipment they’ve been most impressed with. If you love outdoor gear, you're going to love this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Sean Fearon is a ski development engineer at LINE & K2, and he’s been busy — between the two sister brands’ 24/25 collections, Sean helped design over a dozen of the new skis. So Luke Koppa sat down with Sean to get the details on LINE’s new Pandora, Vision, and Optic skis (and how they all relate to each other); the overhauled K2 Reckoner and Omen series; working with Karl Fostvedt to create his unique pro model, the Reckoner KF, and more. He also peels back the curtain on what it actually means to be a ski designer / engineer, why his job is often very similar to what we do at Blister, and how others might pursue a similar career. RELATED LINKS: Bag Balm: use code BLISTER to get 20% off BLISTER+: Become a Member Blister Summit 2025: register before July 1st to save $150  Reviews: Line Pandoras, K2 Reckoners, K2 Omens TOPICS & TIMES: Sean’s Background (3:55) Being a Ski Engineer / Designer (7:25) 24/25 LINE Skis Overview (13:20) LINE Pandora, Vision, & Optic Skis (17:02) K2 Omen Skis (41:47) K2 Reckoner Collection (51:05) Karl Fostvedt & The Reckoner KF (53:38) Advice For Future Ski Designers (1:09:43) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Life of a Ski Engineer + 24/25 LINE & K2 Skis

Since Jonathan missed our GEAR:30 ‘travel gear’ conversation a few weeks ago, he wanted to weigh in. So he and Kristin Sinnott open by discussing their recent trips; they discuss the question of ‘why we travel?’; and then, they dive into some of their favorite travel gear. RELATED LINKS: Bag Balm: 20% Off w/ Code: BLISTER Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Blister Summit 2025: Early-Bird Registration TOPICS & TIMES: Recap of our Recent Trips (6:28) Snake Bite Black story (12:46) Italy (18:01) Why Do We Travel? (28:40) Florence, Italy (32:25) Gear Talk: Headphones (37:10) Roller Bags (42:15) Backpack (47:40) Walking shoes (51:04) Mechanical Watches (56:27) Work Out Gear (59:02) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel Gear + Bringing Back the Snake Bite Black

Launching your own outdoor apparel company is no small feat, especially if it’s a one-woman operation. But with Curious Creatures, that’s exactly what Tasha Woodworth has done, and Kara Williard sat down with Tasha to hear all about her unique path to where she is today, as well as the ups, downs, and key takeaways from the journey. 
We discuss how Tasha’s background in both the fashion industry and ski racing helped her along the way; what it means to be a “curious creature”; how the ski racing “beat down” prepared her for building a small business, and more. RELATED LINKS: Blister Summit 2025: Early-Bird Registration Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch TOPICS & TIMES High Fashion (2:46) Working at Patagonia (5:27) NCAA / Middlebury & US Ski Team (9:12) Why start a new business? (11:27) First Steps (13:55) Products & Problem Solving (16:16) Curious Creatures (19:49) Men’s vs. Women’s vs. Unisex (29:17) Business Ethos (30:17) What’s Next? (33:35) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Runways, Race Courses, & Riding Gear: Curious Creatures’ Unique Origin Story

Taylor Ahearn has been photographing skiing, snowboarding, biking, and day-to-day life in the Gunnison / Crested Butte Valley for many years now, and in this conversation, Luke Koppa chats with him about how he turned that into a career; their favorite camera-related gear; tips to help *you* capture better photos next time you’re outside; the most rewarding, frustrating, and unusual parts of getting these shots; and more. If you’re curious about how people like Taylor create such inspiring photos, or are looking to better capture your own time outside, you’ll definitely want to stick around. RELATED LINKS: Our Blister Recommended Shops Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast TOPICS & TIMES: Taylor’s Photo Background (3:57) Most Rewarding Aspects? (10:37) Challenges (16:04) Photo Myths (22:22) Shooting Biking vs Skiing (26:02) Current Setups (30:10) Camera Accessories (38:43) Photography Advice (47:20) Editing & Settings (1:01:08) Favorite Photos & Photographers (1:11:39) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Outdoor Photography: Tips, Tricks, & Gear with Taylor Ahearn

For this episode, Luke Koppa sat down with Kristin Sinnott to go over some of the products they’ve found useful, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy while on the road or hurtling through the sky. They also discuss extremely relevant things like camcorder storage solutions and dinosaur podcasts, the fact that Luke doesn’t actually like traveling, and more. RELATED LINKS: Bag Balm: 20% Off w/ Code: BLISTER Blister Summit 2025: Early-Bird Registration Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Kristin & Luke’s Recent Trips (6:29) Travel Essentials (9:14) Camcorder Gear (20:09) Headphones & Dino Podcasts (23:58) Apparel (29:26) Surprisingly Useful Gear (45:05) Products We Wished Existed (47:30) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reviewer Reports: Custom Insoles, Skis Boots, & Skis

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