We talk with Greg Klein, president of Willi’s Ski and Snowboard Shops, which is family owned and operated with several locations in the greater Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. We talk about what brought Greg’s father (Willi) to PA; Seven Springs Mountain Resort; the key ingredients of a great ski shop; ski length & ski width; Willi’s women’s program; shop beer vs. shop pizza; & more. TOPICS & TIMES:Greg’s father, Willi (4:47)The mid-Atlantic ski scene (8:20)Willi’s women’s program (13:03)How else are you making skiing more accessible? (15:30) The *actual* business of a ski shop (21:35)Kickball (24:02) The culture at Willi’s (25:56)Ski length & ski width (32:53)City shops vs. Mtn Town shops (49:03) Final Thoughts + Shop Pizza (57:22)What We’re Celebrating (1:00:30)RELATED LINKSRecommended Shop: Willi’s Ski ShopsGetting to Gunnison-Crested Butte: FlightsBlister Summit RegistrationSubscribe to our Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s Guide
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Shop Talk: Willi's Ski and Snowboard Shops

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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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: Travel Gear, Dinosaurs, & Camcorders

In part 2 of this GEAR THERAPY mini-saga, Justin Bobb lays out his specific recommendations for boots, bindings, boards, & more to get Jonathan started on his snowboarding journey. They also discuss how many days on a board JE will need before he’s ready to head up to the Headwall at Crested Butte. RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Boone Mtn Sports Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Listen to Part One CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas Blister Podcast Off The Couch TOPICS & TIMES: Next Blister Cinematic episode Snowboard Boots (8:46) Snowboard Bindings (22:07) Snowboards (29:01) Camber Profiles (30:32) Length / Sizing (36:21) Protective Gear (39:36) Common Injuries (43:12) Summary (45:52) Headwall Challenge (47:03) Crashes & Close Calls (53:57) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GEAR THERAPY: A Skier (Blister’s founder) Learns to Snowboard, Part 2

How much does knowing how to ski help when learning how to snowboard? How do you slam as little as possible while learning to ride? Why don’t snowboards have releasable bindings? These are a few of our Blister founder's questions as he learns to ‘think sideways.’ RELATED LINKS: Blister Rec Shop: Powder Hound Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: Hot Dog…The Movie (4:56) Snowboarding Status Update (8:33) Slam Reduction Program (12:08) Releasable Bindings? (14:32) JE’s Snowboarding Goals (19:38) Stance (21:21) Visualization / “Think Sideways” (23:54) Best Terrain to Begin On? (29:34) Types of Slams (33:25) Speed (35:51) Running Flat Bases? (36:30) Heel vs Toe, Part 1 (38:34) Tips on Crashing (41:36) Timeline (44:22) Heel vs Toe, Part 2 (45:00) Edges (51:31) How to Stop?? (53:05) Speed Scrubbing (1:01:30) JE’s Latest Crashes & Close Calls (1:05:21) 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.

Shop Talk: Willi's Ski and Snowboard Shops

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