Shows / GEAR:30
GEAR:30
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.
Episodes
GEAR:30Blister Summit Reveal, Winter Buyer’s Guide Update, & a Challenge to Outdoor Brands
Today we’re spilling the beans on the new dates - and new location — of Blister Summit 2026. Then we give a quick update on our Winter Buyer’s Guide Update…
GEAR:30Spark R&D + ATK Bindings: a New Collab Sparked at the Blister Summit
Today’s episode contains a number of “firsts”; like the fact that we are going to be talking about a product launch that we didn’t know was happening until we…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: Luke & Jonathan on Summer Gear + Red Bull Rampage vs. Hardline
Luke and Jonathan discuss some of our favorite gear we’ve been using this summer, and I make the argument for the single greatest piece of summer gear — so let…
GEAR:30Big News & Updates: Our New Mtn Bike Buyer’s Guide; Our Winter Buyer’s Guide; the State of Buyer’s Guides in 2025
Today we’ve got some big news and announcements for you: we’re releasing our first-ever Blister Mountain Bike Guide, and we’re doing it in a way that we don’t…
GEAR:30What is NNormal? NNormal’s CEO on Kilian Jornet; NNormal’s Name & Origin Story; & Company Principles
Jonathan talks with Sito Luis Salas, the CEO of NNormal, about NNormal founder, Kilian Jornet, and his recent performance at Western States, and they also…
GEAR:30The Pro's Gear: Marcus Goguen, 2025 Freeride World Tour Champion
Jonathan talks to the reigning FWT champion, Marcus Goguen, about the gear he skis on to film, rip around the resort, and yes, win the FWT. We also talk about…
GEAR:30Public Lands Update, More Peak Skis News, & New Gear We're Reviewing
Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the latest with respect to public lands and the revisions to the reconciliation bill; share more news about Peak…
GEAR:30Our Thoughts on Peak Skis & What Needs to Happen Next
Today, Jonathan lays out more fully his thoughts about the Peak Skis debacle; Luke Koppa offers his perspective too; and they discuss Jonathan’s initial…
GEAR:30Southern Hemisphere Skiing, Sustainability, & Shop Strategies w/ Outside Sports
Today, we head south to the snow, and back behind the counter at Outside Sports in New Zealand. We talk about the gear and innovations they're stoked on; what…
GEAR:30The New Rules of Apparel: PFAS, What’s Changed, & What It Means for You
In this panel conversation from Blister Summit 2025, we discuss why all of your outdoor apparel recently changed — and how that will impact your own…
GEAR:30Ski vs Bike Industry, Part 2: State of Shops; Gear Wins & Fails; & the Future of Each
In past years, we’ve done a series called ‘Bikes vs Skis’ where we’ve posed the question: Which bike company is most like which ski company? But this year…
GEAR:30Ski vs Bike Industry, Part 1: Similarities, Differences, Trends, & the Health of Each
In past years, we’ve done a series called ‘Bikes vs Skis’ where we’ve posed the question: Which bike company is most like which ski company? But this year…
GEAR:30Your Questions: Our Favorite Skis This Season; Big vs Small Brands; Quiver Overlap; & More
Today, you — our prestigious GEAR:30 listeners — provided the questions, and Jonathan Ellsworth and Luke Koppa are offering their answers. Topics include our…
GEAR:30Gearing Up for the Famous Chamonix-to-Zermatt Haute Route
Jonathan talks to BLISTER members, Bobak Farzin and Lukas Friedli, who recently teamed up to take on the famous Haute Route. We talk about their trip; the gear…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: Testing at Palisades, Ski Touring Gear, Favorite Ski Socks & Midlayers
Luke Koppa, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss what they’ve been getting up to lately, and the gear they’ve been using to do so. Luke recaps his…
GEAR:30What's New in Ski & Snowboard Bindings (Burton, Spark R&D, ATK Bindings, AlpenFlow Design)
What new thoughts and ideas emerge when you bring together in conversation makers of hybrid ski bindings and AT bindings and snowboard bindings and splitboard…
GEAR:30See Better, Ski Better: the State of Goggle Lens Tech
If you think all goggles are the same, well, think again. At our Blister Summit 2025, Jonathan Ellsworth spoke with Steven Kennedy (Giro), Ted Ligety (Shred…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: Closing-Day Setups, Trip Reports, Cody’s Surprise Visit, & More
In this episode, Luke Koppa sits down with Kara Williard, Jonathan Ellsworth, and the strikingly handsome Justin Bobb to talk about the many skis Jonathan and…
GEAR:30Gear Testing Tips & Tricks w/ Hoji, Ted Ligety, Anne Wangler, & Jess Tennyson
Today we are sharing the first of our Blister Summit 2025 panel sessions, and we’ve got a great one to kick things off. We’re asking the pros — Hoji, Ted…
GEAR:3025/26 Fischer Boot Lineup, the Importance of Inner Boots, & More w/ Christoph Lentz
Kara Williard catches up with Christoph Lentz, Fischer’s Global Product Manager for Alpine Boots, to discuss what they’ve been up to since the launch of their…
GEAR:30Ted Ligety on Ski Tuning, World Cup Racing, & the Art of Going Fast
As part of the 5850 Fest at the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Jonathan talked with Ted Ligety about the tricky conditions and the very challenging course…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: Big-Mountain Ski Showdowns, Powder-Touring Setups, & Much More
Luke Koppa talks with several of our reviewers about some of the latest gear they’ve been testing. Paul Forward discusses a bunch of the lightweight powder…
GEAR:3025/26 Gear, Bootfitting & Boot Trends, Making the Most of Any Season, & More w/ Powder Hound
Kara Williard is back with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound, our Blister Recommended Shop in Girdwood, Alaska to discuss a the ups and downs of their season up…
GEAR:30New Gear from Blister Summit 2025
Blister reviewers Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, Sascha Anastas, Kristin Sinnott, and the strikingly handsome Justin Bobb discuss a bunch of new ski and…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: Pow Skis, New Bindings, & Our 40” Storm
Crested Butte Mountain Resort recently got 40+ inches of new snow in just a few days, so it was time to break out the big skis. Jonathan and Luke discuss the…
GEAR:30Love, Drugs, & Graphene: Mito Materials’ Founders on Next-Gen Ski Construction
Today we are talking about love, materials science, and ski construction. More specifically, we’re going to be looking at graphene, and why you might soon be…
GEAR:30Matt Manser on Atomic's New Redster Ski Boots, New Remedy 130, & More
What’s the difference between a true race boot; a race-inspired ski boot; and a high-performance freeride or freestyle boot? Matt Manser is back to talk about…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: New Head Kores, Ski Boots, & One Age-Old Question
In today’s episode, Luke Koppa sits down with Jonathan Ellsworth and Kara Williard to discuss just a small portion of all the gear we’ve been testing lately…
GEAR:30New Salomon Dual BOA Ski Boot & New Salomon QST Skis
Today we’ve got 2 episodes in 1 for you. We first talk about the biggest development in the world of snowsports gear: dual BOA ski boots. Joining Jonathan for…
GEAR:30From World-Cup Race Skis to Recreational Skis & Everything In Between with Rossignol’s Jake Stevens
After a great day of skiing together, Jonathan talked with Jake Stevens (Rossignol’s Winter Sports Equipment Director for North America) about world-cup race…
GEAR:30Athletes & Bootfitting w/ Freeride Skier Nat Segal x Pulse Boot Labs
Freeride athlete Nat Segal has had a long and impressive journey as a professional skier, and part of this journey has been getting in a properly fitting ski…
GEAR:30The New Armada AR ONE Ski Boot: What Is It & Who's It For?
For the first time in company history, Armada is releasing a ski boot: the AR ONE. It’s a project that’s been in development for five years, and this release…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports: Luke Koppa & Jonathan Ellsworth
Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the frontside skis they’ve recently been on; why choosing the right frontside ski requires as much consideration as any other…
GEAR:30A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 8: Your Questions Answered by Master Bootfitter, Jeremy Johnston
In the latest installment of our “Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting” series, Kara Williard is joined by Master Bootfitter & Instructor — and Founder of Boot…
GEAR:30The Design & Development of the New DPS Carbon Pisteworks 79
This week, DPS introduced a new product that represents quite a departure for the company: the DPS Carbon Pisteworks 79. And today, you’re going to hear one of…
GEAR:30Ski Racing, Ski Tuning, & State of the Bike & Ski Industry w/ Sturtevant’s Olin Glenne
Today, Olin Glenne, the owner of Sturtevants bike & ski shop is back on GEAR:30 to talk about the state of the bike industry and ski industry; the World Cup…
GEAR:30Reviewer Reports + a Shop Talk First
Luke and Jonathan offer their early-season reviewer reports, then Jonathan talks to Bangtail Bike & Ski’s new owner about why he did something that no other…
GEAR:30CARV Co-Founder Alex Jackson & Pro Skier Marcus Caston on Using New Tech to Ski Better & Have More Fun on Snow
CARV is a slick and sophisticated system that aims to help skiers improve their skiing and have more fun on snow. And this winter, Blister is partnering with…
GEAR:30Good Idea or Bad Idea? Dreams, Doorknobs, & Binding Innovations w/ Austin Smith
Recently, Austin Smith created a stir when he posted a video of a prototype of a snowboard binding … that rotates. So Jonathan talks with Austin about the…
GEAR:30Gear Quiz, Ski Recycling, & Circular Business w/ Powder7
On this week’s episode, Kara Williard sits down with some of the crew from our Blister Recommended Shop, Powder7, to quiz them on gear; discuss the skis…
GEAR:30Powder Ski Comparisons: Old vs New vs What Should Be Next?
The snow’s been falling here in Crested Butte, and we’re already fantasizing about those really deep days. So today, Jonathan Ellsworth and Paul Forward are…
GEAR:30Moment Skis 24/25 Lineup with Luke Jacobson
Jonathan talks with Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about Moment’s latest skis; some former Moment skis; some other companies’ skis; Moment snowboards?; why…
GEAR:3024/25 Ski Season & Big Moves w/ Spokane Alpine Haus
Kara Williard catches up with Drew and Rachel Harding of our Blister Recommended Shop, Spokane Alpine Haus, to hear all about the exciting recent developments…
GEAR:30GEAR THERAPY: Elite Football Player Gets Back into Skiing
When it comes to gear, we’ve all been there: loads of questions, crippling confusion, severe analysis paralysis. You need some help! So in this edition of GEAR…
GEAR:30ON3P Skis 24/25 Lineup with Scott Andrus
We talk to ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, about the 24/25 ON3P lineup; building skis in Portland, Oregon; and we dive into the weeds about numerous aspects…
GEAR:30Does the Color of Your Jacket Affect Its Performance? Blister Labs Apparel Testing Update
Today we’re talking about exploding fabrics, microwaving hotdogs, and whether the color of your jacket affects its performance. Dr. Jeni Blacklock is back to…
GEAR:30The Pro's Gear: Cody Townsend (round 2)
We spend so much time reviewing the news these days on our Blister Podcast, we were officially overdue to have Cody Townsend back on GEAR:30 to talk about his…
GEAR:30A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt.7: The Pedorthist’s Perspective
A Pedorthist is someone who is trained in the assessment of lower limb anatomy, biomechanics, and, of course – feet. Heather Van Glider is not only a…
GEAR:30Flylow’s Dan Abrams on Burrito Grease & PFAS; Slide Gliding; Palisades Tahoe; & More
Dan Abrams from Flylow is back to talk about toxic positivity, slide gliding, burrito grease, the Palisades base vs. Alpine base of Palisades Tahoe, what’s…
GEAR:30Venture Snowboards — and New Venture Skis — w/ Klem Branner
This week Venture Snowboards announced that they will also be making Venture skis. So Jonathan talked with Venture’s Klem Branner about why skis — and why skis…
GEAR:30The 10th Anniversary of our Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide: Why We Started It, How It’s Evolved, & What’s in the Latest One
Since we’re releasing soon the 10th edition of our Really Big Book, Jonathan talks with Luke Koppa and Kara Williard about our latest buyer’s guide (pre-order…
GEAR:30The Pro's Gear: Nikolai Schirmer
Nikolai Schirmer has made quite a name for himself by sometimes sailing to — and then, almost always climbing up — very technical lines, then often flashing…
GEAR:30Reviewing the Reviewer: Zack Henderson
Today we’ve got another episode of our “Reviewing the Reviewer” series, where we ask our reviewers questions about their backgrounds and gear preferences to…
GEAR:30Blister Labs: Results from our On-Snow Ski Testing & Dynamic Modeling
Interested in ski design? Curious about where the next advancements in ski design might come from? Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our Blister…
GEAR:30Helping Everyone ‘Go’ Outside w/ Gnara
Imagine being in freezing temperatures on a glacier and having to remove your harness and several layers of clothing just to pee. What about scrambling around…
GEAR:30A Novel Twist on Wool w/ Nuyarn CEO, Andy Wynne
Wool has seen quite the resurgence in technical apparel over the past couple decades, and for good reason — it’s breathable, odor-resistant, and manages…
GEAR:30New Zealand Ski Season, Gear Trends, & How a Specialty Retailer Curates Their Products
How has the ski / snowboard season in the southern hemisphere been this year? To find out, we caught up with Benji Knight and Darren Grimmett from Outside…
GEAR:3024/25 Black Crows lineup, new Corvus, & more w/ co-founder Camille Jaccoux
Camille Jaccoux, co-founder of Black Crows Skis, is back on GEAR:30 to catch up on what the brand has been up to since last we spoke four years ago; the legacy…
GEAR:30The Life of a Ski Engineer + 24/25 LINE & K2 Skis
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…
GEAR:30Travel Gear + Bringing Back the Snake Bite Black
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…