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:30A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 3: Racers & Race Boots
How do elite ski racers like Marcel Hirsher, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller, and Daron Rahlves “feel” their gear, and their ski boots in particular? Matt Manser…
GEAR:30New Ski & Climbing Gear + Random Reviews
Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, & Sam Shaheen argue about the new Volkl Mantra 102 and how it compares to the M5 Mantra; discuss with more civility the Line…
GEAR:30Reviewing the Reviewer: Luke Koppa
Today we are launching a new series called, “Reviewing the Reviewer,” and the idea is pretty simple: we’ll be asking various Blister reviewers questions about…
GEAR:30What You’re Wearing, Part 1: Synthetic Fibers
How much do you actually know about the clothes in your closet, and the stuff you wear to go play in the mountains? Today we’re introducing our “What You’re…
GEAR:30DPS Skis 19/20 Lineup with Stephan Drake
We talk to DPS Skis founder, Stephan Drake, about the new DPS 19/20 product lineup, and about two new skis — that incorporate a brand-new construction — they…
GEAR:30A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 2: Flex Patterns
Last week on GEAR:30, we talked plastics with Atomic Ski Boots product manager, Matt Manser. Here in part 2, we talk with Matt about the messy world of flex…
GEAR:30A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 1: Plastics
Ski boots are made of plastic, and different plastics feel and perform very differently from one another. So we get deep into the details with Atomic Ski Boots…
GEAR:30Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2019
BLISTER Editors Sam Shaheen and Luke Koppa discuss their time this week at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, including mind-boggling new technologies like…
GEAR:30The Dumpster Fire Episode
Things get a little loose in this roundtable conversation, and kind of go off the rails. So consider yourself warned. But there are a few gems in here…
GEAR:30GPS Devices & Backcountry Safety with Bivy
GPS communication devices can be the difference between life and death in remote places. So we talk with Bivy’s Pitt Grewe about the different types of…
GEAR:30Gearing Up for Big Days in the Mountains
Last Saturday, Sam Shaheen skied three different lines in one day on the Colorado 14er, Torrey’s Peak. Jonathan Ellsworth sits down with Sam to discuss the…
GEAR:30Skiing in Iceland + New Ski Reviews
Jonathan Ellsworth talks about testing the ON3P Woodsman 108 and Black Crows Navis while heli skiing with Eleven Experience in Iceland, and Sam Shaheen and…
GEAR:30Avalanche Airbag Tech Talk with Black Diamond
Supercapacitors, Venturi valves, and scary-high currents — this week we discuss airbag design and technology with Black Diamond’s Director of Design…
GEAR:30Patagonia’s Technical Fabric Development & Design
This week we talk to Patagonia’s senior material developer, Pasha Whitmire, about how Patagonia designs, develops, and tests their technical fabrics; myths…
GEAR:30ON3P Skis 19/20 Lineup with Scott Andrus
We talk to ON3P founder, Scott Andrus, about the 19/20 ON3P lineup, building skis for Michael Jordan & Tinker Hatfield, and we break quite a bit of news along…
GEAR:30Avalanche Airbags, Close Calls, & Backcountry Safety
Near-death experiences, avalanche airbags, and changing risk tolerance — this week we talk to mountain guide and Mammut’s safety expert, Doug Workman, about…
GEAR:30New Skis, New Goggles, & Random Reviews
Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about new goggles; new skis; which ski companies made the biggest impressions on us this season; funniest…
GEAR:30Avalanche Beacons & Backcountry Safety with BCA Co-Founder, Bruce Edgerly
Avalanche beacons might not be as sexy as other ski & snowboard gear, but their proper use and design can be the difference between life and death. So we sat…
GEAR:30New Gear + Sam’s Review of Tinder
Sam Shaheen, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of their favorite new skis, then — in what might be our most anticipated review ever — Sam…
GEAR:30Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable Products, with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound AK
Alaska is a place where your gear really needs to hold up. So we talk to Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound Ski Shop in Girdwood Alaska, about the trends…
GEAR:3019/20 Apparel — Sustainability, New Tech, & the Death of Full-Zip Jackets??
Blister editors Sam Shaheen, and Luke Koppa, talk about the enormous amount of new apparel that has arrived at our HQ over the past few weeks. Sam and Luke are…
GEAR:30Prior Snowboards & Skis, with Dominic Morin
We talk to Prior’s head snowboard and ski shaper, Dominic Morin, about the origins of Prior, their philosophy of ski and snowboard shaping, their craziest…
GEAR:30Moment Skis 19/20 Lineup
We talk to Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about next year’s lineup of skis; space movies; Ryan Gosling; Tyler Curle’s ski preferences; the “Google Bump”; and…
GEAR:30New Skis from LINE, Nordica, 4FRNT, and J Skis + a Confession & Sneak Peek
Today we’re talking about a whole bunch of skis, including the new Line Outline and new Sir Francis Bacon; the new Nordica Enforcer 104 Free; the 4FRNT…
GEAR:302019 Outdoor Retailer / SIA Show Highlights
The Outdoor Retailer / SIA show ended yesterday, so we sat down right after to debrief and discuss some of the most notable trends we saw, talk about the…
GEAR:30New Innovations in Bootfitting with Pulse Boot Lab
Are you one of the many people who have ever wished that your ski touring boots were a bit stiffer or more comfortable? Well then listen up, because the…
GEAR:30New K2 Mindbender Skis
We talk to K2 ski designer, Jed Yeiser, about the 13 new skis that make up K2’s brand new “Mindbender” series. TOPICS & TIMES: Background: the Mindbender…
GEAR:30New Skis & Outerwear
We discuss the latest skis and outerwear we’re reviewing, including the Black Crows Corvus, Rossi Black Ops, Parlor Cardinal 90, Argent Skis Badger, Flylow…
GEAR:30“Best Of” Runner-Ups + New Skis
Today we are making good on some past promises, so I sat down with Luke Koppa and Sam Shaheen at our Blister headquarters at Elevation in Mt Crested Butte. We…
GEAR:30All That Glitters is Not Gold
Not all gear is great — or even good. So today we’re discussing a number of intriguing products that turned out to disappoint. Hosted on Acast. See…
GEAR:30Hoji on the Hoji Free & 4FRNT Renegade
Today we’re talking with the one and only Eric Hjorleifson about his brand-new boot, the Dynafit Hoji Free, what’s new with this boot, and how it differs from…
GEAR:30Spark R&D - Part 2
Last week we talked to Will Ritter, the founder of the biggest splitboard binding company in the world, Spark R&D, about the origin story of Spark R&D, and…
GEAR:30Zen & the Art of Creating the World's Biggest Splitboard Binding Company: Will Ritter, Spark R&D
Will Ritter is the founder of Spark R&D, the largest splitboard binding company in the world, and Spark R&D designs and manufactures all of their products in…
GEAR:30Our 18/19 Winter Buyer's Guide & "Best Of" Awards
Blister editors Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, and Sam Shaheen talk about the making of our 18/19 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide, the current state of Buyer's…
GEAR:30Confessions & Observations from Interbike
Today we're discussing the wonders and weirdness of Interbike, 2018, with Blister's bike editor, Noah Bodman. Noah gives the rundown on Interbike's new digs…
GEAR:30Parlor Skis 18/19 Lineup & 'Build Your Own Skis' Class
We talk to Boston-based Parlor Custom Skis co-founder, Mark Wallace, about the origins story of Parlor; the very successful “Build Your Own Skis” class they…
GEAR:30Bikes vs. Skis, 1st Edition (2018) Pt 2
We are back with round 2 of Bikes vs. Skis, where our bike editor, Noah Bodman, and I ask the question, “Which particular bike company is most like which…
GEAR:30New DPS Skis & Products with Stephan Drake
We talk with DPS Skis founder, Stephan Drake, about DPS Dreamtime; the new DPS Wailer 110; the DPS Spoon, Lotus 138, and 124; and some very big news about DPS…
GEAR:30Bikes vs. Skis, 1st Edition (2018) Part 1
Which ski company is most like which bike company? Who is the Moment Skis of the bike world? And which ski company shares the most family resemblance with…
GEAR:30Alpenglow Mtn Festival + Stuff We Learned during Spring Ski Testing
We talk with Blister editors, Luke Koppa and Sam Shaheen, about the recent Alpenglow Mountain Festival and running with our hero, Courtney Dauwalter. Then we…
GEAR:30Dialing in "The Hammer" + other New Folsom Skis
Jonathan Ellsworth sat down with Mike McCabe at the Folsom Skis headquarters in Denver, Colorado, to dial in "The Hammer" that they have been discussing for a…
GEAR:30New Skis from Prior, Atomic, K2, and More
Jonathan Ellsworth and Blister senior editor, Sam Shaheen, discuss a number of new skis they've been reviewing recently, including two skis from Prior Skis —…
GEAR:30Spring Skiing & Biking in Alaska
It seems like everyone who hasn’t been to Alaska dreams of going, and those who have been dream of going back. So today we’re talking about spring skiing and…
GEAR:30Touring Bindings & the New G3 Zed
G3 (aka, Genuine Guide Gear) is introducing a new touring binding — the Zed — that they’re calling the lightest fully-featured AT binding on the market. So we…
GEAR:3018/19 All-Mountain & Frontside Skis
We just finished testing a bunch of skis at Taos, and because of a closing-week snowstorm, we ended up getting on everything from very heavy, modified race…
GEAR:30New Backcountry Ski Gear & Culture
We're talking about new backcountry gear and some of the changes to backcountry ski culture with the founder of Bentgate, Greg Floyd. Greg founded Bentgate in…
GEAR:30Weird Skis & Women's Ski Boots
We’ve got 2 parts to this episode — first, I talk with Blister reviewer, Sam Shaheen, about the most unusual ski we’ve ever reviewed (and the ski that nearly…
GEAR:30ON3P Skis 18/19 Lineup
ON3P is releasing their entire new ski line early next month. So we talk to ON3P founder, Scott Andrus, about this decision, then go over every ski in the…
GEAR:30Testing in Telluride: 18/19 Ski Gear
We discuss a bunch of the brand new ski equipment we've been testing at Telluride, including the Line Sakana, ON3P Wrenegade 114, Faction Dictator 4.0, Rossi…
GEAR:30Moment Skis 18/19 Lineup
We talk to the CEO and head designer of Moment Skis, Luke Jacobson, about Moment's lineup for next season — what’s new, what's unchanged, and what's tweaked —…
GEAR:30Testing Pow Skis in Alaska & Japan + Shop Talk
We talk to blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about some of the powder skis he’s been reviewing recently in Alaska and Japan, including the Faction Prime 4.0, the…
GEAR:30Outdoor Retailer / SIA Highlights
This episode is a roundtable recap from the Outdoor Retailer / SIA show in Denver with five of our editors and reviewers about some of the most interesting new…
GEAR:30Black Crows Skis 18/19 Line
This is Part 2 of our conversation with Black Crows co-founder, Camille Jaccoux, and head ski designer, Julien Regnier. Here, we get into the topic of…
GEAR:30Black Sheep Sports, Sebastian Steinbach
Back in 2010, Sebastian Steinbach had the crazy idea to go against traditional European ski culture and open a freeride-specific shop in Munich, Germany. Black…
GEAR:30On the Fritschi Tecton & Vipec Evo
Today we are talking about two new alpine-touring bindings from Fritschi, the Tecton 12, and the Vipec Evo 12. We’ve just put up full reviews of both the…
GEAR:30The New Volkl Mantra M5
Volkl is unveiling today the new Mantra M5, the fifth iteration of the Mantra that Volkl originally released back in 2005. A lot has changed in skiing since…
GEAR:30The New Salomon S/LAB SHIFT MNC
The new SHIFT MNC 13 from Salomon & Atomic represents a significant leap forward in binding design. Check out our conversation with Salomon's Cody Townsend…
GEAR:30The Making of Our 17/18 Winter Buyer’s Guide
We discuss the making of — and our takeaways from — our 17/18 Winter Buyer's Guide, including our "Best Of" awards, our Blister Spectrums, our ski quiver…
GEAR:30Hoji on the new Dynafit Hoji Boots
Dynafit is introducing today their new Hoji series of boots, so we went very in-depth with Hoji himself about the boot, what makes it unique, and what's…