BLISTER Podcast

So who was really behind the creation of BLISTER, how did the whole thing get started, and was it actually due to a misunderstanding over a couple of beers on the weekend of Independence Day, 2010? Today, Jonathan Ellsworth and Michael Clarke discuss all of the above, as well as giant tortoises, some keys to long-lasting friendships, and more.RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Michael’s Role In Blister’s Existence (and Tortoises) (3:18)Michael’s Skiing Background (10:08)Jonathan’s Intro to Skiing (15:06)Forming Opinions on Skis (20:44)How Blister Started Reviewing Gear (25:46)Outsider’s Perspective on the Ski Industry (31:29)What’s Changed Since Blister Started? (38:12)What Would You Do Differently? (45:35)Longevity & Assessing Risk (52:48)Maintaining Long-Lasting Friendships (1:04:44)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, is back to discuss the ongoing feud I have with him; media coverage of the eclipse; two stories from the soon-to-be-released MG #201; what we’re reading and watching (including Bluey, Road House, and why Rogge often tells people to watch the movie, Cocktail with Tom Cruise), and more.RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Our Ongoing Feud (3:34)Media Eclipse Coverage (11:17)Last Issue: #200 (15:24)Next Issue: #201 (25:26)Katie Burrell’s piece (27:11)Appalachian Trail piece (34:38)What We’re Reading & Watching (40:25)Blister Cinematic Tease (50:09)How to Get MG issue #201 (51:16)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At our Blister Summit, Angel Collinson, Mallory Duncan, Elyse Saugstad, & Vasu Sojitra shared stories about their all-time favorite days in the mountains; their scariest experiences; times they were the most starstruck; what they wish they could tell their younger selves; and more. Watch on our YouTube Channel.RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: SturtevantsGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Watch on our YouTube ChannelTOPICS & TIMES:How’d You Get into Skiing? (3:31)All-Time Favorite Day or Trip? (10:24)Scariest Experience? (24:26)Most Starstruck Moment? (36:41)Advice For Your Younger Selves? (47:06)Different Forms of Inspiration? (50:32)*Why* Do You Do What You’re Doing? (53:03)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cody and Jonathan discuss the end of The Fifty; the Crankworx riders’ strike; JHMR’s parking lot controversy; the all-drugs-are-legal Olympic Games; the ‘Road House’ remake; & more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: vpg.noGet Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Catching Up, Cody’s Next 3 Months (0:00)The End of The Fifty? (7:35)Crankworx Canceled / Riders’ Strike (16:22)JHMR “Parking Hack” (41:26)The Enhanced Games (55:51)Ullr Sighting (1:10:18)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:23:33)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What should we do to most significantly and quickly improve the current climate situation? Should we all be pooping in buckets?At Blister Summit 2024, I had a conversation with Amie Engerbretson (Atomic); Dr. Len Necefer (Founder, NativesOutdoors & the Sonoran Avalanche Center); and Jake Black (Sr. Director of Programs, Protect Our Winters) to address this and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Lone Pine Gear ExchangeBLISTER+ Membership: Learn More & Sign UpVideos: Blister YouTube ChannelTOPICS & TIMES:Introductions (1:45)“Misplaced Guilt?” (4:01)The Actual Impact of “Perfect” Climate Advocates (14:02)Meaningful Things We Can Do (28:33)Q from Angel Collinson: Reducing Division? (41:05)Individual Behavior & Amie’s film, “The Hypocrite” (54:24) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After they competed in last weekend’s FWT Challenger stop in Crested Butte, Britta Winans, Colton Shaff, Mia Winans, and Tyler Curle sat down with us to peel back the curtain on the current freeride competition scene and discuss how the skiing and riding have evolved; differences between the FWQ and FWT events; their personal favorite moments from this season + personal favorite riders, and much more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Gear WestBLISTER+ Membership: Learn More & Sign UpTOPICS & TIMES:Intros (3:37)23/24 Season Highlights (7:38)Different Event Types (15:40)FWQ vs. FWT: Biggest Differences (19L07)Standout comp moments (27:35)Evolution of Freeride & Freestyle (34:57)Your Favorite Riders? (45:30)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are talking about an often overlooked — and sometimes looked down upon — form of self-expression in freeriding and freeskiing: fashion.Our guests are professional skiers Hadley Hammer and Kellyn Wilson, the founders of TOGS, which is a new project dedicated to widening ski culture and making it more acceptable for each of us to be our full selves.RELATED LINKS:Blister Rec Shop: Backcountry EssentialsGet Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Hadley and BLISTER+ (7:41)What is TOGS? (13:43)Fashion & the Outdoor Space (16:01)Expansion of the Mtn Town Uniform (23:53)Zebras (26:50)Hadley’s Background (28:17)Why the name, “TOGS”? (34:43)How Hadley & Kellyn first connected (36:13)Where to find & read TOGS (43:28)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trevor Kennison, Teton Brown, Cody Townsend, & Hoji swap stories about their experiences in the mountains & more.RELATED LINKS:VIDEO VERSION: Blister YouTubeBlister Recommended Shop: Bluebird Mtn SportsOpenSnowGet Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:The Epic Story of Hoji’s Hat (4:21)Teton Brown’s Story (12:05)Cody: Favorite Day (or Trip) in the Mtns? (18:52)Trevor: Skiing Rambo (22:58)Trevor’s 1st Trip to Japan (24:58)Teton’s Most Memorable Line (25:43)Skiing Big Lines Blind (30:16)Trevor’s Rail-to-Rail Flip (39:32)Trevor: How often do you back off of a line? (46:05)Hoji: Most Starstruck Moment? (48:41)Teton’s Most Starstruck Moment (52:01)Audience Questions (54:10)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Natural Selection Tour, created by Travis Rice, is one of the most innovative competitions out there. Top snowboarders openly covet an invite, and top skiers openly talk about how they’d love to someday compete.And with two Natural Selection Duels events taking place during our recent Blister Summit, it was a perfect chance to talk about Natural Selection and the future of comps with the Olympic & X Games gold medalist, Red Gerard; the legendary T. Bird (Tom Monterosso); and the CEO of Natural Selection, Carter Westfall.Snowboarders are going to love this one; skiers are going to want to pay close attention; and all of us have an opportunity here to think about the past and future of snowsports comps.RELATED LINKS:WATCH: Video Version on Blister YouTubeBlister Recommended Shop: Gear WestGet Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:T. Bird & Natural Selection (6:30)Red’s Recent X Games’ Gold (8:01)Comp Landscape Before Natural Selection (9:18)Inviting Riders of Different Backgrounds (15:46)Impact on Next Gen of Riders (20:17)Skiing & Natural Selection? (26:32)Squashing Skier / Boarder Beef (28:27)Audience Questions (32:20)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As people who love the outdoors, why can’t we just steer clear of the often gross world of politics and let other people deal with that stuff? Jason Blevins (co-founder, Colorado Sun) discusses this with 3 people who will make the case and are setting the example for the rest of us: Caroline Gleich (professional ski mountaineer & U.S. Senate candidate), Nina Waters (athlete, creative, & Summit County commissioner), & Dr. Len Necefer (founder, Sonoran Avalanche Center & Natives Outdoors).RELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Caroline: Candidacy for Utah Senate (3:54)Nina: Tackling Big Issues in Summit County (6:53)Len: Amplifying Unheard Voices (13:55)Turning Outdoor Passion into Action (22:16)Caroline’s Top Priorities (29:27)Len’s Top Priorities for Caroline if She Wins? (33:16)Local Action & Change (43:06)Audience Questions (49:45)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week at our Blister Summit, Cody and Jonathan recorded their first episode of Reviewing the News in front of a live audience, and it was great. Enjoy!RELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Cody Should Quit the Fifty (7:07)“Underground” Ski Instructors (19:13)Most Canadian News (28:03)Killington & 20+ Lost Skiers (31:14)Mountain Town Advice (40:31)NFL / Super Bowl Talk (45:32)Audience Questions (49:16)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blister Summit 2024 kicks off this Sunday. So Jonathan talks with our Blister Summit Director, Kristin Sinnott, about the latest details; the things they’re most excited about; and more. If you’re coming to the Summit, listen up. And if you’ve never been, this conversation should help you understand why the Summit is our favorite week of the winter.RELATED LINKS:Powder7Taos Ski ValleyJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Current Conditions, Etc. (3:31)Broad Range of Product Categories (6:01)Backcountry Portion of the Summit (7:48)Group Meetups for All Ability Levels (12:39)Panel Session Topics (16:43)See You Soon! (24:30)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest athletic achievements in outdoor sports in 2023; Caroline Gleich’s run for the U.S. Senate; ski area & ski media business models; mountain town advice, the Most Canadian News; & more.RELATED LINKS:Moment Factory Store (Reno, NV)OpenSnow.com/BlisterJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Live Taping of Reviewing the News (00:30)Cody’s December (6:31)Biggest Athletic Achievements of 2023 (11:08)Ski Areas & Business Models (28:29)Media, Ski Media, & Business Models (40:13)Climate News (52:43)Caroline Gleich Runs for Senator (1:01:50)Most Canadian News (1:09:29)Mtn Town Advice (1:14:02)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:28:12)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many of us have daydreamed about starting our own ski or snowboard company, but what’s it like to actually do it? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? We sat down with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: CARVJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:CARV (1:33)Blister Summit Update (3:22)Doug’s 1st Time in Mt. Crested Butte (5:15)Why Start a Ski Company? (7:17)Studying Engineering (12:28)Timeline: Starting FullSend (15:45)Financials (22:51)Growing Up in South Dakota (25:07)Investing in Equipment (26:37)Your First Ski Designs (29:07)Blister & Doug meeting at A-basin (31:16)Lessons in Ski Design (37:41)Ski Blades (40:48)Getting Customers (42:49)Where to Learn More re: FullSend? (49:00)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again, we are sharing some of our team’s highlights and new year’s resolutions. This is a fun one, and it certainly fills out the picture of the people behind all of our reviews, videos, articles, podcasts, and Blister Summit events. And then tomorrow on our CRAFTED podcast, you’ll get to hear our reviewers talk about the hobbies and crafts they adopted in 2023. (I guarantee that some of the answers will surprise you — perhaps especially, Dylan Wood’s.)RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: SkibootRXJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Luke Koppa (5:51)Dylan Wood (13:33)Simon Stewart (22:18)Kara Williard & Jonathan Ellsworth (32:55)Eric Freson (46:48)Sascha Anastas (1:02:52)Kristin Sinnott (1:15:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What things should you consider when you’re wondering about turning a passion into a career? Should you pursue your passions at the cost of relationships? How do you say No to someone if they aren’t the right fit for a project? Angel Collinson is back on the show to dive deep into the topics of passion, curiosity, and boundaries, and how they relate to our favorite pastimes, our careers, and our relationships. RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Willi’s Ski & BoardJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Why These Topics? (2:40)Passion & Potential Loss of Meaning? (5:34)Can Passion Impede Curiosity? (10:45)What If Your Partner Isn’t on the Same Page? (19:35)Should You Follow Your Passion at the Cost of Relationships? (28:47)What If You Work Hard to Get Somewhere, then Realize It’s Not For You? (37:33)Turning a Passion into a Career: What Things to Consider? (50:31)Purpose & Passion (1:02:45)How to Set New Boundaries? (1:06:43)How to Say No to a Person if They aren’t the Right Fit? (1:11:20)When There are Several Paths, How to Choose One? (1:21:10)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, we had one of the most accomplished athletes of all time come to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series. And it was quite an opportunity to get to pick the brain of Courtney Dauwalter and get her thoughts on life and the limits we tend to place on ourselves; her approach to training and competition; how she goes about setting goals; and more.Ultimately, while we’ve watched Courtney’s staggering achievements as she crosses finish line after finish line, setting new course records and accomplishing the seemingly impossible along the way, this conversation makes it clear that her achievements are very much mental victories, and there are takeaways in this conversation that each of us would do well to absorb and implement into our own lives.RELATED LINKS:Join Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Courtney the Mountain Biker?? (4:33)Life Since the Triple?? (7:07)Approach to the Western States & Hardrock Combo (9:35)What Was Harder, the Physical or Mental Aspect of Hardrock? (18:25)UTMB (23:26)Pulling off the Triple (28:44)Training (31:38)Current State of Trail & Ultra Running (42:19)What do You Do When You’re Not Running? (42:56)Running Zegama (45:59)Transitioning from Nordic Skiing to Trail Running (47:59)Which was harder, UTMB or Hardrock? (49:28)Winter Training (50:04)Do you ever focus on time or standings while racing? (50:47)Pushing your Ideas of Limits (52:04)Being Self-Coached & Planning for Efforts (53:38)Dealing with Failures & Setbacks (56:51)Most Fun Race? (58:23)What else do you want to accomplish? (59:49)Advice for New Runners? (1:00:24)Would You Try Triathlons or Bike Races? (1:01:48)Importance of a Support Crew (1:03:19)Close Calls? (1:05:44)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cody and Jonathan discuss the 1.1 *trillion* dollar outdoor industry; e-bike bans?; the business of retro sneakers / retro skis; Cody snowboarding; the Most Canadian News; mtn town relationship advice; the greatest burn in the history of Reviewing the News; & more.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Bluebird Mountain SportsEpisode Sponsor: OpenSnow.com/BlisterGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2024TOPICS & TIMES:Update on the Blister “100” (4:32)Blevins’ Corner: Outdoor Economy, $1.1 Trillion (11:40)Backcountry(.com)’s Wholesale Apparel Line (18:23)New E-Bike “Ban”? (31:06)Retro Sneakers, Retro Skis? (44:06)Most Canadian News (51:42)Mountain Town Advice (57:05)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:10:40)Cody Snowboarding & JE Gets Burned (1:14:51)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED GEAR:30Bikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are talking about weather forecasting — as well as finding your people in this dark, cold, and sometimes lonely universe — with two of the weather forecasters from OpenSnow, Bryan Allegretto and Evan Thayer. We discuss last season’s historic winter; how much stock you ought to put into ‘El Nino / La Nina’ predictions; whether the stated snowfall amounts at various ski areas are fake news; all the ingredients that go into the creation of snowfall; and more.TOPICS & TIMES: Recapping Last Winter (6:01)How Accurate is Snow Reporting at Ski Resorts? (8:24)Precipitation Amounts vs Actual Snowfall (13:55)Last Season’s Stats & Records (21:39)What’s the Recipe for Lots of Snowfall? (26:23)El Nino & La Nina (31:00)How Did You Get into Forecasting? (37:13)What are the Responses Like When You Get Forecasts Wrong? (44:56)Building a “Superhero” Team at OpenSnow (48:47)Favorite New OpenSnow Features? (56:54)The Flakes Podcast (59:15)RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Spokane Alpine HausBecome a BLISTER+ MemberJoin Us! 2024 Blister SummitCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan and Blister reviewer (and guide, doctor, and bow hunter), Paul Forward, discuss Paul’s first day of the ski season; their recent, respective injuries; Paul’s favorite ski movies; why we need to broaden the tent of who — and what — counts as, “the outdoor community,” and they discuss some ideas and practices that the broader outdoor industry should probably adopt.TOPICS & TIMES:Paul’s 1st Day of the Ski Season (3:16)Injury Updates (6:44)Paul’s Favorite Ski Movies (9:51)The Divide in the Outdoor Industry (17:20)How to Create Broader Consensus & Cooperation (35:29)RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Taos Ski ValleyBecome a BLISTER+ MemberCRAFTED pod: Paul on Traditional Bow HuntingCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.