
Adam Ondra’s New Grade + DH World Championships
Today on the podcast, we’re talking about Adam Ondra’s ceiling-shattering ascent of the 150-foot route in Flatanger, Norway that Ondra named, “Project Hard,” his proposed new rating of 9c / 5.15d, and whether we'll see Ondra - or anyone else - now set their sights on the next grade, 5.SIXTEEN. We then discuss the World Championships Downhill races that are happening this weekend in Cairns, Australia, and talk about two of the greatest DH riders of all-time squaring off this weekend — Greg Minnaar vs. Aaron Gwinn — then we start placing bets on who we think will win the men’s and women’s races.TOPICS AND TIMES:Adam Ondra's, "Project Hard" and the new grade of 9C / 5.15d (2:44)Whether we'll see Ondra — or anyone — attempt (and establish?) 5.16 (12:40)This weekend's World Championships DH races in Cairns, Australia — Aaron Gwin vs. Greg Minnaar (20:39)Our picks for Cairns (25:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 Syys 201733min

Flylow Co-Founder, Dan Abrams
We talk to Flylow co-founder, Dan Abrams, about the early days of Flylow; how the outerwear industry has changed; and Dan breaks news about a new technology that Flylow is developing and rolling out soon.TOPICS & TIMES:Kids names, kids, and being a ski bum with kids (2:30)How & when did Flylow get started? (8:28)At what point did it finally feel like you were past the startup phase? (13:48)How different are things now in the outerwear industry than they were back in 2004/05? (14:51)How similar or different are your biggest challenges now vs those in the early days of Flylow? (19:19)What current trends do you like, and which do you dislike? (26:30)What current tech are you excited about? (29:11)Breaking News: Dan talks about the new tech Flylow has been developing (30:52)Dan’s personal favorite Flylow piece (34:14) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2 Syys 201737min

Eric Hjorleifson on Skiing Trends & His Boot Project
This episode is part 2 of our conversation with Eric Hjorleifson, we discuss the state of the ski industry; the AT boot he's been working on for years and why he thinks it could represent the next chapter in ski boot design, and more...TOPICS & TIMES:Hoji on the state of skiing today + a quick history of his trajectory in the industry (2:30)Eric’s take on weight / lightweight gear (9:03)The state of the ski industry, part 2 (15:38)Getting gnar & midlife crises (18:45)Matt Sterbenz, Jason Levinthal, and the future of 4FRNT Skis (22:13)What do you think your future looks like in the next 5-10 years? (27:47)On mountain biking, climbing, and the fun of being a novice (31:20)Hoji's boot project, and why it could represent the next chapter in ski boot design (34:58) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 Elo 201745min

Eric Hjorleifson on Ski Design & Pillow Lines
Eric Hjorleifson is one of the best big-mountain skiers of all-time, and he's also known for being one of the master tinkerers in the ski industry, and someone who absolutely obsesses over ski, boot, and bindings design. So we talked to Hoji about skiing pillows, ski design, and the evolution of his Renegade, Hoji, and Raven.TOPICS & TIMES:How and When did you first get involved with 4FRNT Skis? (4:35)The 4FRNT EHP (9:00)The 4FRNT Renegade and its evolution (14:45)The 4FRNT Raven (25:46)The 4FRNT Hoji — is the Hoji just a wider version of the Raven? (31:08)Hoji vs Raven vs. Renegade (45:27)Eric’s take on mount points, and where he personally mounts the Hoji, Renegade, and Raven (49:57)Skiing pillows vs skiing spines (1:02:25) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 Elo 20171h 19min

What’s Up with K2? And Rossignol Mtn Bikes?
To mark the occasion of our 50th episode, we bring back our very first guest on the podcast, Jed Yeiser, to talk about what's going on at K2, Rossignol's move into mountain biking, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Backcountry Safety - Jed talks about two impactful experiences of his own (4:31)What's up with K2? (15:05)Jed goes in-depth over a few skis in K2's 17/18 lineup (24:30)All-Mountain skis — What does "All-Mountain" mean? (39:30)Where is K2 headed? (53:15)Line's new Sick Day series (58:31)Rossignol's move into mountain biking (1:11:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 Elo 20171h 28min

New Tech & Trends in Outerwear
We talk to Blister's outerwear editor, Sam Shaheen, about the most important new tech & trends in apparel; how & why he first got involved with Blister; starting his own outwear company at the age of 15, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Sam’s background (2:00)Starting your own outerwear company at the age of 15 (5:55)The significant challenges of building an outerwear company (11:00)How — and why — Sam first got involved with Blister (18:58)New Tech #1: “breathable” insulation (25:20)New Tech #2: “the coolest technology ever”- new manufacturing processes (31:43)New Tech #3: "the death of down" (35:26) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
4 Elo 201743min

A Nearly Fatal Birthday, Part 2
On our last podcast, we told you about a serious ski accident that Blister founder, Jonathan Ellsworth, was fortunate to survive. But the crash itself was only a part of the story, and the weeks after the crash were full of a number of very consequential events, decisions, and lessons, and we discuss them here.TOPICS & TIMES:My primary pre-accident mistake (7:10)The decision not to go to the hospital (12:00)A very David-Lynchian birthday dinner (23:38)The drive home, continued self-assessment, and health care (27:27)Emergency spinal surgery? Other options? (My injury + Nate’s popsicle analogy) (43:00)Important Rant: Know your “Out-of-Pocket Maximum” (54:35)The surgery & post-surgery (57:39)Conclusions & Takeaways (1:00:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 Heinä 20171h 7min

A Nearly Fatal Birthday in the Backcountry
On July 9, Blister founder, Jonathan Ellsworth, was involved in a near-fatal fall while ski touring on Independence Pass. This is the account of what happened; what can be learned from the incident and our decision-making; and what's next for him.TOPICS & TIMES:Jonathan's friends describe the accident (0:00)Our group — who was there (5:00)The objective that day (10:00)The line (17:30)The crash (27:57)The response (39:20)The decision to walk out (55:36)The bear incident (1:17:17)What’s next (1:24:12) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19 Heinä 20171h 24min