Reviewing the Reviewer: Luke Koppa

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 InThayne; and the J Skis Friend. We also talk a bit about Luke and Sam’s article on caring for outerwear; and Jonathan Ellsworth makes a quasi-apology / mini confession about his previous stance on lightweight, inbound skis. Finally, there is a MASSIVELY IMPORTANT teaser about a forthcoming GEAR:30 episode.TOPICS & TIMES:Line’s Outline and new Sir Francis Bacon (3:24)Nordica Enforcer 104 Free (11:33)4FRNT Inthayne (16:36)J Skis The Friend, 183 cm (19:29)Change in perspective on lightweight inbound skis (23:30)Luke and Sam’s article on outerwear care (26:10)Sneak peek of an incredible upcoming episode (30:10) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Feb 201932min

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 products we’re dying to try (and were most tempted to just steal), and some of the other odd and / or noteworthy people and things we saw at the show.TOPICS & TIMES:New trends in apparel and skis (1:10)What we’re most curious to try (8:29)Gear we’re most tempted to steal (16:31)Weirdest thing we saw (25:44)Swagger Award (27:05)Best graphics (30:57) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Feb 201935min

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 bootfitters at Pulse Boot Lab in Revelstoke have come up with a number of innovative ways to achieve both.TOPICS & TIMES:Pulse’s “mathematical” approach to bootfitting (2:12)The Pulse Fit Assistant App (5:26)New tools for shell modifications (8:30)Thermo-moldable vs. injection-style liners (11:12)Biggest trends in bootfitting (17:24)What is the Pulse Proflex? (18:48)And how exactly does it work? (22:24)Why did they choose to work with Pebax? (28:10)The Pulse ProFlex Kickstarter Campaign Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Jan 201932min

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 series (2:55)The individual skis: Mindbender 85 (9:20)Mindbender 90C (10:50)Torsional stiffness and design controls (12:21)Mindbender 90Ti (16:50)Mindbender 99Ti (18:55)Mindbender 108Ti (22:40)Mindbender 116C (29:10)Mindbender vs the previous Pinnacle series (32:25)Men’s line vs Women’s line (35:03)New “Powerwall” Tech (38:10)Mindbender Jr. Ski (41:22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Jan 201944min

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 Baker Bibs, and Patagonia Micro Puff Storm.TOPICS & TIMES:Rossignol Black Ops (1:40)Black Crows Corvus (6:35)Parlor Cardinal 90 (13:41)Argent Badger (18:51)Flylow Baker Bib (plus bibs vs. non-bibs) (21:33)Patagonia Micro Puff Storm (25:03) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Jan 201928min

Caleb and Morgan Weinberg are brothers who founded Romp Skis in Crested Butte, Colorado, so we sat down with them at our headquarters in CB to discuss their backgrounds, what it specifically means to them to be a “custom” ski building manufacturer, how they ended up building skis for the 10th Special Forces Group, and more.Follow Romp Skis on InstagramTOPICS & TIMES:Finding their way to Gunnison / Crested Butte (1:18)Why the name “Romp”? (9:25)The early days: figuring it out (10:25)What does the word “custom” mean for Romp? (18:13)Their approach to shaping skis (29:35)Thoughts on ski weight & related tech (33:20)Building skis for the 10th Special Forces Group (42:35) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Des 201853min

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 start by talking about 3 skis that just missed the cut from earning a Best Of award from us this year. Then we turn to talk about a number of new skis we’ve been getting on or are about to get on, including the Folsom Trophy Carbon, Rossignol Black Ops 118, the HEAD World Cup Rebel i.Speed Pro, the Dynastar PR-OTO Factory, and the Moment Commander 98 and 108.TOPICS & TIMES:Prior CBC (2:06)Fischer Ranger 102 FR (5:00)Dynastar Mythic 97 (8:30)Folsom Trophy (9:10)Rossignol Black Ops 118 (9:53)Head Worldcup Rebels i.Speed Pro (13:05)Dynastar PR-oto (15:48)Moment Commander 98 & 108 (18:43)Blister Showroom (23:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Des 201825min

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 acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Des 201835min