GEAR THERAPY: A Guitarist's Ski Gear Questions

How should you think about ski boot flex patterns, and which one is “right” for you? For the latest installment of our “Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting” series, Kara Williard talks with bootfitter and Pulse Boot Lab’s Revelstoke store manager, Bryn Vickers, to cover the complex and often misunderstood aspects of ski boot flex. We discuss how the ankle joint and an individual’s biomechanics are the most important pieces of the puzzle; what exactly boot “flex” even means when it comes to on-snow performance; the many variables that determine what flex pattern might work best for you; and we also talk about Pulse’s latest tech, including their new foam-injected aftermarket liner.RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Pulse Boot LabsBLISTER+ Membership: Sign Up A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting Series3D Printing & Bootfitting w/ Pulse Boot Lab (Ep.234)Stance Balancing with Pulse Boot Labs (Ep.217)TOPICS & TIMESAnkle Joint = #1 Priority (3:33)How the Body Moves (6.17)Custom Insoles (12:49)What is Boot Flex? (17:50)Walk Mode Vs. Fixed Cuff (22:49)Flex Ratings (26:27)Forward Lean & Calf Size (33:39)Height, Weight, & Strength (39:17)Options for Stiffening (42:26)Options for Softening (45:59)Final Thoughts on Boot Flex (48:49)Pulse’s Foam Injected Liner & Other Tech (52:51)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Feb 20241h 1min

Luke Koppa sits down with Kristin Sinnott, Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb to do a bit of a recap on our 2024 Blister Summit, which took place in Mt. Crested Butte last week. We go over a few of the MANY highlights of the event, and then dive into a bunch of the standout products they were each able to try at the Summit.RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: SturtevantsBlister Summit 2024: A Brief Recap of an Epic EventBLISTER+ Membership: Sign Up TOPICS & TIMES:Catching Up (2:24)Blister Awards (13:58)Rossignol Revenant, Never Summer Cougar, & Weston Hatchet (15:35)Dynastar M-Pro 98 W (19:55)Rossignol Sender Soul 102 (22:42)Icelantic Maidens (27:23)Salomon S/Pro Race 110 (28:56)Bishop Telemark, Uphillers, & Raide Packs (30:38)Salomon Stance 96 (36:43)ON3P Woodsman 100 (38:30)Salomon QST X (39:28)ZAG Slap 92 & Slap 112 (42:09)CARV & Hoji (44:22)Moment Commander 92 (46:12)Blister Summit 2025 (53:49)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Feb 202457min

Kara Williard sits down with Katy Jackson, co-founder and CEO of our Blister Recommended Shop, Lone Pine Gear Exchange, to understand the logistics of running a robust consignment program; how to shop for and sell used gear; the importance of consignment for both accessibility and sustainability in outdoor recreation; gear repair; planting trees; how living off-grid led her and her husband to where they are today; and a whole lot more. RELATED LINKS:Lone Pine Gear Exchange | 15% off your first order with code: BLISTER15 BLISTER+: Get Yourself CoveredBLISTER Recommended ShopsTOPICS & TIMESOff-Grid Living (2:30)Second Tracks (6:31)Starting Lone Pine (7:53) Consignment Program (11:32)Best Practices for Buying Used (16:32) Gear Repair Program (25:38)Sustainability & Community (35:59)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Feb 202442min

Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our Blister Labs’ ski flex project, and to explain how and why ski boots are becoming an integral part of this project, too.RELATED LINKS:Boone Mountain SportsOpenSnowLast Chance! Blister Summit 2024BLISTER+: Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Scope of the Project (6:26)Dynamic Modeling (7:05)Machine Learning (17:50)Creating a Profile? (23:28)The Holy Grail Project & Ski Boots (28:18)Blister Summit / Blister Labs (41:09)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Feb 202444min

Luke Koppa, Dylan Wood, and Eric Freson join Kara Williard to talk about the epic storm cycle we recently had in Crested Butte, and the powder-ski testing that followed. We also discuss several of the new all-mountain skis we’ve been on lately; Dylan’s new favorite ski poles; a standout touring boot; 3D-printed custom goggles; and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls. RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Spokane Alpine HausJoin Us at Blister Summit 2024Become a Member & Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Pow Skis (4:19)All-Mountain Skis (20:39)Other Gear We’ve Been Testing (41:23)Crashes & Close Calls (55:37)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Jan 20241h 3min

Luke Koppa sits down with Kyle Siegel, the founder of Raide, which is one of the newest players in the backcountry softgoods category. They launched with a lightweight 40-liter backpack that immediately made a splash when it was released, so we sat down with Kyle to learn about how — and why — he started Raide.We cover the problems he’s looking to solve; how he went about doing so with the Raide LF 40 pack; we do a deep dive on some of the latest high-end, ultralight pack materials; the challenges and benefits of running a new, small business in the category; what we should expect from Raide in the future, and more.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Pulse Boot Lab & Ski Co.Join Us at Blister Summit 2024Become a Member & Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Blister First Look: Raide LF 40L PackTOPICS & TIMES:Kyle’s Background (3:28)The Problems Raide is Attempting to Solve (6:19)Prototyping Process & Must-Have Features (12:15)Deep Dive: Materials (17:00)Raide LF 40L: Overview (28:07)Raide’s Future Products (35:57)Running Lean & Nimble as a Small Business (43:32)Raide’s Athlete Team (46:17)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Jan 202450min

Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? What’s the difference between “advanced” and “expert”? Today, we’re following up on our GEAR:30 conversation with Luke Koppa (episode 277) to revisit these questions — having received a lot of great responses from all of you. Joining Jonathan today to rethink these things is Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7, to provide a retailer’s perspective on these things. See what you think, and let us know whether you think we ought to change or tweak our 6 ability level categories for Community Reviews.RELATED LINKS:OpenSnow.com/BlisterTaos Ski Valley Ski WeekJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Ep. 277: Jonathan & Luke on Skier Ability LevelsTOPICS & TIMES:Meeting Up in Girdwood, AK (8:15)Technique (12:37)Is Our Bar Too High for “Expert”?(16:46)Our “Advanced” Category (25:53)Advanced & Expert Descriptions (28:56)Assigning Ability Levels to Skis (32:04)Skier Weight vs Skier Power (39:13)Skier Personality / Style (44:29)Accounting for Different Conditions / Locations (48:10)Monoskiing (51:27)Final Thought: The Best Skiers on the Mtn (59:08)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Jan 20241h 1min

Today, we’re following up last week’s episode, where we looked back at 2023’s “Gear Of The Year,” and we’re now looking forward to 2024. Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out,” what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and spin off into several other tangents.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: OpenSnow.com/BlisterGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2024Ep. 278: Gear of the Year, 2023TOPICS & TIMES:2023 Gear Trends (2:26)What’s “In” for 2024? (8:05)What’s “Out” for 2024? (15:27)What Trends are Coming Back? (25:55)Categories to See the Most Change? (31:11)Crashes & Close Calls (38:24)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Jan 202446min