A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 5: Debunking Bootfitting Myths & Misconceptions

Ski boot liners are probably the most overlooked and least appreciated piece of ski gear out there, but they are a critical piece of equipment. So Matt Manser, the product manager of Atomic Ski Boots, is back on GEAR:30 for Part 4 of our “Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots” series, and this time, we’re demystifying the extremely complex, very expensive, and poorly understood category of ski boot liners.We kick off the conversation by brushing up a bit on plastics (specifically, the not-so-straightforward label, “Grilamid”); then we discuss forward lean and ramp angles; and then we jump down the rabbit hole on ski boot liners, and talk about the different types of liners and their pros and cons; the “30 seconds” test and why Atomic views it as so critical; whether it’s smart to shove an aftermarket liner into a high-performance shell; and then Matt talks about a brand new liner from Atomic that incorporates their “Mimic” technology. In the process, we also talk about next year’s Hawx Ultra 130 S alpine boot, and the also-new-for-next-year Hawx Prime XTD.TOPICS & TIMES:Grilamid; Polyamide (PA); Polypropylene (PP) (6:18)Forward Lean (14:06)Ramp Angles (24:33)World Cup ski racers are weird (28:06)Forward Lean: what should skiers look for? (31:58)The 20/21 Hawx Ultra “S” (38:00)Ski Boot Liners (42:38)The “First Fit” Battle (46:13)Comfort vs Performance (48:13)Foam-injected Liners (57:45)EVA (“Layered Foam”) Liners (1:06:04)3D Liners (1:08:02)Atomic’s “Mimic” liner technology (1:09:14)How often can Mimic liners be reshaped? (1:17:14)Aftermarket Liners? (1:19:47)The new Hawx Prime XTD boot (1:27:03)OTHER EPISODES IN THIS SERIES:Part 1: Plastics (Ep. 54)Part 2: Flex Patterns (Ep. 55)Part 3: Racers & Race Boots (Ep. 60) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Feb 20201h 35min

Sam Shaheen was recently in Courmayeur, Italy to test the new SCOTT Superguide Freetour in the spectacular mountains surrounding Mont Blanc. After several days of big lines and long tours, he came away thoroughly impressed. So, in the first half of this conversation, he talks with SCOTT’s CMO, Reto Aeschbacher, about the backstory of SCOTT, the challenges of managing large product lines, and the motivation behind their new line of backcountry skis. Then he does a deep dive with SCOTT’s Ski Product Manager, Franz Marsan, about the new Superguide Freetour. You can also watch this conversation on our Blister YouTube channel.TOPICS & TIMES:SCOTT Sports becoming an “international” brand (5:02)Why make so many different types of products? (6:42)Will we see a SCOTT binding? (12:08)The 2020 Winter Collection (15:41)The New Superguide Freetour (20:00)What is a 3D sidecut radius? (30:51)Superguide 95 vs. Freetour (38:00)New touring boot (40:25) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Feb 202046min

Patagonia’s Glen Morden (Product Innovation, Materials, & Development) and Corey Simpson (Communications) came to Crested Butte to ski with us and to discuss how Patagonia is thinking about sustainability and product performance; how they continue to evolve on this front; talk about a few of their new pieces; their prototyping process; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Future performance innovations (8:00)Sustainability Practices: 5 Years Ago vs. Today (12:20)End-of-life solutions for garments (16:20)Is sustainability a performance characteristic? (22:06)Patagonia’s new Stormstride Kit & Upstride Kit (27:33)“Perceived” Comfort & Breathability (33:11)Simplifying kits (43:44)The death of distinguishing between “hard” and “soft” shells? (46:00)Dressing for the worst-case scenario? (47:50)Patagonia’s prototyping process (52:29)Where will we see the biggest improvements? (57:42) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Feb 20201h 4min

We sat down at the Outdoor Retailer / SIA show to discuss some of the most notable trends, interesting products, weirdest products, and the thing at the show that caused Jonathan to legally change his name.TOPICS & TIMES:New trends in apparel (3:43)New trends in skis (10:58)Gear we’re most curious to try (14:20)Gear we’re most tempted to steal (31:00)Weirdest thing we saw (39:41) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Feb 202046min

In part 2 of our conversation with SCARPA CEO, Kim Miller, Kim offers his predictions for the ski industry and how SCARPA is positioning itself for the future; discusses which materials they use in their boots and why; shares the lessons learned from the Maestrale 2017 recall; and then unveils a brand-new boot, the F1 LT.To see the new SCARPA F1 LT for yourself, head over to the BLISTER Youtube Channel to watch a video of the conversation.TOPICS & TIMES:How did the popularity of the Maestrale RS shape your line? (1:11)SCARPA’s approach to sustainability (5:55)Ski industry predictions (9:52)Which different plastics are in the F1 & Maestrale XT? ( 16:35)The Maestrale 2017 recall (30:00)Unveiling the new F1 LT boot (34:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Jan 202041min

We talk to Lange’s Global Brand Director, Thor Verdonk, about Lange’s use of 'dual core' technology; why “ski boots should be alive”; the brand-new, 3rd generation, Lange XT3; heat-moldable shells; 3d printed boots; the future of Lange; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:What is “dual core” technology? (4:30)Elasticity & ski boot weight (9:27)Which boots are the hardest to develop? (13:53)Heat moldable shells (15:53)Elasticity / “Suspension” (17:30)Lange XT (1st Gen.) (18:45)Lange XT Freetour (2nd Gen.) (19:50)Lange XT3 (New 3rd Gen.) (22:43)What’s next for Lange? (34:13)3D printed boots? (38:50) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Jan 202041min

Last week we talked about the best ski gear of the past decade, so now it’s time to make our predictions about what gear will look like 10 years from now? What product categories have the most room for improvement? What ski gear will actually change the most? What gear will change the least? And what are our wildest gear predictions for where gear could be in 10 years? We discuss all of this and more in a roundtable discussion.TOPICS & TIMES:Thoughts on our last episode (2:25)Our gear predictions (17:25)Gear w/ the most room for improvement (34:30)What gear will actually change most? (44:16)Gear that will change the least (50:26)“Women-specific” products? (52:26)Wildest predictions (55:10) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Jan 202059min

Of the entire past decade, what was the most influential ski, ski boot, and ski binding? What was the best ski? What were the biggest trends? And what was our selection for the Best Product of the Decade? We cover all of this and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Most Influential Ski, 2000-2009 (3:00)Most Influential Ski, 2010-2019 (5:30)Best Ski (13:40)Most Influential Ski Boot (32:30)Most Influential AT Binding (40:58)Best Ski Binding (46:02)Biggest Trends (51:30)Best Product (56:24) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Jan 20201h