Bill McKibben: Skier, Environmentalist, Activist, Author

Question: Aside from the graphics, what’s the difference between one ski from the next? How do you tell whether a ski is well-built or poorly-built? What sort of things should you be looking for?We’ve just returned from our review trip to the PNW, and our very first stop in Portland was at the ON3P Skis factory, where we stopped by to talk to ON3P founder, Scott Andrus. Of all the people I know in the ski industry, there is no one I talk to who obsesses more about the minute details of ski building & finishing than Scott. So I talked to Scott about how to tell the difference between a quality build and a crap build, and we go on to talk about a bunch of other stuff, too.My advice is to listen closely at the start of this one -- you’ll very quickly get the sense that not all skis are created equal, and hopefully, you’ll be able to size up various skis yourself with a more critical eye. And then after about the first 10 minutes, you can relax a bit and listen to us discuss a bunch of other good stuff - including Scott’s future cat farm.TOPICS:ON3P’s new ski lineup (and Scott’s personal favorite).Why ON3P loves a good bidet. (No joke.)The real and perceived differences between “major" ski companies and smaller “indie” companies.The role of “teams” at ski companies, plus how — and how not — to get sponsored.Why ON3P isn’t in the race to build the lightest skis out there.Questions from Blister readers + Scott's future cat farm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Mai 20161h 10min

It's time to talk bikes, so we brought in Blister's bike editor, Noah Bodman. Noah and I talk about a whole bunch of stuff.TOPICS:What the 'Most Montana' town in Montana is?Aaron Gwin’s impressive world cup victory in Lourdes, France, on his new bikeWhether Noah thinks I could beat Gwin down a DH course if I got to ride a DH bike and he had to ride a hardtailWhy Noah doesn’t think I should shoot Gwin in the leg in Butte, MontanaThe most intriguing new bikes this season27.5" vs. 29" — where are we in the war of the wheel sizes?Carbon wheels vs. Aluminum wheels — which riders would benefit most by going to carbon?The pros and cons of all the new bike standards (including "Boost", and what the real implications of all of these new options will be over the next 5 to 10 years.The "Best Bets" for bikes - which bikes Noah thinks amount to the surest things, the safest recommendations to a broad range of riders.Why I'm excited to go to Butte, MT, and whether or not Noah will ever be able to safely set foot in Butte after this podcast... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Apr 201652min

At the 2015 World Championships, Ted became the first skier to win three consecutive World Championship titles in GS. At the age of 21, he became the youngest American male to win an Olympic Gold Medal in Alpine Skiing, and he continues to dominate the men’s alpine circuit with five World Cup Overall GS titles and five World Championship titles.In our conversation, Ted and I talk about his end-of-January injury, what happened, and what his goals are for next season. We also revisit the question of the ‘current’ FIS-regulation skis, and whether his initial opinions about those skis have softened or grown stronger? We then set the record straight on Ted’s background: how and why he was able to go from losing races badly to becoming the best in the world, and we talk about “failure” and figuring out when to quit vs. when to persevere.Finally, we talk about Ted’s company Shred, and why he thinks that some of their latest developments are improvements over current technologies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Apr 201650min

Jason Levinthal is the founder of LINE skis, and a true pioneer of modern skiing. Two years ago, he left LINE to start a new company called J Skis.In our conversation, Jason pulls back the curtain on the ski industry—he pulls it waaay back—and talks very bluntly and with full transparency about how the ski industry works, what isn’t working, and what he thinks needs to be done to fix it.In addition to brass tacks and gory details, J and I also talk about some of the new ski designs he’s experimenting with, what the hardest and easiest things have been about starting his new company, and J reveals what his next company might be. (Spoiler alert: it involves sleds, and he thinks I should go in on it with him.)Jason has always been known to speak his mind, but I doubt you’ve ever heard him be this unfiltered before: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Mar 20161h 8min

Dave Hahn is one of the most accomplished Everest climbers of all time, a veteran ski patroller, and an exemplary study in refusing to live life according to the expectations of others. This is a 'Must-Listen' conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Mar 20161h 13min

Simply put, Daron Rahlves is the man. He is the most decorated American male Downhill and Super G skier in history, with 12 World Cup race wins, 28 World Cup podium finishes, and 7 US National Titles. And after a dominant career in downhill, Daron transitioned to skier cross competition, then transitioned again a few years later to big mountain skiing, where he filmed with both Warren Miller and Teton Gravity Research. (And there's a whole lot more that Rahlves has accomplished, too much to go into.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Feb 201646min

This week on the podcast, we talk to one of our favorite skiers, Angel Collinson. Angel is on fire right now, and her current trajectory is somewhere up in the stratosphere. She’s just come off a win of the Red Bull Cold Rush comp, she was the first woman to win Powder Magazine’s Line of the Year, and she has two recent TGR segments that the entire internet is watching and rewatching. And more impressive than all that is how well Angel is handling the spotlight.TOPICS:Growing up across the street from SnowbirdHow a cute coach might be responsible for the success she's enjoying today"Women-specific" equipmentStudying philosophy in collegeFilming with Ian McIntosh and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa (and who's cooler, Ian or Sage?)Lazer Tag; candyHer new sponsors (Red Bull & Volkl)Self-marketing & social media (and her advice to those coming up and interested in becoming a pro)Her favorite audiobooks, podcasts, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Feb 20161h 28min

Blister's editor-in-chief, Jonathan Ellsworth, and associate editor, Cy Whitling, talk about some of the new gear they've been testing, and discuss "Blister's Best Bets" - the skis that, in our opinion, can deliver a great time to the broadest range of skiers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Feb 201633min