Reviewer Reports: Pow Skis, New Bindings, & Our 40” Storm

We’re talking ski gear, customer trends, & sustainability initiatives (from the POV of a shop owner) with Mike Donohue of Outdoor Gear Exchange, our Blister Recommended Shop in Burlington, Vermont. And we have a great listener-submitted story for “Crashes & Close Calls.”TOPICS & TIMES:Outdoor Gear Exchange History & Consignment (4:11)Mike’s History & OGE Today (7:15)Telemarking Roots, Splitboarding, & Gear (9:56)Ski Boots & Mike’s Touring Gear (12:57)Shift Bindings (16:29)Skis (20:25)Customer Trends (22:48)Buying New vs Used Gear (29:01)Sustainability: Shop Owners & Manufacturers (31:11)Crashes & Close Calls (41:16)What We’re Celebrating: Relationship Questions! (48:14)RELATED LINKS:Blister + Spot MembershipBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationOUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTEDOff The CouchHappy Hour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Des 202249min

Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Dylan Wood discuss some of the notable gear they’ve been reviewing this season. They also discuss Christmas quesadillas; whether it’s okay to put sweaty ski socks on boot dryers; and we launch a new segment: Crashes & Close Calls.TOPICS & TIMESChristmas Quesadillas (6:09)Wagner Custom 104 & Summit 106 (11:29)Scarpa 4-Quattro XT (21:03)Happy Hour! (25:26)Our New Boot Dryer (27:45)Fischer Ranger 115 W (34:36)Head Supershape e-Rally (39:17)Our Alpine Binding Test (42:45)Folsom Cash 93 & Spar 88 (44:48)Insulated Flylow Jackets and Another Anorak Debate (51:50)Crashes & Close Calls (56:14)RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Willi’s Ski & BoardNEW: Blister + Spot MembershipBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTEDHappy Hour (for Blister Members) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Des 20221h 14min

Travis Hainsworth is a whole lot of fun. And when he’s not out on his highly questionable one-ski quiver, he’s busy being the associate director of the Western-CU Boulder Computer Science Program here in Gunnison, CO, and an integral member of our Blister Labs team. So in this conversation, we’re talking “SoRo”;” MoCap”; wheelset testing; his dream of becoming the first Red-Bull-sponsored mathematician; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Subarus, Bourbon, & Travis’ One-Ski Quiver (7:29)“Soft Robots” (11:37)Dirt Biking, Broken Bones, & Mechanical Engineering (18:47)Fur-Lined Hoods & Travis's Ski Set Up (24:45)Blister Labs Wheel Testing (28:48)Extracting the Data & What We're Trying To Learn (43:33)Red Bull Sponsored Mathematicians (46:24)System Dynamics & Intro To Robotics Courses (49:03)When Results? (57:51)What We're Celebrating (1:00:21)RELATED LINKS:NEW: Blister + Spot MembershipVideo: Blister Labs Wheelset TestingBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationGet Your Blister x John Fellows Artist Series ShirtOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTEDHappy Hour (for Blister Members) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Des 20221h 6min

Too often, passionate skiers have to mourn the discontinuation of our all-time favorite ski designs. So Marshal Olson started Heritage Lab Skis to fix that. In this conversation, we talk with Marshal about all things Heritage Lab, including how it got started; how it’s going; their ‘smokin’ rocks’ warranty policy; order updates; and what’s next.TOPICS & TIMES:What is Heritage Lab Skis? (4:34)How did you get it started? (11:25)Shapes & Designs (17:15)Testing & Production (21:48)Who are They For? (26:46)Warranty, Returns, & Smokin’ Rocks (28:06)Where are the Skis Built? (30:13)Build Types & Talking about ‘Classic Designs’ (32:52)Stated Radius Numbers (37:29)Biggest Surprises So Far? (39:13)What's Next? (40:27)Orders & Current Status (42:05)Where to Learn More (46:07)RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Hickory & TweedExclusive Offer: OpenSnow.com/BlisterNEW: Blister + Spot MembershipBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationGet Your Blister x John Fellows Artist Series ShirtOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTEDHappy Hour (for Blister Members) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Des 202252min

Matt Manser, Atomic’s ski boots product manager, is back to discuss the current lineup of Atomic ski boots and what’s new for this season; running through airports in ski boots; Tom Cruise; the Atomic Redster CS vs. the Hawx Ultra Professional; and more.TOPICS & TIMES: Scotch & our upcoming CRAFTED episode (5:06)Overview of Atomic’s current boot lineup (8:28)Redster talk (12:19)Redster Club Sport (17:46) Hawx Ultra (30:48)Professional Series (36:18)Ski Boots & Temperature Stability (43:41)New Hawx Ultra (46:05)Hawx Prime (47:36)Hawx Magna (50:31)Hawx XTD (53:23)Differences in Women’s boots? (55:58)Cuff Heights, Etc (1:00:40)Backland (1:03:20)Airport Sprint Test (1:07:31)What We're Celebrating (1:13:34)RELATED LINKS:Blister Recommended Shop: Powder7.comBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationGet Your Blister x John Fellows Artist Series ShirtOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Des 20221h 17min

Kristin Sinnott and Kara Williard caught up with Kjerstin Klein, co-owner of Willi’s Ski and Board. They dove into Kjerstin’s adventurous background as a model and sponsored snowboarder (among several other amazing things); and what it looked like for Kjerstin and her husband Greg to take on Willi’s and maintain it as a family-owned ski shop. Kjerstin explains how to successfully jump into a family business; techniques for how to stay innovative; what it means to truly grow the sport; why ski shops are “conduits” within the ecosystem that is the ski industry; and we learn a lot about the Winter Divas program, a women’s focus group that Kjerstin founded to grow women’s presence and leadership in the industry, plus a whole bunch more.TOPICS & TIMES: Kjerstin’s Background (4:18)Being a Model & Sponsored Snowboarder (9:31)Jumping into a family business (13:12)Staying Innovative (19:01)Advice for family-run small businesses (21:50)Ski shops as conduits (23:19)Families that ski together stay together (26:55)Women-specific gear taking shape (33:07)Winter Divas (49:40)Specialty Retail (1:01:40)Skiing Meets Our Basic Needs (1:04:54)RELATED LINKS:Ep. Sponsor + Exclusive Offer: OpenSnow.com/BLISTERBlister Recommended Shop: Willi’s Ski and BoardBlister Summit Panel Video: Women in the Ski IndustryKjerstin's Music Video AppearanceEp.223: Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women Program with Leslie Baker-Brown Ep.167: Willi’s Ski and Snowboard ShopsBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Nov 20221h 11min

Kristin Sinnott and Kara Williard talk with Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women program founder and ski legend, Leslie Baker-Brown, about her background in ski racing, and her remarkable 32 years of work for Blizzard-Tecnica. They dive into the origins story of the W2W program, including how it spans beyond women-specific gear via community-building, scholarship programs, and more. Leslie explains Blizzard-Tecnica’s design process for women’s gear, including designing the #1 selling ski in the world; she talks about what it looks like to work with women through the iterative prototyping process; what gives her hope and inspiration for the future; and where we can still work to improve the industry.TOPICS & TIMES Leslie’s Background in Ski Racing (4:17)Competing for Middlebury (4:41)32 years with Tecnica! (7:45)Where women-specific gear started (9:35)How the idea of W2W was born (14:36)The Four Pillars (20:00)How W2W has Evolved (22:52)The #1 Ski in the World (27:22)Women-Specific Ski Boots (34:38)What’s hopeful and inspirational right now? (39:14)Where can the industry do better? (41:59)What We’re Celebrating (48:12)RELATED LINKS:Women2Women 2022 Scholarship Opportunities: US: W2W Hilaree Nelson ScholarshipCanada: English: W2W Hilaree Nelson ScholarshipCanada: French: W2W Hilaree Nelson ScholarshipBecome a Blister MemberBlister Summit 2023 RegistrationOUR OTHER PODCASTSOff The CouchBlister PodcastBikes & Big Ideas CRAFTED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Nov 202250min

Just in time for our Blister Recommended Shop, Powder Hound, to celebrate its 10-year business anniversary, Kara Williard chatted with the owner and founder, Eric Helmbrecht. They dove into a bunch of topics as a reflection of the 10 years Powder Hound has been a staple shop in Girdwood, AK, including how skis, boots, and bindings have progressed; the ways in which the industry has changed; what it looked like to be adaptable during a global pandemic; accomplishments they’re proud of; getting their start at the Palmer State Fair; what it feels like to ski on skis that are over 140 mm underfoot; snowboarding trends; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:AT Boots & 50/50 Boots (4:22)Weight Trends (8:55)Macro Industry Trends (16:15)Global Pandemics & Adaptability (23:40)Influx of Skiers and Industry Growth (25:07)Employment Challenges (28:36)Things you’re Proud of (31:14)Palmer State Fair (32:11)Year-Round Stable Shop (36:26)Season Lease Program (39:25)Fat Skis (44:00)Breathable & Waterproof Gear (46:12)Binding Improvements (48:56)Don’t Forget SNOWBOARDING! (50:50)RELATED LINKS:Our Blister Recommended Shop: Powder HoundEp.133: Shop Talk: Powder Hound, Girdwood, AKEp.41: Trends, Favorite Gear, and Most / Least Durable Products, with Eric Helmbrecht of Powder Hound AKEp. 17: Spring Skiing & Biking in AKBlister Summit 2023 Registration OUR OTHER PODCASTS:CRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchBLISTER Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Nov 202258min