BLISTER Podcast

Dash Longe is a skier who’s been doing it — and going big — for a long time. And tomorrow is the online release of Dash’s latest film, Stone’s Throw. So I spoke to Dash about his new film and about ski films in general; his coming up during the heyday of the freeskiing revolution in Tahoe; ski design and Dash’s work on the DPS Koala 119; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:New film: “Stone’s Throw” (1:16)Background & getting into filming (6:55)Coming up in the heyday of the freeskiing revolution (10:00)Eric Pollard (16:15)Dash’s approach to big cliffs (23:52)Favorite segment of yours? (25:53)DPS Koala 119 (32:25)Ski Design (43:28) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Okt 201957min

Adventure photographer, Corey Rich, has spent a lot of time hanging out with and documenting some of the most interesting and amazing athletes in the world. And he is exceptionally good at talking about those experiences, so you are in for a treat. Furthermore, Corey has just released his excellent new book, Stories Behind the Images: Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography, so this was the perfect occasion for a conversation with Corey about his remarkable career; why being good at hanging out is a great quality of a photographer; why making mistakes and being vulnerable makes for great storytelling; and Corey shares some stories about his time with some of the seminal figures in rock climbing, like Fred Beckey, Chris Sharma, Tommy Caldwell, and Ashima Shiraishi.We also talk about what separates his new book from most other “photo” books (spoiler alert: Stories Behind the Images isn’t really a “photo book”); how changes in photography and film technology affect his work; what his dream assignment would be; and much, much more. You can order his book from Mountaineers, Amazon, or Indiebound, and you can check out his upcoming book tour events at StoriesBehindtheImages.com.TOPICS & TIMES:Corey’s latest project (2:40)Origin of “Stories Behind the Images” (8:03)Why screwing up makes for great stories (11:00)Corey as a “historian” of rock climbing (16:45)How did you pick which essays to include? (21:00)What’s next for Chris Sharma? (28:37)Ashima Shiraishi & honesty on social media (35:22)Photography tips (40:53)What have been the biggest changes in photography? (51:43)What goes into a “perfect” shoot? (56:47)What’s your dream assignment? (1:02:04)What “hanging out” has to do with photography (1:05:35)Favorite chapters in the book? (1:08:12) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Sep 20191h 14min

We’ve got J Skis founder, Jason Levinthal, back on the show, and we’re going to be doing things a bit differently than we normally do. Last week we invited you to submit any questions that you might have for J, and turns out … you had a lot of them.So this episode is made up almost entirely of your questions, and in his trademark style, Jason answers each of them with extreme candor.We cover why Jason started J Skis and how you can get a job there; J’s favorite ski graphics; which skis are his personal favorites, and which skis he’s most proud of; we get into some ski design questions — including whether we will ever see a 193 cm J Ski; and J tells an Eric Pollard story and answers the pressing question, “What’s your favorite way to eat or cook an oyster.”Finally, we are also going to be dropping soon a video of this conversation with J, so you’ll be able to check that out and see some of the graphics and the skis that Jason and I discuss.TOPICS & TIMES:Starting J Skis / How to get a job at J Skis? (3:08)What’s up with “Roll with a Pro”? (12:53)Favorite Ski Graphics & Bob Ross (15:20)Branching out: J goggles? Snowboards? Etc.? (21:11)19/20 J Skis lineup (25:15)J’s personal favorite skis (35:56)Which of your skis are you most proud of? (37:35)What ski design do you still want to make? (43:55)Tell an Eric Pollard story (47:40)How do I get free J Skis? (53:33)When will we see a touring-oriented J Ski? (1:01:25)Will we ever see a 193 cm J Ski? (1:06:15)Does Steve Stepp even troll anymore? (1:09:06)Favorite way to eat or cook an oystá? (1:10:00)Advice you would give your 20-yr-old self? (1:16:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Sep 20191h 22min

Last week, we kicked off season #2 of our monthly Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University, where we invite influential figures to come talk about how they are shaping the outdoor industry.Our first guest of the new season was Claudio Caluori, the announcer for the World Cup Downhill series, a former pro XC and DH racer, the founder of Velosolutions, and the initiator of #pumpforpeace.We touch on all of these things in our conversation, and get Claudio’s perspective on a wide range of topics and questions — including a number of good ones, once again, from the audience.TOPICS & TIMES:Was this the best World Cup DH season ever? (3:44)Loic & Amaury’s battle (6:10)Claudio’s career racing XC and DH (8:32)Philosophy of “Going All-In” (10:08)How did you start announcing World Cup races? (12:24)Recovering from his big crash last year (13:15)Claudio’s company, Velosolutions (15:13)How #pumpforpeace is serving communities (22:04)Lessons from working internationally? (24:10)What unites the global bike community? (26:49)Sustainability & our environmental impacts (28:13)Western vs. Proust (34:21) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Sep 201945min

Pep Fujas has always been at the forefront of freeskiing, and he is now looking to move things forward once again. So we talk to Pep about growing up on his family farm in Oregon; his remarkable film career; his favorite Seth Morrison story; his long relationship with K2 and his favorite K2 skis; his decision to go back to school; and his even bigger decision to join the team at WNDR Alpine.TOPICS & TIMES:Getting involved with WNDR (3:10)Growing up + his all-important bus rides (6:10)Connecting with K2 (9:25)Ski films (15:15)Favorite Nimbus memory? (16:55)Favorite Seth Morrison story (19:37)Connecting with Patagonia (21:07)Pep’s Favorite K2 skis (23:50)Your biggest influences? (30:47)What current segment of skiing impresses you the most? (33:26)Returning to school (35:34)‘Business’ doesn’t have to be a 4-letter word (39:08) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Sep 201945min

Today we’re running the 2nd episode of our Up and Coming series, where we talk with athletes, who, if they aren’t already on your radar, they certainly should be. And our guest today perfectly matches that description.Because aside from her very unassuming disposition, everything about Ming Goetz is extraordinary — her name; her background; her favorite discipline — slopestyle; her competing recently in the Crankworx Whip Off Challenge; her participation this season in the 1st ever Women’s Slopestyle Tour; her plans for the future (which include competing in Red Bull Rampage) and, of course, her abilities on a bike. So get ready to meet Ming...TOPICS & TIMES:Growing up (3:00)The story behind her name (4:12)Competing, Jumping, & Jump Girls (6:08)The first Women’s Slopestyle Tour (12:17)Favorite riders? (17:47)Eyeing Red Bull Rampage (18:35)What tricks are you working on? (20:26)Ming’s (unusual) dream career (24:40)Favorite things (27:40) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Sep 201934min

What does biotech have to do with backcountry skiing? What does microalgae have to do with skis? And why did the founder of 4FRNT Skis, Matt Sterbenz, agree to get involved with a new startup ski brand, WNDR Alpine? We sat down in Blister HQ with Checkerspot co-founder and CEO, Charlie Dimmler, and WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, to talk about the creation of WNDR Alpine; its relation to and the mission of Checkerspot; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Why does Matt Sterbenz hate vowels? (2:00)How Matt got involved with Checkerspot (5:17)Checkerspot’s mission & innovations (10:00)Charlie’s background: from Wall Street to Biotech (17:41)What Checkerspot is doing with microalgae (23:20)Why make skis from new materials? (26:02)Effects on ski performance? (32:28)Sustainability as a design constraint (41:00)Other possible applications of microalgae (48:50)How has launching WNDR affected Checkerspot? (58:24) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Aug 20191h 2min

We published this conversation last week on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast, but we wanted to repost it in the Blister Podcast feed to make sure none of you missed it.Because for many of us, bikes are primarily fun. But for many others, bikes are major drivers of economic development, critical sources of transportation and health care, vehicles of educational opportunity, and instruments of equality.World Bicycle Relief was started by the founder of SRAM to provide bikes to some of the communities around the world that could use them the most, and in today’s conversation, you’ll learn exactly how and why bikes are such a significant and life-changing tool.Our guest today is Dave Neiswander, the CEO of World Bicycle Relief. Dave has been with WBR for over a decade, and as you will see, he is an impressive guy with an impressive background, and he does an excellent job talking about the origins of World Bicycle Relief; its trajectory and challenges; the bikes themselves and all the product design that goes into them; and what each of us can do to support the mission of World Bicycle Relief.Take Action: Go to worldbicyclerelief.org to sign up for one of their upcoming events, make a donation, and share what they are up to with your friends and colleagues.TOPICS & TIMESOrigin Story of World Bicycle Relief (2:59)How Dave first got involved with WBR (7:51)Why bicycles matter so much (15:34)Mission Statement of WBR (18:35)How does WBR select new locations to assist? (22:31)Important Stats & Results (36:23)Winning the Wharton / Lipman Prize (43:03)The bikes themselves / quality / durability / design / repairable (48:13)The Buffalo Bike (53:17)The Charger Bike (55:01)Future plans for World Bicycle Relief (58:27)Biggest lessons you’ve learned that others might benefit from? (1:04:17)Best ways for individuals and companies to get involved? (1:06:41) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Aug 20191h 16min