BLISTER Podcast

Glen Morden has an extremely cool job — he's the head of Product Innovation at Patagonia. So we talk to Glen about his background and how he ended up in this position, then Glen pulls back the curtain on the product design process at Patagonia, what he and his colleagues are currently most concerned with, and what sorts of projects are on the horizon. So if you are interested in product design, new gear, or how innovation happens, you’re going to enjoy this conversation.TOPICS & TIMES:As the "VP of Product Innovation at Patagonia" ... what do you actually do? (1:01)Glen's background (4:10)What was your formal education like? (7:14)When & how did you start working at Patagonia? (18:29)What is the design process like at Patagonia, and what are the various departments & teams? (22:42)Impact reduction and product design (28:30)What are your favorite products that you've worked on? (36:18)What areas in apparel design do you see the most potential for improvement? (40:33)Working with Patagonia's athletes and ambassadors (44:56)We love soft shells, so why have they struggled to catch on? (47:11)Sam Shaheen's nerd question (52:04)How much time is spent on impact reduction, or developing new technologies? (55:55)Design Inspiration (1:00:50) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Mai 20181h 5min

In the past several days, there has been another reported instance of bullying going on in the outdoors sports world, and the loud, swift, and aggressive responses to this, have made clear that many of us still have a lot to think through.Last week, professional climber Sasha Digiulian announced on social media that she has been the ongoing target of tasteless jokes by fellow climber, Joe Kinder. Sascha stated that she had reached out to Joe in private about this to try to resolve the matter, but had received no reply. So, finally, she went public.You can find - and should read, if you haven’t already - in the show notes to this episode on Blister Sascha’s statement, Joe’s apology, and the responses by Black Diamond and La Sportiva, about why they decided to end their sponsorships of Joe.But the reason why we are talking about this here, is because of those alarming number of disturbing responses online and on social media to these events.So in this conversation, I’m joined by Blister’s climbing editor, Dave Alie, to discuss why it’s wrong to assume that this is simply some little, isolated issue in the climbing world; whether Black Diamond and La Sportiva were justified in their responses; and how our own words of criticism -- or support — of any of these parties— can quickly become unfair, tasteless, or unjust in their own right.TOPICS & TIMES:What happened, and why are we discussing it? (0:18)Did Black Diamond and La Sportiva do the right thing? (16:25)What appropriate & inappropriate responses look like — from all of us (18:57) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Mai 201825min

We’re talking with Renan Ozturk, an expedition climber, landscape artist, filmmaker, co-founder of Camp4 Collective, and the principal cinematographer of the very powerful film, “MOUNTAIN.” MOUNTAIN is an epic meditation on our relationship to and fascination with mountains. Directed by Jennifer Peedom and narrated by Willem Dafoe, the script is based on Robert Macfarlane's, "Mountains of the Mind," and the film features many of the best mountain sports athletes in the world — Alex Honnold, Candide Thovex, Conrad Anker, Tommy Caldwell, Hilaree O’Neil, Danny MacAskill, Travis Rice, and Renan Ozturk himself. You can learn more about screening dates and locations at mountainthefilm.com.Renan and I discuss his work on the film and what makes MOUNTAIN unique, his own evolving relationship with the mountains, and what's next for him.TOPICS & TIMES:How would you attempt to describe this film? (2:15)How did the idea for this film originate? (8:14)Logistics: How was all of this put together? (11:16)The intended audience for this film (13:52)Willem Dafoe's narration of the film (16:32)How working in the mountains affects or informs Renan's love of the mountains (19:08)Blending historical and contemporary experiences of the mountains in "Mountain" (22:04) Rethinking mountain "mastery" and exploration (25:15)What authors or films have been most influential in your own relationship to mountain pursuits? (28:44)What Renan hopes people will take away from MOUNTAIN (35:20)Renan's other current projects, including his Sanctity of Space (38:19) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Mai 201844min

We have been receiving more and more questions about Sego Skis and requests to review them, so today, you’re going to get the backstory. Sego was founded by two brothers, Tim and Peter Wells, and Sego is headquartered in the small mountain town of Victor, Idaho. So we talked to Tim and Peter about starting a ski company (actually, how they started two ski companies) and why they decided to set up shop in Victor to build skis.Then we go over some particular Sego skis, working with Lynsey Dyer, the snowblades they’re producing, and why they have a ski called the Condor that has nothing on it other than … an avocado.You can check out now our First Look at the Condor, and, if you become a Blister member, you can also read our Flash Review of the Condor and get our initial on-snow impressions of the ski.TOPICS & TIMES:Introducing Sego's founders, Tim & Peter Wells (1:33)Starting their 1st ski company + lessons learned (4:08)Starting their 2nd ski company, Sego (13:19)Why the name Sego? (16:49)Exactly what are you building in Victor, Idaho? (17:35)Advantages and challenges of manufacturing in Victor (21:30)Demo days & the Sego school bus (29:19)Becoming a "premier North American manufacturer" (33:08)Sego's best selling skis: the Cleaver 102 & Lynsey Dyer's pro models, the UP Pro 110 & UP Pro 92 (34:35)Sego's women's lineup & working with Lynsey Dyer 36:15)The ski Peter's most proud of - Tim's personal ski (39:17)Sego's 18/19 lineup - including the Condor (aka, the Avocado) (42:40)Sego snowblades! (51:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Apr 201857min

We stopped by the headquarters of Venture Snowboards in Silverton, Colorado, to talk to Venture’s founders, Lisa and Klem Branner. As you’ll hear, Venture does a lot of things different than most snowboard companies. For example, very few companies are manufacturing snowboards here in the U.S., and even fewer of those companies are starting from scratch — literally building boards starting with raw lumber.So we talked to Lisa and Klem about why they do what they do, why they chose to build in the tiny town of Silverton, and why it all matters. We also discuss why Klem really dislikes using the term “sustainable” when it comes to building snowboards; why he thinks it’s a bad idea to build snowboards with traditional camber; which current trends in snowboard design he thinks are stupid; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:When & where did you two meet? (03:00)Klem on making the first board he ever rode (5:04)From grad school to starting Venture Snowboards (7:22)The decision to set up shop in Silverton, Colorado (10:26)Why start a snowboard company? (15:10)Real talk about “greenwashing” in the snowboard industry (16:26)What sets Venture apart: building their boards from scratch (21:56)Advantages & challenges of manufacturing in Silverton (25:42)Why Klem thinks traditional camber sucks and is unnecessary (27:53)Craft beer + craft boards: Venture’s collab with Ska Brewing (38:08)What current trends in board design do you like or dislike? (41:27)The rise of splitboarding and backcountry riding (46:16)Venture’s 18/19 lineup — and why they don’t overhaul their line all the time (48:33)Why should anyone care that Venture boards are built in Silverton? (53:06) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Apr 201858min

Cyrus Schenck is the founder of the company, Renoun, and a ski designer with an award-winning technology that's used by no other ski manufacturer in the world. Cyrus is thinking big. And definitely outside of the box. And definitely not just about skis.So we talk to Cyrus about building skis with non-Newtonian polymers, and everything else he's working on — both inside and outside the world of skiing.TOPICS & TIMES:Cyrus’ background (2:50)Starting Renoun & working with “Non-Newtonian Polymers” (6:25)So what is the on-snow advantage of using “HDT” in a ski? (16:14)How does HDT work? (18:23)If HDT is so great, why don’t more companies use it? (34:11)Other applications for HDT - like NBA flooring?? (36:03)Why expanding into other industries could be great for skiing (39:36)Who is “Renoun” — you and who else? (41:49)Renoun’s current ski lineup (42:16)Renoun’s new ski - The Citadel - with carbon + HDT (45:16)Why Renoun’s 100-Day Guarantee is the smartest thing any indie could offer (49:14)What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (53:54) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Feb 20181h

This week we're talking to Greg Hill and Chris Rubens. Greg is probably best known for his feats in ski touring, including his accomplishment in 2010 of skiing 2 million vertical feet in a year. And Chris Rubens is probably best known for being dumb enough to try to keep up with Greg.We sat down with Greg and Chris in Denver to talk about how the two became the unofficial power couple of Revelstoke, and to learn more about the logistics of their latest Electric Adventure which took them from Revy to Colorado in an electric car for a screening of their new film, The Curve of Time.Greg and Chris talk about what inspired the film, how it embodies both their love of the outdoors and their continued efforts to consider the impact that each of us is having on the environment — and what we might do about that. So I really hope their new film and our conversation here stimulate some new thoughts that get each of us to take some new actions.TOPICS & TIMES:When did you guys meet? (2:10)Greg’s background & trajectory (5:35)How long have you guys been adventuring together? (8:45)The Salomon film, Guilt Trip (11:12)Chris & Gregs' Electric Adventures - the logistics of journeying in various electric cars (15:25)Recognizing our footprints, taking steps to reduce it (22:38)Taking action & the charges of hypocrisy (26:08)The new film by Jordan Manley, The Curve of Time (30:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Jan 201835min

Today we’re talking with New York Times sportswriter, Karen Crouse, about her new book, Norwich.Norwich is a tiny town in Vermont that has produced eleven Olympians, and Karen’s extremely well-written book looks into how it is that this little town has managed to produce so many successful athletes.But Karen is also exploring far bigger, universal questions about the relationship of athletic achievement and personal well-being, and really, I think her book Norwich is best understood as a blueprint for how to raise and train athletes to be more than mere medal-winning machines. Norwich is a book about community, about parenting, and how to go about helping kids become fully-developed people who are well positioned to lead happy, healthy lives.Karen and I also discuss the current state of the Olympic Games, since Karen has been to and has covered a bunch of them and will be at the Olympics again next month, and she and I talk about how her time spent with all-time achievers like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods has informed her thoughts on the price of greatness.TOPICS & TIMES:How do you sum up what this book is about? (1:55)How do you view the state of the Olympics today? (4:17)Some of the principles of Norwich that are worth emulating / cultivating (8:51)Takeaways from the experience of Olympic moguls skier, Hannah Kearney (13:53)Ford Sayre & Norwich’s culture of volunteering (23:38)Replicating elsewhere the connection between Dartmouth College & Norwich (28:09)Praising Effort vs. Praising Results (31:07)Cultivating Happiness, Cultivating Greatness (on Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, & Hannah Kearney) (34:04)Placing the Person before the Performer - shifting our priorities (51:14)Connect with Karen on Twitter at: @bykaren Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Jan 201859min