BLISTER Podcast

So how does a kid from a little town in New York end up becoming a global product manager at one of the largest ski and boot manufacturers in the world, and living in Austria? And why does he believe that studying philosophy in college and in grad school turned out to be the ideal preparation for his day-to-day responsibilities at Atomic?We’re talking to Matt Manser about his background, his studies in philosophy, his experience as a bootfitter, and the design decisions that go into the creation of every ski boot he works on, including the current Atomic Hawx Ultra and Hawx Ultra XTD.Matt and I cover a lot of topics, so if you want to dip in and out of our conversation, check the show notes on the website or on your phone to see a list of the topics and times.Also, if you’d like to ask Matt a question or give him some feedback, you can hit him up on instagram at: @onenerdykid — and if he isn’t too busy playing video games or reading Aristotle, you will probably get a reply back pretty quickly.TOPICS & TIMES:Where do you currently live, and what is your title at Atomic? (1:35)Background: where did you grow up & when did you start skiing? (4:13)College: discovering philosophy (9:03)Why study philosophy & logic? (11:48)Philosophy, bootfitting, and bootfitting for Doug Coombs and other athletes (23:40)Matt’s job: taking a boot from concept to finished product (36:42)What do you consider to be the three main aspects of making a great ski boot? (39:51)Managing the different expectations of skiers in different parts of the world (44:26)Trivia Question: Guess which company sells the most World Cup race boots? (47:23)On the Atomic Hawx Ultra — developing a lightweight alpine boot (51:45)Why it’s so difficult to build lightweight ski boots with a progressive flex (55:10)Marcel Hirscher: what it's like working with one of the greatest ski racers of all time (1:06:26)On the different intentions behind the Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 120 vs. XTD 130 (1:11:33) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Jan 20181h 24min

What items should you be carrying with you, and what do you need to know before venturing out into the backcountry in the first place? We're discussing these critical topics of backcountry travel and wilderness medicine with blister reviewer, AWLS instructor, and physician Paul Forward — and giving a status update on Jonathan Ellsworth, after his own backcountry accident this past summer.TOPICS & TIMESUpdate on Jonathan’s status (3:24)What should people have, studied before venturing out into the backcountry? (8:56)Two-Way Radios (12:03)How to improve your radio signal in the backcountry (17:02)Minimizing interference with your beacon (17:44)DeLorme / Garmin In-Reach (21:58)Satellite Phones (26:29)First Aid Kit, and what Paul himself carries (28:37)How to evacuate someone / Creating a makeshift sled (39:24)Various Types of Wilderness Education Courses (46:06)The course Paul is teaching this coming February — AWLS + Heli-Skiing (51:38) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Des 20171h 2min

We talk to Danny Davis about the upcoming Peace Park 6; why Peace Park should become a new discipline; "technical" tricks vs. "stylish" tricks; the Olympics; and the need for a unified snowboarding tour; and Danny's growing passion for splitboarding.TOPICS & TIMES:Danny’s health & contest culture (3:31)Why Danny was splitboarding so much last season (6:28)The beauty of going from the backcountry to the halfpipe and back (14:23)The advantages of being an older, more experienced rider in halfpipe contests (24:50)“Technical” tricks vs. “Stylish” tricks (35:47)What is Peace Park, and what makes it so unique (and awesome)? (46:05)On Peace Park becoming its own new discipline (54:00)On the Olympics & the need for a unified snowboarding tour (1:00:40)On the east-coast qualifying event for Peace Park 6 (1:09:40)Danny’s upcoming contest schedule (1:14:20) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Nov 20171h 21min

Scott Gaffney is one of the most accomplished ski movie directors of all-time, and the guy behind so many of the iconic Matchstick Productions films.So we talked to Scott about how he got into filming ski movies; how he got connected with Matchstick Productions; and which Matchstick films are his personal favorites.We also talk a lot about working with the likes of Shane McConkey, Eric Hjorleifson, Cody Townsend, and Candide Thovex, and about the most mind-blowing sessions he ever witnessed.Scott and I also talk about the newest Matchstick film, Drop Everything, and you can head over to skimovie.com to see the Drop Everything tour schedule and go see it with your friends on the big screen. You can also download Drop Everything and a bunch of the other MSP films we talk about in this episode at skimovie.com — which is good since, after listening to this conversation, I am certain you’re going to want to watch or rewatch a number of them.TOPICS & TIMES:When & where did you get into skiing? (4:01)How did you get into making ski movies? (6:20)Two essential documents in Ski History: A Need to Fly & Pursuing a Passion (8:11)How Scott originally got involved with Matchstick Productions? (13:11)Scott’s favorite MSP films (15:48)The editing & filming process — and why bad conditions aren’t a bad thing (18:58)Gaffney on MSP’s 2004 film, YEARBOOK (24:52)What’s the most mind-melting session you ever witnessed? (29:13)Best skier you’ve seen that’s kind of flying under the radar? (32:25)Skier who consistently blows your mind? (36:47)Making ski films in an era of online edits (39:59)Gaffney on Shane McConkey (43:24)Scott’s day-to-day skiing at Squaw (52:51)What’s the Greatest Ski Movie Ever? (55:23) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Nov 201758min

DPS Phantom is a new product that claims to eliminate the need to ever again wax your skis or board. Sounds crazy, so we talked to DPS founder, Stephan Drake, and Jeff Bates, the technological developer of Phantom, to have them explain how this is possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Nov 201725min

You know him from his course previews of Redbull Rampage and WC DH, but you don't know Claudio Caluori like this. We discuss Rampage, this past DH season, soccer, life, China, Elon Musk ... and pretty much everything else.TOPICS & TIMES:Why is Claudio in Beijing? (3:49)How would you describe Rampage in a single sentence? (5:10)Claudio’s pick for our “Rampage No-Fear Zombie” Award (8:32)What would your choice be for the next Rampage venue? (20:58)Biggest surprise of this past DH season? (22:45)Aliens vs. 1 DH rider for the fate of the world - who would you pick? (26:59)Any news about the SCOTT team or new SCOTT products? (28:38)What is Velosolutions, what is its mission, and what are you guys up to? (30:03)WARNING: soccer players might get triggered here (31:28)The Meaning of Life (38:58)Elon Musk and Claudio’s suspicions about his intentions (41:25)Claudio’s Grand Vision (50:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Okt 201759min

We talk to Pete Wagner about why the "indie" ski scene is so confusing; the Wagner factory and the unique connection with Telluride; what about their ski-building process that Pete is most proud of, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Why the “indie” ski scene is so confusing (2:43)Of the potential customers coming to check out Wagner Custom, what is it that they care about the most? (4:55)Pete’s new shop, and the unique connection between Telluride and Wagner Skis (6:54)Ski Construction 101: Wood Cores - Do they really matter? How do they differ? (11:38)Re: downhill performance, are you impressed by the new lighter-weight materials you’re seeing and working with? (18:15)Is Wagner Custom getting more orders for backcountry skis these days? (24:27)What are your particular challenges as a small, custom ski builder? (28:14)Is it easier or harder today to be a small ski builder? (31:17)What are you most proud of in terms of your specific ski-building process? (34:34) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Okt 201740min

We are live on location in Las Vegas for the Interbike tradeshow, and we talk to Blister bike editor, Noah Bodman, about the current state of Interbike; the most intriguing bikes we rode; the most interesting products we’ve seen; and the most bizarre stuff to grace the trade show floor.TOPICS & TIMES:The current state of Interbike (1:00)Interbike location: Vegas vs. Reno (2:40)Who are the biggest non-motor-having bike manufacturers here? (10:27)Most interesting bikes we rode: Zerode Taniwha & Marin Wolf Ridge (12:35)e-camouflage-hunting-fatbikes! (17:35)New coil forks (20:08)Should Interbike happen at a different time of year? (22:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Sep 201725min