BLISTER Podcast

On July 9, Blister founder, Jonathan Ellsworth, was involved in a near-fatal fall while ski touring on Independence Pass. This is the account of what happened; what can be learned from the incident and our decision-making; and what's next for him.TOPICS & TIMES:Jonathan's friends describe the accident (0:00)Our group — who was there (5:00)The objective that day (10:00)The line (17:30)The crash (27:57)The response (39:20)The decision to walk out (55:36)The bear incident (1:17:17)What’s next (1:24:12) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Jul 20171h 24min

Jason Levinthal just acquired 4FRNT Skis, so we talk to Levinthal and 4FRNT founder, Matt Sterbenz, about the deal; what brought it about; what we can expect going forward; and the state of the ski industry in general.TOPICS & TIMES:So what exactly just happened here? (2:52)Will this affect where 4FRNT skis are produced? What else will change? (11:41)What does it mean to be an "indie" ski brand in today's arena? (15:20)When did you guys first start talking about the possibility of teaming up? (21:17)What’s going to change and what’s going to stay the same in the next season or two? (25:18)Matt: what’s your favorite LINE ski or J Ski that you’ve seen or been on? (29:15)Do you think we’ll see more acquisitions like this in the coming years — specifically, of indies teaming up? (35:27)Closing Thoughts (43:45) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Jun 201747min

Tommy Caldwell is one of the most accomplished big-wall climbers of all time. And while his freeing of the Dawn Wall on Yosemite’s El Capitan might be the feat that he’s best known for, his catalog of accomplishments in the climbing world is ridiculous. But Tommy is more than just an all-time great climber, he’s also just published a truly excellent book called, The Push, that John Krakauer calls “the most insightful book about climbing I’ve ever read, and quite possibly the most enjoyable.” We sat down with Tommy at his home in Estes Park, Colorado, to talk about a number of things in his book and a whole bunch of other stuff, including the discipline of writing; Alex Honnold’s recent free solo of Freerider and the contemplation of risk that the feat inexorably raises. Tommy and I also discuss the desire for balance with the reality that great achievements always seem to require an obsessive focus (and a complete lack of balance). And finally, we talk about the future of climbing which then leads us into some bigger questions about technology, raising kids, and basically modern society in general.TOPICS & TIMES:Writing (and Climbing and Suffering) (0:00)Kyrgyzstan & Self Examination (11:00)Self-Identity & Self-Worth (28:38)Tommy on risk, Free Soloing, & Honnold's solo of Freerider (32:45)Faith (49:30)Avoiding burnout (52:08)Of all of your climbing accomplishments, which makes you think, “I can’t believe I pulled this off?” (57:59)Obsessive Focus vs. the “Desire for Balance” (01:01:18)Pros and cons of climbing going mainstream (01:09:23)What’s Next? (01:21:50) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Jun 20171h 27min

Jim Harris is as passionate about and as involved in the outdoors industry as anyone, but a serious accident threatened to change that. But the real story here is Jim's "crazy" recovery, and the lessons he has learned (and that we would do well to learn from him) about dealing with obstacles, understanding self-identity, and defining self worth.TOPICS & TIMES:Jim's entrance — and rise — in the outdoors industry (0:00)Advice on starting any creative pursuit, and why you shouldn't pander to your audience (9:05)The details of Jim's accident (22:55)What now? Life after the accident (33:20)Would you go back to your life prior to the injury? (38:15)Jim's crazy recovery (43:35)What are you currently most passionate about? (53:10)Important Stuff: Self Development, Self-Identity, & Self Worth (58:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Jun 20171h 13min

In this episode, Blister's climbing editor joins us in the attempt to wrap our heads around Honnold’s successful free solo of El Cap, and to debate whether this is the greatest athletic achievement ever.TOPICS & TIMES:What exactly did Alex Honnold just do? (2:40)Difference between free solo climbing vs. free climbing vs. aid climbing vs. rope soloing (5:45)Talk about the specifics of the Freerider route / Honnold’s route (11:20)The *speed* of Alex’s ascent (22:25)Locating Honnold’s free solo among other climbing feats (32:17)Climbing and Mainstream Culture (41:30)Biggest Achievement in Sport Climbing? (45:22)Biggest Achievement in Bouldering? (52:55)Is Honnold’s free solo the greatest athletic achievement ever? What are the contenders? (59:12)Dean Potter’s take on Alex Honnold (1:11:30)Zen and the Art of (Honnold’s) Free Soloing (1:12:38) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Jun 20171h 27min

We talk to ridiculously-well-rounded-skier Michelle Parker about joining the Arc'teryx team, her work with S.A.F.E.A.S Clinics, her upcoming trips, gear, mountain lions, and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMES:Michelle's recent and upcoming trips (2:05)Joining the Arc'teryx team, and why it's a good fit (4:34)Where are you on the gear-head spectrum between "Don't care" and "Eric Hjorleifson" (8:35)Michelle's current one-ski quiver (12:28)The age-old topic of women's-specific skis and boots, and why it matters so much (17:12)Michelle’s background: racing, soccer, slopestyle, halfpipe, big mountain skiing (24:12)Climbing (31:05)S.A.F.E.A.S. Clinics (34:03)Outside of skiing & climbing, what else are you up to? (37:50)Michelle’s “pretend band” (46:43)Upcoming Trips & who she's going with (49:00)Biking (and Swimming) (51:15)Ski touring with Greg Hill ... and Mountain Lions??? (56:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Mai 20171h 1min

We just got back from week-long review trip in Bend, Oregon, and while we were in Bend, we went to pay a visit to one of the best big-mountain skiers of all time, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa. We talk about a whole bunch of topics, but it is particularly fascinating to hear Sage talk about his preparation — how cautious he claims to be in the mountains — which isn’t exactly obvious given that Sage has thrown down some of the heaviest lines anyone has skied in Alaska. For Sage, skiing is simply fun. But big-mountain skiing — the stuff you see him doing in his film segments — is all about Problem Solving. So if you think he’s out there just hucking his meat with abandon, you’ll need to think again.TOPICS & TIMES:Sage’s “Ranch” — the dream spot (1:50)How / Why Bend? (3:03)Sage’s injury & rehab (5:10)Some keys to being injury-free for so long (8:15)Approaching Alaska — taking it “ridiculously mellow”? (11:15)Sage on Intuition (and the Double Front Flip) (17:00)Sage on Preparation — Skiing as Problem Solving (19:58)Ski racing, big-mountain skiing, and practicing the fundamentals (27:36)Kids, Parenthood, & Skiing (36:01)Sage on Mt Bachelor and their Northwest Express Lift (40:00)Sage's Future (which probably involves alpacas) (42:20)Sage on the future of skiing (49:18)Parting Thoughts (59:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Mai 20171h 2min

We brought a bunch of next year’s skis to Mt Bachelor for a week of testing, so on this podcast, we discuss what we've been skiing, what was the most surprising, and what else stood out. Then we talk about what our 1-ski quiver and 2-ski quiver selections would be for Mt Bachelor. So here are our very fresh thoughts on a number of very high-profile skis.TOPICS & TIMES:DPS Wailer A 112 (2:30)ON3P Billy Goat (5:20)Black Crows Anima (7:00)Nordica Enforcer 110 & Enforcer Pro (8:30)Atomic Backland 109 (11:29)Question: One-Ski Quiver for Mt Bachelor? (12:50)Question: Two-Ski Quiver for Mt Bachelor? (18:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Mai 201726min