Skier Ability Ratings Revisited; Monoskiing; & More with Powder7’s Jordan Jones
Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? What’s the difference between “advanced” and “expert”? Today, we’re following up on our GEAR:30 conversation with Luke Koppa (episode 277) to revisit these questions — having received a lot of great responses from all of you. Joining Jonathan today to rethink these things is Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7, to provide a retailer’s perspective on these things. See what you think, and let us know whether you think we ought to change or tweak our 6 ability level categories for Community Reviews.RELATED LINKS:OpenSnow.com/BlisterTaos Ski Valley Ski WeekJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Ep. 277: Jonathan & Luke on Skier Ability LevelsTOPICS & TIMES:Meeting Up in Girdwood, AK (8:15)Technique (12:37)Is Our Bar Too High for “Expert”?(16:46)Our “Advanced” Category (25:53)Advanced & Expert Descriptions (28:56)Assigning Ability Levels to Skis (32:04)Skier Weight vs Skier Power (39:13)Skier Personality / Style (44:29)Accounting for Different Conditions / Locations (48:10)Monoskiing (51:27)Final Thought: The Best Skiers on the Mtn (59:08)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 Jan 20241h 1min
Gear Predictions, 2024
Today, we’re following up last week’s episode, where we looked back at 2023’s “Gear Of The Year,” and we’re now looking forward to 2024. Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out,” what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and spin off into several other tangents.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: OpenSnow.com/BlisterGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2024Ep. 278: Gear of the Year, 2023TOPICS & TIMES:2023 Gear Trends (2:26)What’s “In” for 2024? (8:05)What’s “Out” for 2024? (15:27)What Trends are Coming Back? (25:55)Categories to See the Most Change? (31:11)Crashes & Close Calls (38:24)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 Jan 202446min
Gear of the Year, 2023
Jonathan Ellsworth sits down with Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Justin Bobb to reflect on some of the standout products and notable trends that defined the past year in ski and snowboard gear. So, what trend does Luke think is “the gear equivalent of superhero movies?” How many BOA dials has JBobb broken in a decade as a self-described BOA convert? What’s Kara’s pick for the “Not New But Still Amazing Award?” Take a listen and find out.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Taos Ski ValleyBlister Recommended Shop: Zimmermann’s Skis, Boards & More Become a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Biggest Developments & TrendsSki Boots (4:21)Snowboard Boots & Boards (17:56)Snowboard Bindings (22:03)Ski Bindings (26:06)Standout Products (31:54)Best Values (51:36)Not New But Still Amazing Award (1:00:33)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 Dec 20231h 6min
Blister Community Reviews Launch; How Much Info is Too Much / Too Little; & Other Contentious Topics
We just launched our new Blister Labs project, Blister Community Reviews, so Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss where it is today; how it will evolve; and some big questions like, how much info is too much or too little?; how to best define the difference between an intermediate, advanced, and expert skier; rating scale debates; and more.RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2024Video: Blister Labs Summit Panel SessionGEAR:30 #257: Previous Labs Convo TOPICS & TIMES:Solstice & World Snowboard Day (1:54)Blister Community Reviews (7:47)Defining Skier Ability Levels (20:03)Rating Scales (32:31)Should Our Reviewers Contribute? (37:55)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 Dec 202346min
Skiing with Your Eyes Closed, Shop Pizza, Egg Beaters, & Ski Boots with Greg Klein
Shane McConkey’s college roommate is back on GEAR:30, and Jonathan talks to Greg Klein (president of Willi’s Ski & Snowboard Shops) about all the stuff in the episode title, plus the $10,000 bet made at our Blister Summit that it looks like he’s won?RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2024TOPICS & TIMES:Shop Pizza (4:02)Greg @ the White House / Sustainability (8:17)Ski Boots, Walk Modes & Winning Bets (22:04)The Future: Cables, BOAs, or Buckles? (33:57)90-Flex Boots (41:46)Ski-Boot Pricing (46:32)Egg Beaters & Eyes-Closed Skiing (57:57)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15 Dec 20231h 6min
Folsom’s Spar 78, New ‘Rotor’ Pow Ski, & Jonathan’s Custom Touring Ski Project
Jonathan and Folsom Custom Ski’s Mike McCabe discuss the skinniest ski in the Folsom lineup, the Spar 78; Folsom’s new huge pow ski, the Rotor; and then they discuss a new custom touring-ski project for Jonathan, and dive deep into the various layup & core combinations one would use to hit certain weight targets. Our fellow gear dorks, you’re going to dig this one.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Powder7.comJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:What’s going on at Folsom? (5:30)Folsom Spar 78 (8:08)New: Folsom Rotor (11:58)Backstory: Folsom ‘Giver’ & ‘Primary’ (14:02)Bag Balm x Blister x Folsom (20:55)JE’s Custom Touring Ski Project (34:30)Which Bindings? (38:36)Which Boots? (42:21)Ski Length (52:11)Weight (54:44)The Hammer (1:08:44)Folsom’s Configurations (1:14:53)Mount Point (1:16:44)Camber Profile (1:19:03)Mike’s ‘Crashes & Close Calls’ Story (1:30:26)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 Dec 20231h 43min
Reviewer Reports: Early-Season Ski Gear Testing, Mtn Biking in Nepal, & More
Luke Koppa, Kara Williard, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss getting back on snow, the best holiday of the year, ski boots, frontside skis, mountain biking in Nepal, engagement taco parties, and new apparel.RELATED LINKS:Join Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Blister Summit Update (0:00)Back on Snow (3:41)Ski Boots (12:16)Mtn Biking in Nepal (23:49)Frontside Skis (32:02)Apparel (50:01)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 Dec 20231h
Biggest Ski Buying Mistakes + Ski Tuning, Ski Wax, & Ski Boots
What are some of the biggest mistakes skiers make when buying gear? And what do regular, recreational skiers & snowboarders need to know about ski tuning and waxing? Jonathan discusses these questions and more with Logan and Riley Boone of Boone Mountain Sports. They also talk about how they all met (it was in Austria), and Jonathan reveals the upcoming ‘Blister 90-Flex Challenge’.TOPICS & TIMES:Blister Summit Update (1:50)How / Where We All Met (8:09)Intros: Logan, Riley, & Boone Mountain Sports (13:44)Kombucha, Music Festivals, & Youth Programs (18:33)Biggest Ski Buying Mistakes? (28:42)The Blister ‘90-Flex Challenge’ (35:11)Ski Tuning (51:00)Waxing (1:08:35)Crashes & Close Calls (1:13:50)The Boone Mountain Sports Logo (1:23:30)RELATED LINKSJoin Us! Blister Summit 2024Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBlister PodcastCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 Nov 20231h 28min
