Bending the Paradigm: Polartec’s Approach to “Waterproofness” & Comfort

We’ve got another edition of Shop Talk for you, where we talk with folks from one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics that range from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the local community that each shop serves.Today, we’ve got Eric Gerrmann & George Michaelsen, two friends who started The Ski Monster. You can stop by their very cool shop located at 60 Canal St in Boston, Massachusetts, or you can check them out online at theskimonster.com.We talk about how George and Eric met; how getting fired - twice! - turned out to be a very positive development; the diverse customer base they serve; why ski shops ought to work to elevate the experience of purchasing all of this expensive gear; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:How George & Eric met (8:06)Origins story of The Ski Monster (16:19)Avoiding the “race to the bottom” (39:34)Handling negative feedback (48:33)GEAR (54:23)Serving new skiers (58:52)Testing the products they carry (1:08:55)Covid & going “by appointment only” (1:17:12)Wrap up (1:28:54)What We’re Celebrating (1:31:21)RELATED LINKS:blister.getspot.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Dec 20201h 34min

We talk to Blister reviewers Sascha Anastas & Paul Forward about their ski quivers; binding preferences; coffee in AK; your questions; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Sascha’s quiver selections (10:17)Sascha’s general take on bindings (23:45)Paul’s 18-month-old son’s ski quiver (30:51)Shocking coffee revelations about Girdwood, AK (33:24)Best pow ski, regardless of place? (39:43)Blister member questions (44:01)Paul’s 3-ski quiver (51:13)DPS Lotus 124 vs DPS Koala 119 (58:21)Bindings (another shocking revelation) (1:02:21)Paul’s 2-ski quiver (1:06:07)Paul’s 1-ski quiver (1:10:15)RELATED LINKS:blister.getspot.comBlister Recommended Shop: Gear WestBlister Alpine Bindings GuideBlister Lightweight Touring Bindings Shootout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Dec 20201h 17min

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the opening day of the ski season; approaches to building ski quivers; our specific selections; Luke’s latest rant; What We’re Celebrating; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Buttered Noodles & Air Fresheners (3:31)Opening Day! (11:04)Frontside Skis We’re Now Testing (17:21)*Our* Quiver Selections (19:26)Approaches to Building a Quiver (23:11)Luke’s 3-ski quiver (33:36)Jonathan’s 3-ski quiver (36:04)Rossignol Black Ops Sender Ti (38:12)K2 Mindbender 108 Ti (40:16)Luke’s Rant (42:42)What We’re Celebrating (45:39)RELATED LINKS:Our featured Shop: PowderhoundGEAR:30 Ep. 41: Eric Helmbrecht, PowderhoundOur 20/21 Winter Buyer’s GuideBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Nov 202053min

Today we’re talking with one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on a mix of topics that range from broadly applicable to all of us, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on in the specific local community that each particular shop serves.Earlier this week I sat down in Blister headquarters with Tyson Stellrecht, the founder of Boise Gear Collective, to talk about the selling of both used gear and brand new gear; how it’s going with backcountry.com one year later; why Tyson isn’t moving into e-commerce; gear snobs; predictions for the upcoming season; and more.TOPICS & TIMESThe outdoor scene around Boise (5:12)backcountry.com - one year later (8:09)Tyson’s backstory & starting a used gear shop (14:16)The value of offering used gear & new & service (21:45)Why Tyson isn’t moving into e-commerce (24:40)Starting to sell new gear alongside used (33:17)Gear snobs (42:00)Predictions for the upcoming winter (50:34)What We’re Celebrating (59:40)RELATED LINKS:Blister Podcast ep. 109: Jason Blevins on backcountry.comBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Nov 20201h

Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the highlights and big takeaways from our new Winter Buyer’s Guide. We’ll talk about some of our Best Of award winners; whether or not the 20/21 crop of ski gear represents a step forward; and more. Then we answer a lot of the questions you submitted.TOPICS & TIMES:Luke’s soap (2:49)Our 20/21 BLISTER Buyer’s Guide (5:47)“Rounded” Flex pattern (8:50)Volkl Mantra 102 & Katana 108 (15:24)Majesty Superwolf (21:35)Salomon QST 99 (22:35)Dynastar Menace 98 (27:00)Your questions (33:49)Where did the name Blister come from? (44:59)What do I need to do to work for Blister? (50:28)Coffee makers! (1:00:45)What We’re Celebrating (1:20:33)RELATED LINKS:Watch on our YouTube channelOur featured Shop: Backcountry EssentialsOur 20/21 Winter Buyer’s GuideBecome a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Nov 20201h 28min

Today we’ve got another edition of Blister Shop Talk, where we check in with one of our Blister Recommended Shops to get their perspective on topics that range from universally applicable, to topics that help us better understand what’s going on the particular, local communities that they serve.Bentgate is an outstanding shop located in Golden, Colorado, and our guest today is John Weir. John and I talk about fitting AT boots; the rise of splitboarding; John’s (really good) predictions for this upcoming season; some of the precautions and protocols that Bentgate is taking and putting in place this winter; a lasting (positive) effect that COVID may have on the bootfitting process; and more.TOPICS & TIMESBackground on Bentgate (4:58)Backcountry boots: “Comfort Performance” fit?? (6:59)Prediction #1: upcoming season (10:38)The rise of splitboarding (14:59)Prediction #2: avy courses (19:39)Prediction #3: snow dynamics (29:33)What’s Bentgate doing different this season? (37:35)What We’re Celebrating (44:51)RELATED LINKS:Become a Blister Member Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Okt 202048min

We sat down in Blister HQ with Cody Townsend to talk about coffee makers, bindings, beacons, terrain management, mortality, movies, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Coffee Makers (9:29)SHIFT binding (14:40)Bindings in general (27:02)Movies (38:17)Tech bindings (46:33)Beacons (56:12)Terrain management & avalanche education (1:06:55)Topics for future conversations (1:20:18)What We’re Celebrating This Week (1:23:53)RELATED LINKS:Blister Podcast: Cody Townsend, Blister Speaker SeriesOff The Couch Podcast: Cody Townsend Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Okt 20201h 30min