Rebecca Rusch on Battling Back, Switching Gears, Mtn Biking vs Gravel Biking, & More

Back in 2022, on a ski trip to Mazama, Washington, K2 ski designer, Jed Yeiser, K2 skier, McKenna Peterson, and Jonathan agreed that they would one day have a conversation about ‘The Hitchhiker's Guide’ for the Blister Book Club. And today is that day. Plus, this strange little book seems to only be gaining more relevance with each passing year.You’re also going to learn about the sport of ski-boxing; you’ll get a sneak peek at the name of a future K2 ski, and you can decide whether you agree with my suggestion that Vanilla Ice was influenced by this book.Note: We Want to Hear From You!We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. You can email those to us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+Our Newsletter w/ Weekly Polls & GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:McKenna’s BLISTER+ Experience (1:42)Why We Chose This Book (3:44)Introductions (6:44)When did you first read this book? (11:03)Elon Musk (23:12)The Guide as an Exercise in Humility (26:03)Skiing in the Hitchhiker’s Guide (33:57)Best Ski Names Inspired by the Book? (38:38)Should We Read All the Books in the Series? (44:03)The Inspiration for the Books (46:06)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Juli 57min

Cody and Jonathan are back to review the news, rate your takes, and share what we’ve been reading & watching.Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. You can email those to us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+Our Newsletter w/ Weekly Polls & GiveawaysTOPICS & TIMES:BLISTER+ Friends & Future Friends? (1:32)Public Lands (2:45)Western States 100 (6:39)Cody’s Take on Peak Skis (15:50)Chairlifts: Should Bar Down Be Mandatory? (25:13)The DOJ Prosecutes Top Trail Runner? (41:21)Rate My Take #1: REI Revisited (48:52)Rate My Take #2: State of Ski Media (1:00:41)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:11:25)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Juli 1h 30min

Today, we are talking about health, fitness, and performance with Dr. Steve Burkert, owner of Snow Beast Performance, located just outside of Burlington, Vermont. Steve and Jonathan discuss some best practices for training for outdoor sports, the most common summer injuries, what we can do to prevent those, and how best to treat them once they happen. They then discuss some eye-opening trends in the physical therapy world that all of us need to understand. Finally, you’re going to hear a little teaser about our new BLISTER+ Recommended Providers program.Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. You can email those to us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:BLISTER+ Member Story (1:26)What is Snow Beast Performance? (3:23)Steve’s background (4:47)Most Common Outdoor Summer Sports Injuries? (7:40)Prehab, Rehab, Performance (13:13)Getting ‘Spicy,’ Not Getting Injured (17:48)Aging & Training (23:09)Tips for Mtn Bikers & Cyclists (28:59)Strength Training (32:29)Tips for Runners (35:25)Tips for Climbers (43:59)Best Rehab Practices (45:45)Seeking Care vs. “Walking It Off” (49:18)Another BLISTER+ Story (56:01)Teaser: BLISTER+ Recommended Providers (1:05:52)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Juni 1h 12min

At Blister Summit 2025, we brought together some legends of snowsports — Hoji, Marcus Caston, Nick Russell, & Chris Davenport — to have them share some life updates; their best mountain-town (and relationship) advice; trip reports and travel stories; and more.Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. You can email those to us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:New BLISTER+ Members (1:55)Introductions (2:23)Life Updates (9:58)Riding Groomers with Nick (14:25)Mogul Skiing with Marcus (17:00)Skiing in Japan (18:18)Backcountry Safety (26:17)Dav on Snow Safety w/ the 14er Classics (36:40)Audience questions:Technology / More People in the Backcountry (39:54)Thoughts on / Concerns with the Industry? (42:03)Maintaining Relationships while Traveling for Work (43:59)Having Loved Ones who Worry about Your Safety (47:10)Group Decision Making (50:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Juni 1h

What does the future of freeskiing look like? And who is working to shape that future?Today, Luke Koppa talks with James Woods (aka Woodsy) about how he and fellow pro skiers, Ferdinand Dahl and Oystein Braaten, founded Jib League to fill voids that they were noticing in the freeskiing world. What they came up with proved to be a unique event series that’s been loved by athletes and viewers alike, and the story of how it came to be is just as interesting as all the absurd tricks put down by the riders at each stop. As you’ll hear right away, Woodsy truly loves all aspects of freeskiing, and his passion is contagious — so regardless of whether you’ve ever hit a rail or gone off a jump, we think you’ll really enjoy this conversation.RELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+Jib League on YouTubeJib League Instagram'The League' DocumentaryTOPICS & TIMES:New BLISTER+ Members (1:55)Woodsy’s Ski Career (3:46)What is Jib League? (5:02)Criteria and Formatting (12:48)Rider Judging & Voting (19:06)Feedback so Far? (33:43)Future of Jib League? (35:57)Media Production (40:14)‘The League’ Documentary (45:11)Woodsy’s Highlights (51:34)Future of Freeskiing (1:01:26)How to Watch Jib League (1:08:26)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Juni 1h 10min

Jonathan talks with Will Cockrell about his excellent book, Everest, Inc.: The Renegades & Rogues who Built an Industry at the Top of the World. They discuss the fascinating history of guiding on Everest, the evolution of the industry, and the broader topic of ethics, principles, and parameters of guiding in general, anywhere.Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News, your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or your spiciest hot takes for us to rate. Email those to us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKSBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredEverest, Inc.Mountain Words Festival in CBBlister Pod #313: Adrian BallingerBlister Pod #12: Dave HahnTOPICS & TIMES:Why a Pioneer of Big Mtn Skiing Got BLISTER+ (1:45)Current Feats on Everest (3:16)The Topic of Everest (5:34)Why Does Everest Cause Such Strong Feelings? (8:10)The Business of Everest (19:23)The Ethics & Art of Guiding (23:05)The Name ‘Everest’ (31:53)Nims (35:28)The fame of Everest (43:18)Innovations in Guiding & Technology (50:10)What’s Next for Everest? (55:17)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Juni 1h 2min

Cody and Jonathan discuss Rob Katz’s return as the CEO of Vail; what’s going on with REI; the sale of Pieps; the latest way to speed up Mt. Everest; the Most Canadian News; the return of the Blister Book Club; what we’re reading & watching; and more.Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; your most pressing mountain town advice questions; or you spiciest hot takes for us to rate. Email those to us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKSSkratch Labs: Fuel SmartBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Jonathan’s Mtn Bike Fuel (1:34)Does BLISTER+ Cover Owl Attacks? (2:32)Blevins’ Corner: Katz Back as CEO of Vail (5:26)REI: What’s Going On? (18:42)New Ways to Get Up Everest Fast (31:51)The Sale of Pieps (42:08)EV Battery Breakthrough? (47:58)Most Canadian News (57:28)What We’re Reading & Watching: (57:28)Alex Hutchinson, The Explorer’s Gene (57:37)Will Cockrell, Everest, Inc. (1:01:44)Blister Book Club is back (1:05:14)The Last of Us (1:06:20)The NFL Draft / Peak Optimism (1:14:03)Mountainhead (1:17:14)Andor (1:23:10)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Juni 1h 28min

Public lands are one of the few unifiers for a huge number of Americans — but they’re currently under attack.On this episode, Luke Koppa talks with Blister reviewer and conservation advocate, Paul Forward, about these developments and why anyone who enjoys the outdoors should be concerned about some recent legislation. We cover several worrying provisions in the U.S. Budget Reconciliation bill; how the outdoor community helped get some of the worst additions removed from the current version; and why there’s still a need for all of us to take action to ensure that our public lands are responsibly managed and utilized in the future.RELATED LINKS:Contact Your SenatorsGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Details on the Budget BillSenate Energy & Natural Resources Committee: MembersMore Info on Ambler RoadAnalysis from Outdoor AlliancePublic Land Use Polling DataTOPICS & TIMES:New BLISTER+ Members (2:07)Recent Developments re: Public Lands (4:33)Ambler Road Development (13:18)What’s Still In This Bill & the Boundary Waters Mine (18:06)Mandatory Oil, Gas, & Coal Leasing + Lower Royalty Fees (20:30)Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (22:51)Pay-To-Play Environmental Review Changes (28:04)Calling Your Representatives (37:37)Public Lands Are A Bipartisan Issue (41:25)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Maj 47min