GEAR:30

Which ski company is most like which bike company? Who is the Moment Skis of the bike world? And which ski company shares the most family resemblance with Yeti? Or Transition?Jonathan Ellsworth and Blister's bike editor, Noah Bodman, have been having this conversation for years, and they're now taking the debate public. So give it a listen, then let us know in the comments section of the show notes to this episode on the site where you agree, where you disagree, and where you've got the better analogies. Then in a week or two, we'll run Part 2 of this conversation, where we’ll share some of your comments and questions, and do another round of Bikes vs Skis.TOPICS & TIMES:Which ski brand is most like Specialized? (4:15)Evil & Transition? (8:48)Yeti (15:41)Santa Cruz (25:40)Giant (34:02)Trek (42:04)YT (45:55)Cannondale? (51:08)Ellsworth? (52:48)Pivot vs. Ibis, Transition, and Yeti (55:03)Preview of Part 2 of Bikes vs. Skis (59:25)RELATED LINKS:Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 2Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 2Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 1Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 2PRESENTING SPONSOR:The 750 miles of trail in Gunnison / Crested Butte Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Juli 20181h 1min

We talk with Blister editors, Luke Koppa and Sam Shaheen, about the recent Alpenglow Mountain Festival and running with our hero, Courtney Dauwalter. Then we talk about some of the key things we learned during our ski testing this spring, including the correct thing to think about Domino's thin-crust pizza, dumb gear, and great gear.TOPICS & TIMES:Luke's recap of the Alpenglow Summer Mountain Festival (2:01)In praise of our hero, Courtney Dauwalter (4:02)Rants & Revelations from our spring ski testing - #1: Domino's thin-crust pizza (7:36)Recommendation #2: Primus Kuchoma Grill (11:05)On Hubris - groomers & pond skims (12:08)Rant #1: waterproof jackets: hard shells vs soft shells (19:05)Rant #2: socks (24:14)Rant #3: waterproof low-cut shoes (26:33)Recommendation #3: Patagonia's new R1 TechFace (28:18)Recommendation #4: the redesigned Flylow Richie Hoody (29:15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Juni 201833min

Jonathan Ellsworth sat down with Mike McCabe at the Folsom Skis headquarters in Denver, Colorado, to dial in "The Hammer" that they have been discussing for a long time now, and that's based on the Folsom Primary Jonathan reviewed last season.They then talk about three other new skis that Mike's recently developed, the Spar 88, some new editions of the Rad Dad, and the Primary Plus. (You can see graphics for all these skis - including The Hammer - here on the site.)TOPICS & TIMES:Background on The Hammer (2:33)Folsom's new "Primary Plus" (11:14)Tweaks to the Primary to create The Hammer (12:08)The new Folsom SPAR 88 (27:06)New variation of the Folsom Rad Dad (31:09)More on the new Folsom Primary Plus (35:53) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Maj 201847min

Jonathan Ellsworth and Blister senior editor, Sam Shaheen, discuss a number of new skis they've been reviewing recently, including two skis from Prior Skis — the CBC and the Husume. They then discuss the new Atomic Bent Chetler 100, the K2 Wayback 106, the Scott Super Guide 105, and Sam offers his thoughts on the ski that is serving as our reference ski for the lightweight AT binding comparison review we’re conducting, the Salomon MTN Explore 95.TOPICS & TIMES:Prior CBC (1:50)Prior Husume (7:44)K2 Wayback 106 (11:55)Scott Super Guide 105 (15:33)Atomic Bent Chetler 100 (16:47)Salomon MTN Explore 95 (20:01) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Maj 201827min

It seems like everyone who hasn’t been to Alaska dreams of going, and those who have been dream of going back. So today we’re talking about spring skiing and biking in Alaska with Eric Helmbrecht, the owner of Powder Hound ski shop in Girdwood, AK.Eric and I talk a bit about some of the inbounds and touring gear that he thinks works particularly well in Alaska’s maritime snowpack and unique terrain, and some of the boots and bindings that are coming out next year. Then, Eric provides a bit of beta on spring skiing and biking in Alaska, and we wrap up with some talk about the quickly-growing mountain bike scene around Girdwood and Anchorage.TOPICS & TIMES:Introducing Eric / starting Powder Hound in Girdwood, AK (1:05)What skis do you like for AK's snowpack and terrain? (7:32)AT boots - Scarpa Maestrale RS, Atomic XTD 130, Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro (19:14)AT boot liners (27:57)AT bindings (31:29)Beta on spring ski skiing in Alaska (38:31)Spring mountain biking in Alaska (46:04) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Apr 201853min

G3 (aka, Genuine Guide Gear) is introducing a new touring binding — the Zed — that they’re calling the lightest fully-featured AT binding on the market. So we talk to G3’s engineers about their design philosophy and development process, current trends in AT bindings, and the compromises inherent in any AT binding.TOPICS & TIMES:Introductions (2:15)When did work begin on this binding, and what was the primary aim? (4:55)The “Dark Swamp of Despair” (8:03)The difficulty of naming products (11:09)The G3 ION as the precursor to the ZED (12:37)Cutting weight on the ZED (17:14)Why choose the ION over the ZED? (26:03)Why choose the Zed over "ultralight" bindings (29:07)Using ultralight bindings on wide skis (30:19)Carbon reinforced plastics (33:51)Current binding trends and U-Spring bindings (37:15)Understanding the inherent compromises in bindings (44:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Apr 201850min

We just finished testing a bunch of skis at Taos, and because of a closing-week snowstorm, we ended up getting on everything from very heavy, modified race skis, to a new, extremely light big mountain ski. So Blister editors Sam Shaheen and Luke Koppa join me to go over a number of the highlights, including the new Atomic Bent Chetler 100, the HEAD Supershape i.Titan, a new carver from DPS, the Black Crows Orb, and what might be my new personal favorite ski from Blizzard.TOPICS & TIMES:Shredding West Basin in a Hello Kitty onesie & snowblades (2:04)Atomic Bent Chetler 100 (5:48)Bent Chetler 100 vs. LINE Sick Day 104 (8:20)Renoun Citadel 106 (13:41)Blizzard Brahma (17:28)Update on the Fritschi Tecton (20:00)Black Crows Orb (22:15)HEAD SuperShape i.Titan (29:10)HEAD i.Speed Pro (33:10)DPS Cassiar 79 - “The Trainer” (35:34) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Apr 201841min

We're talking about new backcountry gear and some of the changes to backcountry ski culture with the founder of Bentgate, Greg Floyd. Greg founded Bentgate in Golden, Colorado back in 1994, and Bentgate has become a cornerstone shop in the front range of Colorado for all things skiing and climbing.TOPICS & TIMES:How Bentgate got its start (2:20)How Greg has watched backcountry skiing culture change (6:05)Bentgate’s Backcountry 101 sessions (7:23)Sam Shaheen’s close call in Japan (19:04)Some of Greg’s favorite AT gear (23:25)Bentgate’s take on the Atomic / Salomon Shift binding (25:47)G3 Zed binding (28:07)Icelantic Skis (29:44)22 Designs bindings (31:04)Arc’teryx outerwear (32:00)Flylow Gear (33:36)Black Crows skis (34:32)Climbing skins: G3 vs. Black Diamond vs. Pomoca vs. Contour (35:31) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Mars 201841min