BLISTER Podcast (BLISTER)

So how does a kid from a little town in New York end up becoming a global product manager at one of the largest ski and boot manufacturers in the world, and living in Austria? And why does he believe that studying philosophy in college and in grad school turned out to be the ideal preparation for his day-to-day responsibilities at Atomic?

We’re talking to Matt Manser about his background, his studies in philosophy, his experience as a bootfitter, and the design decisions that go into the creation of every ski boot he works on, including the current Atomic Hawx Ultra and Hawx Ultra XTD.

Matt and I cover a lot of topics, so if you want to dip in and out of our conversation, check the show notes on the website or on your phone to see a list of the topics and times.

Also, if you’d like to ask Matt a question or give him some feedback, you can hit him up on instagram at: @onenerdykid — and if he isn’t too busy playing video games or reading Aristotle, you will probably get a reply back pretty quickly.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Where do you currently live, and what is your title at Atomic? (1:35)
• Background: where did you grow up & when did you start skiing? (4:13)
• College: discovering philosophy (9:03)
• Why study philosophy & logic? (11:48)
• Philosophy, bootfitting, and bootfitting for Doug Coombs and other athletes (23:40)
• Matt’s job: taking a boot from concept to finished product (36:42)
• What do you consider to be the three main aspects of making a great ski boot? (39:51)
• Managing the different expectations of skiers in different parts of the world (44:26)
• Trivia Question: Guess which company sells the most World Cup race boots? (47:23)
• On the Atomic Hawx Ultra — developing a lightweight alpine boot (51:45)
• Why it’s so difficult to build lightweight ski boots with a progressive flex (55:10)
• Marcel Hirscher: what it's like working with one of the greatest ski racers of all time (1:06:26)
• On the different intentions behind the Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 120 vs. XTD 130 (1:11:33)

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Black Crows is one of the hottest brands in the entire ski world, and today we’re talking with their co-founder, Camille Jaccoux, and head ski designer, Julien Regnier, about the origins and design principles of the brand, a few of the important skis in the history of the company, and what's next.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When did Black Crows start, and talk a bit about what was going on at the time in skiing? (2:58)
• When & how Julien and Camille met (9:17)
• Chamonix’s particular impact on the company and the skis they were making (12:29)
• The 1st Black Crows ski: the Corvus (13:30)
• The 2nd Black Crows ski: the Navis (14:45)
• The origin of the Black Crows name & the Black Crows logo (16:00)
• If someone were to ask, “What do Black Crows skis ski like?”, what would your answer be? (22:03)
• Julien on the new-for-this-season Black Crows Daemon (23:25)
• Which are your personal favorite skis in the lineup? (29:35)
• Outside of the ski world, what areas of design are you interested in? (34:10)
• Julien on the Japanese architect, Tadao Ando (34:55)
• Camille on the designer, Yorgo Tloupas (36:30)
• On the move from making only skis to making other hardgoods, and now, Black Crows apparel (41:10)

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Today we’re talking with New York Times sportswriter, Karen Crouse, about her new book, Norwich.

Norwich is a tiny town in Vermont that has produced eleven Olympians, and Karen’s extremely well-written book looks into how it is that this little town has managed to produce so many successful athletes.

But Karen is also exploring far bigger, universal questions about the relationship of athletic achievement and personal well-being, and really, I think her book Norwich is best understood as a blueprint for how to raise and train athletes to be more than mere medal-winning machines. Norwich is a book about community, about parenting, and how to go about helping kids become fully-developed people who are well positioned to lead happy, healthy lives.

Karen and I also discuss the current state of the Olympic Games, since Karen has been to and has covered a bunch of them and will be at the Olympics again next month, and she and I talk about how her time spent with all-time achievers like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods has informed her thoughts on the price of greatness.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How do you sum up what this book is about? (1:55)
• How do you view the state of the Olympics today? (4:17)
• Some of the principles of Norwich that are worth emulating / cultivating (8:51)
• Takeaways from the experience of Olympic moguls skier, Hannah Kearney (13:53)
• Ford Sayre & Norwich’s culture of volunteering (23:38)
• Replicating elsewhere the connection between Dartmouth College & Norwich (28:09)
• Praising Effort vs. Praising Results (31:07)
• Cultivating Happiness, Cultivating Greatness (on Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, & Hannah Kearney) (34:04)
• Placing the Person before the Performer - shifting our priorities (51:14)

Connect with Karen on Twitter at: @bykaren

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This week we're talking to Greg Hill and Chris Rubens. Greg is probably best known for his feats in ski touring, including his accomplishment in 2010 of skiing 2 million vertical feet in a year. And Chris Rubens is probably best known for being dumb enough to try to keep up with Greg.

We sat down with Greg and Chris in Denver to talk about how the two became the unofficial power couple of Revelstoke, and to learn more about the logistics of their latest Electric Adventure which took them from Revy to Colorado in an electric car for a screening of their new film, The Curve of Time.

Greg and Chris talk about what inspired the film, how it embodies both their love of the outdoors and their continued efforts to consider the impact that each of us is having on the environment — and what we might do about that. So I really hope their new film and our conversation here stimulate some new thoughts that get each of us to take some new actions.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When did you guys meet? (2:10)
• Greg’s background & trajectory (5:35)
• How long have you guys been adventuring together? (8:45)
• The Salomon film, Guilt Trip (11:12)
• Chris & Gregs' Electric Adventures - the logistics of journeying in various electric cars (15:25)
• Recognizing our footprints, taking steps to reduce it (22:38)
• Taking action & the charges of hypocrisy (26:08)
• The new film by Jordan Manley, The Curve of Time (30:45)

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Cyrus Schenck is the founder of the company, Renoun, and a ski designer with an award-winning technology that's used by no other ski manufacturer in the world. Cyrus is thinking big. And definitely outside of the box. And definitely not just about skis.

So we talk to Cyrus about building skis with non-Newtonian polymers, and everything else he's working on — both inside and outside the world of skiing.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Cyrus’ background (2:50)
• Starting Renoun & working with “Non-Newtonian Polymers” (6:25)
• So what is the on-snow advantage of using “HDT” in a ski? (16:14)
• How does HDT work? (18:23)
• If HDT is so great, why don’t more companies use it? (34:11)
• Other applications for HDT - like NBA flooring?? (36:03)
• Why expanding into other industries could be great for skiing (39:36)
• Who is “Renoun” — you and who else? (41:49)
• Renoun’s current ski lineup (42:16)
• Renoun’s new ski - The Citadel - with carbon + HDT (45:16)
• Why Renoun’s 100-Day Guarantee is the smartest thing any indie could offer (49:14)
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (53:54)

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We stopped by the headquarters of Venture Snowboards in Silverton, Colorado, to talk to Venture’s founders, Lisa and Klem Branner. As you’ll hear, Venture does a lot of things different than most snowboard companies. For example, very few companies are manufacturing snowboards here in the U.S., and even fewer of those companies are starting from scratch — literally building boards starting with raw lumber.

So we talked to Lisa and Klem about why they do what they do, why they chose to build in the tiny town of Silverton, and why it all matters. We also discuss why Klem really dislikes using the term “sustainable” when it comes to building snowboards; why he thinks it’s a bad idea to build snowboards with traditional camber; which current trends in snowboard design he thinks are stupid; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When & where did you two meet? (03:00)
• Klem on making the first board he ever rode (5:04)
• From grad school to starting Venture Snowboards (7:22)
• The decision to set up shop in Silverton, Colorado (10:26)
• Why start a snowboard company? (15:10)
• Real talk about “greenwashing” in the snowboard industry (16:26)
• What sets Venture apart: building their boards from scratch (21:56)
• Advantages & challenges of manufacturing in Silverton (25:42)
• Why Klem thinks traditional camber sucks and is unnecessary (27:53)
• Craft beer + craft boards: Venture’s collab with Ska Brewing (38:08)
• What current trends in board design do you like or dislike? (41:27)
• The rise of splitboarding and backcountry riding (46:16)
• Venture’s 18/19 lineup — and why they don’t overhaul their line all the time (48:33)
• Why should anyone care that Venture boards are built in Silverton? (53:06)

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We have been receiving more and more questions about Sego Skis and requests to review them, so today, you’re going to get the backstory. Sego was founded by two brothers, Tim and Peter Wells, and Sego is headquartered in the small mountain town of Victor, Idaho. So we talked to Tim and Peter about starting a ski company (actually, how they started two ski companies) and why they decided to set up shop in Victor to build skis.

Then we go over some particular Sego skis, working with Lynsey Dyer, the snowblades they’re producing, and why they have a ski called the Condor that has nothing on it other than … an avocado.

You can check out now our First Look at the Condor, and, if you become a Blister member, you can also read our Flash Review of the Condor and get our initial on-snow impressions of the ski.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Introducing Sego's founders, Tim & Peter Wells (1:33)
• Starting their 1st ski company + lessons learned (4:08)
• Starting their 2nd ski company, Sego (13:19)
• Why the name Sego? (16:49)
• Exactly what are you building in Victor, Idaho? (17:35)
• Advantages and challenges of manufacturing in Victor (21:30)
• Demo days & the Sego school bus (29:19)
• Becoming a "premier North American manufacturer" (33:08)
• Sego's best selling skis: the Cleaver 102 & Lynsey Dyer's pro models, the UP Pro 110 & UP Pro 92 (34:35)
• Sego's women's lineup & working with Lynsey Dyer 36:15)
• The ski Peter's most proud of - Tim's personal ski (39:17)
• Sego's 18/19 lineup - including the Condor (aka, the Avocado) (42:40)
• Sego snowblades! (51:30)

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We’re talking with Renan Ozturk, an expedition climber, landscape artist, filmmaker, co-founder of Camp4 Collective, and the principal cinematographer of the very powerful film, “MOUNTAIN.” MOUNTAIN is an epic meditation on our relationship to and fascination with mountains. Directed by Jennifer Peedom and narrated by Willem Dafoe, the script is based on Robert Macfarlane's, "Mountains of the Mind," and the film features many of the best mountain sports athletes in the world — Alex Honnold, Candide Thovex, Conrad Anker, Tommy Caldwell, Hilaree O’Neil, Danny MacAskill, Travis Rice, and Renan Ozturk himself. You can learn more about screening dates and locations at mountainthefilm.com.

Renan and I discuss his work on the film and what makes MOUNTAIN unique, his own evolving relationship with the mountains, and what's next for him.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How would you attempt to describe this film? (2:15)
• How did the idea for this film originate? (8:14)
• Logistics: How was all of this put together? (11:16)
• The intended audience for this film (13:52)
• Willem Dafoe's narration of the film (16:32)
• How working in the mountains affects or informs Renan's love of the mountains (19:08)
• Blending historical and contemporary experiences of the mountains in "Mountain" (22:04) 
• Rethinking mountain "mastery" and exploration (25:15)
• What authors or films have been most influential in your own relationship to mountain pursuits? (28:44)
• What Renan hopes people will take away from MOUNTAIN (35:20)
• Renan's other current projects, including his Sanctity of Space (38:19)

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In the past several days, there has been another reported instance of bullying going on in the outdoors sports world, and the loud, swift, and aggressive responses to this, have made clear that many of us still have a lot to think through.

Last week, professional climber Sasha Digiulian announced on social media that she has been the ongoing target of tasteless jokes by fellow climber, Joe Kinder. Sascha stated that she had reached out to Joe in private about this to try to resolve the matter, but had received no reply. So, finally, she went public.

You can find - and should read, if you haven’t already - in the show notes to this episode on Blister Sascha’s statement, Joe’s apology, and the responses by Black Diamond and La Sportiva, about why they decided to end their sponsorships of Joe.

But the reason why we are talking about this here, is because of those alarming number of disturbing responses online and on social media to these events.

So in this conversation, I’m joined by Blister’s climbing editor, Dave Alie, to discuss why it’s wrong to assume that this is simply some little, isolated issue in the climbing world; whether Black Diamond and La Sportiva were justified in their responses; and how our own words of criticism -- or support — of any of these parties— can quickly become unfair, tasteless, or unjust in their own right.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What happened, and why are we discussing it? (0:18)
• Did Black Diamond and La Sportiva do the right thing? (16:25)
• What appropriate & inappropriate responses look like — from all of us (18:57)

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Glen Morden has an extremely cool job — he's the head of Product Innovation at Patagonia. So we talk to Glen about his background and how he ended up in this position, then Glen pulls back the curtain on the product design process at Patagonia, what he and his colleagues are currently most concerned with, and what sorts of projects are on the horizon. So if you are interested in product design, new gear, or how innovation happens, you’re going to enjoy this conversation.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• As the "VP of Product Innovation at Patagonia" ... what do you actually do? (1:01)
• Glen's background (4:10)
• What was your formal education like? (7:14)
• When & how did you start working at Patagonia? (18:29)
• What is the design process like at Patagonia, and what are the various departments & teams? (22:42)
• Impact reduction and product design (28:30)
• What are your favorite products that you've worked on? (36:18)
• What areas in apparel design do you see the most potential for improvement? (40:33)
• Working with Patagonia's athletes and ambassadors (44:56)
• We love soft shells, so why have they struggled to catch on? (47:11)
• Sam Shaheen's nerd question (52:04)
• How much time is spent on impact reduction, or developing new technologies? (55:55)
• Design Inspiration (1:00:50)

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Julian Carr is a professional skier and world-record cliff jumper, the founder of Discrete Clothing, and the founder and race director of the Cirque Series, a group of six big-mountain running events held at some pretty iconic ski areas: Brighton, Alta, Alyeska, Sun Valley, Arapahoe Basin, and Snowbird.

My conversation with Julian really falls into four parts: First, Julian and I talk about the Cirque Series, which kicks off this coming weekend on June 30th at Brighton, Utah. And you might assume that the race director of the Cirque Series probably is a pretty serious runner, but Julian doesn’t really consider himself to be a runner at all, but rather, someone who simply loves to be in the mountains, and enjoys becoming more and more adept at moving in the mountains. And that discussion about not really identifying as a runner makes up the 2nd part of our conversation.

In part 3, Julian and I drill down pretty deep on the thing that many of you probably most associate Julian with: dropping impossibly huge cliffs on skis. Julian has sent many 100+ foot cliffs, and he is the world record holder for the biggest inverted cliff jump ever, at 210 feet. (Go to the show notes of this episode on Blister to watch videos of several of the jumps that Julian and I discuss, including his 210 foot world-record jump in Switzerland.)

In part 4, Julian and I circle back to big-mountain running and the Cirque Series, then talk a bit about Julian’s company, Discrete, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

So whether you are a committed runner looking to learn about the Cirque Series, or a non-runner who wants to hear the case for mountain running, or you who want to hear about overcoming fear and the psychological limits we impose on ourselves, or you want to hear an entrepreneur talk about how his company has evolved over the past decade ... this conversation has a whole lot to offer.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Describing the 4 parts of this conversation (0:19)
• What is the Cirque Series, and why did you start it? (4:25)
• Why Julian doesn't identify as a "runner" and doesn't think the Cirque series is just for "runners" (11:06)
• The 6 stops: Brighton, Alta, Alyeska, Sun Valley, A-Basin, Snowbird (14:11)
• Julian and I settle on the distinction between "runner" vs. non-runner (22:46)
• Growing up, falling in love with skiing (24:06)
• The art & spiritual exercise of sending huge cliffs (29:11)
• The logistics & analysis of sending huge cliffs (37:29)
• Knowing when to walk away from a jump (1:01:11)
• More on how Julian started running & how his dog, Lexi, is actually responsible for the Cirque Series (1:04:39)
• On the 10-year anniversary of Julian's company, Discrete (1:15:58)

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Elyse Saugstad is one of the best big mountain skiers in the game, and we spoke with her a few days ago about the soon-to-be-released film, All In, from Matchstick Productions — the evolution of All In, and the experience of teaming up with several other big mountain rock stars, Angel Collinson, Michelle Parker, and Tatum Monod. We then talk about growing up in Alaska, and Elyse gives an update on Safe As Clinics, which is the backcountry education program she co-founded. And then we get into a whole bunch of other stuff, too, so just know that this is a fun conversation and an inspiring one, since Elyse is very actively showing all of us the value of continuing to seek out new ways to challenge ourselves and grow.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Packing for Portillo / What are you up to? (2:50)
• Skiing & filming with Angel Collinson, Michelle Parker, and Tatum Monod (4:25)
• How the *All In* film evolved (11:20)
• Growing up in Girdwood, Alaska (20:10)
• Figure Skating & Ski Racing (22:15)
• Dance & Ballet (30:35)
• Who were you looking up to as a young skier? (32:42)
• Safe As Clinics & Backcountry Education (37:35)
• Surfing, sports in general, and the rewards of seeing improvement (44:10)
• If not skiing, what would you be doing? (50:46)

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

The 750 Mile Trail Network of Gunnison & Crested Butte, CO

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Very few people are so good at what they do that they can have a film made about their life and their career while they are still in the middle of both. But Eric Hjorleifson is one of those people, and we talked to Eric about the eponymous film, Hoji, that was produced by Scott Gaffney and Matchstick Productions. Eric and I talk about the tour he’s been on for the film, how the idea for the film originated, and we even got Hoji to ruminate a bit on what he thinks sets him apart as a skier.

And gear heads stay tuned, because tomorrow, we’ll be dropping a GEAR:30 episode where you can hear Eric talk about his new Hoji Free boot, as well as the latest iteration of his ski, the 4FRNT Renegade.

Click here for more info on the Hoji movie tour dates

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Eric’s favorite stops while touring the movie. (03:50)
• Where did the idea for the movie come from? (09:06)
• Jonathan’s favorite people featured in the film. (13:25)
• What has Eric learned from making the film? (20:05)
• What’s Eric’s favorite ski movie? (22:40)
• Which traits as a skier sets Eric apart? And where did they come from? (32:00)
• Hoji Part II?? (43:20)

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Earlier this year I sat down with Greg Hill and Chris Rubens to talk about their "Electric Adventures" (episode #66), and we also discuss in that episode a bit about Greg’s background. And in this new conversation, our focus is on the present and the future. Greg and I discuss the new Canadian chapter of Protect Our Winters; get Greg’s advice for how to productively deal with what he calls “eco-anxiety”; we talk about a new app called 57 Hours that is more effectively connecting guides with skiers, bikers, and climbers; and I ask Greg what piece of backcountry safety equipment he is currently most excited about.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Kids, trampolines, and backcountry skiing (2:10)
• Greg's work with Protect our Winters Canada (8:45)
• "Eco-Anxiety" and productive responses (13:08)
• An update on Greg's Electric Adventures (22:30)
• Greg's take on the growing category of electric vehicles (34:18)
• Greg's work as a guide (39:12)
• New guide app 57 Hours — why Greg and I are excited about it (41:14)
• What new backcountry safety equipment are you most excited about? (47:08)

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We just held the inaugural Blister Speaker Series event at Western Colorado University with Brendan Leonard — author, filmmaker, and creator of Semi-Rad.com. So here is that live conversation where we talk with Brendan about work, work ethic, creativity, and how to keep from compromising your vision in whatever field you are passionate about pursuing.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Background of the Blister Speaker Series (1:50)
• How does Brendan describe his eclectic body of work? (6:22)
• Brendan’s journey from journalism to the Outdoor Industry (8:13)
• Tips for pursuing your passion without compensation (11:06)
• How Semi-Rad.com was born of rejection (19:03)
• Books that Brendan recommends (29:25)
• What advice would Brendan give his undergraduate self? (32:52)
• New Blister project with Brendan (41:08)
• Brendan’s tips for balancing time outdoors with a desk job (43:40)
• When did Brendan become more conscious of his work’s impact? (49:32)
• Advice about remaining resilient in the face of career challenges (52:14)
• What motivates Brendan and Jonathan? (1:02:00)
• Brendan’s move into filming & video content (1:08:18)

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We talk to Cody Townsend about his massive new undertaking to ski 50 classic North American lines. We discuss his approach to The FIFTY Project; how it’s going so far; dealing with its incredibly tricky logistics; which lines are the most daunting; what gear he is using; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What is The Fifty Project, and how did it come to be? (3:00)
• Which of the 50 lines are the most daunting? (7:04)
• “A very involved day” — skiing Mt Currie yesterday with Chris Rubens (22:32)
• How do you set plans when you’re dealing with extremely unpredictable conditions? (28:30)
• Cody’s transition from big-mountain freeriding to ski mountaineering (31:35)
• What skis, boots, bindings, & safety gear are you using on these different lines? (37:52)
• Cody’s dream collab with Kilian Jornet (40:32)
• Cody’s “Three Levels of Safety / Rescue” (42:45)

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The winningest snowboarder in history, Kelly Clark, recently retired after an astonishing 20-year career of competition. So we talked to Kelly about that career; the new limited-edition “RISE” snowboard she designed with Burton; how snowboarding has evolved; her relationship with Chloe Kim; the mission of the Kelly Clark Foundation; her extremely important thoughts on “achievement” and “success”; and what’s next for her.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Kelly’s very busy “retirement” (3:27)
• Her limited-edition “RISE” snowboard from Burton (4:24)
• Biggest changes to snowboarding over her 20-year career (7:52)
• Injuries: 3 things Kelly did to mitigate them (9:10)
• Chloe Kim: How similar or different do you view your early careers? (14:55)
• Happiness vs achievement; defining “success” (17:30)
• The value of separating your private and public selves (24:32)
• Kelly’s book, Inspired, and the importance of giving back (30:36)
• The Kelly Clark Foundation and how they’re empowering communities (33:24)
• What she plans for this next phase of life (36:00)

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For more than a decade, Kristen Ulmer was the best female big mountain extreme skier in the world (which is why she was recently inducted into the Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, along with Bode Miller), and many regarded her as fearless. But she wasn’t fearless, and her ways of coping with fear back then took a heavy toll on her. Kristen has since become a thought leader and specialist of this extremely misunderstood emotion, and we discuss how each of us can develop a much healthier relationship with fear in any and every area of our lives.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• “Voices of Fear” and Kristen’s interviews with extreme athletes (7:24)
• The negative effects of resisting fear (20:45)
• How to examine your own relationship with fear (27:24)
• Steps to forming an “intimate relationship” with your fear (31:45)
• Kristen’s relationship with fear (37:13)
• The importance of knowing how much fear you’re in the mood for (41:21)
• Daron Rahlves’ fearlessness and possible consequences (46:14)
• How non-athletes benefit from Kristin’s approach to fear (54:52)

Kristen's book, "The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What to Do Instead"

See the upcoming screening dates & locations for her film, Voices of Fear

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Last week we held our 2nd Blister Speaker Series event at Western Colorado University with Eric Larsen, a North and South Pole adventurer, expedition guide, author of On Thin Ice, and climate educator. Here is that conversation, where we talk to Eric about the importance of doing difficult things, perseverance, leadership, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Eric’s satellite phone update during his 2014 North Pole expedition (3:25)
• Why is it important to do difficult things? (5:40)
• The importance of remaining lighthearted (10:15)
• Leadership and decision making in life-threatening conditions (12:56)
• How have your expeditions informed your perspective on climate change? (18:00)
• Lessons from the minimalist lifestyle of expeditions (21:40)
• What advice would you give to your undergraduate self? (24:15)
• Which books were the most formative for you? (27:55)
• Western vs. Proust Q&A (31:38)

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Trash is a growing global crisis, and currently, the majority of “recycled” products are still ending up in landfills or being burned. So we discuss the crisis, the myths, and the solutions to these problems with Karen Hoskin and Elizabeth Smith, the founders of Zoetica, who are working to help us rethink these issues and take concrete actions to address them.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The global crisis of “convenience trash” (2:44)
• The myths of recycling and biodegradable plastics (12:44)
• Resources for learning more (26:24)
• Why we can’t wait for tech advances to save us (33:03)
• Zoetica’s mission and approach (42:00)
• Why the concept of “zero-waste” is problematic (50:49)
• Reconciling our environmental impacts (1:03:00)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Plastic Pollution Coalition

Alison Teal

5Gyres.org

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It probably goes without saying that a guy named Bird will see the world a bit differently. So we talked to Bird about growing up on a commune in Washington; falling in love with skiing; finding a home away from home in Chamonix; his passion for speed riding, better (and worse) ways of experiencing the mountains, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Bird’s life, work, and passions (3:00)
• The story behind the Bird name (9:35)
• “Ski Bohemian” vs “Ski Bum” (12:39)
• On “listening to yourself” in the mountains (14:26)
• Bird’s relationship with fear (16:17)
• Speed Riding: “skiing pow in the sky” (26:08)
• How social media is shaping ski culture (35:34)
• Balancing Friendships & Solitude (45:16)

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Our 3rd Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University was with Dan Abrams, president and co-founder of Flylow. Dan gets into the details of running an outerwear company, and in doing so, offers insight into maintaining perspective while under pressure, how he approaches risky decisions, making the most of bad situations, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Flylow’s origin story (1:55)
• Advice to aspiring business owners (9:36)
• “The bank of Flylow” (13:14)
• Your best decisions & biggest mistakes? (17:38)
• Dan’s approach to scaling the team and product categories (21:50)
• What advice would you give to your undergraduate self? (27:25)
• What books were most formative to you? (30:33)
• Western vs. Proust Q&A (32:40)

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Angela Hawse is the president of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), and is certified to the highest international mountain guide standards. We talk to her about how she got into guiding; the various roles she has taken on; the experiences that drove Angela’s career; what advice she would offer to aspiring guides; how guiding culture is changing, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How Jonathan and Angela first met (2:52)
• Angela’s wide-ranging professional titles (6:48)
• What led you to guiding? (11:40)
• What advice would you give to aspiring guides? (21:18)
• Differences between the AMGA and the IFMGA? (25:35)
• Your favorite guiding experience? (30:52)
• Most harrowing guiding experience? (34:32)
• Being a female in this industry (35:49)
• Angela’s motivations for joining POW Climb (45:10)

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Ashley Korenblat went from Arkansas to Dartmouth to Wall Street to being the president of Merlin Metalworks bikes, to the chair of IMBA (the International Mountain Bicycling Association). She currently owns Western Spirit Cycling and Outerbike, she is the founder and managing director of Public Land Solutions, she is on the recreation advisory board for the Outdoor Industry Association, and she is a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. We talked to Ashley at Western Colorado University about her trajectory, and about the critical issues surrounding public lands policies and debates that we all need to understand and participate in.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Ashley’s background in business and mountain biking (4:21)
• Identifying the various groups in public land conflicts (12:20)
• The divide between mountain bikers and land owners (15:55)
• How much conflict is there between bikers and conservationists? (18:20)
• Ashley’s experience lobbying in Washington, D.C. (24:30)
• What companies do well and don’t do well for conservation (28:40)
• What should we all be doing to support public lands? (33:32)
• Western vs. Proust Q&A (35:15)

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In some circles, Dierdre Wolownick is best known as Alex Honnold’s mom. But she is also the oldest woman to climb El Cap, an author, teacher, linguist, musician, marathon runner, and someone who continues to push her comfort zone. We talk to Dierdre about her new book The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story; what shaped her philosophy of parenting; how she’s become more courageous with age; and the importance of continuing to push past limits.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up in a home with “old world” values (3:58)
• Dierdre’s philosophy of parenting (10:23)
• When family dynamics become very public (21:37)
• The importance of expanding our comfort zones (26:29)
• On the specialized languages of outdoor sports communities (32:40)
• On the “devastating absence of connection” (38:18)
• Book recommendations (42:55)
• Dierdre’s philosophy of life (47:15)
• What are you most passionate about currently? (51:13)

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We’re on location in Shoreham, Vermont, talking to ski-industry veteran, Jason Newell, about his transition from ski racing, to working with the Rossignol Group for 25 years, to his latest adventure in a whole new category: premium whiskey. (And there might be a story or two involving duct tape, Candide Thovex, and burning couches.)

TOPICS & TIMES

• Jason’s background & racing days (2:49)
• 25 years with The Rossignol Group (8:13)
• Taping Candide Thovex to a gondola, burning couches, and more (10:58)
• Biggest changes in skiing over your career? (18:58)
• Which is most important: sidecut, length, rocker profile, or ski width? (22:34)
• Look bindings (23:25)
• A new career in whiskey (26:44)
• The story behind WhistlePig (28:28)
• The “Rye” renaissance (31:55)

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Travis Ganong might be the most well-rounded skier in the world (just listen to this conversation), and he is certainly one of the most passionate. He’s a Team U.S.A. downhiller and Super G racer that is also obsessed with backcountry touring and big-mtn skiing, so we talk about all of it: racing & training; catching the attention of Shane McConkey as a kid; backcountry skiing; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Training in Tahoe City (1:02)
• How has gym training for ski racing evolved? (2:23)
• The fitness of skiers vs. other athletes (7:10)
• Are you preparing for specific courses you’ll compete on? (13:11)
• Where have you improved the most: physically, technically, or mentally? (19:25)
• Growing up in a family of skiers (22:04)
• Temptation to stop racing / a key point in Travis’ racing career (30:27)
• Which skiers did you look up to the most? (34:23)
• Seasonal weight fluctuations / recovering from a blown out knee (37:19)
• Does the American DH squad have team goals? (41:25)
• Hyper-specialization & ski racing (43:40)
• Travis the park skier?? (47:22)

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Last week on social media, many of us were blown away by some pretty terrifying footage of a snowboarder negotiating the Ribbon on Devil’s Castle at Alta. So we talked to the rider, James Buehler, about his first descent with Alex Gavic of the Ribbon on a snowboard, and James walks us through the technical aspects of the route; his preparation for the line; the mental and physical demands it imposes; encountering multiple cruxes; the “Ronald McDonald Grin”; and what’s next on his list. (You can also see photos of the route in the show notes to this episode on our website.)

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Alter Egos & Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (2:20)
• The history / backstory of Ciochetti’s Ribbon (7:55)
• What’s the most scared you’ve ever been on a line? (13:41)
• Doing heavy lines on a surfy, playful powder board?? (18:45)
• The Approach (22:30)
• The Traverse (26:07)
• The Crux — and the ‘Ronald McDonald Grin’ (27:53)
• Unexpected Crux #2 & #3 (40:18)
• The Descent (39:41)
• How does the Ribbon compare to other objectives? (51:40)
• James' other near-term objectives & dream objective (59:05)
• James' YouTube channel, Wild Lines (1:01:13)

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For a long time now, Mark Abma has stood right at the center of big-mountain skiing. So we talk to him about living with JP Auclair, Julien Regnier, and Anthony Boronowski; filming with Shane McConkey, Hugo Harrison, and Ingrid Backstrom; serving as a guide for a new generation of skiers; and the specific fitness, dietary, and health regimen that keeps Mark functioning at a high level on the mountain — and enables him to lead a happy and healthy life off the mountain, too.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How Mark got into skiing (2:11)
• Living with Anthony Boronowski, J.P. Auclair, & Julien Regnier (7:00)
• Filming with Shane McConkey, Ingrid Backstrom, & Hugo Harrisson (16:20)
• Cultivating happiness in life (23:15)
• Young skiers today vs. when Mark was coming up (38:50)
• Gear Talk: Mark’s go-to skis (44:45)
• Mark’s fitness regimen (49:50)
• Diet: eating for performance and recovery (53:44)
• Other health & wellness practices (58:49)
• Mark’s baseline indicator for ski-season readiness (1:03:57)

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While more and more electric cars are hitting the streets, Taiga Motors is about to bring the world’s first commercial electric snowmobiles to the backcountry and ski areas. So we talked with Taiga Motors CEO & co-founder, Sam Bruneau, about taking the electric snowmobile from a college project to an actual business, and the long process of designing electric sleds from the ground up. Then we get into the specifics of charging a Taiga, and how these electric sleds measure up against gas-powered snowmobiles in terms of power, torque, weight, range, and performance in harsh temperatures.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Background: What is Taiga Motors? (3:10)
• From fun college project to actual business (3:30)
• Evolution of the product: from TS1 to TS3 (15:02)
• Power & Instant Torque (20:40)
• Temperature Performance — Cold & Hot (23:35)
• Range (28:19)
• Charging / How long does charging take? (33:17)
• Weight & ‘real-world’ comparisons (37:22)
• Pricing & Options (43:06)
• Production Launch: When & What? (45:30)
• Taiga’s current Pre-Order: Details (47:18)
• Electric Cars: thoughts on the current landscape (53:13)
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (55:35)
• Taiga’s next big thing (58:13)

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Clare Gallagher just won the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Race, and she did so in spectacular fashion. And normally, that is all the introduction we’d need here, since winning Western States is a very big deal. But there happens to be a whole lot more to this particular story. 

Because right before this race, Clare accepted an invitation from Tommy Caldwell to go on an expedition to the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to raise awareness of and opposition to plans to give oil and gas companies the right to drill in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.

But backpacking and mountaineering around the wild landscape of Alaska is not how professional runners typically spend time right before their biggest race of the year.

So in addition to diving into the details of her epic Western States win, we discuss with Clare why she was willing to go to Alaska; why she runs; and how wins at Western States — or her 2016 win of the Leadville 100, or her FKT of the Zion Traverse last year — all work to create a larger platform to talk about the things that matter most to her.

TAKE ACTION:

Text 40649 now or CLICK HERE to submit a comment to your representative asking them to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by voting to pass The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Recovering from a huge effort at Western States (2:57)
• Race Recap: day of the race & the first 80 miles (8:03)
• On the intense last 6 miles of the race (10:02)
• Mile 93 — 2017 vs. 2019 (13:13)
• Clare’s expedition to Alaska prior to the race (18:45)
• Winning, Losing, & Competitiveness (29:11)
• Clare’s background (34:37)
• Her future (49:43)

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Last week, the well-known and well-loved park skier, LJ Strenio, posted a photo of a letter — from NASA — that was congratulating him on being accepted as an intern to the Armstrong Flight Research Facility. Wait, what??

How does a park skier from Vermont, this star of the LINE Traveling Circus, this guy who once served as Vin Diesel’s stunt double, and this guy who has a 29-minute crash reel that is, frankly, almost as hard to watch as it is inspiring to watch — how does this guy get accepted to work for NASA? We talked to LJ to get the whole story, and it’s a great one.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• LJ’s acceptance at NASA last week (4:30)
• Rollerblading to skiboarding to contest skiing (8:25)
• Getting connected with LINE Skis (16:10)
• Specializing vs. Not Specializing (18:55)
• LINE Traveling Circus (28:34)
• Being Vin Diesel’s Stuntman (38:26)
• Real Grit: LJ’s Real Ski & Real Attempt videos (43:14)
• More on NASA (1:10:42)
• Envisioning the next 5-10 years (1:18:22)

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You’re probably already convinced of the importance of physical exertion, going outside, and staying physically fit and active. But what about your mental fitness and health?

To get each of us thinking more clearly about the things we should — and shouldn’t — be doing to optimize the health of our bodies and our brains, we talk to the neuroscientist, Dr. Michael Merzenich, about how, through training, we can keep up and improve the health of our brains — just as we know that, through proper exercise, we can keep up and improve the health of our bodies.

We discuss with Dr. Merzenich the important neurological benefits of going fast, going outside, and undertaking new activities; the more effective and less effective ways to exercise our brains; how we might be able to avoid certain neurological disorders with proper training; the changes to our brains caused by the time so many of us — and our kids — are spending in front of phone, computer, and TV screens; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Dr. Merzenich’s background (4:22)
• Discoveries in “neuroplasticity” (10:42)
• Outdoor sports & your brain (17:44)
• Exercising your brain vs. gathering information (24:58)
• Preventing neurological disorders through training (37:07)
• Generosity & Joy - their neurological significance (45:47)
• How screens & social media are changing our brains (49:46)

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Today we’re launching our new Up & Coming series, where we’ll be highlighting some athletes who, if they aren’t already on your radar, they definitely should be.

First up is Dylan Siggers, because few people out there are *this* good on skis and on a bike. We’ve included in the show notes on our website several videos of Dylan doing both, and you’ll see what we mean. 

And in addition to being a very good skier and mountain biker, Dylan is also a down-to-earth guy who is also very involved in filmmaking, and, he even finds time to still play in a band. So we talk to Dylan about skiing and biking and how & where he came up, and we also talking about filming and music, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up in Fernie, BC & Dylan’s dad (2:39)
• Filming with the Burrrlapz crew (21:30)
• Connecting with LINE Skis + Dylan’s favorite skis (27:58)
• Style: your skiing style vs biking style (31:21)
• Favorite bike (35:29)
• Trend: more high-level, multi-sport athletes (37:06)
• Music (39:52)
• Who gets your Up & Coming award? (48:42)

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We published this conversation last week on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast, but we wanted to repost it in the Blister Podcast feed to make sure none of you missed it.

Because for many of us, bikes are primarily fun. But for many others, bikes are major drivers of economic development, critical sources of transportation and health care, vehicles of educational opportunity, and instruments of equality.

World Bicycle Relief was started by the founder of SRAM to provide bikes to some of the communities around the world that could use them the most, and in today’s conversation, you’ll learn exactly how and why bikes are such a significant and life-changing tool.

Our guest today is Dave Neiswander, the CEO of World Bicycle Relief. Dave has been with WBR for over a decade, and as you will see, he is an impressive guy with an impressive background, and he does an excellent job talking about the origins of World Bicycle Relief; its trajectory and challenges; the bikes themselves and all the product design that goes into them; and what each of us can do to support the mission of World Bicycle Relief.

Take Action: Go to worldbicyclerelief.org to sign up for one of their upcoming events, make a donation, and share what they are up to with your friends and colleagues.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Origin Story of World Bicycle Relief (2:59)
• How Dave first got involved with WBR (7:51)
• Why bicycles matter so much (15:34)
• Mission Statement of WBR (18:35)
• How does WBR select new locations to assist? (22:31)
• Important Stats & Results (36:23)
• Winning the Wharton / Lipman Prize (43:03)
• The bikes themselves / quality / durability / design / repairable (48:13)
• The Buffalo Bike (53:17)
• The Charger Bike (55:01)
• Future plans for World Bicycle Relief (58:27)
• Biggest lessons you’ve learned that others might benefit from? (1:04:17)
• Best ways for individuals and companies to get involved? (1:06:41)

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What does biotech have to do with backcountry skiing? What does microalgae have to do with skis? And why did the founder of 4FRNT Skis, Matt Sterbenz, agree to get involved with a new startup ski brand, WNDR Alpine? We sat down in Blister HQ with Checkerspot co-founder and CEO, Charlie Dimmler, and WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, to talk about the creation of WNDR Alpine; its relation to and the mission of Checkerspot; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Why does Matt Sterbenz hate vowels? (2:00)
• How Matt got involved with Checkerspot (5:17)
• Checkerspot’s mission & innovations (10:00)
• Charlie’s background: from Wall Street to Biotech (17:41)
• What Checkerspot is doing with microalgae (23:20)
• Why make skis from new materials? (26:02)
• Effects on ski performance? (32:28)
• Sustainability as a design constraint (41:00)
• Other possible applications of microalgae (48:50)
• How has launching WNDR affected Checkerspot? (58:24)

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Today we’re running the 2nd episode of our Up and Coming series, where we talk with athletes, who, if they aren’t already on your radar, they certainly should be. And our guest today perfectly matches that description.

Because aside from her very unassuming disposition, everything about Ming Goetz is extraordinary — her name; her background; her favorite discipline — slopestyle; her competing recently in the Crankworx Whip Off Challenge; her participation this season in the 1st ever Women’s Slopestyle Tour; her plans for the future (which include competing in Red Bull Rampage) and, of course, her abilities on a bike. So get ready to meet Ming...

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up (3:00)
• The story behind her name (4:12)
• Competing, Jumping, & Jump Girls (6:08)
• The first Women’s Slopestyle Tour (12:17)
• Favorite riders? (17:47)
• Eyeing Red Bull Rampage (18:35)
• What tricks are you working on? (20:26)
• Ming’s (unusual) dream career (24:40)
• Favorite things (27:40)

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Pep Fujas has always been at the forefront of freeskiing, and he is now looking to move things forward once again. So we talk to Pep about growing up on his family farm in Oregon; his remarkable film career; his favorite Seth Morrison story; his long relationship with K2 and his favorite K2 skis; his decision to go back to school; and his even bigger decision to join the team at WNDR Alpine.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Getting involved with WNDR (3:10)
• Growing up + his all-important bus rides (6:10)
• Connecting with K2 (9:25)
• Ski films (15:15)
• Favorite Nimbus memory? (16:55)
• Favorite Seth Morrison story (19:37)
• Connecting with Patagonia (21:07)
• Pep’s Favorite K2 skis (23:50)
• Your biggest influences? (30:47)
• What current segment of skiing impresses you the most? (33:26)
• Returning to school (35:34)
• ‘Business’ doesn’t have to be a 4-letter word (39:08)

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Last week, we kicked off season #2 of our monthly Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University, where we invite influential figures to come talk about how they are shaping the outdoor industry.

Our first guest of the new season was Claudio Caluori, the announcer for the World Cup Downhill series, a former pro XC and DH racer, the founder of Velosolutions, and the initiator of #pumpforpeace.

We touch on all of these things in our conversation, and get Claudio’s perspective on a wide range of topics and questions — including a number of good ones, once again, from the audience.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Was this the best World Cup DH season ever? (3:44)
• Loic & Amaury’s battle (6:10)
• Claudio’s career racing XC and DH (8:32)
• Philosophy of “Going All-In” (10:08)
• How did you start announcing World Cup races? (12:24)
• Recovering from his big crash last year (13:15)
• Claudio’s company, Velosolutions (15:13)
• How #pumpforpeace is serving communities (22:04)
• Lessons from working internationally? (24:10)
• What unites the global bike community? (26:49)
• Sustainability & our environmental impacts (28:13)
• Western vs. Proust (34:21)

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We’ve got J Skis founder, Jason Levinthal, back on the show, and we’re going to be doing things a bit differently than we normally do. Last week we invited you to submit any questions that you might have for J, and turns out … you had a lot of them.

So this episode is made up almost entirely of your questions, and in his trademark style, Jason answers each of them with extreme candor.

We cover why Jason started J Skis and how you can get a job there; J’s favorite ski graphics; which skis are his personal favorites, and which skis he’s most proud of; we get into some ski design questions — including whether we will ever see a 193 cm J Ski; and J tells an Eric Pollard story and answers the pressing question, “What’s your favorite way to eat or cook an oyster.”

Finally, we are also going to be dropping soon a video of this conversation with J, so you’ll be able to check that out and see some of the graphics and the skis that Jason and I discuss.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Starting J Skis / How to get a job at J Skis? (3:08)
• What’s up with “Roll with a Pro”? (12:53)
• Favorite Ski Graphics & Bob Ross (15:20)
• Branching out: J goggles? Snowboards? Etc.? (21:11)
• 19/20 J Skis lineup (25:15)
• J’s personal favorite skis (35:56)
• Which of your skis are you most proud of? (37:35)
• What ski design do you still want to make? (43:55)
• Tell an Eric Pollard story (47:40)
• How do I get free J Skis? (53:33)
• When will we see a touring-oriented J Ski? (1:01:25)
• Will we ever see a 193 cm J Ski? (1:06:15)
• Does Steve Stepp even troll anymore? (1:09:06)
• Favorite way to eat or cook an oystá? (1:10:00)
• Advice you would give your 20-yr-old self? (1:16:55)

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Adventure photographer, Corey Rich, has spent a lot of time hanging out with and documenting some of the most interesting and amazing athletes in the world. And he is exceptionally good at talking about those experiences, so you are in for a treat. 

Furthermore, Corey has just released his excellent new book, Stories Behind the Images: Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography, so this was the perfect occasion for a conversation with Corey about his remarkable career; why being good at hanging out is a great quality of a photographer; why making mistakes and being vulnerable makes for great storytelling; and Corey shares some stories about his time with some of the seminal figures in rock climbing, like Fred Beckey, Chris Sharma, Tommy Caldwell, and Ashima Shiraishi.

We also talk about what separates his new book from most other “photo” books (spoiler alert: Stories Behind the Images isn’t really a “photo book”); how changes in photography and film technology affect his work; what his dream assignment would be; and much, much more. 

You can order his book from Mountaineers, Amazon, or Indiebound, and you can check out his upcoming book tour events at StoriesBehindtheImages.com.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Corey’s latest project (2:40)
• Origin of “Stories Behind the Images” (8:03)
• Why screwing up makes for great stories (11:00)
• Corey as a “historian” of rock climbing (16:45)
• How did you pick which essays to include? (21:00)
• What’s next for Chris Sharma? (28:37)
• Ashima Shiraishi & honesty on social media (35:22)
• Photography tips (40:53)
• What have been the biggest changes in photography? (51:43)
• What goes into a “perfect” shoot? (56:47)
• What’s your dream assignment? (1:02:04)
• What “hanging out” has to do with photography (1:05:35)
• Favorite chapters in the book? (1:08:12)

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Dash Longe is a skier who’s been doing it — and going big — for a long time. And tomorrow is the online release of Dash’s latest film, Stone’s Throw. So I spoke to Dash about his new film and about ski films in general; his coming up during the heyday of the freeskiing revolution in Tahoe; ski design and Dash’s work on the DPS Koala 119; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• New film: “Stone’s Throw” (1:16)
• Background & getting into filming (6:55)
• Coming up in the heyday of the freeskiing revolution (10:00)
• Eric Pollard (16:15)
• Dash’s approach to big cliffs (23:52)
• Favorite segment of yours? (25:53)
• DPS Koala 119 (32:25)
• Ski Design (43:28)

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When world-renowned climber, Alex Honnold, was looking for a new executive director for his Honnold Foundation, he tapped Dory Trimble. And with the massive success of the film, Free Solo, Dory has guided what started as Alex's small, personal passion project into a rapidly growing nonprofit working on global projects.

The aim of the Honnold Foundation is to reduce environmental impact and address inequality by supporting solar energy initiatives worldwide. And in this conversation, Dory unpacks for us what that means, what it’s like working with Alex, how she’s managed the explosive growth of the Honnold Foundation, and she offers excellent advice for anyone interested in getting involved with an organization committed to doing social good.

We opened our time at Western by showing this brief film of a project that the Honnold Foundation is currently involved with in Puerto Rico:

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How did you first get involved with the Honnold Foundation? (4:30)
• How has HF changed? (11:50)
• Dory’s formative experience with the Peace Core (16:15)
• The impact of ‘Free Solo’ (18:50)
• How is working with Alex? (26:55)
• How do you choose projects to work on? (28:05)
• Why solar? (33:07)
• What will HF look like in ten years? (37:55)
• Advice for those who want to do good in the world? (39:49)
• Western vs. Proust (45:55)

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If the story told in the new film Blink of an Eye weren’t true, nobody would believe it. Friendship, brotherhood, heroes, triumph, tragedy, and redemption are the topics, and we discuss all of them on our latest Blister Podcast with the film’s writer & director, Paul Taublieb.

If you are interested in or intrigued by auto racing, you will love this one. And if you have zero interest in NASCAR, then you especially need to listen, for reasons we’ll explain.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• On being a storyteller (3:02)
• How Paul got into filmmaking (7:19)
• Producing X Games & freestyle motoX events (15:07)
• What is Blink of an Eye about? (18:22)
• Making films about heroes (26:54)
• Racing as “playing chess at high speeds” (30:04)
• The emotional rawness of this film (36:49)
• What separates the best racers from very good ones? (46:00)
• The (political) importance of being open minded (51:14)
• How does Blink of an Eye fit with your other work? (1:00:44)

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Fact: we all need to strive to be more like Rachael Burks. Rachael is known for skiing burly lines and her signature backflip, but she is also known for her boundless enthusiasm — and in this conversation, that enthusiasm is on full display. Rachael and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss skiing and Shakespeare; her spot-on impression of Julian Carr; podiuming in a comp on rental skis; her best ski season ever; her abiding love of sweatpants, Star Wars, fantasy novels, Red Bull Rampage, and more. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Oxford, Shakespeare, & Dirty Sandwiches (2:53)
• Breaking into the ski industry (9:30)
• Learning to backflip with Julian Carr (17:10)
• Competing on rental skis (19:56)
• Rachael’s best ski season ever (23:42)
• GREENland Expedition (26:52)
• Fantasy & Star Wars & Sparkles (32:10)
• Why Rachael loves Red Bull Rampage (44:10)
• More books & music (49:32)

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In our latest BLISTER Speaker Series at Western Colorado University, Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, talks about managing the significant growth of this indie brand; manufacturing in Sparks, Nevada; crucial decisions he’s had to make; how he would assess those decisions in hindsight; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What separates Moment from other “indie” brands (2:55)
• Luke’s background & start with Moment (4:30)
• Taking a leap at SIA / Outdoor Retailer (11:25)
• Becoming CEO, lessons learned (15:55)
• Marketing do’s and don’ts (29:44)
• Moment’s biggest growth periods (32:35)
• How have tariffs affected manufacturing? (36:24)
• Would it be harder or easier to start Moment today? (38:09)
• Audience Q&A (Western vs. Proust) (40:14)

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Jason Blevins of the Colorado Sun broke the story about backcountry.com’s practices around trademark issues, so we talk to Jason about how this story got on his radar; the specifics of what backcountry.com was doing; how common or uncommon these practices are; how backcountry.com has subsequently responded; and what needs to be done going forward.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How did Jason uncover this story? (2:30)
• Backcountry.com’s response (6:40)
• Is this “normal” trademark law practice? (15:40)
• Stories from two of the targeted companies (20:25)
• What should we expect going forward? (33:44)
• Why Jason left the Denver Post (40:48)
• Starting the Colorado Sun (44:09)

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Think you know Lindsey Vonn’s story? Think again. Most of us know Vonn as one of the greatest ski racers of all time — and probably the toughest. But in the new HBO film, Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, Vonn pulls back the curtain on her career and the steep price of her pursuit of the record for most World Cup wins.

In this conversation, we talk to the film’s co-director and Teton Gravity Research co-founder, Steve Jones, about the making of this film; Vonn’s accessibility and emotional vulnerability; the hidden costs of pursuing greatness; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How did this project come about? (1:57)
• Vonn’s accessibility & emotional vulnerability (4:50)
• Bode Miller sums up downhill ski race crashes (12:30)
• Happiness vs. Greatness (17:18)
• Why did you start Teton Gravity Research? (22:35)
• Biggest differences of filming now vs. when you started? (22:55)
• Favorite directors & recent films? (30:27)
• Steve’s favorite TGR films (31:40)

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When it comes to skiing, product design, filmmaking, and art, few people have exhibited a more distinctive style than Eric Pollard. But for someone who has been working at the forefront of these mediums for about 20 years, we know a relatively small amount about the person behind the products, the films, and the skiing.

So in this conversation, we talk to Eric about skiing and art and creating and evolving, and we discuss his soon-to-be-released film and book that share the same title, Drawn From Here.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Drawn From Here — The Film (1:25)
• Style (9:07)
• Defying expectations (12:53)
• Why “Night Moves”? (16:61)
• Drawn From Here — The Book (32:22)
• How the book complements the film (39:34)
• Skiing, Ski Design, & Ski Names (47:40)
• Other inputs (1:06:25)

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We’re not sure that anyone loves skiing more than Tyler Curle, and Tyler also happens to be one very hard-charging and versatile skier who has appeared in Matchstick films and TGR films.

So for our latest installment of our Up & Coming series, Tyler came out to Crested Butte and we sat down in Blister HQ to talk about growing up skiing at Mt. Rose; starting to help out at Moment Skis at the ripe old age of twelve; his favorite skis, skiers, and ski movies of all time, and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Karaoke (1:45)
• Growing up near Mt. Rose (4:55)
• Meeting McConkey & Parker White (8:25)
• Helping at Moment Skis at age 12 (14:55)
• Injuries? (18:16)
• Favorite ski movies & edits (19:20)
• What line have you skied that you’re most proud of? (21:32)
• Favorite skiers (25:34)
• Current favorite ski? (31:37)
• Have any of your ideas for skis been shot down? (33:53)
• Pain McSchlonkey (38:32)

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New Year’s Resolutions — are you into them, or do you avoid them like the plague? A recent conversation with Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) got us thinking that we should take a more creative approach to New Year’s Resolutions and goals, and see if they might become more than a guilt-inducing chore.

Specifically what prompted all of this is that Brendan had committed himself before the start of 2019 to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks — and he did it. So we are reposting here the conversation I had with Brendan on our Off The Couch podcast, and then very soon, we’ll be posting a series of short interviews with some Blister reviewers and other folks we like about their own take on new year’s resolutions, and some of their own creative goals.

Please enjoy, and let us know in the show notes to this episode what goals or resolutions you are setting for yourself for this brand new decade we’re quickly approaching.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What did you just do, and why? (3:00)
• Defining the rules for these ‘marathons’? (9:20)
• Eating donuts & running (21:01)
• Why did you tell so few people about your goal? (23:10)
• Injuries? (30:35)
• What was the hardest part of the project? (33:18)
• What was the best part? (35:45)
• Funniest moment? (41:10)
• Goals for 2020? (46:20)

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We’ve been thinking and talking about New Year’s Resolutions, so in this episode, we ask a number of BLISTER reviewers what they’re pursuing in this new year and new decade.

And we’d love to hear what your plans are for 2020 and beyond, so let us know in the Comments section below what your thoughts are on New Year’s resolutions and what you have planned for 2020. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Kristin Sinnott (1:30)
• Paul Forward (17:51)
• Maddie Hart (21:51)
• Luke Koppa (31:19)
• Sascha Anastas (39:06)
• Noah Bodman (49:31)
• David Golay (56:40)
• Sam Shaheen (1:03:00)

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What will the ski & snowboard industry look like 10 years from now? Will backcountry skiing and splitboarding keep growing? Will indoor ski areas become more common? Will there be fewer or more ski companies in existence 10 years from now? Paul Forward, Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa and I offer our thoughts on all of these questions and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Backcountry Skiing (1:50)
• Backcountry Splitboarding (11:30)
• Backcountry Telemarking (14:30)
• Inbounds Skiing (17:43)
• Inbounds Snowboarding (21:25)
• Inbounds Telemarking (23:37)
• Monoskiing vs. Ski Blading (26:17)
• Park Skiing (29:50)
• Indoor Ski Areas? (34:25)
• General Industry Trends (41:59)
• Wildest Predictions (1:06:00)

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Geoff McFetridge is an iconic designer and visual artist who’s worked with the Beastie Boys, Pharrell Williams, Spike Jonez and Rick Rubin, and companies ranging from Patagonia, Nike, the New York Times, Oreo, and many more. Geoff is also a passionate skateboarder and skier, and a big fan of … BLISTER (?!?!?).

So Jonathan Ellsworth and Geoff tell the story of how they first got connected; how Geoff went from being a sponsored skater to starting a skateboard company to doing design work for some of the biggest companies, bands, musicians, and directors in the world. They discuss Skate vs. Ski vs. Snowboard culture; being a “conflicted” telemarker; and a whole lot more.

VIDEO: SEE GEOFF & HIS WORK

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How Jonathan & Geoff connected (2:34)
• Which came first: art or skating? (7:56)
• Art directing the Beastie Boys’ Grand Royal (18:26)
• Working on the Spike Jonze film, “Her” (28:31)
• When did you get into skiing? (47:48)
• How much time do you spend telemarking? (50:49)
• Ski vs. Snowboard vs. Skate culture (58:45)
• “High” vs. “Low” Culture (1:07:47)
• What art forms are you currently most interested in? (1:14:33)
• Favorite albums, films, and books? (1:18:38)
• Designing for outdoor brands (1:27:36)
• Your dream project? (1:33:30)
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (1:44:16)
• Predictions? (1:50:01)

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In the world of ski and ski boot design, Thor Verdonk is well known and very well respected. So we talked to Thor about his background, his 25+ year career with the Rossignol Group and how he became the Global Brand Director for Lange. Then we discuss the history of ski design and ski boot design, including the pendulum swings we see in the ski industry; the biggest advancements in skis and ski boots; developing the Rossi S7; and we get Thor’s predictions about what the ski industry will look like 10 years from now. 

And to hear Thor talk about the brand-new Lange XT3 and the future of Lange, check out our GEAR:30 conversation.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up in Vermont (3:45)
• Coaching ski racing (7:20)
• Getting connected with Rossignol (9:10)
• Pendulum swings in product design (16:40)
• Biggest advancements in skis? (24:25)
• Biggest advancements in ski boots? (27:25)
• Developing the Rossignol S7 (35:27)
• Most overlooked ski boot developments (42:06)
• Thor’s industry predictions for the decade (50:05)

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Wendy Fisher is one of the all-time greats. She is a two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion; was on the U.S. Ski Team; filmed with Warren Miller and MSP; and played a huge role in showing the world what women could do in big-mountain arenas. We spoke to Wendy about all of this and more (including a few fantastic Shane McConkey and Seth Morrison stories).

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up racing (1:40)
• From Squaw to Burke Ski Academy (3:15)
• Thoughts on different learning styles (7:17)
• Highlights & lessons from the US Ski Team (15:06) 
• Meeting Kristen Ulmer (19:30)
• Big Mtn Comp at Crested Butte with Shane McConkey (22:00)
• Ski Filming (30:20)
• Making Seth Morrison’s short list (33:50)
• Thinking with your heart, not your head (35:00)
• The fear of failure (37:55)
• Western vs. Proust - Q&A (45:50)

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We talk to IFMGA / AMGA mountain guide, Rob Coppolillo (author of The Mountain Guide Manual and the new book, The Ski Guide Manual) about how he got into guiding; the current state of backcountry and avalanche education; his take on the pros and cons of avalanche airbag packs; the fundamental question of the most effective way to travel in the backcountry; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The story behind Rob’s family name (2:03)
• Growing up: skiing, hiking, climbing (3:40)
• When did you start guiding? (5:33)
• Rob’s first book: Holy Spokes (7:22)
• 2nd Book: The Mountain Guide Manual (8:49)
• New Book: The Ski Guide Manual (10:10)
• “Decision Making” vs. “Snow Science” (16:27)
• Most common “flawed decisions”? (23:00)
• Avi packs & risk perception (28:36)
• Most effective way to travel in the backcountry (36:30)
• Where are you guiding most these days? (43:35)
• 57 Hours as a backcountry safety tool (48:35)

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Last week at our monthly Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University, in Gunnison, Tommy Caldwell spoke in front of a packed auditorium about speed climbing & setting the speed record on the Nose with Alex Honnold; strength vs. experience; how he focuses on climbing projects while also having more disparate responsibilities than ever; and how and why he’s become increasingly involved with environmental causes; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Breaking the Nose Speed Record (4:25)
• Thoughts on speed climbing (6:20)
• The film, “Free Solo” (7:27)
• Tommy’s book, “The Push” (10:50)
• Bandwidth & Focus (14:11)
• Strength vs. Experience (21:05)
• Getting involved in environmental activism (22:30)
• Protect Our Winters & a Call to Action (25:55)
• Audience questions (31:20)

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Bobby Brown is one of the best slopestyle and big-air comp skiers of all time, but he’s currently focused on finding out what he’s capable of in the backcountry. So I talked to Bobby about his trajectory; the art of landings, air awareness, and making mid-air adjustments; who he most enjoys watching these days; what’s next for him; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Bobby’s film, Dynamic Medium (1:44)
• Landings & air awareness (8:57)
• Mid-air adjustments (14:34)
• “Perfect Pop” (17:31)
• Bobby’s one-run follow-cam edits (20:30)
• Bobby’s relationship with his brother Peter (25:15)
• Adapting to change in the industry (29:37)
• T Rice, Candide, Henrik, Tanner, & Alex Hall (32:33)
• Non ski-related interest (40:43)
• Working with different sponsors (45:30)

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This past weekend, something happened that has never happened in the history of resort skiing: in the span of 12 hours, most ski areas abruptly suspended operations. So on our latest #blisterpodcast, we talked to veteran ski industry reporter, Jason Blevins of the Colorado Sun, about the COVID-19 pandemic and the historic mass closure of ski areas. We discuss what, exactly, is going on; what is likely to come next; the impact on ski towns; and what each of us should and should not be doing right now.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Have you ever seen anything like this before? (1:36)
• Explain what’s going on? (3:51)
• The Executive Order from the Governor of Colorado (6:30)
• What does this mean for mountain towns? (15:18)
• What should we be doing? (26:00)

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As part of our Up & Coming Series, we had intended to talk to Isaac Freeland, because he is a very good skier and he was definitely on his way up. But then Isaac threw us a curve ball by not only winning the 2020 Freeride World Tour Rookie of the Year award… he went and won the whole thing.

So even if “Up & Comer” now feels like a bit of an understatement, we asked Isaac to take us through his first season on the Freeride World Tour and walk us through each stop. We also discuss what it was like competing against some of the biggest names in skiing; how he approached each particular comp; the rather surreal — and abrupt — end to this comp season, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Earthquakes & COVID-19 (2:11)
• Background, injuries, & finding his style (4:10)
• 2020 FWT 1st stop: Hakuba, Japan (12:15)
• 2nd stop: Kicking Horse, BC (17:55)
• 3rd stop: Andorra (22:45)
• 4th stop: Fieberbrunn, Austria (29:28)
• 5th stop: Verbier, Switzerland (35:19)
• Isaac’s comp skis (41:49)
• Change or keep the current comp format? (47:20)
• Free running / Parkour (51:37)
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (53:19)

RELATED LINKS

• Isaac’s custom Blue Harvest CBD pain-remediation balm

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We all probably need more Caite Zeliff in our lives. (And if you didn’t already know this, you definitely need to listen to this conversation.) Caite is a former ski racer turned big mountain skier. She won the first ever Kings & Queens of Corbet’s competition in 2018, then won again in 2019, then was on the podium this past year. She’s filmed with Warren Miller and TGR, she is equally fun to ski with and to shoot the breeze with, and, while she’s already accomplished a lot, it still seems like Caite is just getting started.

So we caught up with Caite on her birthday (our first birthday-edition podcast!) to discuss skiing; filming vs photo shoots; her best Marcus Caston story; her music and podcast recommendations; and we somehow got into food and astrology, too.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Quarantine & Healing Up (1:55)
• Kings & Queens of Corbet’s (9:53)
• On the pressure to perform (16:32)
• Trip to Engelberg, Switzerland (18:56) 
• Your Best Marcus Caston story? (25:55)
• Photo Shoots vs Filming (29:28)
• Growing up: Cranmore, New Hampshire (35:14) 
• Other sports? (39:53)
• Films, Podcasts, Music & Books (47:30) 
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (55:45)

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Baby giraffes? Organic bamboo scissors? Superman? Since we now have to learn how to tele ski and shoot a tele video (we’ll explain in the episode), we’re crowdsourcing a crash course in what we need to know to avoid embarrassing and / or killing ourselves. So here in Part 1, we solicited the best tips and advice from artist and telemarker, Geoff McFetridge; Flylow Gear co-founder and president, Dan Abrams; and Blister reviewers Paul Forward and Kristin Sinnott.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Geoff McFetridge (4:10)
• Dan Abrams (36:45)
• Paul Forward (55:50)
• Kristin Sinnott (1:05:30)

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The ski industry has undergone rapid changes in the past several years, and we are currently in another unprecedented moment with the COVID-19 pandemic. So to help us better understand the past, present, and future of the ski industry, we talked to industry veteran and author of SKI INC, and SKI INC. 2020, Chris Diamond, about the rise of the EPIC and IKON passes; this recent era of rampant ski resort acquisitions; the state (and fate) of independent ski areas; whether COVID-19 will likely have lasting impacts on the ski industry; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Background: from bartender to CEO (3:26)
• What led you to write SKI INC? (14:24)
• Why did you write SKI INC. 2020? (26:30)
• Chess Match: Vail / EPIC Pass vs. Alterra / IKON (35:38)
• How will COVID-19 affect the ski industry? (44:02)
• The future of independent ski resorts? (49:54)
• Predictions: future acquisitions & industry trends (55:22)

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The X Games Real Ski competition is an invitation-only event, where some of the top skiers in the world go out and put together a 90-second street edit. The creativity and talent on display in real ski is always bonkers, and we’ve talked with past X Games winners and fan favorites, like Magnus Graner (Blister Podcast #36) and LJ Strenio (Blister Podcast #94).

And today, we’re talking with Jake Mageau, who in 2019 was voted the Real Ski fan favorite, and then this year, Jake took home the Real Ski 2020 gold medal.

Jake walks us through what really goes into filming a 90-second submission to Real Ski; scouting and settling on locations; the insane “Mind Flip” he puts down in this edit, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Jake’s approach to Real Ski 2019 vs 2020 (10:07)
• Finding locations (14:21)
• The Roof (17:58)
• The Dam (20:27)
• What’s your headspace like before filming a shot (28:17)
• Do you have a favorite moment from the edit? (33:46)
• The Mind Flip (36:05)
• Thoughts on “Style” (44:25)
• Fishing (46:52)

Jake’s Real Ski 2020 Edit

Jake’s Real Ski 2019 Edit

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Henry Munter is a lead heli guide and the general manager of Chugach Powder Guides in Girdwood, AK. We talk with him about making the call to shut down operations right as the heli season was in full swing; the evolution of heli skiing over the past 20-30 years; decision making, memory, and some of the tools and practices and books that Henry uses in forecasting, guiding clients, and handling all types of different aspects of the business; and we discuss environmentalism and heli skiing, and how Henry and others at CPG are thinking about those two things.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• COVID & this past season (4:00)
• How long have you been at CPG? (9:50)
• How & when did you meet Paul Forward? (14:57)
• Growing up (17:28)
• The evolution of heli skiing (24:18)
• Safety assessment tools & advances (32:12)
• Decision making (39:03)
• Bad Decisions vs Wrong Decisions (45:31)
• Fear / Stress Meter (53:01)
• Memory, Hans Georg Gadamer, & Winnie the Pooh (54:50)
• Environmentalism, Sustainability, & Heli Skiing (1:05:17)
• Projectdrawdown.com (1:15:33)

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In the latest installment of our Blister Book Club, we talk with the artist, Geoff McFetridge, about Jack Turner’s book, The Abstract Wild. We discuss why Geoff selected this book; why it isn’t designed to be a comfortable read; why we need to get clear on the distinction between “the wild” and “wilderness”; and why we think that every reader of BLISTER ought to read this book.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Why did you select this book? (2:50)
• McFetridge on Art (11:44)
• Geoff’s stand out parts of the book (23:17)
• Turner’s influences and style (31:20)
• Ideas and intentions of the book (36:48)
• “The Wild” vs “Wilderness” (47:20)
• Implications of this book for all of us (53:28)

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As a number of locations are beginning to relax travel restrictions and are able to welcome visitors back, we wanted to discuss some important reminders and best practices for recreating responsibly in this time of COVID.

If you do not have time to listen to the full conversation, then we strongly encourage you to check out the show notes to this episode to ensure that you are up-to-date on state and local ordinances.

So let’s all commit to doing things the right way, setting a good example, and not making our current situation harder on our local communities or the communities we might visit.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

* https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html

* https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/visitors.html

* https://www.nps.gov/index.htm

* https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map

* https://gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Recreating Responsibly (5:53)
• Trail Etiquette (9:02)
• Camping Etiquette (12:37)
• Parking Lot Etiquette (14:53)
• Constant Mindfulness + An Analogy (15:47)
• Final Thoughts & Recommendations (18:36)

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Today we are talking with our friend, Sanjay Rawal, about his new film, Gather. Sanjay is a fantastic story teller and a maker of films that might seem to have a pretty specific focus, but actually have wide-ranging applicability and relevance.

And this is most definitely true of his latest film, Gather, which Sanjay directed, and Renan Ozturk served as the cinematographer.

Gather tells the story of the growing food sovereignty movement among Native American tribes across the U.S. — which is a historical and a current cultural development that I suspect too many of us know too little about. I promise that this film will make you re-evaluate your own relationship to food and land and a lot of other things.

Gather can be found here and viewed online this Thursday, June 11th through June 20th, and you can get news about the film and future releases on social media @gatherfilm.

Other podcast conversations we’ve had with Sanjay and Renan Ozturk:

• Sanjay Rawal, Off The Couch, ep. 2
• Sanjay Rawal, Off The Couch, ep. 33
• Renan Ozturk, Blister Podcast, ep. 70

TOPICS & TIMES

• What is Gather about? (2:47)
• Sanjay’s other films (5:33)
• How did you get involved with this story? (7:22)
• The broader relevance of Gather (15:50)
• Urban farming & other food systems (23:27)
• How Gather is shifting perspectives (27:46)
• Protest & “appropriate” forms of protest (32:01)
• What’s your ideal outcome from this film? (42:53)

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Last week on the show we talked to Sanjay Rawal about his new film, Gather, which examines the growing food sovereignty movement among Native American tribes across the United States.

And this week, we are talking about why and how we need to re-invent the way that food is being grown and farmed, and the critical role that bees play in all of this.

Our guests are Peter Nelson and Sally Roy who have made the film, The Pollinators, which tells the fascinating story of bees and beekeeping and soil and farming practices and pesticides and the EPA and almonds and why the perfect apple is not the perfect apple, and why we need to change the way we produce food — literally from the ground up — and what each of us can do to help the cause. 

The Pollinators comes out tomorrow, June 16, on most digital platforms, including iTunes / AppleTV, amazon, GooglePlay, VimeoOnDemand.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Peter & Sally’s background (2:57)
• What is The Pollinators about? (5:48)
• Why are bees so important? (7:27)
• The process of pollination (10:39)
• Why are bees being moved around the country? (13:37)
• Why are bees dying? (19:54)
• Seasonality (23:47)
• Pesticides (30:08)
• What can each of us do? (37:20)
• What systemic changes need to happen? (44:21)

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BlackAFinSTEM was started to encourage and support Black individuals who are working in — or who are just passionate about — the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and also to encourage, support, and increase the visibility of Black naturalists and Black people who recreate and work outdoors.

So we talk to Tyler Jones, the co-organizer of Black Birders Week, about all of the above, plus the difference between a bird and a trash bag; Taco Bell & STEM; her graduate work on bees (!!!); and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• What is BlackAFinSTEM? (3:01)
• BlackAFinSTEM’s objectives (10:05)
• Black Birders Week (17:15)
• Tyler’s background, Taco Bell, & STEM (29:32)
• Bees (34:33)
• What’s next for Tyler? (4:31)
• Best ways to support BLackAFinSTEM (55:12)

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You are probably familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but what do you know about the arguably more important National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)? NEPA is a critical piece of legislation, and each of us needs to understand what it does and why it matters so much. And currently, some major changes to NEPA are being proposed that could have extremely serious environmental and human rights consequences.

So to help us understand the high stakes of the changes being proposed, we spoke to Hilary Eisen, the policy director for the Winter Wildlands Alliance. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What is the Winter Wildlands Alliance? (3:15)
• NEPA: It’s History & What It Does (4:09)
• NEPA & the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (8:36)
• The Trump administration & NEPA (14:33)
• NEPA, Human Health, & People of Color (37:25)
• What We Can Do (42:02)

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Dotsie Bausch is a 7-time USA Cycling National Champion, an Olympic medalist, a featured athlete in the film, The Game Changers, and the executive director of Switch4Good. We talked to Dotsie about her very unusual path to an Olympic podium; her work at Swith4Good; and what we ought to understand about dairy products and the dairy industry.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Dotsie’s athletic background (1:44)
• When did you start cycling? (7:55)
• Mental toughness vs. natural ability (12:50)
• Getting into Track Cycling & Team Pursuit (16:07)
• 2012 Olympics (19:19
• Mountain biking (22:29)
• What is Switch4Good? (24:18)
• Why focus on dairy? (38:04)
• Where to follow Switch4Good (1:00:50)

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Whether or not you’re a runner, you ought to know about the Skid Row Running Club and the Skid Row Marathon. We talk to the club founder, Judge Craig Mitchell, about why he started the club; his background; the duty of police officers to protect and serve; the need for minimum sentencing reform; and much more.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• The judge’s running background (7:09)
• The Midnight Mission & the running club (10:05)
• What / where is Skid Row? (12:22)
• Who are the club members? (15:58)
• The club’s international marathons (17:26)
• Stories of specific members (22:39)
• Police & the duty to Protect & to Serve (31:59)
• Mandatory minimum sentencing reform (37:32)
• The importance of jury duty service (41:53)
• Best ways to support the running club? (43:54)
• Do you have a dream race for the club (46:33)

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Art Clay is the co-founder of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, and he and his NBS co-founder, Ben Finley, are the first African Americans to be inducted into the US Ski-Snowboard Hall of Fame. This past weekend, Jonathan Ellswoth sat down with Art at his home in Chicago to talk about growing up in Chicago in the 1940s; his first time skiing; the idea to start the National Brotherhood of Skiers; cutie pies; the Black Summit; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Growing up in Chicago in the 1940s (3:52)
• College at Clark (12:51)
• Serving in the army, learning about skiing (15:34)
• Ski Club meeting in Chicago (20:28)
• 1st time you went skiing (23:05)
• The long coats of “The Gang” (32:24)
• When did you start thinking about creating a national organization (37:16)
• Black Ski Summit (39:39)
• NBS’ Olympic Scholarship Fund (46:24)

LINKS:

• Website: National Brotherhood of Skiers
• Film: Brotherhood of Skiing
• Application: NBS Olympic Scholarship Fund

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Jeremy Bloom is a 3-time world champion mogul skier, a 2-time Olympian, an 11-time World Cup gold medalist, and an All-American football player that was drafted into the NFL. He's also the executive producer of an important new film, The Weight of Gold, which explores the mental health challenges that Olympic athletes often face. So we talked to Jeremy about his own background; the pursuit of athletic excellence; winning and happiness; brain health; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES 

• Jeremy’s life these days (2:45)
• Skiing AND Football (6:17)
• The Film: The Weight of Gold (19:00)
• Winning & Happiness (29:13)
• Life after Athletics (42:45)
• Physical Health & ‘Brain Health’ (45:05)

RELATED LINKS:

• teamusa.org/mentalhealth

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“Camping” is a massive industry, and a lot goes on under that one name. So today we discuss who’s doing it; what, exactly, people are doing; the different segments of camping; the most important trends; some of the current problems and challenges in the space; and some of the potential solutions.

To walk us through it all we sat down with Sam Degenhard, founder of campfireranch.co.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Sam’s background (2:48) 
• Defining Terms & Segments: Primitive Camping (8:56)
• Public Campgrounds (11:20)
• Private Campgrounds (13:12)
• Glamping (14:30)
• Overlanding / Van Life (18:49)
• Camping Connectors / Services (23:06)
• Audience Size & Financial Figures (27:12)
• Trends (32:28)
• Sam’s company: Campfire Ranch (48:18)
• How to book a stay (1:02:28)

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On January 6, 2018, Chris Bombardier became the first person with hemophilia to complete all Seven Summits, and tomorrow, a film comes out called Bombardier Blood that tells Chris’ story and homes in on his attempt to summit Mt. Everest. 

Chris is also now the executive director of the organization, Save One Life, whose mission is to improve the quality of life and future for people with bleeding disorders in developing countries.

So in this conversation you’ll be introduced to a wonderful guy named Chris; you’ll learn more about hemophilia and better understand the experience of those who have the condition; you’ll learn more about the work of Save One Life; and then tomorrow, you’ll get to go watch Bombardier Blood and be introduced to “Crazy Uncle Dave” and a number of other wonderful people.

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR BLOOD BOMBARDIER

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Baseball, sharks, & growing up w/ hemophilia (3:00)
• What exactly is Hemophilia? (7:28)
• Playing baseball, dealing w/ injuries? (16:00)
• The importance of “Factor” (22:40)
• The film, Bombardier Blood (29:22)
• The Seven Summits (32:42)
• Attempting Everest (36:28)
• Hemophilia & Everest (46:15)
• Save One Life (49:51)

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Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, is a lifelong hunter. Jonathan Ellsworth has been a vegetarian for over 20 years. So how much common ground do they share? We discuss that plus Paul’s latest solo hunt; why he only hunts with a bow; what the broader hunting community might learn from skiers & mtn bikers in terms of climate advocacy; and what skiers & mtn bikers could stand to learn from the hunting community about conservation.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Paul’s background (5:13)
• Hunting with a bow (7:53)
• Paul’s recent solo hunt (11:37)
• Animals, Pain, & Death in the Wild (13:55)
• Going vegetarian in college (20:22)
• Conservation & Climate Advocacy (29:31)
• Pebble Mine, Alaska (36:50)
• Closing thoughts (43:07)

Our Other Podcasts on Food, Diet, & Nutrition

Blister Podcast, ep. 131: Food Sovereignty & Indigenous Rights

Blister Podcast, ep. 132: Bees, Green Lawns, “Perfect” Apples, & the Reinvention of Farming

Blister Podcast, ep. 133: BlackAFinSTEM, Birders, & Bees

Blister Podcast, ep. 135: Olympian Dotsie Bausch - Switch4Good & the Dairy Industry

Off The Couch, ep. 28: Runner & Chef: Kelly Newlon of “Real Athlete Diets”

Off The Couch, ep. 32: Diets & Nutrition w/ Kylee Van Horn

Off The Couch, ep. 47: Jenny & Scott Jurek

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We talk to snowboarder & Protect Our Winters founder, Jeremy Jones, about his new film, Purple Mountains; the importance of reviving a lost art; and more.

Watch a video of this conversation on our YouTube channel

Watch the trailer for Purple Mountains

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The title of the film (1:59)
• Social media (7:05)
• Common ground / consensus (9:28)
• The art of conversation (11:28)
• Best ways to discuss these issues? (12:37)
• Politics as a sport / entertainment (14:08)
• Upcoming election (21:50)
• A favorite moment from the film? (27:20)
• Closing thoughts (32:18)

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Will Gadd has established a number of the hardest mixed ice climbing lines in the world; set the world distance record for paragliding (twice); kayaked down dozens of first ascents across North America; and won the Canadian National Sport-Climbing Championships four times. And yet, the most extraordinary thing about Will might just be his passion level for doing just about anything outdoors, coupled with his commitment to making sure that the next generation - and the generations after them - have the same opportunities.

So we talk to Will about ice climbing, skiing, paragliding, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking — and how they relate to one another. And we also talk about his new film, The Last Ascent, which documents Will’s return to Mount Kilimanjaro in February 2020 to climb the Messner route and the Tanzanian ice (at 19,000’ altitude) while they still can.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How would you describe this film? (4:55)
• What makes African ice unique? (8:51)
• Will on the influence of Messner (10:51)
• Comparing all the sports (17:06)
• More on The Last Ascent (25:28)
• Favorite sport at the moment? (32:41)
• Closing thoughts (39:21)

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Our guest today is Camille Jaccoux, the co-founder of Black Crows Skis. This is Camille’s 2nd time on the Blister Podcast, and you should check out Blister Podcast ep. 64, where I talked to Camille and Black Crows head ski designer, Julien Regnier, about the history of Black Crows. 

This time, we talk about growing up in Chamonix and Camille’s background in skiing; what Black Crows is doing to grow the brand while trying to stay true to the reasons why they started the company in the first place; we discuss the lost art of ski ballet, who would win today in a mogul comp between Camille and Glen Plake, and get predictions for this upcoming season. 

TOPICS & TIMES

• Predictions for the upcoming season (7:30)
• Growing up / Camille’s ski background (11:15)
• Ski ballet! (16:03)
• Mogul skiing (Camille vs Glen Plake) (23:49)
• Key moment in your ski history? (25:53)
• Turning point in Camille’s life (38:11)
• Founding Black Crows / ski culture in 2005 (42:46)
• Hardest thing about growing Black Crows? (54:10)
• Most fun / rewarding thing? (1:05:03)
• Which Black Crows model do you ski the most? (1:08:58)
• Ski media today (1:12:47)

RELATED LINKS:

• icelab.co - Come live & work in the Gunnison Valley!
• Blister Podcast ep. 64: Camille & Julien on the history of Black Crows
• GEAR:30 ep. 7: Camille & Julien - ski design, mount points, & the 18/19 lineup

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We’ve got a really fun one for you today — Alexi Godbout and Stan Rey are on the show talking about their new film, Follow the Forecast, which features a bunch of good friends who happen to be really good at skiing. We also talk about potential alternate titles for the film; what’s harder: ski mountaineering or skiing pillows?; who won the movie?; and yes, Stan’s spit cup.

RELATED LINKS:

• icelab.co - Come live & work in the Gunnison Valley!
• Watch the Trailer: Follow the Forecast

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Introductions (4:18)
• The story behind Blank Collective (6:31)
• Why did you let that guy Cody be in the film?? (9:32)
• Favorite segment in the film? (22:20)
• The music (23:57)
• Alternate Film Title Suggestions (25:52)
• Stan’s favorite joke (30:24)
• “Doggy” (35:46)
• The best cheap ski products of all time? (38:10)
• Favorite non-ski movies? (41:24)
• Who won the movie? (46:23)
• Best Crash Award (48:18)

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Last week Cody Townsend came to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series and spoke about why his education has been so beneficial to his career; social media and the new responsibilities of athletes today; starting & growing a business (Arcade Belts); The Fifty Project and all of the behind-the-scenes work; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Why Cody studied linguistics (5:19)
• Responsibilities of athletes today (11:28)
• Social media — expectations (15:46)
• Cody’s mentors (23:02)
• Starting & running a business: Arcade Belts (25:11)
• The Fifty Project (30:07)
• The work that goes on behind the scenes (35:01)
• Getting funding for projects 
• Lines that should be included in the Fifty? (44:04)
• Climate motivation (46:43)
• How can skiing become more inclusive? (51:02) 

RELATED LINKS:

• Previous Blister Speaker Series Events

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This is another installment in our series on food, food systems, and food movements, and we have included links below to all of the really interesting and diverse range of conversations we’ve had this year on these topics.

Our guest today was first introduced to me by Blister reviewer, Paul Forward. Mahting Putelis is the founder of Hunt to Eat, which is an organization that exists to:

“Find modern, progressive, and inclusive ways to support and grow the community of folks that go outdoors, harvest wild meat, or plants, or fungi, and take these things home to be cooked with care for themselves or their friends and family. The folks that see the importance of wildlife and nature. This community is not defined by race, politics, education, wealth, or gender; it's simply a human community. Hunting, fishing, foraging, and existing in nature are things that human beings have done to survive since the dawn of our evolution. Everyone who exists in nature is part of the Hunt to Eat community. And it can only grow from here.”

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What is Hunt to Eat? (4:35)
• Skiing, Hunting, & Ultrarunning (6:18)
• All of us hunt to eat (12:23)
• Hunting Culture (17:56)
• Hunt to Eat camps (28:37)
• When / where will these camps be held? (32:41)
• Educational videos (40:22)
• Closing thoughts (43:12)

RELATED LINKS:

• Ep. 141: Paul Forward on Hunting, Climate Advocacy, & Conservation
• Ep. 135: Olympian Dotsie Bausch on Cycling, Switch4Good, & the Dairy Industry
• Ep. 132: Bees, Green Lawns, “Perfect” Apples, & the Reinvention of Farming
• Ep. 131: Food Sovereignty, Indigenous Rights, & the Film, Gather
• Ep. 82: Solutions to the Global Recycling & Trash Crisis

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The Wurl — The Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup — has gained quite a lot of attention in the trail running and climbing worlds, but it had never been done in the winter, and Mali Noyes and Lani Bruntz set out to change that.

So we recently talked with Mali and Lani about their respective backgrounds, the origins of this idea to ski The Wurl, and then we dive into the planning and logistics and scouting and spreadsheets (do not underestimate the importance of spreadsheets!) that happened behind the scenes and well before they set out on their mission. 

After the conversation, head over to Salomon TV to watch the short film of Mali and Lani’s attempt to ski The Wurl.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Mali’s background (2:46)
• Lani’s background (7:30)
• Describe The WURL? (16:14)
• Planning & Logistics (23:58)
• Spreadsheets! (26:32)
• Conditions & Weather (38:02)
• Highlights? (40:31)
• Closing Thoughts (44:59)

RELATED LINKS:

• Salomon TV: The Wurl

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Did you know that 1 out of 5 people in the United States have a disability? 20 percent. And that is just one of the reasons why those of us who love and care about outdoor recreation really ought to know about all that is happening in the world of adaptive sports.

So to get an overview of the past, present, and future of adaptive sports and recreation, we sat down with Chris Read and Betty Philbin of the Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What are Adaptive Sports? (2:00)
• Origins of outdoor-focused adaptive sports (2:51)
• Terminology & Etiquette (16:55)
• The Gear (22:46)
• Programing in Crested Butte (27:19)
• Lodging (32:31)
• How to get involved (38:04)

RELATED LINKS:

• Our Off The Couch podcast: Kyle Robidoux on Running, Skiing, & Being Legally Blind
• Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte

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Today we are launching a new segment on the Blister Podcast. Each month, Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth will discuss some of the biggest stories and most interesting news headlines from the world of outdoor sports, and on occasion, the broader world, too. Then we’ll conclude each episode by talking about some of the best things we’ve watched, read, or listened to. Check it out, and let us know your thoughts & recommendations in the Comments Section of the show notes on the blister website.

TOPICS, TIMES, & RELATED ARTICLES:

(1) Emily Harrington’s Epic Climb (2:58)

Outside Magazine article

Fox News article

NBC News article & video

(2) The Race to Open Ski Areas (22:21)

Local Freshies article

(3) The Election & Outdoor Athletes (32:00)

San Francisco Chronicles article

(4) Cooking in Geysers (43:48)

Travel and Leisure article

Outside Magazine article

(5) Blevin’s Corner: Are Backcountry Lines Trade Secrets? (49:26)

Jason Blevin’s Colorado Sun article

Andy Sovick’s Beacon Guide Books

(6) The Rise & Spectacular Fall of Quibi (1:00:19)

Wall Street Journal article

(7) Best Things We’ve Watched, Read, or Listened To (1:08:22)

• Jojo Rabbit
• The Social Dilemma
• Above The Clouds, by Kilian Jornet
• The Infinite Machine, by Camila Russo
• No Filter, by Sarah Fried
• Win At All Costs, by Matt Hart
• Last Chance U (seasons 1,2, & 5)
• Ted Lasso
• The Queen’s Gambit

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Athletic Brewing Company is a fast-growing brand in an emerging category that is about to blow up: non-alcoholic craft beer. So we talked to Athletic Brewing’s founder about why he started the company; the stigma of not drinking; why “near beer” has been so bad; why there’s such a need for products like this in the outdoors community; Athletic’s brewing process; how he feels about the emerging competition in the space; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When / why did start thinking about starting Athletic? (2:17)
• Stigmas around not drinking (5:06)
• Stigmas around “N/A” beer (8:31)
• Why didn’t N/A beer take off sooner? (12:45)
• Parallels: N/A beer & the plant-based meat industry (28:17)
• Two For the Trails program (31:02)

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Sales of backcountry guide books are up, and more and more people are venturing out. So we talked with Beacon Guidebooks founder, Andy Sovick (who Cody Townsend and I recently talked about on episode #150), about how he got into publishing guidebooks; why he dislikes the term “guidebooks”; whether backcountry guidebooks should even exist; the responsibilities that come with publishing them; why Andy is an advocate of the “ATES” system (Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale); and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Andy’s ‘back-to-the-land’ upbringing (4:39)
• Mentorship (9:30)
• The responsibility of publishing guidebooks (33:28)
• ATES: The Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (47:45)
• Updating the atlases (55:35)
• Beacon Guidebooks Rakkup app (59:34)
• Steamboat lawsuit (1:04:52)
• Where to find Beacon Guidebooks (1:22:12)

RELATED LINKS:

• blister.getspot.com

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We talk with Moosejaw CEO, Eoin Comerford, about how to increase diversity and inclusivity in the outdoor industry; the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator — which we hope that a number of you will apply for; what Moosejaw’s aims are today, and how those aims are informed by Moosejaw’s parent company, Walmart; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Moosejaw’s history (3:18)
• Being backed by Walmart (9:24)
• The Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator (18:46)
• Inclusivity in the outdoor space (22:51)
• Large online retailers & indie brick & mortar shops (30:57)
• The current state of the outdoor industry (38:33)
• More details re: the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator (49:58)

RELATED LINKS

• Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator
• blister.getspot.com

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Bode Miller is not only one of the greatest ski racers of all time, he’s also working on a number of interesting projects. So we have a very wide-ranging conversation with Bode about his involvement in rethinking education with the Institute for Civic Leadership; the use of technology and data to make skiing easier (SKEO); the crucial lesson his grandmother taught him at a young age; his greatest competitive advantage as a ski racer; his interest in reenvisioning advertising (DTX); what he aims to do in terms of ski design with Crosson Skis; and more. 

TOPICS & TIMES

• Rethinking Education: ICL: Institute for Civic Leadership (2:40)
• Tech, Data, & Skiing: SKEO (11:52)
• Benefits & dangers of new technologies (17:46)
• Lesson from Bode’s grandma (24:36)
• Various factors of ski racing (30:12)
• Bode’s greatest competitive advantage (33:43)
• Rethinking Advertising: DTX & Flowcode (43:33)
• Bode on ski design: Crosson Skis (56:45)

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Elena Hight is an X Games Gold Medalist, two-time Olympian, and a person who everyone in our world describes first and foremost as … a badass.

We talked with Elena about her new film project, Blank Canvas; competitive drive; how similar or different it is preparing to ride a big backcountry line versus a half-pipe contest run; her time in the mountains with the likes of Hana Beaman, Travis Rice, and Danny Davis; the importance for all of us to get better at dealing with the changes and transitions that are an inevitable part of life; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Offseason training & habits (4:49)
• Competitive Background (9:35)
• Mental preparation: contests vs. the backcountry (15:18)
• Shifting from halfpipe riding (22:21)
• Practices to help with moments of transition (33:40)
• Filming with Travis Rice (39:55)
• Current favorite books & music (43:26)
• 2021 plans (44:50)
• Where to watch Blank Canvas (50:15)

RELATED LINKS

• Survivor Endurance phone case 
• Jonathan’s experience with the Survivor Endurance

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Cody Towsend and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about chess & The Queen’s Gambit; savants & skier savants; ski media; political appointees; avalanche accidents; Cody’s new film, The Mountain Why; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Cody versus the people of Girdwood, AK (2:15)
• The Queen’s Gambit & Savants (4:36)
• Spoiler Alerts for the Queen’s Gambit (6:29 - 19:21)
• Magnus Carlsen, & Skier Savants (8:23)
• Deb Haaland, Interior Secretary (19:25)
• Ski Media & Powder Magazine (37:31)
• Gear Shops, Gear Makers, & Crystal Balls (50:31)
• Who is getting into avalanche accidents? (56:08)
• Cody & Michelle Parker’s film, The Mountain Why (1:09:20)

RELATED LINKS

• David Hill’s excellent article on Walter Tevis

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For our first Blister Podcast of 2021, we asked a few of our reviewers to share one highlight of the past year; one thing they’re most looking forward to in 2021; and one new year’s resolution. We got quite a range of answers, and apparently Kristin Sinnott and Jonathan Ellsworth will be starting up a new reality TV show?? Please enjoy, and Happy New Year!

TOPICS & TIMES

• Kristin Sinnott (1:02)
• Eric Freson (9:56)
• Luke Koppa (15:18)
• Sascha Anastas (19:53)
• Gordon Gianniny (30:13)
• Kara Williard (42:44)
• Dylan Wood (50:01)
• Paul Forward & Jonathan Ellsworth (57:45)

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Sam Anthamatten does things in the mountains that very few skiers do, and in this conversation, you’ll get a better sense of the background and the trajectory that helped Sam get to where he is today. We also get an update from Sam on the status of La Liste 2 (watch La Liste if you haven’t seen it); we talk about the process of flashing massive, big-mountain lines; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES: 

• Update on skiing in Europe (1:36)
• Sam’s background in the mountains (6:11)
• Update: La Liste 2 (17:28)
• Riding with Jeremie Heitz vs riding with Xavier de le Rue (26:20)
• Skiing 55° slopes (30:46)
• Competing on the Freeride World Tour (37:47)
• Gear (and skiing with Candide) (44:06)
• Ski Bindings & Binding Choices (50:38)

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Andrew Alexander King is an explorer, alpinist, climber, and surfer who was born in Detroit, Michigan. Andrew has climbed over 50 different mountains around the world from Kilimanjaro to the highest mountain in the Atlantic, Indian, and the Pacific Ocean, and is currently training and aiming to become the first African American to climb the highest mountain and volcano on each continent.

Andrew’s story is very interesting, and he is currently at work on The Between Worlds Project, which is every bit as interesting and important.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The Between Worlds Project (2:16)
• Growing up in Detroit (7:56)
• Moving to Hawaii, getting into surfing (22:48)
• Representation in the outdoor space (25:11)
• Attending college & navigating the corporate world (34:59)
• Working with brands (46:21)
• Current status of The Between Worlds Project (59:03)

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Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the first Winter Summit of K2 by the Sherpa and Nepali team, including Nirmal Purja; TNF x Gucci collab; mountain-town dynamics; Sam Anthamatten vs Cody on the SHIFT binding; our inaugural Blister Summit; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Surviving Girdwood, going skate skiing (2:59)
• The 1st Winter Summit of K2 (6:49)
• TNF | Gucci Collab (12:57)
• Mountain Town Dynamics & Politics (23:34)
• Sam Anthamatten on the SHIFT binding (34:27)
• Ski areas in France vs the US / Blevin’s Corner (42:08)
• The new Blister Summit (57:02)
• Our Book & Film Recommendations (1:04:35)

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Today we’re talking about the science of snow, the art of avalanche forecasting, and what every backcountry traveler can be sending in to their local avy center to help them produce more accurate forecasts.

Our guest is Zach Guy, who is the lead forecaster for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center. Zach has a master’s degree in snow science from Montana State University, he’s served as the director of the Flathead Avalanche Center in Northwest Montana; and he returned to Crested Butte in the fall of 2020 to take over as the CBAC’s lead forecaster.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Zach’s background in forecasting & snow science (5:40)
• Some different snowpacks in the USA (13:29)
• Different snowpacks in Colorado (16:50)
• How has avalanche forecasting evolved? (20:08)
• How has snow science evolved? (22:35)
• Inconsistencies between forecast centers (26:43)
• Snowpack modeling (34:41)
• Fracture mechanics (46:44)
• Zach’s forecasting process (49:52)
• What we all can / should submit to avy centers (57:39)
• Life & schedule of a forecaster (1:03:29)

RELATED LINKS: BACKCOUNTRY TRAVEL

• Ep. 152: On Guide Books & Decision Making in the Backcountry
• Ep. 128: Henry Munter on Avy Forecasting & Decision Making
• Ep. 119: Rob Coppolillo on Backcountry Travel, Education, & Gear
• Ep. 85: AMGA president, Angela Hawse
• Ep. 62: Paul Forward on Backcountry Travel & Wilderness Medicine

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Cody and Jonathan discuss the new rule changes re: filming in National Parks; lift-line etiquette; the future of freeride comps; the record number of avalanche fatalities in the U.S. this season; a new development in backcountry skiing; the shocking story of Dean Cummings; and we share some music, tv, and book recommendations.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The Blister Summit (2:20)
• Clarification on Nim’s K2 Summit (5:28)
• Commercial filming in National Parks (6:44)
• Lift-line etiquette debate (16:21)
• The future of freeride comps? (23:39)
• Record avalanche fatalities in the US (31:04)
• Backcountry skiing & its future (43:49)
• Dean Cummings (49:03)
• CT & JE’s music, tv, & book recommendations (57:07)

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