Gear:30

Ski boots are made of plastic, and different plastics feel and perform very differently from one another. So we get deep into the details with Atomic Ski Boots product manager, Matt Manser, to help you figure out which plastics are used in your ski boots, and the pros & cons & general performance characteristics of different plastics — which will help you understand why you might like or dislike your current boots, and what you ought to be looking for in your next pair.TOPICS & TIMES:What has been the focus of your recent work in ski boots? (2:10)The 3 main families of plastics: PP, PU, and PA (6:57)“PP” — Polypropylene (11:15)How recycled plastics are used in the production process (19:18)“PU” — Polyurethane (23:06)Low-grade PU: Recycled PU (26:53)Mid-grade PU: PU-Ester (27:53)High-grade PU: PU-Ether (31:33)Colors: how they affect plastics’ performance (33:44)What is Desmopan? (38:32)“True Flex” PU — Atomic’s proprietary PU (44:26)How to make a lightweight boot out of heavy materials (49:40)“PA”

BLISTER Editors Sam Shaheen and Luke Koppa discuss their time this week at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, including mind-boggling new technologies like titanium-coated fibres; inventive sustainability stories involving recycled medical supplies; and noteworthy trends — both good and bad. TOPICS & TIMES:Rumpl Puffy Blankets (1:08)Gore-Tex Infinium Fibers (3:08)Topo Designs’ new apparel & packs (6:37)Mystery Ranch Skyline 23 Pack (9:11)Sunski Sunglasses (10:40)Patagonia Storm Racer Shell (12:35)Rab Mythic Ultra sleeping bags (14:34)New Gore-Tex Paclite Plus (17:53)Black Diamond Z4 Cams (20:02)Saola Shoes (23:05)Notable trends (26:16)Products we wanted to steal (29:34)Weirdest / most alarming booths (30:55) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Things get a little loose in this roundtable conversation, and kind of go off the rails. So consider yourself warned. But there are a few gems in here, including our group review of the ON3P Woodsman 108; Luke Koppa’s take on the new Tecnica heat-moldable hiking shoe, the Plasma S; Kristin Sinnot’s and my conversations about two new ski boots we’re excited about, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Review: Hard Seltzers (2:30)Salomon S/Max 120 W (6:20)K2 Mindbender 99Ti (9:45)Tecnica Plasma S Hiking Shoe (16:47)Nordica Promachine 120 (21:34)Fjallraven Keb Eco-Shell Jacket (27:39)Maui Jim North Star Sunglasses (29:10)ON3P Woodsman 108 (31:40)Smashburger’s Black Bean Burger (34:47)Larabar flavors (37:33)Dirtbag Chic (39:17) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

GPS communication devices can be the difference between life and death in remote places. So we talk with Bivy’s Pitt Grewe about the different types of technology and devices on the market; how these devices can affect decision making; satellite networks; complicated payment plans; and … Pitt’s impressive skills as a DJ.TOPICS & TIMES:Pitt’s background in the outdoor industry (1:21)Bar Mitzvahs and the Humpty Dance? (5:32)The differences between GPS devices (10:13)When should you bring a GPS device? (13:53)Providing peace of mind for friends & family (21:28)Garmin vs. Spot vs. Bivystick: the state of the market (25:44)After you push the SOS button, what happens next? (31:26)(Confusing) payment plans of various GPS devices (37:50) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last Saturday, Sam Shaheen skied three different lines in one day on the Colorado 14er, Torrey’s Peak. Jonathan Ellsworth sits down with Sam to discuss the details of this “Torrey’s Peak Triple Crown”; the ‘D-Scale’ of rating ski descents; the gear, apparel, and food he used on the mountain; and the safety and decision-making process throughout the day. We’ve also included a complete list of the gear, apparel, and food that Sam used on the day in the the shownotes to this episode.  TOPICS & TIMES:Torrey’s Peak Triple Crown (1:03)What is the D-scale? (3:45)What did Sam pick for skis? (14:04)Bindings (18:00)Skins (19:40)Poles (20:53)Pack (21:20)Apparel (22:39)Food (27:04)Avalanche forecasts vs. decision making in the field (33:10) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonathan Ellsworth talks about testing the ON3P Woodsman 108 and Black Crows Navis while heli skiing with Eleven Experience in Iceland, and Sam Shaheen and Luke Koppa talk about their time on the Volkl Mantra 102 & Revolt 121, Faction Candide 5.0, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Heli Skiing at Deplar Farm, Iceland (1:15)ON3P Woodsman 108 (5:00)Volkl Mantra 102 (13:25)Volkl Revolt 121 (17:05)Faction Candide 5.0 (20:51)HEAD Raptor 140 RS (24:12)Fischer Ranger 99 (25:49)Salomon QST 99 (27:16)Icelantic Nomad 105 (31:08)Black Crows Navis (33:02)Liberty Origin 106 (36:45) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Supercapacitors, Venturi valves, and scary-high currents — this week we discuss airbag design and technology with Black Diamond’s Director of Design Engineering.TOPICS & TIMES:Pete’s Background at BD (1:10)Why is BD using 3 different airbag technologies in 19/20? (2:55)Supercapacitors, pt. 1 (7:30)Jetforce technology and design (11:03)Airbag standards testing (16:04)Alpride E1 — Supercapacitors pt. 2 (18:54)Alpride canister systems (27:19)Pete’s airbag pack of choice (35:45) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we talk to Patagonia’s senior material developer, Pasha Whitmire, about how Patagonia designs, develops, and tests their technical fabrics; myths surrounding waterproof / breathable materials; why the future of fabric development lies in sustainability; the advantages and disadvantages of working with big names like Gore-Tex; and a whole lot more outerwear geekery.TOPICS & TIMES:The “Killer Wash” and Patagonia’s other fabric tests (3:50)The relationship between fabric and garment (12:50)Waterproof laminates — 3L? 4L?? 5L?!?! (19:00)What comes first: concept or material? (22:43)Designing fabrics to be recycled (23:45)Gore-Tex — challenges and advantages of working with the fabric juggernaut (29:44)Biggest misconceptions about waterproof / breathable fabrics (34:52)Why the future of fabric tech is green (46:08)Other brands that Pasha is excited about (48:04)Sam and Luke’s article on Outerwear CareOuterwear 101Outerwear 201Information on Breathability Testing See acast.com/privacy for privacy and o

We talk to ON3P founder, Scott Andrus, about the 19/20 ON3P lineup, building skis for Michael Jordan & Tinker Hatfield, and we break quite a bit of news along the way.TOPICS & TIMES:ON3P’s 10-yr anniversary & the ON3P name (2:41)Building custom ON3Ps for Michael Jordan & Tinker Hatfield (5:22)Wrenegade Lineup (12:00)Metal Wrenegades (13:18)Metal Jeffrey & Woodsman?? (18:30)ON3P Touring Skis (19:22)How Scott’s trying to help people understand skis specs better (21:04)Jeffery and Jessie Lineups (23:30)Mount Points, Part 1 (26:24)Woodsman Lineup (29:21)Mount Points, Part 2 (31:55)Sidecut Radius: why it does — and doesn’t — matter (36:08)ON3P custom skis (40:35)Scott’s Random Review selection for us (43:02) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Near-death experiences, avalanche airbags, and changing risk tolerance — this week we talk to mountain guide and Mammut’s safety expert, Doug Workman, about life and survival in the mountains.TOPICS & TIMES:Doug’s background in the mountains (2:18)Does safety gear affect risk assessment? (3:55)How an airbag saved Doug’s life (12:15)Are airbags becoming “required” backcountry gear? (22:34)An unfair hypothetical: airbags or transceivers? (25:12)The importance of good partners in the backcountry (29:40)Doug’s favorite guiding experiences (32:33) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sam Shaheen, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about new goggles; new skis; which ski companies made the biggest impressions on us this season; funniest answers so far to our BLISTER Survey; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:New Goggles: high-end, price-point, and awful ones (5:50)Armada ARV 106Ti & 96Ti (16:00)Which ski companies stood out the most to us this season? (14:25)Some favorite answers from our Blister Survey (29:40)Some very random reviews (35:10) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Avalanche beacons might not be as sexy as other ski & snowboard gear, but their proper use and design can be the difference between life and death. So we sat down with the co-founder of Backcountry Access, Bruce Edgerly, to talk about avalanche transceiver design, backcountry safety research, and the most important — yet often overlooked — aspects of a rescue.TOPICS & TIMES:BCA’s transceiver design philosophy + a new Tracker (1:21)Improving backcountry strategy & increasing your safety (7:24)Scenario: multiple burials (13:59)Ski media & backcountry safety (16:28)How old is too old when it comes to transceivers? (18:50)The changing backcountry scene (20:31) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sam Shaheen, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of their favorite new skis, then — in what might be our most anticipated review ever — Sam Shaheen gives us his honest, in-depth, pretty hilarious, and surprisingly insightful take on the dating app, Tinder. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alaska is a place where your gear really needs to hold up. So we talk to Eric Helmbrecht, owner of Powder Hound Ski Shop in Girdwood Alaska, about the trends he’s seeing in skiing and snowboarding; the gear with the most and the least durability issues; some of his favorite gear; the most Alaskan thing ever; and more.TOPICS & TIMESHow Powder Hound has evolved (2:30)Trending: Resort skiing vs. backcountry skiing (7:00)What gear are you most psyched on? (9:58)Ski boots: heat molding shells vs. traditional boot work (15:37)Favorite bindings? (19:53)Some favorite skis for Alyeska / AK? (24:29)Gear with the least & most durability issues (31:32)Eric’s take on “Bang for your buck” products (35:23)Favorite new outerwear (40:55)Powder Hound’s growing snowboard business (43:17)The most Alaskan thing ever (51:08) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Blister editors Sam Shaheen, and Luke Koppa, talk about the enormous amount of new apparel that has arrived at our HQ over the past few weeks. Sam and Luke are both serious nerds when it comes to this stuff, and their conversation highlights a ton of new apparel, from crazy new tech all the way to head-turning casual pieces. Let the geek-out begin.TOPICS & TIMES:The most sustainable shoe ever? (2:15)Ultra-comfortable hardshells from Patagonia & Flylow (5:32)Super warm, super shiny, and super “extra” Mammut Anorak (14:24)What Holden’s Jacket has in common with wine corks (17:18)The recent anorak takeover at Blister (20:46)New Brand Alert: Forward (25:06)Update on the product Sam wanted to steal (27:58) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to Prior’s head snowboard and ski shaper, Dominic Morin, about the origins of Prior, their philosophy of ski and snowboard shaping, their craziest designs, their new shapes for 19/20, and the legacy of Chris Prior.TOPICS & TIMES:The origins of Prior (2:15)Why Prior shapes cores by hand (3:43)What’s the craziest custom design you’ve done? (8:08)How do your snowboard designs influence Prior’s ski designs? (12:13)Why is there a wider variety of snowboard shapes than ski shapes? (15:38)The Prior CBC and Husume (20:23)The Prior Northwest 110 and 100 (26:06)Why Prior has several niche models (31:12)How does Prior respond to trends in snowboard shapes? (33:37)Chris Prior’s lasting legacy (42:21) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to Moment Skis CEO, Luke Jacobson, about next year’s lineup of skis; space movies; Ryan Gosling; Tyler Curle’s ski preferences; the “Google Bump”; and … more Ryan Gosling.TOPICS & TIMES:“Freestyle” collection: PB&J, Meridian, Wildcat 108, Deathwish, & Wildcat (5:00)The inspiration behind Moment’s space-themed 19/20 graphics (17:00)“Freeride” collection: Commander 98, 108, 118, & 124 (24:00)Moment team rider and ski builder Tyler Curle’s ski preferences (27:50)How the Commander 124 differs from the rest of the Commander series (36:20)Luke & Jonathan’s suggestions for alternative ski names (39:43)“Tour” collection: Wildcat Tour 108, Deathwish Tour, & Wildcat Tour (41:22)“Women’s” collection: Hot Mess, Sierra, & Bella (46:00)Moment’s collaboration with Google and the “Google Bump” (53:00) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we’re talking about a whole bunch of skis, including the new Line Outline and new Sir Francis Bacon; the new Nordica Enforcer 104 Free; the 4FRNT InThayne; and the J Skis Friend. We also talk a bit about Luke and Sam’s article on caring for outerwear; and Jonathan Ellsworth makes a quasi-apology / mini confession about his previous stance on lightweight, inbound skis. Finally, there is a MASSIVELY IMPORTANT teaser about a forthcoming GEAR:30 episode.TOPICS & TIMES:Line’s Outline and new Sir Francis Bacon (3:24)Nordica Enforcer 104 Free (11:33)4FRNT Inthayne (16:36)J Skis The Friend, 183 cm (19:29)Change in perspective on lightweight inbound skis (23:30)Luke and Sam’s article on outerwear care (26:10)Sneak peek of an incredible upcoming episode (30:10) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Outdoor Retailer / SIA show ended yesterday, so we sat down right after to debrief and discuss some of the most notable trends we saw, talk about the products we’re dying to try (and were most tempted to just steal), and some of the other odd and / or noteworthy people and things we saw at the show.TOPICS & TIMES:New trends in apparel and skis (1:10)What we’re most curious to try (8:29)Gear we’re most tempted to steal (16:31)Weirdest thing we saw (25:44)Swagger Award (27:05)Best graphics (30:57) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you one of the many people who have ever wished that your ski touring boots were a bit stiffer or more comfortable? Well then listen up, because the bootfitters at Pulse Boot Lab in Revelstoke have come up with a number of innovative ways to achieve both.TOPICS & TIMES:Pulse’s “mathematical” approach to bootfitting (2:12)The Pulse Fit Assistant App (5:26)New tools for shell modifications (8:30)Thermo-moldable vs. injection-style liners (11:12)Biggest trends in bootfitting (17:24)What is the Pulse Proflex? (18:48)And how exactly does it work? (22:24)Why did they choose to work with Pebax? (28:10)The Pulse ProFlex Kickstarter Campaign See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.