Blister Podcast

This week Jonathan is talking with our very own Kara Williard, who, when she’s not testing skis or doing a million other things for us at BLISTER, is raising chickens and growing food in the Gunnison Valley. We discuss what it means to build and support local food systems in mountain towns; the best practices for growing food in these cold climates; chicken tractors and therapy chickens; and the many ways that you can get involved with local food in your community.TOPICS & TIMES:Kara’s Background (2:06)Tim’s Question (9:04)What’s a Local Food System? (10:39)Who are the players? (11:47)Food Insecurity & Mountain Towns (18:31)Growing participation in CSA’s (21:52)Farmers’ Markets (27:03)What else individuals can do (28:40)Greenhouses (31:43)Eating Regionally & Food Literacy (35:47)Other methods & technologies(37:23)Local Food & Environmental Health (40:55)Kara’s farm: Sunny Sage Farm (45:55)RELATED LINKS:Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (July 2022)Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s

Cody and Jonathan cover Gunstock Mountain Resort’s fight to operate; access issues & potential solutions; WC DH MTBers forming a union; mountain-town advice; what we’re reading & watching (answer: TOP GUN) and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Hunters, Skiers, & Offroaders: Cody on the onX meetup (4:58)Gunstock ski area’s fight to operate (13:38)Update: New info on Gunstock after we recordedAccess Issues & Solutions: Red Rock Canyon (28:26)WC DH MTB racers forming a union (38:53)Most / Least Canadian News Story (46:50)Mountain Town Advice (50:17)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:04:44)RELATED LINKS:Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do we grow participation in snowsports, support rural mountain communities, and produce more Olympic skiers and snowboarders? We sat down with Will Brandenburg of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation to discuss all of the above.TOPICS & TIMES:Will’s title & the work of SVSEF (2:16)From a small ski hill to the Olympics (6:32)Hockey rinks & ski areas (30:27)Increasing snowsports participation *and* high-level racers (35:22)Building communities through small ski areas (54:58)How do we make this happen? (58:20)RELATED LINKS:Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Another brief attempt to wrap our heads around the images — and the significance — of the James Webb Space Telescope, with a few recommendations for further reading & listening.RELATED LINKS:The Daily: A View of the Beginning of TimeArs Tecnica on James WebbGEAR:30 conversation with Drew Kelly See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonathan and Blister Summit Director, Kristin Sinnott, discuss the new format for our next Blister Summit (February 2023, Mt. Crested Butte, CO). We also discuss how to get the best pricing; what we learned from past Blister Summits; and who ought to come to our next one.TOPICS & TIMES:Blister Summit ‘23 Details & Dates (2:50)What Is It / Who’s It For? (6:52) Gear Demos & Testing (12:06)More on the programming (18:03)Backcountry Touring (19:18)Why 1 Summit This Year? (25:00)Pricing & Blister Membership Details (27:26)Snowboarding? (33:27)Previous Summit Takeaways (35:38)RELATED LINKS:Blister Summit Info & RegistrationBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cody and Jonathan discuss the Mountain Gazette story about outdoor influencers & accountability; Matthew Fairbrother’s bikepacking — and enduro racing — across Europe; the ‘most Canadian’ news story; what we’re reading & watching; recent Supreme Court rulings; mountain-town advice; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Reviewing the News vs. White Noise (2:19)Accountability & Outdoor Influencers (4:17)Stop the Progression (37:07)Bikepacking & Enduro Racing across Europe (54:00)The most Canadian News Story (59:40)Mountain Town Advice (1:01:26)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:08:19)Ezra Klein: Supreme Court Rulings (1:14:44)Ezra Klein: The Ethics of AbortionPlain English: End of Roe vs WadePotomac Watch: Roe is OverturnedThe Daily: Roe v Wade is OverturnedRELATED LINKS:Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kimmy Fasani is a pioneer of women’s snowboarding, mother of two, partner of Chris Benchetler, author, and (among other things) someone who has been dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. So we checked in with Kimmy to talk about how she’s doing, what she’s been learning, and what we can learn from her.TOPICS & TIMES:Being diagnosed with breast cancer (1:10)Paying attention to signals (5:17)Growing up, getting into snowboarding (12:03)Meeting Chris Benchetler (14:48)Current state of snowboarding (15:47)Self care (19:05)How has this diagnosis affected your priorities? (23:00)Dealing with anger & curveballs (28:39)How do you feel today?? (32:47)Body Transformations (38:18)What else should we know?? (47:36)What can we do to help? (49:48)The Benchetler Fasani Foundation (50:46)RELATED LINKS:Become a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTS:Bikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informa

Cody and Jonathan discuss the ethics of trail magic; wildfire management; how Cody broke his toe; a new segment for Reviewing the News; and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMES:Coffee Update (2:33)50 Project Update (7:00)Ethics of Trail Magic (14:08)Full Circle Everest Expedition (21:33)Outside layoffs (25:37)MountainFLOW’s Fluoro Wax Takeback Program (37:50)Wildfire management (47:41)What We’re Reading & Watching (56:46)New Segment: Mountain Town Advice (1:20:15)RELATED LINKSBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonathan Ellsworth sat down with BLISTER Bike Editor and ‘Bikes & Big Ideas’ host, David Golay, and our Running Editor and ‘Off The Couch’ host, Matt Mitchell, to talk with them about Blister Labs; their backgrounds; and some of their recent favorite episodes on Bikes & Big Ideas and Off The Couch.TOPICS & TIMES:Blister Labs Update (2:21)Matt & David's Backgrounds (5:57)How we connected with Matt (14:36)Some favorite episodes: Jess Blewitt (19:56)Off The Couch: Pablo Vigil (23:21)Bikes & Big Ideas: Contra Bikes (26:54)Off The Couch: Robbie Balenger (29:18)Bikes & Big Ideas: Kitsbow CEO (34:22)RELATED LINKSBlister LabsDavid Golay: Reviewing the ReviewerOff The Couch with Olivia AmberBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Professional skiers are often asked about the mental preparation it takes to ski big lines and perform at a high level. But in this conversation (recorded at our Blister Summit), John Collinson, Wendy Fisher, Sander Hadley, and Drew Petersen offer a much broader perspective on ‘the mental game’ as it relates to dealing with injury and adversity; self identity; mental health; and much more.TOPICS & TIMES:Introductions (3:41)Pro Skiing & Self Identity (11:46)Dealing with Adversity & Injuries (25:45)Purpose vs. Identity (36:20)Audience Q&A (54:02)Social Media & Mental Health (58:09)Risk Assessment (1:09:12)Support Systems (1:13:43)RELATED LINKSMountainFLOW’s Takeback ProgramBlister Summit Panel Videos See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonathan Ellsworth is in Iceland this week, skiing at Deplar Farm and being guided by AMGA-certified guide, Ian Havlick. And in between their time in the mountains, they sat down to talk about Ian’s path to becoming a professional guide; the misperceptions about the profession; recommendations for how to get into guiding; they try to clear up the confusion around tipping; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Skiing at Deplar Farm (2:27)Ian’s path to becoming a professional guide (4:55)AMGA Certification (13:34)Guiding fly fishing (15:44)Recommended steps to becoming a guide (17:53)Responsibility & risk (28:11)Tipping (37:52)Guiding & family life (44:10)RELATED LINKSBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonathan talks with Cody about what he’s been up to and gets an update on the Fifty Project, then they run through some of the latest news, including faked plane crashes; Vail Resorts’ minimum wage increase; fuel for backcountry skiing; golf; and what they're reading & watching.TOPICS & TIMES:Fifty Project Update (3:07)Olympic Snowboarder Fakes Plane Crash (20:18)Doerrs give 1.1B for Climate & Sustainability school (28:40)Vail Resorts vs Town of Vail (37:40)Vail raises minimum wage (44:41)Independent resorts thriving (47:31)Golf (49:20)Fuel for backcountry skiing (57:18)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:04:36)RELATED LINKSBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to Hunkpapa Lakota skier, Connor Ryan, about his film, Spirit of the Peaks; his vision for skiing and the ski community; radical and rebellious acts; the ‘kiss before the dance’; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Connor’s season (2:48)The film, Spirit of the Peaks (7:11)Finding his way into skiing (8:22)Connor’s vision for skiing / the ski community (21:19)How do we move forward? (24:50)Being connected (29:25)RELATED LINKSBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Crashes. Backlfips. Rambo. The wobbles. Blister reviewers Luke Koppa, Kristin Sinnott, Jonathan Ellsworth, Dylan Wood, & Sascha Anastas take you behind the scenes of our day of snow blading, and answer all the big questions, like: why no ski poles?; telemark vs. snowblading; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Was Tele Skiing or Snow Blading harder? (1:48)The Wobbles (8:25)Ski Poles (18:21)Dylan in the Park (24:08)Rambo (27:21)Hardest & easiest parts of blading? (39:22)Will you be blading more or less?(45:04)Next: Snowboard ‘Crash Course’ Video? (50:20)RELATED LINKSBlister ‘Crash Course’ Snow Blade VideoBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & Newsletter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I sat down with Sander Hadley at Snowbird to talk about his entrance into the world of professional skiing; shifting expectations; his gear setup; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:The Dynastar M-Free 108 (4:31)Growing up & releasing his first GoPro edit (8:35)Pebble Creek with Rachael Burks (13:03)Life after that first GoPro edit (18:57)More on the mental game (23:25)From the resort to backcountry (27:12)Longevity in skiing (29:30)Fitness (31:49)Skiing as meditative (39:55)Working with Picture Organic (44:20)Sander’s inbounds & backcountry setup (52:54)Lightweight setup vs CAST (57:16)What are you reading & watching? (1:02:30)RELATED LINKSVideo: Pro Skiers on The Mental GameSander’s Film, NixBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterVideo: Blister LabsOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This weekend, Jonathan sat down in Blister HQ with Mountain Gazette editor, Mike Rogge, to talk about the current state of outdoor media; the revival and future of Mountain Gazette; which non-outdoor publications inspire him; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Mt. Crested Butte & the Grand Traverse (4:49)The revival of Mountain Gazette (7:10)The subscription model in media (12:06)Getting into reading / who were you reading? (19:48)What non-outdoor publications inspire you? (36:22)What’s your best-case scenario for Mountain Gazette? (45:35)Next issue / how to subscribe? (50:45)Sneak Peek: next issue’s stories (51:55)RELATED LINKSBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterVideo: Blister LabsOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benji Alexander is back on the podcast to talk about becoming Jamaica’s first Olympian alpine ski racer; his experience in Beijing and his race runs; competition and representation at the Olympic games; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Update since our last podcast (3:09)What was your mission? (7:32)What happened after you qualified?(10:48)Being at the games (15:16)The skiing & training runs (19:15)Snow conditions (22:53)Benji’s race runs (24:16)The pressure to succeed (29:47)Media response after skiing (32:32)Competition & representation (42:26)How to increase diversity & participation (46:56)Changing the qualifications requirements? (53:24)What's next? (56:55)RELATED LINKSSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideBlister Podcast ep. 178: Benji AlexanderOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to Colorado Sun journalist, Jason Blevins, about this ski season & his predictions for next year’s, then we’re joined by Chris Davenport to talk about the 30th anniversary of the US Extreme Championships in Mt. Crested Butte; the Winter Olympics in Beijing; and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Blevins in Mt. CB (2:33)Starting the Colorado Sun (4:08)Jason’s background (11:13)Assessing this season (20:37)Affordable housing in mtn towns (26:17)Return of a reservations system? (31:40)Dav jumps in / history of the Extreme comps (39:26)Ski passes as NFTS (46:35)State of backcountry skiing (57:21)Winter Olympics recap (1:04:17)What We're Reading & Watching (1:23:28)RELATED LINKSSubscribe to our Gear Giveaways & NewsletterBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When things go wrong in the backcountry, your local Search And Rescue organization becomes crucial. But how much do you know about how Search And Rescue actually works? We talk with our good friend, Cy Whitling, about how and why he got involved in Search And Rescue, why we all need to understand how SAR units operate, and why the SAR organization in your community could probably use your help — and in ways you might not expect.TOPICS & TIMES:Why Cy is in Crested Butte (3:17)How did you get involved in SAR? (6:04)How SAR works in the USA (12:22)SAR at the local level (14:52)Avalanches & crime scenes (20:02)How long have you been involved (21:40)Contributing to your community (24:48)Becoming a more capable person in the backcountry (29:29)Dialing back risk (32:26)SAR Response Times (39:36)Busiest times of the year for SAR? (44:38)The PRO course here in CB Cy’s taking (50:54)Joining SAR (55:30)RELATED LINKSBlister Summit RegistrationGetting Here: Gunnison & Crested ButteSubscribe to our Newsletter &

Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss skiing inbounds on touring gear; alpinism, obsession, & our top-5 climbing movies; a recent interview with Vail’s executive chairman, Rob Katz; Jerry of the Day and inclusivity; Eileen Gu and geopolitics; the future of Outdoor Retailer; and what we’re reading & watching.TOPICS & TIMES:  Skiing inbounds on touring gear (3:27)Alpinism, Obsession, & Our Top 5 Climbing Movies (11:11)Interview with Vail Resorts’ Rob Katz (39:57)Jerry of the Day & Inclusivity (53:01)Eileen Gu & Geopolitics (1:04:39)The future of Outdoor Retailer & tradeshows (1:18:48)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:30:06)NFL Playoffs (1:36:26)Olympics (1:43:49)RELATED LINKSBlister Summit RegistrationGetting Here: Gunnison & Crested ButteSubscribe to our Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBecome a Blister Member / Get our Buyer’s GuideOUR OTHER PODCASTSBikes & Big IdeasOff The CouchGEAR:30 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.