Blister Podcast

Lots of people dream of starting a ski or snowboard or some type of company in the outdoor industry. But how do you go about actually doing that, and really getting a company off the ground? At Blister Summit 2025, I talked with four individuals who had the dream — and the audacity — to start their own companies: Klem Branner, Venture Snowboards; Will Ritter, Spark R&D; Jamie Grant, CARV; and Cobey Nash, AlpenFlow Design. Today you’ll hear them talk about the highs, the lows, and the breakthroughs that come with starting a company — and the arguably even more challenging work of keeping a company going.RELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:New Blister Cinematic Ep w/ Cody (1:00)New BLISTER+ Members (2:01)Founder Introductions (3:42)How Long from Idea to Launch? (5:46)How Did You Move from Idea to Launch? (14:41)Starting 25 Years Ago vs Starting Today (23:45)Funding: To Take or Not to Take? (34:01)Audience Questions:How did you know people would want your products? (45:33)Tell us about your

Jonathan talks about Natural Selection’s first ski comp with Craig ‘Weazy’ Murray, winner of the men’s division. Craig blew minds in AK with his style and massive transfer gaps, and it’s all even more impressive when you consider the ludicrous talent level at the comp, as well as the fact that Craig was dealing with a knee injury that had him questioning whether he’d even be able to compete.Weazy takes us behind the scenes of Natural Selection; what differentiates it the most from other comps; and we also talk about Craig’s other passions, including riding mountain bikes at an increasingly high level, and the work he and his friends are doing with their organization, GRITT, which is providing pathways for kids to get into the outdoors and action sports, with a focus on snowsports, climbing, and mountain biking.RELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+Craig’s Organization: GRITTCraig’s Natural Selection Runs:* Run 1 (first round)* Run 2 (Semi-Final run 1 w/ the ridiculous transfer gap)* Run 3 (Semi-Final run 2)* Run

Mali Noyes just pulled off a mind-blowing feat in the ski world: completing the Chuting Gallery in 47 days. That’s 93 chutes (she actually did more than that) around the Wasatch in 47 days, with over 200,000 feet of vert climbed, while navigating tricky conditions, complex terrain, incredible physical demands, and mental and emotional fatigue. And she pulled it all off in a time that seems almost unfathomable. So how did she do it? And what led her to take it on? Jonathan Ellsworth talks with Mali about all of it, including some of the best advice she received from Greg Hill, Cody Townsend, Janelle Smiley, and Sam Smoothy.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: Skratch LabsGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Mali’s YouTube ChannelTOPICS & TIMES:Skratch Labs: JE’s favorite product (1:14)New BLISTER+ Members (2:13)History of The Chuting Gallery (3:47)What Were Your Goals? (7:59)When Did You First Have this Idea? (9:52)When Did You Start? (11:26)Your Fitness Heading into This? (13:17)17 Chutes (actually, 18) in 1 Day (24:0

At our Blister Summit 2025, we had an all-star lineup of guests share their stories of times when things went wrong in the mountains, and also share some of their best advice and tips to respond to such moments — or, ideally, avoid them altogether. If you recreate in the mountains, please listen.RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:New BLISTER+ Members (2:33)Dr. Gloria Beim Intro (4:54)Bjarne Salen Intro (8:48)Nick Russell Intro (10:29)Drew Petersen Intro (10:49)Stories: When Things Went Wrong (13:14)Injuries in Skiing & Snowboarding (33:26)Drew’s Hand Injury (37:52)Insurance Craziness & BLISTER+ (43:41)Other Tips on Recreating Responsibility (48:21)Mental Health Toolkit (53:52)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mountain Gazette owner & editor, Mike Rogge, is back to talk about Travis Rice’s Natural Selection SKI comp and the importance of being “stewards of the culture.” We also talk about the virtues of crappy old gear; Jim Morrison’s excellent trip report in the new issue of Mountain Gazette; Mike’s unorthodox picks for movies to cover on Blister Cinematic; and more.RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Mountain Gazette TOPICS & TIMES:New BLISTER+ Members (1:21)MG’s Ski Portillo Giveaway (3:54)Travis Rice’s NST Ski Comp (10:46)Jim Morrison’s Trip Report in MG #203 (19:13)The Jaded Local on Old Gear (27:06)Other Stories from the Issue (40:58)Mike’s Movie Picks for Blister Cinematic (47:55)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cody and Jonathan discuss tariff zaniness and the goal of manufacturing more in America; the state of outdoor-sports comps; whether it’s a good thing when big companies move into outdoor sports (Nike & snowboarding?); and more. They also rate your takes, talk about Cody’s trips to Norway & Utah, and share what they’ve been reading & watching.RELATED LINKS:Get Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:BLISTER+ (1:36)Cody’s Trips: Norway & Utah (4:06)Tariffs & Effects on Outdoors Companies (10:12)The State of Comps: FWT (20:44)Natural Selection’s 1st Ski Comp (23:41)Podium Changes for Bike World Cup (30:57)Sun Valley / FIS World Cup Finals (38:03)Nike Coming Back into Snowboarding? (51:51)Road Gap Death (1:02:23)Mountain Town Advice / Rate My Take (1:17:16)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:29:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan is currently in Sun Valley for the World Cup Finals, and today, you’ll hear his live conversation that happened at 5850 Fest with US ski racer and Rossignol athlete, River Radamus, about his upcoming WC Finals GS race; this World Cup season; & more. Then, former World Cup ski racer, Will Brandenburg, joins Jonathan to talk about the Herculean effort it was to build — and prep — the steepest DH and Super G race courses in the world, right here in Sun Valley, Idaho.RELATED LINKS:5850 FestRecreate Responsibly: BLISTER+Blister Podcast Ep 337: River RadamusBlister Podcast Ep 219: Will BrandenburgTOPICS & TIMES:New BLISTER+ Members (4:47)River Radamus 6:37)Current Conditions? (8:32)Season Recap (9:18)Training & Athlete Discussions Leading up to the Race (12:00)Cancellations (18:15)Being Back on Home Turf (19:28)Ski Length Decisions (23:25)Will Brandenburg (25:13)Training Runs (29:03)Why the Cancellation of the DH Race? (30:20)What Are You Most Excited About? (36:23)SVSEF (38:29)Will’s Predictio

Cody and Jonathan are back to review the news, including the passing of ZipFit’s Sven Coomer; threats to public lands; JD Vance’s ski trip; and more. We also rate your takes, discuss the most Canadian news, and share what we’ve been reading and watching.RELATED LINKS:Recreate Responsibly: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:BLISTER+ (2:37)Blister Summit, “Bjarne,” & Ted Ligety (4:37)Quick NFL Talk (10:23)ZipFit’s Sven Coomers (13:03)Public Lands (17:05)Putin? (25:16)JD Vance Goes Skiing (31:50)Reel Rock: Truth in Outdoor Docs? (34:54)Olympic Snowboarder on FBI’s Most Wanted (49:37)Hot Take: Cat Skiing vs Heli Skiing (54:50)CPG Accident (1:03:02)Hot Take: Helmets (1:08:00)Most Canadian News (1:17:11)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:19:12)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan talks with Todd Ligare about his career in big-mountain skiing; his background in ski racing; movies & marriage; his two new 5-minute ski films, On the Hunt Part 1 & Part 2; Sammy Carlson; Mikaela Shiffrin; the current world cup ski racing season; & more.RELATED LINKS:On the Hunt, Part 1On the Hunt, Part 25850 Fest, Sun Valley, IdahoBlister Rec Shop: Gear WestBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Blister Rec Shop: Gear West (3:46)BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered (4:25)Todd @ the Blister Summit (7:11)Todd’s 2 New Films: On the Hunt (8:45)On the Hunt, Part 1 (13:12)On the Hunt, Part 2 (14:49)Movies & Marriage (19:12)Inception on Blister Cinematic (27:24)Ski Racing & Big-Mountain Skiing (30:11)Growing Up & Getting into Racing (35:08)Favorite Disciplines? (39:13)What Were Your Aspirations in Skiing? (42:39)Who Did You Look Up to in Racing? (47:08)From Ski Racing to Freeriding (50:17)10 Years on Armada (59:19)Gear Nerd (1:05:16)Sammy Carlson’s Style (1:11:20)World Cup Ski Ra

We just wrapped up another outstanding Blister Summit, so Blister Summit Director, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth caught up to share a few of their favorite moments, discuss the new things that took place this year (including the DJ set / dance party that broke out in Blister HQ); and talk about the future of the event.RELATED LINKSBLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered: TOPICS & TIMES:Freeride in Europe: Black Sheep Sports (0:59)BLISTER+ Members Update: Chairlift Edition (1:48)Our 5th Blister Summit & Thank Yous (5:46)Kristin’s Highlights (6:49)Morning Uphills (12:32)Snow Conditions (14:22)The Athletes (18:20)Carving w/ Ted Ligety & Anne Wangler (21:53)A Few Panel Session Highlights (25:44)The Snowboard Side of the Summit (30:47)Other New Stuff This Year? (34:57)Summit Karaoke Party (40:12)After the Summit (45:37)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Molly Armanino recently won the FWT comp in Kicking Horse; her new film, Slopes of Change, comes out today; and she is currently in the country of Georgia on hold waiting for the next FWT comp. So Jonathan spoke with Molly about all of the above, plus her relationships with pro skiers McKenna Peterson and Josh Daiek; working with a sports psychologist; and more.RELATED LINKSMolly’s Film, Slopes of ChangeMolly’s Winning Run @ Kicking HorseBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:BLISTER+ Members Update (0:52)Waiting to Compete in Georgia (2:40)Winning at Kicking Horse (9:30)Does the Win Change Your Expectations? (12:17)Decision Making During a Comp Run (14:14)Last Year’s Run in Georgia (16:26)New Film, Slopes Of Change (24:29)Molly’s Brother, Sam (28:29)Operating after Loss (35:37)Friendship, McKenna Peterson (40:34)Josh Daiek (45:27)Working with a Sports Psychologist (50:55)Finding a Strong Support System (56:55)Why Did You Become a BLISTER+ Member? (1:04:22)What to Do While Waiting in Georgia? (1:08:3

Today we’re talking about all things ‘Kings & Queens of Corbet’s’ with Alex Hackel, who has podiumed both times he’s competed in the event. Alex Hackel just took 2nd place at Kings & Queens, he’s also 2-times X-games medalist, he’s the co-founder of 1000skis, and he’s a terrific filmmaker. Jonathan sat down with Alex in Jackson Hole after the comp to talk about all of this and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKSAlex’s Kings & Queen’s RunAlex’s YouTube Channel1000 SkisBlister Rec. Shop: Spokane Alpine HausBLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered: Blister Summit 2025 Join Us! TOPICS & TIMES:Big Blister Summit Updates (1:43)Spokane Alpine Haus (2:28)How ‘Kings & Queens’ Works (3:32)How Inspections Works (8:05)Alex’s Breakdown of His Run (11:43)Dropping In (13:34)Feelings Upon Finishing (25:03)Athlete Conversations, Athlete Judging, & Scoring (27:23)Comps vs Filming (32:34)Evolution of the Pro Skier (36:47)Co-Founding 1000 Skis (42:12)Pick One: Flex Pattern or Mount Point? (43:13)Favorite X Game

You spent hours pouring over Blister reviews, and you’ve found the perfect skis, bike, or snowboard. You’re ready to go. But once you’re outside and going … what are you doing to keep going? What are you eating and drinking? Are you eating and drinking? Should you be? What, when, and how much? What does the latest science have to say about all of this?To walk us through these questions and more, we’re talking with the founder of Skratch Labs, Dr. Allen Lim. Allen is sharp, hilarious, and clearly driven to help people perform at their peak.RELATED LINKS:Blister Rec Shop: Powder Hound, AKBLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered: Blister Summit 2025 Join Us! Molly Armanino’s FWT RunTOPICS & TIMES:BLISTER+ Member wins FWT Comp (1:47)Powder Hound, Alaska (3:05)Urinal Conversations at DIA (4:18)Origin Story of Scratch Labs (8:30)Code Brown & Magic Bird Poop (12:02)Year of Launch (20:19)Expanding Outside of Road Racing (22:18)Sports Nutrition: Current State of the Union (24:21)Scratch Labs’ Company Focus (31:

Cody and Jonathan review some of the big news of January; rate Cody’s take; share what we’re reading & watching; offer some mountain town advice; and more.RELATED LINKS:Taos Ski ValleyGet Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2025TOPICS & TIMES:Taos Ski Valley (0:50)Our Neighbors & BLISTER+ (1:23)Blister Summit (3:19)Cody’s Pro Tip / Life Advice (4:05)Cody on Couloirs & Basketball Courts (6:35)NFL Talk - We’re Back! (10:57)Climate Change Hits Home (13:23)Denali Name Change (22:54)Rate Cody's Take: Nick Goepper (27:10) Freeride World Tour (36:20)FIS and Private Equity (42:47)Most Canadian News, Part 1 (51:53)Most Canadian News, Part 2Most Russian News in the USA? (56:58)Mountain Town Advice (58:04)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:06:25)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan talks with Jason Blevins, the outdoors reporter for The Colorado Sun, about the recent ski patrol strike, union talks, and the current state of ski areas. Jason brings some important historical reminders to the conversation, and we discuss what it all means for the future of skiing & snowboarding, as well as the future of mountain towns.RELATED LINKS:Blister Rec. Shop: Powder7Get Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2025TOPICS & TIMES:Powder7.com (1:17)Jason Blevins, New BLISTER+ member (2:17)Ski Resorts: State of the Union (7:58)Labor Movement & Strikes (15:07)Indie Ski Areas & Consolidation (26:51)Implications for Mountain Towns (41:29)The Colorado Sun (52:54) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the future, will we still have public lands? Will new economic policies crash the outdoor industry? Will a popular drug actually get more people outside? Will we all soon be ski touring on e-skis (just as more and more people are riding e-bikes)? And will the phones in our pockets eventually replace satellite phones and our avy beacons? Jonathan Ellsworth and Paul Forward discuss all of this and more.RELATED LINKS:Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Join Us! Blister Summit 2025TOPICS & TIMES:The New Administration & the Outdoors (2:50)Tariffs & the Outdoor Industry (9:44)Public Lands Threatened (18:08)Ozempic & Outdoor Recreation (29:58)e-Touring Skis?? (40:45)The Future of Sat Phones (51:42)The Future of Avy Beacons (55:23) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Freeride World Tour kicks off this weekend, so today we are talking with one of the best comp skiers in the world, Marcus Goguen. We talk about tooling around France together back in 2022; Marcus’ rise as a skier; we analyze his insane comp run in Verbier last season; and more.RELATED LINKS:VIDEO: Marcus’ Run down the Bec des RossesOpenSnow.com/buy - code: blister50Bluebird Mtn SportsJoin Us! Blister Summit 2025Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Marcus’ Instagram: marcusg360Marcus’ YouTube ChannelTOPICS & TIMES:Preparing to Leave for the FWT (5:03)Our France Trip (6:07)Surprises from the FWT (10:27)Whistler as Prep for Comp Venues? (12:40)The Bec Des Rosses (13:55)Analyzing Marcus’ Run (16:00)Visibility (25:37)Losing Your Ski Pole on the 360 (28:45)Finding the Entry (34:28)Training for Comp Season (40:39)What Don’t People Know re: the FWT? (46:50)Judging (50:47)Goals for this Season? (57:22)Venues (59:34)Future of the FWT, Olympics, Etc. (1:00:43)Goals Outside of the FWT? (1:06:51)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCA

Cody and Jonathan are back to review some of the big news of December and this new year; rate your takes; share what we’re reading & watching; and more.RELATED LINKS:Taos Ski ValleyJoin Us! Blister Summit 2025Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Catching Up: AK, the NFL, Etc (3:00)The Explore Act Passed  (8:00)United Healthcare CEO Assassination (16:05)Murder Hornets (33:49)Park City Ski Patrol Strike (35:41)Rate My Take (1:01:32)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:09:13)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final Blister Podcast of 2024, we are once again sharing with you some of the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned by our team this past year, and talking about some of our reviewers’ plans and resolutions for 2025. Then this Wednesday, over on our CRAFTED podcast, you’ll also get to hear some of our reviewers reveal the projects and pursuits they took up in 2024, or are looking to explore in 2025.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: OpenSnow/BuyJoin Us! Blister Summit 2025Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+TOPICS & TIMES:Luke Koppa (5:05)Kristin Sinnott (13:04)Simon Stewart (22:55)Kara Williard (38:30)Dylan Wood (46:50)Justin Bobb (1:04:52)Zack Henderson (1:16:55)David Golay (1:26:39)Sascha Anastas & Jonathan Ellsworth (1:36:19)Paul Forward (1:57:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Ellsworth was just in France and Switzerland, so he discusses the trip, losing his passport (and advice on how to get a new passport ASAP), visiting Salomon headquarters in France, skiing in Switzerland, updates for THE HUNDRED, pizza reviews, and more. Check it out, and let us know: have you ever lost your passport?RELATED LINKSBlister Rec. Shop: Valhalla Pure OutfittersBlister Summit 2025Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+Let Us Know What You Think re: PassportsTOPICS & TIMES:Valhalla Pure Outfitters (1:04)Blister Summit 2025 (1:55)Unexpected Invite to St. Moritz (6:44)Losing My Passport (9:51)Coffee Connections (11:37)New Global Mission: Modernizing the Passport System (13:50)Skiing in Switzerland (17:48)Update for THE HUNDRED (19:54)The Joys of Not Being Able to Watch Football (21:40)Lost Passport Advice & Silver Linings (22:48)Blister Pizza Review: Swiss Pizza (26:09)Normalizing Street Wine (27:16)My New Passport & Return Trip Home (29:30)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister PodcastBikes