Blister Podcast

Last week, Cody Townsend and I talked about the profusion of short term rentals that have become increasingly common in mountain towns. This week, our guest is Dr. Jenny Stuber, a sociologist and author of the book, Aspen and the American Dream.Jenny talks about some of the policies that the town of Aspen has employed, and which of them might be applicable to other towns trying to navigate the needs of full-time residents, part-time residents, local workers, and the visitors that many of these towns rely on.So whether you live in a mountain town or love to visit them, our hope is that this conversation will help you better understand and think through the various factors and forces at play, and how we all can work to mitigate them.TOPICS & TIMES:Jenny’s history with Aspen (3:25)Growth in mountain towns (7:21)“Standing up to capital” (16:22)Locals & visitors (22:59)Affordable housing (30:36)The “not in my backyard” problem (37:16)The Covid factor (46:16)Short-term rentals (52:49)Economic Development of

Cody and Jonathan discuss athletes & mental health; the affordable housing issues facing mountain towns; Pit Viper vs. far-right extremists (??); the ongoing consolidation of outdoor media; and more. TOPICS & TIMES:Cody & Elyse are gonna be parents! (2:30)Athletes & Mental Health (9:32)Pit Viper vs. the Far Right (24:51)Consolidation in Outdoor Media (35:45)Housing shortages in Mountain Towns (50:02)Mark Reaman editorial, CB NewsMt. Crested Butte Weighs ConcernsSki Mountaineering in the Olympics (1:11:14)Media Recommendations (1:16:54)Pilgrim's Wilderness, Tom Kizzia (1:17:26)Natural Born Heroes, Christopher McDougall (1:18:00)Aspen and the American Dream, Jenny Stuber (1:19:32)Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin (1:19:47)The Spy and the Traitor, Ben Macintyre (1:21:53)Yellowstone (1:22:16)Succession (1:23:51)Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker (1:26:35)Ted Lasso (1:27:24)RELATED LINKSBecome a Blister Member See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonathan Ellsworth has been in Ketchum, Idaho, this past week hanging out and riding bikes with Blister member, Jake Bilbro, who is the founder of Revelshine. In this conversation, we talk about Jake’s unique background; skiing and wine culture; riding bikes; and more. TOPICS & TIMES:How Jake and Jonathan met (1:20)Winemaking & founding Revelshine (10:10)Enjoying all forms of the outdoors (22:00)Partnering with professional athletes (30:48)RELATED LINKS:Become a Blister MemberBlister Members: Take Advantage of Exclusive Deals See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we’re talking with Dr. Rami Hashish about high-level human performance, injury prevention, and how to age well. Dr. Hashish is the founder of the National Biomechanics Institute, has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and a PhD in Biomechanics; serves on the review board for various national and international medical and engineering journals, and sits on a global committee for spine and brain injury.TOPICS & TIMES:Founding the National Biomechanics Institute (1:38)CTE in outdoor sports (10:45)Helmets & Accelerometers (15:38)Age & high-level performance (27:14)Active Recovery (34:24)The “Mismatched Theory” (38:01)Standing desks & our work routines (44:58) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we discuss grizzlies, whales, microbes, humankind, & the future of the world with the wildlife biologist & author, Doug Chadwick. All of these are topics in Doug’s excellent new book, Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All.TOPICS & TIMES:Why did you write this book? (1:12)Recalibrating our behaviors (20:25)What really is progress? (37:06)Igniting curiosity (40:06)On being permeated by nature (49:31)Jellyfish & aging (53:57)The photos in the book (55:21)Recoding the audiobook (58:33)What’s next? (1:04:46) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you’re reading this, then you definitely need to listen to this episode. Because many of us in the outdoor community either don’t have insurance, or have deductibles that we can barely afford to pay when the inevitable accident happens. But Spot is disrupting the insurance industry with an incredible alternative that is actually affordable.We’ve had multiple conversations this week with the co-founder and CEO of Spot, Matt Randall, to discuss exactly how Spot works; why the insurance industry is such a mess; and why we think you and pretty much everyone you know ought to be covered by Spot.TOPICS & TIMES:How Jonathan & Matt connected (2:30)How Spot works (12:48)Who is Spot’s competition? (23:48)Coverage outside of sports accidents? (30:03)How did Spot get started? (39:02)Making Spot common in the outdoor industry (45:51)Who is eligible for Spot coverage? (55:14)Jonathan’s experience signing up for Spot (59:41)RELATED LINKS:blister.getspot.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informatio

Cody Townsend and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about Cody’s recent adventure in AK; surges in National Park visits; ski patrol unionization; UFOs … and more. TOPICS & TIMES:Cody’s Alaska Update (2:47)When can you claim to have summited? (7:59)Will Gadd on the Ethos of Guiding (20:39)Indoor Ski Areas (25:52)Surge in National Parks visits (36:13)Unionization of Ski Patrol (49:20)Results of backcountry riders facing criminal charges (54:17)UFOs are real?? (56:06)Cody’s Recommendations (1:04:20)Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden (1:04:34)Hail Mary Project, Andy Weir (1:08:09)The Fifth Risk, Michael Lewis (1:08:54)The Wayfinders, Wade Davis (1:09:50)The Third Pole, Mark Synnott (1:11:04)The Invention of Nature, Andrea Wulf (1:12:57)The Last Dance, Martin Shoemaker (1:15:12)Jonathan’s Recommendations (1:16:01)Bill Simmons & Adam Duritz of Counting Crows (1:16:13)Ultra, Michele Graglia (1:19:04)Fourth Fifths a Grizzly, Doug Chadwick (1:23:48) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to the CEO of Alpine-X about his vision of developing indoor snowsports destinations in North American metropolitan markets. Could this have a similar effect that indoor climbing gyms have had on the popularity of climbing? Could such indoor facilities help create a more inclusive and more diverse snowsports demographic? Could this lead to a world where some people only ski indoors?TOPICS & TIMES:What is Alpine-X? (3:44)Development plans (4:55)Opening dates & locations (11:07)Challenges (13:29)Replicating skiing indoors (17:57)Increasing accessibility (27:00)Cost & pass types (32:47)Parallels to indoor climbing gyms? (36:42) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk with Matthias Giraud and Chase Ogden about their excellent new film, Super Frenchie, which documents Matthias’ exploits as a skier, base jumper, and ski base jumper, while also detailing the philosophy of life that drives his decision to do things like ski base off the Matterhorn. TOPICS & TIMES:The backstory of Super Frenchie (1:22)Matthias’ philosophy of life (8:46)Fear (22:16)Analyzing two ski base attempts (25:49)The art of grabbing the parachute (29:22)Terrifying inrun off the Matterhorn (31:40)Future projects? (34:35)Where to watch Super Frenchie (37:07) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re firing back up the Blister Book Club with mountaineer, climber, and big-wave surfer, Andrew Alexander King. Andrew and Jonathan discuss the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and why this book written in the 2nd century is still so relevant today when it comes to topics like the pursuit of fame, dealing with criticism, and more.TOPICS & TIMES:Andrew’s upcoming Denali mission (1:24)Why the Meditations? (3:54)Relevance of the Meditations today? (16:29)The pursuit of fame (22:01)Dealing with criticism (26:14)Being intentional with time (33:06)RELATED LINKSEp.159: Andrew Alexander King & the Between Worlds Project See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s time once again to review the outdoor-industry news, and this time around Cody Townsend and I discuss some recent criticism of REI; spraying vs. not spraying the locations of your outdoor adventures; Mt. Bohemia’s plan to incentivize vaccinations; gear libraries & outdoor accessibility; sex and ski touring; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Sleeping at 14,700 ft — at sea level? (0:00)REI & SUVs (5:21)To Spray or Not to Spray (18:59)The “pointlessness” of outdoor activities? (26:23)Mt. Bohemia & Incentivizing Vaccination (35:10)Gear Libraries & Outdoor Accessibility (43:48)The Pieps / Black Diamond Avy Beacon Recall (51:50)Sex & Ski Touring (1:00:53)Media Recommendations (1:03:34)Black Hawk Down (1:03:39)Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (1:04:38)Rick & Morty? (1:09:25)Drive To Survive (1:11:01)Alone (1:19:13) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’ve talked quite a bit on Blister about the ski season in North America, but today we’re talking with Sebastian Steinbach, the owner of Blacksheep Sports in Munich, Germany, about the European ski season; we revisit some of the predictions that Sebastian had made prior to this ski season, and we get his early predictions for what he thinks this next ski season will look like in Europe.TOPICS & TIMES:Lockdowns in Europe at the start of the season (3:14)Backcountry skiing during Covid (10:18)Avoiding outbreaks moving forward (25:51)The financial state of ski resorts & ski shops (35:55)Predictions for next season (42:41)RELATED LINKS: GEAR:30 ep. 116: Shop Talk w/ Sebastian SteinbachGEAR:30 ep. 6: Blacksheep Sports History & European Freeride Culture See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cody and Jonathan discuss the introduction of criminal charges for triggering avalanches; the case against straightlining; ski area news; our media recommendations; & more.TOPICS & TIMES:Criminal charges for Triggering Avalanches (3:01)The Result of the Avalanche Trial (12:23)Straight Lining vs. Turning (14:42)Most US Ski Areas made it through COVID! (19:42)Ski Areas might have to publish injury stats? (24:48)Helicopter Crash in AK (35:17)Media Recommendations (45:52)ZeroZeroZero (45:58)Beartown (Bjarnstad) (47:54)Drive To Survive (51:45)Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (53:53)How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, by Bill Gates (56:57)Reading books vs. listening to them (58:51) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We talk to the skier and adventure photographer, Adam Clark, about how he got started in photography; how he went about making a name for himself and honing his craft; his favorite camera gear; one of his most memorable ski trips; and a whole lot more.TOPICS & TIMES:Dentists + whale watching = photo career (5:06)Adam’s 1st season shooting skiing (13:49)Shooting with film vs digital cameras (23:09)Camera setups & current favorite (25:05)Most memorable ski trip? (34:51)Shooting skiing vs other outdoor activities (40:44)Shooting & moving in the mountains safely (43:13)Skiing with Blister reviewer Paul Forward in Alaska (51:46)Shooting video vs taking photos (58:26)Dream locations to ski & to shoot? (1:04:16) Media & inspiration (1:07:43) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last Sunday, Cam Smith and Tom Goth set a new record at the Grand Traverse, which is a point-to-point ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen. Starting at midnight, racers travel 40 miles across the Elk Mountain range, climbing over 6,800 vertical feet. Cam is also a repeat winner of the Triple Crown of The Grand Traverse, so we talked to Cam about his record-setting night; skiing vs. skimo; his World Cup ski goals; and how he specifically trains for skiing and mountain running and mountain biking.TOPICS & TIMES:What is the Grand Traverse? (3:58)Winning the Triple Crown (7:58)Skiing under a full moon (11:41)Suffering during the GT? (14:41)Ski, Bike, Run: where have you most improved? (19:58)Cam’s background (25:22)Cam’s training program (28:45)Gear: how particular are you? (34:34)Current state of Skimo (37:46)Your future plans & goals? (47:05)Living Journeys fundraiser (54:41)RELATED LINKS:LivingJourneys.orgOff The Couch, ep.21: Cam Smith on Moving Through Mountains See acast.com/privacy for privacy and

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) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 & TIMESZach’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)RE

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) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.