Blister Podcast

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 in

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 a

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

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

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 larg

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 cur

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) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and

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' ot

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 p

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

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

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 conservati

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

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

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

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 CoalitionAlison Teal5Gyres.org See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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

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

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 (36:0

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