Real ski days, argued in gear detail.
GEAR:30 follows Blister’s gear crew through the practical details of skis, boots, snowboards, and mountain travel. The conversations are loose and funny, but the comparisons stay precise, from ski width and turn shape to boot volume and spring conditions.
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GEAR:30 is Blister’s gear conversation for skiers, riders, and equipment obsessives who want more than a spec sheet. Its best episodes feel anchored in real ski days. The crew might begin with closing-day spring snow in Crested Butte, a weather report from Snowbird, or a post-trip download from Palisades Tahoe. From there, the conversation rolls naturally into the details. Skis are compared by stability, forgiveness, mount feel, turn shape, weight, edge hold, and whether they come alive at speed. Boots are discussed through fit, volume, entry and exit, BOA systems, and the difference between selling someone a boot and fitting one properly. Snowboard episodes widen the lens into shop culture, 90s hip-hop, design history, and how riding has influenced ski gear. Technique episodes bring in data and coaching perspective, asking how ski width, radius, and specialized mogul skis affect carving, bumps, and progression. The tone is relaxed. The standards are not. Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Kappa, and the wider Blister orbit tend to think out loud, correct themselves, tease each other, and still land on useful distinctions that a serious skier can take to a demo tent or bootfitter. The show also has a strong sense of place, with Elevation Hotel in Crested Butte, Snowbird, Palisades Tahoe, and the Blister Summit recurring as more than backdrops. They are testing grounds. That gives the gear talk texture, because skis and boots are judged against specific snow, terrain, fatigue, and actual runs. A listener may hear about the ARV 106 TI, a Kessley Sublime 93, a Faction mogul ski, Atomic Redster models, Peak Skis news, or a practical shop red flag. The show is not tidy in a corporate way. It has side stories, sponsor breaks, inside jokes, and occasional rough edges. But that looseness is part of the value: it sounds like knowledgeable people comparing notes before the memory of the day has cooled. GEAR:30 is for listeners who want informed opinions with enough specificity to be useful and enough banter to feel like a chairlift conversation that got seriously technical.
Made for: GEAR:30 is for skiers, snowboarders, bootfitters, shop regulars, and gear-curious mountain travelers who enjoy detailed comparisons rooted in on-snow experience. It especially suits listeners who care about how equipment feels, not just what the spec chart says.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by blending field-tested reviewer notes with loose group conversation, shop-level knowledge, technique data, and mountain-specific conditions. It makes technical gear talk feel practical because the opinions come from real runs, real boots, and real snow.
GEAR:30 is the podcast from BLISTER that dives deep into the details of the most interesting and innovative outdoor gear. You'll hear Blister reviewers discuss the gear they're testing, as well as product designers, professional athletes, and some of the gear-obsessed folks from our recommended shops weigh in on gear trends and the equipment they’ve been most impressed with. If you love outdoor gear, you're going to love this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
GEAR:30 turns ski testing, shop knowledge and performance data into practical explanations of how equipment behaves on snow.
GEAR:30 treats ski equipment as a set of choices with consequences on snow. Luke Kappa, Jonathan Ellsworth and Tara Williard lead detailed conversations that connect design, fit and technique, drawing on fellow reviewers, shop experience and performance data rather than settling…
Bootfitters, technique data, and reviewer trip reports turn your ski-gear indecision into a highly informed obsession.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Closing-day turns lead to a grounded comparison of playful ski design, carving feel and the limits of spring testing.
On closing day in Crested Butte, Jonathan Ellsworth and Luke Coppa compare two skis in practical terms. The ARV 106 TI feels less stable than the M-Free 108, but also more balanced, forgiving and friendly to freestyle skiing. It does not need as much speed to come alive.
Carve data and mogul-ski experience test how much the best setup depends on the skier and the task.
Gear 30 takes on a practical ski question: how much the equipment underfoot affects what a skier can learn and how well they can perform. Luke Kappa guides Jamie Salter through Carve data drawn from thousands of skiers and skis, while Jens Nystrom adds mogul-ski experience and a…
Snowbird conditions and a reviewer-built gear shortlist make this a useful guide to planning Summit demos.
Blister Summit planning begins with the snow at Snowbird: a live conditions check, a forecast nearing three feet, and a lower event rate meant to make the gathering more accessible.
A Palisades Tahoe ski-trip report where gear talk gives way to a Slot Bar Hot Dog argument turned unlikely friendship.
GEAR:30 turns three days of skiing and riding at Palisades Tahoe into a loose, after-the-lifts report, with the village, the remaining day on snow, and the prospect of skiing with Travis Ganong and probably Darren Rolves all folded into the trip diary.
A practical guide to spotting good bootfitters and understanding where BOA ski boots may make sense.
GEAR:30 approaches boot shopping as a matter of judgment, not just inventory, drawing a useful line between fitting a ski boot and selling one.
A grounded Alaska ski-season recap that connects snow, bindings, and Girdwood planning with real travel variables.
Gear:30 turns a major El Nino season in Alaska into a useful, place-specific guide to skiing Girdwood and thinking through gear choices. Tara Williard and Eric Helmbrecht, co-owner of Powderhound in Girdwood, look back at an unprecedented November storm, favorite gear from the…
A Palisades test day turns into a practical look at playful resort skis and lightweight tech bindings.
Gear 30 follows Luke Kappa after a recent drive to Palisades Tahoe with a dozen skis in the car, turning a gear haul into a grounded discussion of how equipment actually feels.
Small questions, clear answers, useful surprises.
Jonathan Ellsworth and Luke Kappa discuss the trends, controversies, and highlights of the 25/26 Blister Winter Buyer's Guide.
Tara Williard interviews Eric Helmbrecht, co-owner of the Blister Recommended shop Powderhound in Girdwood, Alaska.
Luke Kappa, Kristen Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss recent gear testing and outdoor activities.
Luke Kappa and Alaskan heli-ski guide Paul Forward go through the powder skis Paul tested last winter, ordered roughly by waist width, starting with the DNA Star M3112 and Atomic Maverick 115.
Jonathan Ellsworth and Luke Coppa open with Crested Butte closing-day talk, including soft spring groomers, slush bumps, and a closing-day baby costume that fooled people in the lift line.
Gear 30 pairs Carv VP of Engineering Jamie Salter with Stomp It Tutorials and Stomp It Camps coach Jens Nyström to compare ski gear with ski technique.
Gear 30 opens with Jonathan Ellsworth, Kristen Sinnott, Luke Kappa, and Otto Solberg tying a $100 Blister Summit registration to Snowbird's late-season conditions.
Luke and Jonathan discuss reviews of frontside carvers, metal freestyle skis, and a dedicated comp mogul ski on Gear 30.
Jonathan Ellsworth introduces a conversation with Brett Scott (Suge) about hip-hop, snowboard culture, and the current state of snowboard gear, recorded at Palisades Tahoe.
Scotty at the Slot Bar calls Jonathan "the asshole who thinks Hot Dog is a terrible movie."
Luke Kappa, Jonathan Ellsworth, and Hunter Dagnon focus on ski boot fitting at Blister HQ in Crested Butte, Colorado, with Hunter describing more than a decade in ski shops.
Jonathan Ellsworth and Luke Kappa discuss updates on public lands legislation, Peak Skis news, and preview upcoming gear reviews.
Jonathan Ellsworth continues a discussion comparing the ski and bike industries, covering the state of shops, gear wins and fails, and the future of each.
Luke Coppa and Jonathan Ellsworth answer listener questions about ski gear, including backpacks, brand preferences, groomer skis, and boot liners.
Luke Kappa, Kristen Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss their recent gear testing experiences, including skiing at Palisades Tahoe, touring gear preferences, and favorite ski socks and midlayers.