GEAR:30

The North Face’s iconic Summit Series collection has not only been a part of some of the greatest athletic feats of the past 25 years, it’s also had a major influence on the technical apparel we all use today.In this 2-for-1 conversation, Luke Koppa dives into its backstory, major milestones, and standout pieces with The North Face’s Global Head of Innovation, Cory Olson. He also talks with the one and only Sage Cattabriga-Alosa to get his perspective as an athlete who’s been involved with this series for its entire run — including how he went from hitting backcountry booters in the baggiest clothes he could find, to summiting high-altitude peaks in the most technical gear on the market.RELATED LINKS:Episode Sponsor: SnowbirdEpisode Sponsor: OpenSnowEnter Our Weekly Gear GiveawaysOur Blister Recommended ShopsJoin Us At Blister Summit 2026For BLISTER+ Members: Discounted Blister Summit RegistrationGet Yourself Covered with BLISTER+CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:OpenSnow (2:09)Snowbird (4:25)Weekly Gear Giveaway (6:03)Sage's History w/ The North Face (7:10)Sage’s Ah-Ha Moments w/ Apparel (23:00)Layering Evolution (36:30)Sage’s Standout Products (40:56)Cory Olson’s Role at The North Face (49:52)Historic and Throwback Pieces (54:14)Standouts Materials (56:36)Athlete Feedback & Design Impact (1:01:11)PFAS-Free Apparel: Present & Future (1:05:19)Care & Washing (1:10:20)Himalayan Suit (1:18:58)Summit Series x Streetwear (1:23:30)Future Projects (1:32:01)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

What are the most significant developments in snowsports gear of the 21st century? We’ve already covered the ‘Best Skis of the Century’ on GEAR:30, and now, we’re ranking the most important gear and / or technological developments in skiing and snowboarding. And today, you’re going to get the real story of the first rockered ski.RELATED LINKS:Get CARVGet Yourself Covered with BLISTER+Enter Our Weekly Gear GiveawayOur Blister Recommended ShopsJoin Us @ Blister Summit 2026For BLISTER+ Members: Discounted Blister Summit RegistrationCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Weekly Gear Giveaway (2:27)New Boot Testing & Carv (3:42)BLISTER+ (5:19)Greg’s Background in Skiing (6:32)Greg’s Top 10#10: Removal of Fluoro Waxes (11:12)#9: GripWalk (14:31)#8: Tuning Robots (16:53)#7: Gore Tex Patents Expiration (20:56)#6: Step in / Step on Snowboard Bindings (25:51)#5: Hybrid AT Systems#4: Ski Boot Design (35:16)Rockered Skis Unsolved Mysteries (46:13)#3: Rockered Skis (44:17)#2: Twin Tip Skis (50:19)#1: K2 Four (53:46)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

What are the most significant developments in snowsports gear of the 21st century? We’ve already covered the ‘Best Skis of the Century’ on GEAR:30, and now, we’re ranking the most important gear and / or technological developments in skiing and snowboarding.RELATED LINKS:OpenSnowCARVGet Yourself Covered with BLISTER+Enter Our Weekly Gear GiveawaysOur Blister Recommended ShopsJoin Us At Blister Summit 2026For BLISTER+ Members: Discounted Blister Summit RegistrationEp.323 w/ Carv & Marcus CastonCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Weekly Gear Giveaway: J Skis (1:01)Jan 1, 2026: Changes to BLISTER+ (1:25)OpenSnow Forecast is Looking Good! (3:11)New Skis, Ski Boots, & Carv (4:05)Our Top 10 Gear Developments:#10: (6:48)#9: (15:36)#8: (27:11)#7: (38:47)#6: (46:17)#5: (51:15)#4: (56:41)#3: (1:04:07)#2: (1:15:36)#1: (1:19:54)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big Ideas

What can you learn when you analyze hundreds of thousands of ski turns? What does it tell you about ski technique? And what can be learned about the gear you use to make those turns — and the gear we test and evaluate? Luke Koppa discusses all of the above with the team at Carv.RELATED LINKS:Carv Digital Ski Coach SystemEnter Our Weekly Gear GiveawaysOur Blister Recommended ShopsJoin Us At Blister Summit 2026For BLISTER+ Members: Discounted Blister Summit RegistrationGet Yourself Covered with BLISTER+Ep.323 w/ Carv & Marcus CastonCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Weekly Gear Giveaway (2:01)What is Carv? (4:33)What’d They Learn Last Year? (6:41)What’s New This Year? (11:30)How Does Carv Turn Data into Scores? (14:46)Off-Piste vs. On-Piste Analysis (20:50)Using Carv in Our Reviews (23:28)Why Do Certain Skis Score Higher? (24:00)Skiing Switch With Carv (35:00)Who is Carv For? (49:55)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

The skis, ski boots, and bindings made for human-powered ski-touring are very different from the ones built for the resort. But what about the clothes? Raide has been rethinking what apparel for the skintrack vs. the resort should look like, and their new collection is quite the ambitious debut. Luke Koppa discusses it all with Raide founder, Kyle Siegel.RELATED LINKS:Carv Digital Ski Coach SystemEnter Our Weekly Gear GiveawaysOur Blister Recommended ShopsJoin Us At Blister Summit 2026For BLISTER+ Members: Discounted Blister Summit RegistrationGet Yourself Covered with BLISTER+CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Carv & This Week’s Giveaway (3:03)Raide State of the Union (6:15)Raide’s First Apparel (12:22)New TourTech System (13:13)Hybrid Bibs (16:15)Raide’s New Waterproof/Breathable Fabrics (29:13)DWR Coatings (32:51)Testing & Impacts of Washing (36:36)Bib & Shell Featureset (39:26)Zip-Off Baselayer (44:52)Hybrid Hoody (51:36)Kyle’s Favorite Non-Raide Products (56:57)Future Raide Products? (1:01:02)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

We’re back on snow! And testing gear! And excited to talk about it! Jonathan and Luke cover several of the standout skis so far; Luke confesses to one of the dumbest things he’s ever done on skis; they discuss underappreciated upsides of early-season skiing; some interesting new outerwear and gloves; and more.RELATED LINKS:Our Recommended Shop: Round House Sports CenterEnter Our Weekly Gear GiveawaysAll of Our Blister Recommended ShopsJoin Us At Blister Summit 2026For BLISTER+ Members: Discounted Blister Summit RegistrationGet Yourself Covered with BLISTER+CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:We’re Back on Snow! (3:40)Luke’s First Skin (10:45)Rossignol Arcade 94 (17:53)Faction Dancer 79 (22:31)Volkl Peregrine 72 (29:33)Head Kore 88 Ti vs. Kastle Paragon 93 (33:41)Outerwear & Accessories (38:18)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

Today we spill some tea, break some news, fire off a few rants, and we walk through Moment’s 25/26 lineup, including what Moment CEO, Luke Jacobson, believes to be the most significant changes to the line.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you’d like to nominate yourself for a ‘Gear Therapy’ episode, let us know that, too! You can email us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredJoin Us! Blister Summit @ SnowbirdCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Vintage Moment Skis (4:05)Belafonte Revival? (9:26)Gear Gossip (12:32)Moment’s New Ski Press (13:40)Company Growth (28:30)Luke’s Current Ski Boot (36:22)Moment’s Factory Shop (40:58)Moment 25/26 Lineup (46:40)Women’s Skis (57:30)Communism vs Democracy (59:12)Ski Forums (1:03:38)Moment’s Bella Skis (1:16:54)Recap (1:23:57)Blister Summit Talk + Alta vs Snowbird (1:28:34)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

If you’ve worn a puffy jacket in the past 30+ years, there’s a good chance it used PrimaLoft insulation. And they’ve just announced their warmest insulation to date. So today, we get all the details on PrimaLoft UltraPeak from Andrea Paulson, PrimaLoft’s Senior Vice President of Innovation & Technology — and learn a ton about insulation in general along the way. Whether you’re curious about the latest puffy tech or just want to learn more about how to stay warm in the outdoors, this one’s for you.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:PrimaLoft History (3:07)Ultra Peak (9:41)What’s Driven Innovation? (16:03)UltraPeak vs. Other Insulation (19:08)Warmth to Weight & CLO Values (21:20)UltraPeak Use Cases (27:15)Weights of Insulations (28:33)Breathable Insulation (36:03)Other New PrimaLoft Products (40:09)How To Care for Your Insulation (45:53)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast

What are the Top 10 skis of the century? Top 3? #1 Ski? Today, Blister reviewers Dylan Wood, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth reveal their selections, and we also share some of the picks and insights from a number of pro skiers and ski industry professionals.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on GEAR:30. Or if you’d like to nominate yourself for a ‘Gear Therapy’ episode, let us know that, too! You can email us at info@blisterreview.comRELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELSBlister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Setting the Stage for Best Skis of the Century (3:15)Luke & Dylan’s Top 10 (7:24)Top 3 (34:40)Luke's #1 (46:44)Dylan’s #1 (50:03)Honorable Mentions (53:02)Jonathan Joins (56:52)Jonathan's Top 10 (1:02:01)Most Influential? (1:06:54)Jonathan's Top 3 (1:09:27)Jonathan's #1 (1:15:14)More Takes from listeners and Industry (1:24:15)