Founder Stories: Creating a Company in the Outdoor Industry (Venture Snowboards, CARV, Spark R&D, & AlpenFlow Design)
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 first order? (47:03)Concerns about the future? (48:29)How did you know this was a product worth building? (50:02)What was your darkest moment? (52:11)How can we best support small brands? (57:04)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:00:35
Craig ‘Weazy’ Murray on Winning Natural Selections’ 1st SKI Comp; GRITT; & More
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 4 (Final run 1)* Run 5 (Final run 2)MSP Behind the Scenes: Craig’s Dub-FlatArc’teryx Film, WeazyPivot Cycles: Holiday w/ a PurposeTOPICS & TIMES:News: BLISTER+ and Physical Therapy (1:15)Winning the 1st Natural Selection Ski comp (4:03)Getting Contacted about NST? (5:15)Dealing with a Knee Injury (7:39)What Differentiates NST from Other Comps? (12:52)Your Strategy for the Comp (15:51)Communication Between the Athletes (18:20)Approaching Comps vs Filming Lines (29:37)Kiwis and Style (31:42)GRITT: Why it Matters so Much to Craig (38:20)Racing Bikes as Prep for Skiing (46:51)What Do You Do in Your Free Time? (53:19)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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59:30
Mali Noyes' Incredible Feat: Skiing the Chuting Gallery in 47 Days
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 (24:09)Biggest / Hardest Day? (28:44)Navigating Avalanche Risk (32:09)Earliest Wakeup? (39:52)Success of the Project (46:24)Injuries? (53:21)Your Gear (55:11)What are You Most Proud Of? (1:00:37)The Upcoming Film Series: Rapid Fire (1:02:01)Where to Find Mali’s Videos (1:06:07)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTED Bikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:09:14
When Sh!t Hits the Fan / How to Recreate Responsibly, with Nick Russell, Bjarne Salen, Drew Petersen, & Dr. Gloria Beim
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.
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1:02:35
Mountain Gazette’s Mike Rogge on the Natural Selection Ski Comp; Old Gear; “Outdoor” Movies; & More
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.
The Blister Podcast from BLISTER is a series of wide-ranging conversations with professional athletes and influential figures about the great outdoors, mountain culture, outdoor-industry news, books, films, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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