Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (August 2024)

Our guest today is Nikolai Schirmer, and we’re discussing skiing & surfing; skiing in Norway (and why Niko should become the Ski Czar of Norway); the Most Norwegian News; movies — including how easy / hard it is for certain outdoor sports to translate on film; & more.You can also check out my very gear-centric conversation with Niko over on our GEAR:30 podcast, episode #309: The Pro’s Gear: Nikolai Schirmer.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Surfing & Orcas (4:04)Nikolai’s background in Sports (7:19)Skiing in Norway (12:50)Niko’s Education (17:34)The Most Norwegian News (25:06)Electric Vehicles + Oil & Gas (33:40)The Norwegian Monarchy? (48:06)Technical Apparel (53:09)Movies (1:02:16)Depicting the Joy of Skiing to Film (1:14:11)Niko’s New Film (1:24:30)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Off The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So how are things actually going when it comes to climate change, carbon emissions, stuff like that? Are we making any real progress? And what do climate scientists — you know, the experts that are doing the research and studying the results — what are they finding? These are some of the things we've been wondering about, and we suspect that some of you have, too.So today, our guest is one of those experts, and she has a lot of insights to share. Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski is on the Research Faculty at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire; she is a member of the Protect Our Winters Science Alliance; and she started snowboarding in 1994, and these days, you’ll find her in the backcountry on her splitboard.RELATED LINKS:Learn More: Protect Our WintersBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Dr. Burakowski’s current work (3:21)What led you into this field of study? (8:18)The various costs of climate change (14:49)The current state of the union (17:25)Surprises in our climate system (20:52)Are we in a better or worse position than expected? (28:49)Where has progress been made? (33:02)Current biggest challenges? (34:38)Next best / necessary steps? (41:51)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cody and Jonathan discuss summer skiing; the new FIS wildcard rule; some good news & some dumb news re: national parks; art exhibits at ski areas; their top-3 mountain towns; what they’re reading and watching; & more.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredGet Our Winter Buyer’s GuideTOPICS & TIMES:The Hundred (3:57)Portillo / Back on Skis (5:18)Athlete dropped for lack of social media (9:20)Fairness of New FIS Wildcard Rule? (17:46)Good News: $100 Million Grant for National Parks (28:13)Dumb News: It doesn’t pay to bike into Yosemite? (29:03)Art in Ski Areas: Powder Mountain (34:22)Mountain Town Advice: Top 3 Mtn Towns? (41:34)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:05:34)Upcoming on Blister Cinematic (1:23:41)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When we’re out there putting our bodies on the line, the last thing we want to be thinking is, am I going to be looked after if this goes wrong?” — Atomic athlete, Jossi WellsToday we’re talking with Atomic skiers Jossi Wells, Tonje Kvivik, and Noah Wallace about a topic that almost never gets discussed publicly, yet it’s an issue that most sponsored outdoor athletes have to deal with: as a professional athlete, it’s your job to go out there and push yourself and try to push the limits of your sport, while also having to take responsibility for the consequence when things go wrong.It’s been a longstanding issue in the freeski world, across snowboarding, biking, climbing, and other sports, and while we all love watching athletes put themselves on the line, when injuries happen in that pursuit of pushing what’s possible, most of us then can only offer these athletes our best wishes on social media and our hopes that they heal up soon.But today, I’m happy to announce a new development that we think will set a new standard in the outdoor industry. Atomic has committed to covering their international freeski athletes with BLISTER+ outdoor injury insurance, and Atomic is the first outdoor brand to provide this level of coverage to their sponsored athletes.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Noah Wallace’s Story (3:21)Tonje Kvivik’s Story (7:33)Jossi Wells’ Story (8:32)Atomic’s Decision to Cover Their Athletes (10:06)Tonje’s Experience with Insurance (12:01)Jossi on Trying to Get Coverage (14:27)Getting Hurt When You Least Expect It (19:50)Jonathan’s Injuries (32:50)GofundMe Culture (43:43)How Do We Create a Culture Shift? (46:46)Tonje, Jossi, & Noah’s Plans for The Season (52:54)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk with 7x world champion and 2x Hall of Fame inductee, Rebecca Rusch, and Bike Monkey founder, Carlos Perez, about mountain biking in the 2024 Olympics; whether gravel biking ought to be an Olympic sport; the the new Potato Olympics, and her signature event, Rebecca’s Private Idaho.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredListener Code for Rebecca’s Private Idaho: BLISTER RPICHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The CouchTOPICS & TIMES:Rebecca’s Thoughts on the Olympics (4:36)Should Gravel Biking be in the Olympics? (11:43)Differentiating Gravel vs. Mountain Biking (13:52)Origins of Rebecca’s Private Idaho (19:20)Rebecca’s Dive into Endurance Sports (32:34)Race Events: Why Do People Sign Up? (38:05)More Details re: Rebecca’s Private Idaho (46:38)The Potato Olympics (51:30)The Be Good Foundation (52:47)Logistics of Putting on Race Events (57:37) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cody and Jonathan are back to talk about the Olympics; what makes someone an “athlete”; LeBron James & bikes; Amaury Pierron’s insane run; the Most Canadian News; what we’re reading and watching; & more.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredPre-Order our Winter Buyer’s GuideCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The CouchTOPICS & TIMES:Dumb & Dumber (4:32)The Olympics (8:28)What is an “Athlete”? (14:25)The Election (24:55)Digital Mapping & Accountability (33:34)Apple x AllTrails (46:33)Video: LeBron James & Canyon Bikes (54:56)Video: Amaury Pierron’s WC Run (1:02:20)Most Canadian News (1:09:50)What We’re Reading & Watching (1:16:32) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) is back to talk you into (or maybe out of?) running ultramarathons; discuss junk food, foam rollers, lab mice, can’t-miss business ideas, and his fantastic new book, Ultra-Something, which everyone ought read — unless you identify as the boring person in your friend group. (That’s Jonathan’s opinion, not Brendan’s.)RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredUltra-Something: Order or Read 1st ChapterCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The CouchTOPICS & TIMES:Storms around Missoula (4:57)Brendan’s New Book (7:12)Organization of the Book (12:55)Foam Rollers  (23:47)Coffee (27:56)Trust Fund Rats (31:10)Junk Food & Ultrarunning (33:37)Western States (41:29)Solo Ultras vs Signing Up for Races (47:22)Business Idea for Brendan (52:28Evolving Outdoor Interests? (56:36)Trend Chasing (1:00:48)Brendan on Blister Cinematic (1:03:58) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is an uneasy coexistence of cars and bikes on the road, and cyclist injuries & deaths from collisions with cars and trucks are on the rise. So what’s being done to address this? What can you do — as a cyclist, and as a driver — to do your part? And what’s being done in car & truck technology to help the cause? We talk with the lead engineer of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) at General Motors who works on bicycle detection technology to help keep cyclists safer on the roads.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredEp. Sponsor: Bag BalmCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The CouchTOPICS & TIMES:Avoiding Pedestrians vs Avoiding Cyclists (3:58)The Increase of Cyclist Deaths (9:33)Distracted Drivers (10:27)Evolution of Car Safety Tech (11:40)Chad’s Background (17:24)What Can Cyclists Do to Reduce Accidents? (22:10)Laws around Phone Use While Driving (25:32)Night Driving (30:17)Promising Tech? (30:17)Parting Thoughts (31:11) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it possible to skin and ski 3 million vertical feet in a year? On January 1, 2024, Noah Dines set out to find out, and so far, he’s doing incredibly well: on July 9, Noah crossed the 2 million vertical feet mark.So what prompted Noah to attempt this project? What does his typical day look like? What have been the biggest challenges so far, and what gear is he using to pull this off? I had lots of questions, and Noah offered lots of great answers to this conversation.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The CouchTOPICS & TIMES:The Government Camp / Timberline Scene (3:24)Origins of this Project & 3 Million Feet of Vert (5:07)Locations (11:15)How Often are You Solo? (12:34)Food & Nutrition (15:03)Injuries / Getting Sick (18:24)Warm Up & Cool Down Routines (22:23)Sleep (25:41)Other Challenges, Part 1 (26:30)Your Background (29:01)Other Challenges, Part 2 (31:26)Resort Touring vs Backcountry Touring (33:28)Gear (40:56)Average Vert per Lap? (51:33)Lessons Learned So Far? (53:53)Where to Next? (1:01:33) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the world’s elite athletes compete later this month at the Olympic Games in Paris, who treats them? And when injuries happen, how are decisions made about whether the athlete can continue to compete? To answer these questions and how it all works, our guest is Dr. Gloria Beim, the Head Team Physician at the Olympic Games for Team USA. Jonathan and Dr. Beim talk about the Olympics and the medical teams that support athletes there, and they also discuss Dr. Beim’s truly remarkable story that led to a life in medical care, where she continues to serve everyone from regular folks in rural communities, to some of the greatest athletes in human history.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTSBlister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister PodcastOff The CouchTOPICS & TIMES:How Jonathan & Dr. Beim Met (4:40)Heading to Paris (8:03)Your day-to-day at the Olympics (9:16)Educating Patients (22:38)Elite Athletes vs ‘Normal’ Folks (26:13)Which Olympic Sports Produce the Most Injuries? (31:20)Dr. Beim’s Path to Team USA (35:39)The Youth (56:26)BLISTER+ (1:02:04) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.