G3’s Recyclable R3 Skis & Boards with G3 Founder, Oliver Steffen

GEAR:30

BLISTER

Arts, Design, Skiing, Snow, Snowboarding, Sports, Outdoors, Bike, Technology, Gear

4.9 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2023

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Oliver Steffen founded Genuine Guide Gear (G3) many years ago because of his passion for innovation and problem-solving, and while this has largely been aimed at creating solutions related to gear and backcountry touring, most recently, he turned his focus to the environmental impacts and life cycles of G3’s skis and snowboards.

This year, G3 is launching their recyclable “R3” ski and snowboard program, guaranteeing that products manufactured going forward can be broken down, reused, and recycled. So Kara Williard talked to Oliver about this process, what it entails, and how it can be more widely applied to the outdoor industry. Plus, we get the details on the 23/24 R3 ski and snowboard lineup, and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Founding G3 (3:43)

Innovation over the years (7:12)

“Right to Repair” and R3 Introduction (10:47)

The Life Cycle Problem (27:11)

Ride, Reuse, Recycle (32:51)

R3 lineup (45:06)

Scaling & Working Together (50:56)

Crashes and Close Calls (58:13)

What We’re Celebrating (1:00:20)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody and welcome back to Gear 30 on the Blister podcast network. You may have
0:10.9	already guessed, but you're here today with Kara at Williard and you can check out all the very
0:15.4	many things we are doing and reviewing over at Blisterreview.com.
0:26.7	For today's edition of Gear 30, I got to talk with Oliver Stephan, founder and president of G3 or genuine guide gear. For over 20 years, G3 has been known for its backcountry gear,
0:33.7	skis, and snowboards. Oliver has always had a passion for innovation and problem solving,
0:39.5	which is what originally inspired him to start the company. Well, today we get to hear about how
0:44.4	all of this has evolved into the newest project that G3 has been focusing on, which is the
0:49.7	development of their R3 ski and snowboard recycling program. This program completely flips the idea of a product's life cycle on its head, and as you will hear,
1:00.0	Oliver has become very passionate about taking ownership of what happens to a product as it reaches its,
1:05.9	quote, end of life.
1:08.0	R3 stands for ride, reuse, and recycle, and G3 has developed their own proprietary technology
1:14.7	to ensure that every ski and snowboard that they manufacture from the 23, 24 season, and on,
1:22.5	is 100% recyclable. But they also haven't stopped there. Oliver and I talk about the issue of
1:29.1	the right to repair and what other G3 products are receiving a R3 stamp now that they have invested
1:35.9	in repairing, reusing, or recycling gear. We also discuss what this means for consumers,
1:43.5	retailers, and the entire outdoor industry at large.
1:47.5	We also dive into some of the details for the 23, 24 ski and snowboard lineup, where G3 is headed in the future and more.
1:57.1	Before we get going, this episode of Gear 30 is brought to you by OpenSnow. OpenSnow is your one-stop shop
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2:10.5	earth, read expert local analysis from their team of local forecasters, track active fires
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	...

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