Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Gear 30 on the Blister Podcast Network.

I'm Jonathan Ellsworth, the founder of Blister, and you can check out all the stuff we're doing and reviewing over at blisterreview.com.

I sat down with Luke Kappa and Sam Shaheen here at the Blister headquarters at elevation

in beautiful Crested Butte to talk about a whole bunch of new skis.

We discussed the convex base tech on the new line outline and line Sir Francis Bacon,

how Nordica's Enforcer 104 free has been an answer to

Luke Kappa's prayers, and how the forefront in Thane skis quite differently than you would

expect from a lightweight ski. Also in this episode, I confess my change in perspective on

lightweight inbound skis. Luke and Sam talk about their new article

on outerware care that is available on the website. And maybe most importantly, we reveal a

socially critical topic for an upcoming Gear 30 episode, which will probably be the most unusual,

but also probably the best blister review ever.

And now that you are probably all super wound up and wildly excited, let me take a second here

to say that this episode of Gear 30 is presented by Bentgate, our Blister recommended shop in

Golden, Colorado. A number of our reviewers and friends of ours have been going to Benkate

for years, so this is a shop that we know very well and that we highly recommend. For over 20 years,

Benkate has been the core climbing and ski shop for Denver and the Golden Area, and their passion

and commitment to these sports is very real. Bencate's staff is knowledgeable,

they actually use the gear they sell, and they strive to offer outstanding customer service.

Everybody these days likes to talk about, quote-unquote, community, but Benkate is and always

has been a truly community-oriented shop. So if you need climbing beta, info on conditions

for ski touring, or if you're looking for a guide, stop into the shop or give them a call.

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