We’re joined in-studio by Andrew Couperthwait (aka Coup), VP of Head Skis, for a deep dive on what Head has been building lately.

We break down the relaunch of the HEAD Kore skis for 25/26: why the original ultra-light construction was insanely high performance but could feel demanding, and how the new direction adds suspension and dampness without “dumbing the ski down.” Coup explains the move to metal (landing on 0.4mm), how flex is tuned across different waist widths, and why the black vs white Kore skis can feel like two distinct personalities despite sharing the same shape.

Then we shift to Head Kaliber boots, Head’s purpose-built BOA project. We get into fit-first design, liner tech, stance, and how modern closure systems change both performance and everyday usability.

We wrap things up with athlete updates, World Cup and Olympic buzz, and a look at what’s coming next from Head.

In this episode, we break down Blizzard’s brand-new freestyle line, Canvas—arguably the least “Blizzard-y” ski they’ve ever made, in a good way. After some early-season chaos talk (New England snow showing up, who’s spinning already, and a recap of Snowbound Expo and the Blizzard x BSSC event), we dive into what Canvas is, who it’s for, and how the 100/108/118 lineup stacks up against skis from Armada, Black Crows, Line, and Rossi. We get into why this is such a big departure for a brand known for Brahma, Bonafide, Rustler, Black Pearl, and Anomaly, how brand perception affects park skis, and why athletes and comps matter in launching something new. We also cover the graphic story, including artist Penelope Mesa’s painted canvases that give the ski its distinctive black-and-white freestyle look.

00:00 – Winter is here

01:48 – Early-season stoke: Jay Peak snow & who’s spinning

04:36 – Snowbound Expo, BSSC party & Boston ski buzz

11:02 – Meet Blizzard Canvas: Blizzard’s new freestyle/park ski

13:54 – Canvas lineup, specs & Penelope Mesa’s graphic story

20:01 – Who Canvas is for & how it fits into Blizzard’s lineup

23:15 – Brand perception, park heritage & why athletes matter

32:17 – Weird skis, graphics & shapes

48:37 – East vs West: hot laps, rope tows & small-mountain lap machines, Ragged’s new ownership & closing thoughts / go skiing

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Joe and Garrett dive into the ski construction cycle: why brands refresh models, what actually changes year to year, and how those updates affect the way you ski. We compare icons and their latest iterations (Nordica Enforcer, Elan Ripstick + Black Edition, Salomon QST, and Blizzard’s Anomaly replacing Brahma/Bonafide) to show how companies balance “accessibility” with true top-end performance. Is it just the iPhone effect…or meaningful engineering? We break down shape tweaks, metal/wood layups, rocker profiles, and why tails that release easier don’t mean “dumbed down.”

We talk:

• How the update cadence works across top brands (and why it’s surprisingly consistent)
• What “more forgiving” really means and when it’s not a downgrade
• Why mid-width, one-ski-quiver models dominate
• How the market pendulum swings from tanky, metal chargers to lighter, nimble all-mountain skis and where it’s headed next

00:00 Premieres + Big Night Live highlights

03:03 Upcoming premieres (TGR, Armada)

04:34 Main topic: ski construction cycle

05:15 Why brands update (“iPhone effect”)

06:51 Ripstick surge → market reacts

10:23 Enforcer refresh (more forgiving)

12:31 Are updates “dumbed down”? (No)

13:21 Bonafide → Anomaly: modern feel

16:36 Ripstick & QST get stronger

19:40 One-ski-quiver explained

26:15 Why not yearly updates (2–5 yrs)

35:28 Mount point quick take

45:29 Lifecycle summary

51:04 Wrap

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