Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) Colin is joined by the founder and editor in chief of Blister, Jonathan Ellsworth, to talk about making the backcountry a safer and more affordable place for outdoor enthusiasts.
Outdoor enthusiasts face significant risks when engaging in their favorite activities, and having the right insurance coverage can be a game changer; which is exactly what Blister+ is looking to be.
Blister+, the gear review site's membership program, includes an innovative outdoor injury insurance policy designed to protect adventurers from the financial burden of accidents.
The conversation delves into Ellsworth's personal experiences with serious injuries and the hefty medical bills that often accompany them, highlighting the importance of accessible coverage for high-risk sports. As the outdoor recreation community continues to grow, the need for affordable and effective insurance solutions becomes increasingly critical.
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Episode Transcript
Colin True
00:00:00.520 - 00:02:10.579
Hey you outdoor retailers, listen up. You're sick of it, aren't you? Another sales rep walks in.
They're showing off some flimsy forgettable apparel line that looks like it was meant for a mall. The so called outdoor brands churning out gear that won't make it past the doors of a Costco come Saturday. You need something else.
You need gear built for granite and ice. For the steep and the cold. You need a brand that's stripped down and built up for real wilderness. You need Northwest Alpine.
Back in 2010, Northwest Alpine set out to make the apparel that the big brands were forgetting. The others got caught up in fashion shows, but Northwest Alpine, they went back to the essentials.
They make gear that's simple, light, strong and made to last. Hey, and where do you think they make it? You know where it is. It's right here in the usa.
If you're thinking, wait a minute, Northwest Alpine's black spider hoodie, made with Polartech power grid, is sewn up right here in the States. Yeah, you heard that right. And if you're tired of black, don't worry, they've got colors too. So here we are in a time when everything's uncertain.
Costs are going up, tariffs are looming, and old bloated brands are hiking prices. Northwest Alpines here with American made gear ready to stock your shelves.
Get in touch by sending an email to infooortorthwestalpine.com and set up a line showing today Northwest Alpine made here for all the right reasons. Welcome to the Rock Fight, where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows, and sometimes agree to disagree.
This is an outdoor podcast that aims for the head.
I'm Colin True and today on the show we're talking about a crucial need for anyone who adventures in places where they can get hurt with the founder and editor in chief of Blister, Jonathan Ellsworth. But before we get to that, have you subscribed to rockfight's weekly newsletter?
If not, you still have time to get the original Rock Fight content that we don't put any else that comes out next Tuesday, head to Rockfight Co. Click join the mailing list to sign up. You're not going to want to miss the next newsletter.
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Chris DeMakes
00:02:10.627 - 00:02:14.695
Welcome to the rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight.
Colin True
00:02:15.755 - 00:04:22.485
Do you remember when Aron Ralston wrote his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, which chronicled how he had to amputate his own arm? And then they turned that into a movie directed by Danny Boyle.
And after all of that, there were still people out there saying that Ralston was a moron because he didn't tell anyone where he was going the day he got stuck in a slot canyon in southern Utah.
But you know that if any of those critics were being honest, they would have to admit that they've also made dumb decisions in the backcountry that could have had bad consequences.
Or how about the amount of times you've ridden the same mountain bike trail, the one you ride so much that you literally can identify depressions in the dirt or random small rocks that are always in the same place, but every so often your head just isn't in the game and you take a tumble or misjudge a turn and just like that, bam. You're down on the ground with less skin covering your body than you had a second ago. The point is that going outside comes with risk.
Now, whether that risk is leaving some of your epidermis behind when you head out for the day or you have to call search and rescue, the consequences of the activities we love can be anything from inconvenient to dire. And if you don't have the right insurance, it can be costly. Like life changing costly.
Like ruin your credit and hounded by collection agencies costly. And that's why I invited Jonathan Ellsworth on the Rock Fight.
Jonathan is the founder and editor in chief of Blister Review, the member driven outdoor gear review website that has been challenging the status quo of outdoor media with their content and podcasts for over a decade. And another thing, they offer affordable insurance for those of us who play outside. Now, why would a gear review site offer health insurance?
You might be asking. And that's because Jonathan personally experienced the toll that injury and hospital bills can cause.
And Jonathan is here today to tell us all about it. So welcome back to the Rock Fight, where today it's all about your health with Blister's Jonathan Ellsworth.
All right, well, we're joined today by Jonathan Ellsworth, the founder and editor in chief of Blister and the host of the Blister podcast. Now, Blister is known for its in depth and honest reviews of outdoor gear and apparel. But.
But today we're going to Be talking about something a little different. But first, you know, welcome to the show, Jonathan. Thanks for joining me, man.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:04:22.645 - 00:04:30.029
No, it's great to be here. This, this should be fun. And yeah, first. First time on Lucky Me, Blister started.
Colin True
00:04:30.077 - 00:05:29.059
As a kind of an antidote to some of the, you know, the lack of, I don't know, maybe to the listicle. Maybe that's the easiest way to say it, right? I mean, like, which, which is something we respect. It's something.
Our gear and beer podcast the same thing. We're like, this is just, let's. Let's talk about gear, like the way we talk about gear.
And like, you're like, listen, the listicle like, or the state of gear reviews when you launched, it wasn't great. So what can we do about it? But then an interesting component that really differentiates Blister is blister. Right?
And members of Blister get perks like personalized gear recommendations, access to exclusive content, discounts, a whole host of things.
But the main thing, and this is what you and I had a chance to chat a few weeks ago, is Blister plus has the outdoor injury insurance policy that comes with joining, which is not something you typically see as a perk for becoming a member of a media platform or, or any sort of community. Right.
So I guess let's just start kind of broadly what led you to want to provide, you know, an outdoor injury policy to your readers and your customers? Like, what led to all this?
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:05:29.227 - 00:06:22.037
An important part of the story is, I think for me, in 2017, I broke my neck on actually my birthday on the 9th of July, and I was doing some novelty skiing in the dead of summer. We skiing Independence Pass between Crested Butte and Aspen with some of my best friends. And long and short, snowpack blew out.
I was actually booting back up a line. There was no snow. I mean, we were skiing like this little strip. Yeah, the strip. But it was. It was a fairly steep slope.
So, you know, I go flying off a cliff, tomahawk. I'm laying unconscious at the bottom of the line. My friends think I'm dead. Spoiler alert. Not dead, but in really, we're here.
Colin True
00:06:22.061 - 00:06:25.749
With the ghost of Jonathan Ellsworth. And yeah, you know, but.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:06:25.797 - 00:07:50.195
But walk off that mountain that day. And then my friends had caught without me knowing, they had called an ambulance.
So when we get to the bottom after this hour hike off of Independence Pass, this ambulance is waiting for me. And I'm pissed. I'm pissed at my friends because I don't know what My health insurance situation is so I'm like, you assholes now.
I'm also badly, badly concussed. So, you know, like, not thinking very clearly.
So, you know, I've asked all of my friends with me that day for forgiveness on multiple occasions, but I get checked out by the EMTs. I am so beat up, bleeding everywhere, just destroyed. They're doing these kind of spot tests, spot checks around my neck. Like, does this hurt? Yes.
Everything hurts. It feels like I was jumped by, you know, a gang with baseball bats in an alley, and they just bludgeoned me for, you know, a couple minutes.
So I don't know my insurance situation. They say the EMTs are like, you should 100% come to the hospital with us. And I'm like, well.
And I wasn't really telling my friends at the time, but, like, I didn't think I had insurance, like, it had just lapsed or was about to lapse. And so I was like, I just want to go home.
Colin True
00:07:50.355 - 00:07:50.747
Right?
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:07:50.811 - 00:08:45.802
And so I didn't go to a hospital for five days later. And I had told my friends, like, listen, let me just see. I walked off a mountain. Maybe I dodged the bullets.
And I was like, if the pain isn't going away, I'll go to the hospital. So five days later, the pain is intensifying. I finally go to a hospital. I'm getting. I get a. I always forget if it was a CAT scan or an MRI first.
Okay, but I'm coming. They're kind of going the tube. I'm getting pulled out of the tube.
And there is a team of surgeons and nurses standing there with a wheelchair, like, wide eyed, and they're like, you have crushed your C6, C7. You've torn three of the four ligaments of your neck. You're. You have radical cervical instability. You should be paralyzed right now.
And you are going right now to surgery. So. So you think about.
Colin True
00:08:45.818 - 00:08:52.258
You get an mri. Typically it's like, okay, now you have to wait two weeks to get the results. So whatever they saw on yours, they're like, hey, no, no.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:08:52.306 - 00:08:54.410
They're like, you're a time bomb.
Colin True
00:08:54.482 - 00:08:56.098
Yeah, right? Amazing.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:08:56.146 - 00:09:07.082
So that's a really bit of. That's an important story for me, you know, Like, I went through that, thankfully had the surgery. I've got hardware in my neck. But it.
It all went great.
Colin True
00:09:07.178 - 00:09:07.762
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:09:07.898 - 00:09:47.673
Let's fast forward a little bit to just one more anecdote. Three and a half years ago, I'm mountain biking here in Crested Butte. Get done with my favorite after work ride. It's a fairly, fairly technical ride.
You know, brag a little bit laced, all the technical stuff. I'm literally riding out to the road. The ride is over. And I think I'm looking at wildflowers or something. And I, like.
My front wheel gets a little loose on the single track. I ended up going down real hard this time. I cracked my helmet open.
And I've learned now, when your friends tell you after an accident to go to the hospital, you go to the damn hospital.
Colin True
00:09:47.729 - 00:09:49.785
Some lessons learned the hard way, you know?
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:09:49.945 - 00:10:32.215
So my friend Sydney Dickinson is like, dude, I'm taking you to the emergency room right now. And I'm like, okay. We go to the emergency room down in Gunnison.
They run a number of tests, but just tests, you know, and they're like, okay, you've broken three ribs, three or four ribs. Third degree separation of your AC joint. You got a concussion. But, like, we're not doing anything about it. Like, ribs, you don't do anything. Surgery.
They're like, we're going to try to avoid doing a surgery on the AC joint. So go home. So I go home and I get a bill from that emergency room visit for $12,800.
Colin True
00:10:32.375 - 00:10:33.235
Jesus.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:10:34.175 - 00:12:40.199
And I'm like, you know, again, I'm like, okay, well, my insurance, all right, I've got. I pay my 500 bucks a month for insurance. Damn. I've got a $6,500 deductible. Well, that sucks.
Well, that's the first time I had ever heard the phrase in my life, max out of pocket. Because my deductible is 6,500, but my max out of pocket, how much I actually have to pay if the bill goes bigger than 6,000. 6,500.
That number was $9,000. So I wrote a check for about nine grand for an afternoon visit to an emergency room where there was no surgery, there was no cast, some X rays.
And this is when I was like, wait a second. Yeah, I know. There are hundreds of thousands of people just in our country who are in a similar situation.
They either have no health insurance or they have that higher deductible, like me, 5,000, 6,007 bucks.
And I'm like, we're sitting here every day at blister, recommending all this cool new gear, getting people psyched to go ski, mountain bike, et cetera. And these are some of the realities that many people, like, this is a situation they find themselves in.
And at that point, I was like, we have got to find a better system. And that is what kind of put me on the path to seeing what was out there. And, you know, and then, you know, I guess. Fast forwarding punchline.
There wasn't a lot out there. And we ended up partnering with a company called Spot to basically then go through and contact massive insurance companies.
Currently, our blister plus policy is underwritten by a gigantic insurance company called Mutual of Omaha.
But this has been three and a half years of doing work to get certain activities covered, to fight to make sure this coverage was available to everyone across the world, not just citizens of the usa.
Colin True
00:12:40.287 - 00:12:40.679
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:12:40.767 - 00:13:06.677
And so this is what we've ended up spending a bunch of time doing. Fighting to get this thing created and these days fighting to make sure we can continue to have it in place.
Because we're now seeing every single week people getting hurt, calling in a claim and getting reimbursed, not getting financially wrecked. Because this exists and this means a whole lot to me.
Colin True
00:13:06.861 - 00:13:29.297
Yeah, no, it's, it's. This is why I want to have this conversation. Because you think about like, the two examples you gave were pretty extreme.
You know, I feel like I've done enough stuff where I'm fortunate. I definitely could have ended up in a position that you ended up in. Didn't.
But that being said, you know, I think we talked when you and I first spoke. Like I've. A lot of times you get hurt doing something that isn't even that hard. The bigger deal.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:13:29.361 - 00:13:29.513
Right.
Colin True
00:13:29.529 - 00:13:49.233
Something that you're not paying attention and you're like, hit that puddle wrong. Hit that root wrong, whatever it is. And now you're on the ground and you think about the folks.
I mean, I don't want to get into the healthcare issues in this country, which there are many, but the, you know, you have a lot of people who are going to take the biggest risks are the younger folks who typically don't either have insurance or don't have as good a coverage.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:13:49.329 - 00:13:49.705
That's right.
Colin True
00:13:49.745 - 00:14:22.969
And so to be able to have something in place that for. And we'll get into the details of the plan, but that is relatively affordable and gives you that coverage, that's amazing.
I mean, that's why immediately we need to talk about this because it just opens a whole bunch of other questions like why don't other people offer this? Why isn't this more accessible through other avenues, whether you're in the outdoor industry or not?
I mean, it's amazing because I definitely have had times in my life where I've gotten saddled with heavy medical bills and it's debilitating. On a whole bunch of levels. It can really ruin your life.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:14:23.137 - 00:15:58.371
Yeah, for sure. And I mean, I'll name him.
Joe Johnson, who works for Salomon, was telling me, and, you know, Salomon is now covering all of their North American skiers and global ski team with Blister Plus.
And part of what happened there is Joe Johnson told me the story that he was climbing some years ago, had a bad injury, didn't have insurance, and it. It wrecked his credit. Like, it ruined him financially.
And he's like, dude, I've been digging out for 10, 15 years from the financial consequences of that injury, right? These stories and anecdotes I just get flooded with now. And so it's funny.
There's been, you know, anytime you do anything new, somebody's gonna question what you're doing or why, you know, and it' usually, frankly from a place of ignorance, but I'm like, if you had my inbox or had the conversations with people around the industry and, dude, like, I can't unsee or unhear these stories anymore. You know, And I think. You know, and I think another thing, like, why. Why has. Why hasn't this been done before? I mean, it's a good question.
I think there's a. I got one comment, and I think somebody was like, hey, Blister, why are you talking about all this injury insurance?
Like, just go back to talking about Stoke. And I'm like, yo, I'm sorry.
Colin True
00:15:58.443 - 00:16:00.907
Any broken leg stoke has led to, man.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:16:01.011 - 00:16:26.579
Yep.
I'm like, I'm outside almost every day on a mountain bike or a pair of skis or what have you, as are all of my friends, if you think this shit isn't happening, where people are getting broken off or you don't live. Maybe you don't live in a mountain town, but anybody that does, dude, the GoFundMe campaigns that just are getting thrown up left and right, right.
Colin True
00:16:26.627 - 00:16:32.483
So. And so got hurt. They need this. They're gonna lose their house. Cause they can't afford to pay their medical bills. All that stuff. It's all real.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:16:32.659 - 00:17:16.160
It's all real.
And the more I've learned, even in places like Canada or in Europe where there are these exceptions, health insurance, there's loopholes almost everywhere. And I think, like, I love skiing and mountain biking more than just about anything. And I don't. I'm not stopping anytime soon.
But I think to, like, do this stuff responsibly, to recreate responsibly, is something that I will 100% be on the side Of, I mean, this is a little bit like somebody being like, bro, what. Why are you always talking about Avi danger? You're like harsh. In my stoke, when I go skiing.
Colin True
00:17:16.192 - 00:17:20.224
In the back, you're hitting a bug in my bugaboos. That drives me crazy.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:17:20.304 - 00:17:32.480
Right? It's like, no, no, no, you're an idiot.
Like, you're a fucking idiot and shouldn't be out with anybody in the back country and not even by yourself because if you're remote triggering avalanches, you're about to like take out other.
Colin True
00:17:32.552 - 00:17:33.920
Other people. Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:17:34.072 - 00:17:40.472
So I'm like, there is a thing about. I'm all for stoke. Right. This stuff makes me happier than virtually anything.
Colin True
00:17:40.568 - 00:17:40.980
Sure.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:17:41.072 - 00:18:00.825
But we can do two things at once, right? We can be thrilled to be out, right. But like, we are committed to trying to elevate what it means to recreate responsibly.
And then let's go have the best time of our lives on a mountain bike or on a trail run or skiing or on a snowboard. That's what we're about.
Colin True
00:18:01.365 - 00:18:10.625
All right, so let's talk about what people get. Let's talk about actually details of the plan. Right? So like what, what does it cost? What do folks get?
I mean, what, what is the, what are the inside scoop on the actual plan?
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:18:11.105 - 00:18:49.009
So the Blister plus membership, of which this outdoor injury insurance is definitely a key component of it, it is $395 for 12 months of coverage. So Colin, if you were to sign up tomorrow, you start this. 12 months of coverage. Right. And if we'll, you know, as you already mentioned at the top.
Yeah, that comes with like, you can email our team of reviewers to get personalized gear recommendations from us. The Blister plus membership comes with a number of things, but again, focusing in this conversation on the injury insurance part.
12 months of coverage.
Colin True
00:18:49.097 - 00:18:49.561
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:18:49.673 - 00:20:11.187
And what happens basically is it is an activities based coverage. So there's like 20 activities currently covered. So, you know, for example, skiing, any form of skiing anywhere in the world is covered.
It also covers ski racing.
If you're in a free ride comp, there are no exceptions to it other than if you're drunk, if you're drunk and you fall down the stairs, Blister plus can't help you. But, but if you are ski touring, if you are in a free ride world tour comp, if your kid is ski racing, someone with Blister plus is covered.
And there's no age restrictions on it. So right now I'm talking with Darren Ralves. You Know, one of the most decorated American ski racers of all time.
Darren is really passionate about this because he works with a bunch of ski racers around, you know, the broader Tahoe area. And he's like. He just. He told me yesterday, he's like, there are 2,000 kids who need to have this. You know, and he's like, take.
He's like, give me the information. I want to go talk to the directors and their parents and the rest. And I'm like, that's sweet. For the reasons we've talked about.
Like, things happen when we're doing these high risk sports. You get hurt. Let's hopefully keep people from getting financially into youth sports.
Colin True
00:20:11.211 - 00:20:20.163
I mean, youth sports are expensive anyway. I mean, to add another 400 bucks to have that peace of mind as a parent, like, yep, sounds good. Sign me up. That's great.
Didn't you say also there's a search and rescue component to this too? Right? Thinking skiing.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:20:20.179 - 00:21:11.263
There is, yeah. So we have about 20 different sports covered. So anything skiing, anything snowboarding, road cycling, mountain biking, e.
Mountain biking, gravel riding, bike commuting is covered. Trail running, hiking, backpacking, camping. So we'll include a link somewhere, I'm sure, where people can get the full list of covered activities.
But then in addition. And this is pretty huge, certainly in some circles there is. Sorry.
And the way this works is if you're doing one of these 20 activities and an injury occurs that triggers a bucket, basically, of $25,000 worth of medical expense coverage. So there is a cap on this, and that cap is 25 grand.
Colin True
00:21:11.359 - 00:21:11.823
Okay.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:21:11.919 - 00:21:17.151
But let's say you were telling me about the other day. I think you were running, or you're.
Colin True
00:21:17.343 - 00:21:27.085
Like, that was a bike path and I wasn't paying attention. Right. And you go down, rip my knee up. Right. Yep. Could have been way worse.
Wasn't bad, but it definitely got hurt on a really easy thing right by my house.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:21:27.255 - 00:21:43.177
So in that case, let's say if you're like, I need to get this checked out, just get an MRI done or something. That MRI would have been covered under blister. Plus, let's say it was gnarlier and you needed a surgery.
Well, you have a $25,000 bucket to go toward that surgery.
Colin True
00:21:43.241 - 00:21:47.345
Just because I was on a bike, the circumstances don't matter. I was on a bike. It counts.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:21:47.385 - 00:22:31.959
Yep, that's right.
And then for many of us, this is a massive deal, but it does also cover that $25,000 bucket can go toward medical transport or backco country evacuations. So you Know, for those of us who recreate in the back country, whether it's skiing or getting out there on our mountain bikes, this is pretty clutch.
Because the more I'm learning about some of the alternatives out there for medical evac or backcountry evacuations, there are loopholes. And I have now heard many, many stories of people getting screwed over because a call wasn't called in just the right way.
Colin True
00:22:32.087 - 00:22:32.823
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:22:32.999 - 00:22:45.595
And this is kind of like, man, if people wonder why I sound like a crazy person, or I'm, like, so fired up about this, it's like, we have got to protect our community here, and it's not happening right now.
Colin True
00:22:46.295 - 00:23:28.337
This one fucks with me a little bit more than even the other stuff. Like, I don't like it. All the stuff you're doing is great, meaning just the typical hospital bills. But it's well documented.
About screwed up can be to go to the hospital and end up with a lot of bills. At the end of the day, the fact that. Think about someone in the back country, I don't care what you're doing. I don't care if you're just.
You're aborting, you're hurt on a backpacking trip, whatever it is, and you need help. So you're in a panic situation. You are in a situation that you're like. You're questioning if you're ever gonna make it out.
And then to hear that there is a right way to call in help, or you get stuck after the fact with a giant bill, and that's just a big case of fuck that. I mean, what are you talking about? Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:23:28.481 - 00:23:57.947
Yeah, exactly. I mean, so, you know, again, I think there has been overwhelming kind of support and enthusiasm for our work on this and getting there, out there.
There's been a couple of the voices that are like, what are you doing this? Why don't you get back to reviewing gear? And I'm just like, you want to know how? Yeah. Like, I'm.
I'm just like, if you don't understand the scope of this problem or you're upset that we are helping people every week.
Colin True
00:23:58.051 - 00:23:58.571
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:23:58.683 - 00:23:59.575
You're not.
Colin True
00:24:00.515 - 00:24:10.507
Well, is it affecting your normal product? I can't imagine your view reviews have, like, suffered because you've offered insurance to people like, what the hell?
What dots are you connecting people who are complaining? I mean, give me a break, dude.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:24:10.651 - 00:24:41.985
I don't know. And no, I mean, and in fact, there was like, we actually looked into this.
Like, we're putting out more reviews, more product reviews than ever before.
So we're kind of, you know, our team goes hard and works really hard, but basically we're doing more stuff than ever before in sort of every category. Right? So the gear reviews, we do more of those. The podcast, that's what you're into.
We're doing more of those than ever, you know, and we're also offering this, and we're super proud of it.
Colin True
00:24:43.565 - 00:26:34.015
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So I guess one thing I wanted. I'm curious, like, what's the current number of members like, who has Blister Plus? What's the roster? Where was it when from where you started?
Where is it today?
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:26:34.635 - 00:27:52.877
Yeah, I mean, I think we're.
By the end of this year, we'll be at around 5,000 blister plus members and really looking in 2025 to, I mean, at least double that number and hopefully, if we continue to get the message out, triple that number.
But really, I mean, my goal for this, because I have talked about this a little bit on some of our podcasts, but we really are on a mission to change the culture of outdoor sports where we have right now, today, millions of people around the world who are participating in high risk activities like skiing, ski racing, snowboarding, mountain biking, gravel biking, et cetera. And they're doing this while being underinsured, like myself. I would put myself in the underinsured category or uninsured.
And we should not be cool with this.
You know, and for the manufacturers of outdoor gear, the athletes in this space, the media outlets in this space, we've got an opportunity to do something better for that community.
Colin True
00:27:53.021 - 00:27:53.517
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:27:53.621 - 00:29:08.059
And we're hell bent on that. So really, like, we're off. One of the things I've learned over the last kind of two years, there's a massive educational component to this. Right.
And that onus is on us. I think there's a lot of mistrust of insurance for very good reasons.
And so, you know, sometimes people are like, wait, what is Blister doing and why are they doing this? So I think, you know, that we've got to do a better job of just educating people about this.
But I do think that wave is coming where enough people are going to learn about this. We're frankly getting more and more stories of people getting hurt who don't have it, and so they're getting hit with big bills.
But then there's more stories of people who do have Blister plus and their stuff is covered and paid for. So I think we are going to see a snowball effect here.
But I'm kind of not really going to feel like my work is done until we're in the like 50,000, 100,000 blister plus members.
Because then at that scale, I think we can say that we have really started to change that culture of outdoor sports, you know, where we're doing these high risk things and doing it really without a safety net.
Colin True
00:29:08.147 - 00:30:01.975
I don't know if my day to day life would demand it, but even then I'd probably still feel better having it.
You know, I wrote A note while you're chatting about, you mentioned, like, bike commuters, you know, and I know that probably a core group of your members live in mountain towns, but I think when you and I were chatting a month or so ago as well, like, you think about, like, I live in Southern California, and surf breaks are littered with people, you know, people. The outdoor experience, the way people are experiencing outdoors, is broadening more than it ever has before. Participation numbers are up.
People are going places well outside of those kind of core outdoor communities in the mountains.
And, you know, the risks don't really diminish, you know, just because, like, I'm on a mountain in San Diego county versus, like, I'm in, you know, one in the Northwest or something. Like, I could still fall off my bike and get hurt. And so to have these. I don't know. I think what you're doing is, I think it's frankly important.
It's amazing that something like this didn't exist before. It's just one of those classic things, like, how has no one thought of this before?
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:30:02.015 - 00:30:07.599
Yeah. And I think it's two things. One, I'm sure people have, like, thought about it.
Colin True
00:30:07.687 - 00:30:08.231
Yeah.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:30:08.343 - 00:32:03.387
Why it hasn't happened before, I truly think. Because I've spent a lot of time thinking about this, I bet.
Because ultimately, I think that people running certain companies, this isn't their world. Right, right. The CEOs. Like, if you're a ski company, you're in the business of selling skis. If you're a ski resort, you're in the business.
Like, you're just trying to sell passes. That's all you care about. And you're going to be fired or not based on your ability to do that. I'm out there every single day.
Our reviewers, my friends and employees are out there every single day. And all of our friends are. The reason we're doing this is because this is the world we live in. And nobody else is looking out for us.
Nobody else is looking out for us. And so I think, why hasn't some other company in the outdoor sports world done this?
I think at the end of the day, they're looking first and foremost at their kind of business model and their revenue streams. And this isn't necessary. It is for us. The only other thing I can think of right now is to make it an even better deal.
That $395 that goes for 12 months of coverage. We talked about that. An accident happens.
If you're doing one of these sports, you get that $25,000 bucket of medical expense or backcountry evacuation triggered that 25 grand is per incident. So skis, I'm about to start skiing in probably two weeks from now. Right. If I get injured skiing, that triggers a $25,000 bucket.
Let's say I then recover from that injury and six months later, mountain biking, I have another injury. There's a fresh $25,000 bucket.
Colin True
00:32:03.511 - 00:32:04.051
That's great.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:32:04.123 - 00:32:21.619
So for those of us and it's, it's like for most people who ski are also on a bike or out running or something. So for the multi sport element of this, that it's multiple incident in that 12 months.
That's really when I think for a lot of people it's like, dear Lord, this is totally no brainer territory.
Colin True
00:32:21.667 - 00:32:26.067
Right? Your preexisting condition is your addiction to outdoor sports.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:32:26.211 - 00:32:33.447
That's. Yeah, yeah. Damn it. Super well said. Yeah. That is my preexisting condition. Yes.
Colin True
00:32:33.551 - 00:32:47.647
Well, man, hey, we can wrap it up there. I really appreciate you spending some time. Great.
To learn the details of Blister plus, like I said, we'll link it in the show notes if you're interested. Check it out. Make sure you go and check that out and see everything that blister has to offer. Jonathan, thanks so much for coming on the show, man.
Really appreciate it.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:32:47.791 - 00:32:52.431
Thanks, man. I appreciated the conversation and good luck with all of it going forward.
Colin True
00:32:52.503 - 00:32:53.755
Yeah, you too, brother.
Jonathan Ellsworth
00:32:54.175 - 00:32:55.635
All right, we'll talk to you soon.
Colin True
00:32:56.895 - 00:33:25.267
All right, that's the show for today. What did you think? Are you a blister plus subscriber? Have you been stuck with big bills from from your outdoor adventures.
Send your feedback on this and every episode of the rock flight to myrockflightmail.com the Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight LOC. I'm Colin True. Thanks for listening. And he's back.
Probably with his own rockstar insurance because those broken guitar strings, well, they can get you. It's Chris Demaix. He's gonna play the rock Fight Fight song right now. We'll see you next time. Rock fighters.
Chris DeMakes
00:33:25.371 - 00:34:23.875
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Welcome to the Rock Fight where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows and sometimes agree to disagree.
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