Jonathan Ellsworth 
We talk to Mad Moose race director, Justin Ricks, about walking away from running; returning to running — and leaving a secure corporate job and moving his family into a camper to do so; putting on 20+ race events a year with his family; scoring impressive results when he himself decides to race; and how running is very much a whole family affair for the Ricks’.
For many of us, bikes are primarily fun. But for many others, bikes are major drivers of economic development, educational opportunity, health care, and equality. World Bicycle Relief was started by the founder of SRAM to provide bikes to developing countries, and we talk with WBR’s CEO, Dave Neiswander, about the origins of World Bicycle Relief; its trajectory and challenges; all the product design that goes into their bikes; and what each of us can do to support the WBR mission.
Crosson Skis is a small, new company that’s making some very big claims. So we talk to their founder, Chase Englehart, about the origins of Crosson; what makes their skis different — and better; building skis outside of Seattle; working with athletes like Bobby Brown and Banks Gilberti; and their 19/20 lineup.
For many of us, bikes are primarily fun. But for many others, bikes are major drivers of economic development, educational opportunity, health care, and equality. World Bicycle Relief was started by the founder of SRAM to provide bikes to developing countries, and we talk with WBR’s CEO, Dave Neiswander, about the origins of World Bicycle Relief; its trajectory and challenges; all the product design that goes into their bikes; and what each of us can do to support the WBR mission.
We talk to Ian Sharman about becoming the Fastest Elvis and setting Guinness World Records for racing in costumes; completing over 200 ultras and marathons; the most common mistakes people make in training and in racing; his strategy for keeping doping out of ultrarunning; and more.
How do elite ski racers like Marcel Hirsher, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller, and Daron Rahlves “feel” their gear, and their ski boots in particular? We talk to Matt Manser about this; forward lean; ‘static’ power straps vs. ‘elastic’ Booster Straps; whether WC skiers or WC DH mtn bikers are pickier about their equipment; and more.
Win Kuat’s flagship bike rack, the NV 2.0 — a hitch-mounted bike rack with capacity for two bikes.
Sometimes “different” is better. Other times, it’s just dumb. So we discuss a number of very unconventional new products: the Trust Message linkage fork; Structure Cycleworks’ SCW1 linkage fork / frame system; high-pivot trail bikes and the Forbidden Druid; Starling Cycles’ ‘Jack Drive’ bikes; and Tannus Armour tire inserts.
Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Meghan Hicks — who is one hell of a trail runner in her own right — about her background; covering the “puke fests and the transcendental moments” of trail running; how iRunFar.com came to be; what motivates her to run; what she thinks is the most misunderstood thing about ultra races; and more.
Today we’re launching our new Up & Coming series, where we’ll be highlighting some athletes who, if they aren’t already on your radar, they should be. And first up is Dylan Siggers, because few people out there are this good on skis and on a bike. Plus, Dylan is also involved in filmmaking and music, so we talk to him about skiing, biking, filming, music, and more.
Jonathan Ellsworth, Luke Koppa, & Sam Shaheen argue about the new Volkl Mantra 102 and how it compares to the M5 Mantra; discuss with more civility the Line Vision 98; Dalbello Lupo Pro HD ski boot; Camp Nano 22 vs. Orbit Wire carabiners; and close with several extremely random reviews.
Anthill Films’ latest movie, Return to Earth, displays the sick cinematography and sick bike riding that Anthill is known for. But in Return to Earth, they’re going after some bigger stakes. So we talk to Anthill’s Darcy Wittenberg and Ian Dunn about those stakes; the origins & early days of Anthill; some of the locations, riders, and cinematography in Return to Earth; and more.
You’re probably already convinced of the importance of physical exertion, going outside, and staying physically fit and healthy. But what about the fitness of your brain? We talk to the neuroscientist, Michael Merzenich, about the significant neurological benefits of going fast, going outside, and undertaking new activities; the more effective and less effective ways to exercise our brains; the changes to our brains caused by the time so many of us — and our kids — are spending in front of phone, computer, and TV screens; and more.
We’ve now had three reviewers on ON3P’s new Woodsman 108, and it’s time to weigh in on how their newest all-mountain ski performs, and how it compares to their Wrenegade 108, their Jeffrey 108 (and in our Deep Dive Comparisons, pretty much every other relevant ski on the market). Check it out.
We compare the Woodsman 108 to the ON3P Jeffrey 108, ON3P Wrenegade 108, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Salomon QST 106, Armada ARV 106Ti LTD, Liberty Origin 106, Rossignol Soul 7 HD, Line Sick Day 104, Elan Ripstick 106, 4FRNT MSP 107, Black Crows Corvus, Moment Commander 108, J Skis Metal, Prior Husume, and Blizzard Cochise.
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We compare the Mantra 102 to the Mantra M5, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Head Monster 98, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Fischer Ranger 102 FR, Nordica Enforcer 100, Blizzard Bonafide, Blizzard Cochise, Fischer Ranger 99 Ti, Black Crows Corvus, J Skis Masterblaster, J Skis Metal, Salomon QST 99, 4FRNT MSP 99, Salomon QST 106, ON3P Wrenegade 96, ON3P Wrenegade 108, Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, and Moment Commander 98.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are produced for Blister members.
To get our comprehensive deep dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear without waiting for our full reviews, become a Blister Member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already a member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
Today we’re launching a new series on GEAR:30 called, “Reviewing the Reviewer,” where we’ll ask Blister reviewers questions, then score their answers to determine a cumulative grade for each reviewer. First up, BLISTER managing editor, Luke Koppa. (And ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, wrote in with some bonus questions for Luke, too.)
BLISTER reviewer, Maddie Hart, just won the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Run, making her the youngest person — male or female — to ever win the event. So we talked to Maddie about the race; her strategy; her preparation for it; the gear she used; and her big achievement.
Last week, LJ Strenio, posted a photo of a letter from NASA congratulating him on being accepted as an intern to the Armstrong Flight Research Facility. But how does a park skier from Vermont, this star of the LINE Traveling Circus, this guy who once served as Vin Diesel’s stunt double, and this guy who has a 29-minute crash reel that is shot after shot of him destroying himself, get accepted to work for NASA? We talked to LJ to get the whole story — and it’s a great one.
There’s a common narrative in the running world about people who are struggling in life, then they are saved by running. But what happens when you’ve been an endurance athlete for over twenty years, and you then find yourself in search of some answers? We talk to Duncan Callahan — 2-time winner of the Leadville 100 and a number of other ultras — about his story, things he’d do different, and what he’s still hoping to learn.