Kara Williard, Author at BLISTER

Shop Talk: Gear West on Year-Round Relevance, Community, & Specialty Service (Ep.238)

October 17, 2023March 17, 2023 by Kara Williard

We talk with Jeff and Isabel from Gear West in Long Lake, MN to hear about how they’ve built a year-round community at their “campus”; the challenges and upsides of providing multi-sport services throughout the year; the effects of recent uphill access at Buck Hill; a couple of gear trends, and more.

Kara Williard reviews the Coalition Snow Rafiki for BLISTER.

2022-2023 Coalition Snow Rafiki

March 15, 2023 by Kara Williard

The Rafiki is Coalition Snow’s widest ski, and we have been skiing it quite a bit during recent storm cycles. Check out our Full Review and Deep Dive Comparisons to see exactly where it excels, and how it compares to some other women-specific powder skis.

Deep Dive: Coalition Snow Rafiki

March 15, 2023March 15, 2023 by Kara Williard

We compare the Rafiki to the Blizzard Sheeva 11, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Salomon QST Stella 106, Nordica Unleashed 108 W, Majesty Vadera Ti, K2 Mindbender 115C W, Salomon QST Blank, Armada ARW 106 UL, & Faction Dancer 3X.

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Kara Williard reviews the Armada ARV 116 JJ UL for BLISTER.

2023-2024 Armada ARV 116 JJ UL

March 8, 2023 by Kara Williard

The Armada ARV 116 JJ UL is a lightweight, freestyle-friendly pow ski that we've been skiing in everything from Japanese pow to resort chop. Check out the Full Review and Deep Dive Comparisons to see what makes it stand out.

Deep Dive: Armada ARV 116 JJ UL

March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 by Kara Williard

We compare the ARV 116 JJ UL to the Armada ARW 106 UL, Armada ARG II UL, Atomic Bent Chetler 120, Line Outline, Line Vision 118, Moment Wildcat, Majesty Vadera Ti, Salomon QST 106, K2 Mindbender 115C, K2 Reckoner 112, Blizzard Sheeva 11, & Head Kore 117.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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Kara Williard discusses the Fischer RC4 105 MV BOA for BLISTER

23/24 Fischer RC4 105 MV BOA & Buckle

March 3, 2023 by Kara Williard

We've been A/B testing Fischer's 23/24 RC4 105 MV BOA against the buckled version. Check out our initial impressions.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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Kara Williard reviews the Fischer RC4 105 MV BOA for BLISTER

2023-2024 Fischer RC4 105 MV W BOA & Buckle

December 8, 2023March 3, 2023 by Kara Williard

For 23/24, Fischer redesigned their entire RC4 lineup, which includes three new lasts, and arguably the biggest overhaul was to their MV series. Check out our First Look for all the details about the new RC4 collection, the women-specific RC4 105 MV BOA, and how it compares to the traditional buckled version.

Kara Williard reviews the Blizzard Sheeva 10 for Blister

2023-2024 Blizzard Sheeva 10

March 1, 2023March 1, 2023 by Kara Williard

Blizzard opted to update one of their most popular and most versatile skis, the Sheeva 10, and we’ve been A/B testing the new and old versions to see how they compare. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to see what we’ve found.

Deep Dive: Blizzard Sheeva 10

March 1, 2023March 1, 2023 by Kara Williard

We compare the recently redesigned 23/24 Blizzard Sheeva 10 to the previous Sheeva 10, new Blizzard Sheeva 9, Blizzard Sheeva 11, Nordica Unleashed 98 W, Salomon QST Stella 106, Armada ARW 106 UL, Blizzard Black Pearl 97, Faction Dancer 3X, Fischer Ranger 102, K2 Mindbender 106C, Line Blade Optic 104, Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free, ZAG Slap 104, Head Kore 103 W, & Volkl Secret 102.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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Kara Williard discusses the Coalition Snow Rafiki for BLISTER.

22/23 Coalition Snow Rafiki

February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 by Kara Williard

We've been spending time on Coalition Snow's widest ski, the Rafiki. Check out our initial impressions.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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Kara Williard reviews the Nordica Unleashed 108 W for BLISTER.

23/24 Nordica Unleashed 108 W

February 22, 2023 by Kara Williard

We just spent time at the recent Blister Summit on one of the 23/24 additions to the Nordica Unleashed series, the Unleashed 108 W. Check out our initial on-snow impressions.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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On this GEAR:30 episode, we are back with Kai Palkeinen, founder of Pulse Boot Lab, to hear about what Kai’s been up to since we last talked, including opening a third location in Collingwood; the evolution of Pulse and what they have in mind for the future; their process for developing and refining some 3D printing technology that is being applied to more than just ski boots; what it means to spend the day fitting race boots; why liners are everything, subjective, and also circular (?); Kai’s thoughts on BOA dials in ski boots, and more.

Shop Talk: 3D Printing & Bootfitting w/ Pulse Boot Lab (Ep.234)

February 3, 2023 by Kara Williard

We are back with Kai Palkeinen, founder of Pulse Boot Lab, to hear what Kai and the team at Pulse have been up to, including 3D printing, fitting race boots, and his thoughts on some other recent boot technology, including the rise of BOA dials.

Kara Williard reviews the Flylow Domino Jacket and Siren Bib for BLISTER.

New Outerwear Update: Women’s Flylow & Trew

February 1, 2023 by Kara Williard

We’ve been testing some updated and interesting kits from Trew and Flylow this season — check out Kara Williard’s initial impressions.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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David Golay reviews the Black Diamond Cirque 22 Ski Vest for BLISTER.

Stuff We Like: January 2023

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023 by Kara Williard

To kick off Stuff We Like for 2023, we have an assortment of items, including ski accessories such as gloves, vests, and helmets; bike shoes and winter boots, kids' shoes, backpacks, cooking pans, and more.

22/23 Armada ARV 116 JJ UL

January 23, 2023 by Kara Williard

Reviewer Kara Williard is currently in Japan, and the lightweight and playful ARV 116 JJ UL is the ski she decided to bring with her. Check out her Flash Review to see her thoughts on it so far.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.

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Kara Williard & Luke Koppa review the Folsom Cash 106 for Blister

2022-2023 Folsom Cash 106

January 18, 2023January 18, 2023 by Kara Williard

We've had two reviewers spending time on multiple versions of Folsom's Cash 106 shape — check out their thoughts in our Full Review and Deep Dive comparisons.

Kara Williard reviews the Salomon QST Stella 106 for Blister

2022-2023 Salomon QST Stella 106

January 11, 2023 by Kara Williard

This season the women's QST Stella 106 got the same update seen previously on the unisex version, and the results have been similarly impressive. Check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons to see where it slots into the women's all-mountain category.

Deep Dive: Salomon QST Stella 106

January 11, 2023 by Kara Williard

We compare the QST Stella 106 to the Armada ARW 106 UL, Blizzard Sheeva 10, Blizzard Sheeva 11, Faction Dancer 3X, Fischer Ranger 102, K2 Mindbender 106C, Line Blade Optic 104, Majesty Vadera Ti, Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free, ZAG Slap 104, Head Kore 103 W, & Volkl Secret 102.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.

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22/23 Fischer Ranger 90

December 28, 2022 by Kara Williard

Here are a couple of our reviewers' initial impressions of Fischer's brand-new all-mountain ski, the Ranger 90.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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2022-2023 Majesty Vadera Ti

December 28, 2022 by Kara Williard

After some time this season and last, we have quite a bit to say about Majesty’s women-specific, metal-laminate freeride ski, the Vadera Ti — check out our Full Review and Deep Dive comparisons for the rundown.

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