Flash Reviews

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Flash Review: 25/26 Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition

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Elan’s “Black Edition” skis are meant to serve as higher-end versions of their existing models, and we’ve been spending time on the latest blacked-out version of the Ripstick 102. Here are our initial impressions.

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Flash Review: 25/26 Rossignol Arcade 94

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Update 5.5.25: We've added some more thoughts on Rossignol's new piste-oriented ski, including how the Arcade 94 handles the very variable conditions of the spring, and its off-piste capabilities.

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Flash Review: Santa Cruz Hightower 4

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We had some questions when Santa Cruz updated their popular Hightower, which sits right in the middle of their MTB lineup, and now we have some answers. Check out our first impressions of this new Trail bike.

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Blister reviews the Salomon S/Lab QST Blank

Flash Review: 25/26 Salomon S/Lab QST Blank

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Part of Salomon’s overhaul of the QST series, the new 112mm-wide S/Lab QST Blank was reportedly designed with input from lots of Salomon’s younger “Mountain Collective” athletes. So, what’s changed vs. the original Blank? Based on our initial testing, you could argue that the answer is both “not much” and “a lot.” Here’s why.

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David Golay reviews the Trickstuff Maxima Brakes for Blister

Flash Review: Trickstuff Maxima Brakes

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The name of the Trickstuff Maxima brakes gives a good idea of what they’re about, at least on paper: big power, big bling, and a pricetag to match. We’ve started spending time on Trickstuff’s most powerful, gravity-oriented brake to see if they deliver.

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David Golay reviews the Fox 36 SL for Blister

Flash Review: 2026 Fox 36 SL Grip X

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The new Fox 36 SL replaced the longstanding 34 as their shorter-travel Trail bike fork, and Fox claims it’s got a much stiffer chassis at a modest weight penalty. Let’s check how our time on the 36 SL is going so far.

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Blister reviews the RMU Professor 101

Flash Review: 25/26 RMU Professor 101

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We’ve been spending time on the new Professor 101, which expands the freestyle-friendly Professor collection to a more versatile and all-mountain-friendly width. Here are our initial impressions.

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Blister reviews the Majesty Vanguard 108 Ti

Flash Review: 25/26 Majesty Vanguard 108 Ti

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The Vanguard 108 Ti is the latest addition to Majesty’s freeride collection, but this metal-laminate ski is designed for a more playful approach to the mountain. Here’s what we’ve learned about it so far.

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Blister reviews the ON3P Jeffrey 100

Flash Review: 24/25 ON3P Jeffrey 100

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ON3P describes the Jeffrey 100 as “the most adaptable all-mountain airframe in skiing.” Here are our initial thoughts on it, including how it compares to ON3P’s Woodsman and Mango models.

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Blister reviews the Salomon Depart 1.0

Flash Review: 25/26 Salomon Départ 1.0

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The Départ is an athlete-driven ski from Salomon that represents a new chapter for the freestyle side of the brand. Here are our initial thoughts on it and how it compares to Salomon’s new QST models.

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Blister reviews the Scott Sea 98

Flash Review: 25/26 Scott SEA 98

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The SEA 98 is a part of Scott’s newest and most playful freeride collection, and this week, we’ve been testing and comparing it to some of its competition at Palisades Tahoe. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.

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Flash Review: 25/26 Völkl Revolt 101

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Update 4.23.25: We’ve logged several more days on the Revolt 101, including some recent ones at Palisades Tahoe, and we’ve got more to say about this new all-mountain ski — including how it compares to a longtime favorite, the original Fischer Ranger 102 FR.

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BLISTER reviews the updated Specialized Butcher and Eliminator

Flash Review: Specialized’s Updated Butcher and Eliminator

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Specialized’s changes to the Butcher and Eliminator are a case of incremental improvement, but those updates are ones we’re awfully excited about. Do those tweaks add up to upgraded performance? Our Flash Review covers our initial impressions after some on-trail time.

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Flash Review: Kona Hei Hei 10

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The Kona Hei Hei has taken many forms over its 30+ year history. So, where does the most current, 10th generation of the Hei Hei sit in the market? We’ve been spending some time on it and have some initial thoughts.

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Blister reviews the Volkl Mantra 88

Flash Review: 25/26 Völkl Mantra 88

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Völkl is updating the Mantra 88 next season, and the new version has been impressive so far — here are Jonathan’s initial takeaways.

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Blister reviews the La Sportiva Sender

Flash Review: 25/26 La Sportiva Sender

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The Sender is a new freeride-touring boot from La Sportiva, and it’s proven to be an interesting option during our initial testing. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.

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Simon Stewart reviews the Santa Cruz Bullit

Flash Review: Santa Cruz Bullit 4

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Santa Cruz has added the 170 mm travel Bullit to thier revamped lineup of Horst Link euipped eMTBs built around the latest Bosch CX drive system.

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Blister reviews the RMU Professor 111

Flash Review: 25/26 RMU Professor 111

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This season, RMU expanded their freestyle-friendly Professor collection with the Professor 111. Here’s our take on the ski so far, including comparisons to RMU’s Apostle 114 and several other skis in the same class as the Professor 111.

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David Golay reviews the 2026 Fox Float X2 for Blister

Flash Review: 2026 Fox Float X2

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Fox’s new Float X2 has dramatically different damper architecture from the prior version and some air spring tweaks to go with it. Check out our early thoughts after A-B testing the two generations of Float X2 for a few rides.

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Blister reviews the Faction Dancer 79

Flash Review: 25/26 Faction Dancer 79

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Faction is expanding their Dancer collection of directional, metal-laminate all-mountain skis, and we’ve started getting time on the newest and narrowest ski, the Dancer 79.

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