Flash Reviews

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David Golay reviews the 2024 Marin Alpine Trail for Blister

Flash Review — 2024 Marin Alpine Trail

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The new Marin Alpine Trail looks extremely promising, with modern, adjustable geometry, good builds at impressive prices, and more bells and whistles than you might expect from such an affordable package. So, is there a catch? Check out our early impressions.

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Zack Henderson and David Golay review the Trek Top Fuel for Blister

Flash Review — 2025 Trek Top Fuel

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The new Trek Top Fuel aims to compete with a crowded class of light, efficient shorter-travel Trail bikes including the Specialized Epic Evo, Rocky Mountain Element, and Santa Cruz Tallboy. Check out our early impressions of how the Top Fuel stacks up.

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Flash Review — Cannondale Scalpel

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Riding season is in full swing, and we’ve been spending some time aboard the latest version of the Cannondale Scalpel. Check out our initial impressions.

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Kara Williard reviews the Liv Intrigue X Advanced 0 for BLISTER.

Flash Review – Liv Intrigue X

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Liv recently introduced the Intrigue X as the new mid-travel option to their Trail / Enduro lineup. Check out our early impressions, and see how it compares to its big sibling, the Intrigue LT.

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Simon Stewart reviews the Cannondale Moterra SL for Blister

Flash Review — Cannondale Moterra SL

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Cannondale’s new Moterra SL looks pretty wild on paper — it’s a very light, full-power, long-travel eMTB — but how does it come together on the trail? Check out our early impressions.

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Luke Koppa reviews the Black Crows Corvus for Blister

Flash Review: 24/25 Black Crows Corvus

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A couple of our reviewers started spending time on the latest (and very different) version of the original Black Crows ski — here are their initial impressions on the new Corvus.

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Simon Stewart reviews the Mondraker Dune XR for Blister

Flash Review — Mondraker Dune

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We recently started spending time on Mondraker's lightweight long-travel eMTB, the Dune XR — here's what we've found so far.

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Blister reviews the Dynastar M-Cross 88

Flash Review: 24/25 Dynastar M-Cross 88

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Where does the M-Cross 88 fall in the class of narrower "all-mountain" skis? Here are our initial on-snow impressions.

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David Golay reviews the EXT Storia V4 for Blister

Flash Review — EXT Storia V4

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Check out our early impressions of the EXT Storia V4 and how it compares to the previous version of the shock.

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Zack Henderson reviews the Shimano GRX Di2 Drivetrain for Blister

Flash Review — Shimano GRX Di2 Drivetrain

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Shimano's new semi-wireless GRX Di2 drivetrain brings a lot of interesting new functionality to the table, and we've started spending time on it. Check out our early impressions.

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Simon Stewart reviews the Scott Solace Gravel eRide for Blister

Flash Review — Scott Solace Gravel eRide

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We've been riding the Scott Solace Gravel eRide on two different continents. Check out our impressions so far.

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Zack Henderson reviews the COROS Dura

Flash Review — COROS Dura Cycling Computer

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We've been logging some hours on the new COROS Dura cycling computer. Check out our initial impressions.

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Kara Williard reviews the Volkl Secret 96 for Blister

Flash Review: 24/25 Volkl Secret 96

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The Secret 96 (and its brother ski, the Mantra) has been a reference ski for years, and Volkl tweaked both of them for the 24/25 season. Check out our Flash Review for more info and our initial thoughts on how the new ski compares.

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Flash Review: 24/25 RMU Apostle 114

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The Apostle 114 is RMU’s new “directional big-mountain ski” that replaces the previous North Shore 114 — here are our initial impressions and thoughts on how the new ski compares.

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Blister reviews the Line Optic 88

Flash Review: 24/25 Line Optic 88

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For 24/25, Line is rebranding their Blade Optic collection as simply “Optic,” and the Optic 88 is a brand-new model that effectively replaces the previous Blade Optic 92 as the narrowest option in the series. Here are some of our initial thoughts on the new ski.

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Kara Williard reviews the Salomon QST Lumen 98 for BLISTER.

Flash Review: 24/25 Salomon QST Lumen 98

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The QST Lumen 98 is situated in the middle of Salomon’s women-specific QST lineup, designed to be a versatile all-rounder. Check out our initial impressions to see how it handles a wide range of conditions.

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Zack Henderson and David Golay review the RAAW Madonna V3 for Blister

Flash Review — RAAW Madonna V3

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Update, 6/5/2024: We've had more reviewers on the RAAW Madonna V3, logged a lot more time on it, and made a bunch of setup changes. Check out how our impressions have evolved.

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

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Luke Koppa reviews the Kästle MX88 for Blister

Flash Review: 24/25 Kästle MX88 & MX84

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We’ve been testing two of Kästle's redesigned all-mountain skis — here are our initial thoughts on how the new MX88 and MX84 compare to each other and their respective competition.

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

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Blister reviews the Armada Declivity X 102

Flash Review: 24/25 Armada Declivity X 102

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Armada updated a lot of their directional freeride skis for the 24/25 season, including a favorite of our managing editor, the Declivity 102. Here are his initial thoughts on how the new Declivity X 102 compares.

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David Golay reviews the Formula Belva for Blister

Flash Review — Formula Belva

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Update 5/28/2024: We've spent a lot more time on the Formula Belva dual-crown Enduro fork, and have been experimenting with its swappable compression valves. Check out how our thoughts on the Belva have evolved.

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

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