GEAR 101

Layering 101: Types of Outdoor Apparel & How to Layer for Different Activities & Climates

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There are a zillion new baselayers, insulators, and shells out there — and the options are constantly evolving and diversifying. So in our updated "Layering 101" guide, we sort out what makes certain types better / worse than others, and outlined how we think about layering for various cold-weather outdoor activities.
Paul Forward reviews the Mammut Barryvox S Avalanche Beacon for Blister

SKIING 101: Primer on Heli-Skiing

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If you're considering a heli-skiing trip or are already fortunate enough to have one on the schedule, check out this 101 piece from Blister Reviewer & Lead Heli Guide, Paul Forward. ALSO: we've got 1 remaining spot open for a trip this April with Paul, Jonathan Ellsworth, and a bunch of other great Blister Members — first person to commit gets it!

Trail Running 101: How to Run While Traveling

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While one of running’s virtues is how well it travels, requiring little in the way of gear and possible in just about every type of setting, knowing exactly what to bring and how to safely explore a new place on foot can be daunting. So, in part eleven of our Trail Running 101 series, we put together some best practices for running while on the road (or trail).

Trail Running 101: How to Recover from a Trail Run

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How well you recover from a run is one of the largest factors dictating your potential for progress. Yet knowing exactly how to handle post-workout recovery can be confusing, with different approaches at times offering conflicting information. So in part ten of our Trail Running 101 series, we provide some basic and easy to follow tips for how to get started.

Trail Running Glossary of Terms: Trail Lingo

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Trail running culture has a language all its own, full of slang terms, expressions, and phrases that add character to the sport. Here's another update to our Trail Running Lingo glossary, in an attempt to define and explain some of the common, curious, and often-confounding vocabulary of the sport.

Trail Running 101: How to Run With Poles

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While plenty of runners never break out a pair of poles, they can be a big help when it comes to navigating efficiently up and down steep terrain. When used properly, they can increase propulsion going uphill, more evenly distribute the impact from running downhill, and keep you steady on tricky, off-camber surfaces. So in part nine of our Trail Running 101 series, we offer some tips on how (and when) to wield them like a pro. 
Blister Bootfitting 101

Bootfitting 101: Sizing

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Ski boots are arguably the most important bit of gear when it comes to enjoying your time on snow, but they're also probably the most difficult to get *just right*. In our Bootfitting 101 series, we're trying to make this process easier, kicking things off with a foundational, but not so straightforward, step — figuring out the right size.

Trail Running 101: How to Choose a Headlamp

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For many runners, headlamps are no mere accessory; they’re as indispensable to trail running at night as properly fitting trail shoes are to running during the day. Yet much like footwear, finding a lamp that best suits your needs can be a process cloaked in difficult jargon, numbers, and minutia. So in part eight of our Trail Running 101 series, we help explain some of the main things to look for when choosing a headlamp that will best suit your needs.
Snowsports Glossary, Blister

Glossary – Snowsports

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Death Cookies? Coral Reef? Chalk? Directional vs. Playful Style? Can a ski be maneuverable but not nimble? There are a whole lot of ways to talk about snow and the different ways to slide down it. Check out our updated Glossary learn more about the sometimes foreign-sounding language of snowsports and ski reviews.

Trail Running Glossary of Terms: Trail Running Shoe Categories

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While roads almost always guarantee a consistent running surface, the same cannot be said for the wide-ranging "trails" out there. Trail running shoes mirror this variability in the range of different forms they can take, with some types of shoes performing better in certain scenarios than others. In the third installment in our Trail Running Glossary of Terms series, we’ve outlined several of the most common categories of trail running shoes, including some of the advantages they offer and where each one might be limited.

Trail Running Glossary of Terms: Trail Running Shoe Materials & Tech

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As much as footwear brands try to simplify how they market the technology that goes into their shoes, making sense of all the different types of plastics, fabrics, and foams out there can be confusing. So, in our second installment in our Trail Running Glossary of Terms series, we’ve put together a list of some of the most common materials used to construct shoes, along with some of their benefits and drawbacks.

Trail Running Glossary of Terms: Shoe Anatomy

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Trail running shoes come in all different shapes and sizes, and finding the appropriate pair to suit your needs can be difficult if you’re unfamiliar with the technical terms commonly used to describe them. So, in the first installment of our Trail Running Glossary of Terms, we’ll break down each of the features routinely found on trail shoes to help you get a better sense of what to look for.

Trail Running 101: How to Run Uphill

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Hills can pose a challenge to runners new to the trails. Steep and sometimes rocky inclines have a way of disrupting the rhythmic stride found on the roads, often leading to frustration, less efficient running, and the following fatigue. Confronting a climb doesn’t always have to feel like a tremendous obstacle though, and in part seven of our Trail Running 101 series, we cover a few techniques for how to navigate them with ease.
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