Reviews | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

How do you know when or why you should replace your ski, snowboard, or bike helmet? It's not a simple or easy question to answer, but it is a very important one. So at Blister Summit 2024, we got some insight from Sr. Director of R&D at Giro, Steven Kennedy; CMO of MIPS, Frederik Kjellberg; pro skier, Drew Petersen; and Blister reviewer (and physician assistant), Sascha Anastas.

When & WHY Should You Replace Your Helmet? | Blister Summit Video

October 9, 2024October 7, 2024 by Luke Koppa

How do you know when or why you should replace your ski, snowboard, or bike helmet? It's not a simple or easy question to answer, but at Blister Summit 2024, we got some insight from Steven Kennedy, Frederik Kjellberg, Drew Petersen, and Sascha Anastas.

David Golay reviews the DT Swiss XMC 1501 wheels and Ratchet DEG hubs

DT Swiss XMC 1501 Wheels & Ratchet DEG Hubs

October 7, 2024 by David Golay

DT’s new Ratchet DEG hubs are the fastest-engaging ones they’ve offered to date, but have they kept the traits that made the original 240s popular in the first place? We’ve been testing the Ratchet DEG hubs on DT’s XMC 1501 wheels and have thoughts.

ZAG’s ‘Next-Gen Carver’ + 2025 Ski Lineup | Blister Summit Video

October 4, 2024 by Luke Koppa

Across its 20-year history in the freeride, touring, and all-mountain worlds, Chamonix-based ZAG has continued to refine their lineup, whether through design or efforts to reduce their environmental footprint. In this video, we get the details on that history — plus the brand’s 2025 ski lineup — from ZAG’s Théo Voinchet and ZAG athlete, Teton Brown.

2024 Pivot Phoenix

October 4, 2024 by David Golay

The new Pivot Phoenix has dropped the lugged construction from the prototype versions but kept their wild six-bar, dual-idler, high-pivot suspension layout, and the result is awfully interesting. Check out the latest iteration of Pivot’s DH bike.

2025 Orbea Wild

October 3, 2024 by Zack Henderson

Orbea has refreshed their Wild eMTB. It’s a story of incremental rather than radical change, but also includes the new Bosch Performance Line CX motor — plus there’s now a shorter travel ST model. Read on for our First Look.

Making Skis in a Ski Town | 2025 Romp Ski Lineup | Blister Summit Video

October 2, 2024 by Kara Williard

Few ski companies make their skis as close to the slopes as Romp, and at Blister Summit 2024, we sat down with Romp’s Eligh Purvis to discuss the ins and outs of operating a ski factory in Crested Butte, CO; Romp’s fully custom vs. “Romp Ready” ski options; some new models they rolled out for the 24/25 season, and more.

Schwalbe Radial Tire Casings + New Albert & Shredda Tires

October 2, 2024 by David Golay

Schwalbe has added a couple of new tires to their mountain bike lineup, and they debuted a new radial casing construction that they’re making some very big — and very intriguing — claims about. Check out what they’ve come up with.

Kavenz VHP G2

October 2, 2024 by Zack Henderson

The Kavenz VHP G2 takes their latest VHP V7 design and adapts it to a gearbox application, with broad compatibility across Pinion and Effigear systems. We’ve walked through Kavenz’s latest creation in our First Look.

Stuff We Like: September 2024

September 30, 2024 by Kara Williard

This edition of our ‘Stuff We Like’ series is all about apparel — from ultralight rain shells to versatile baselayers, cozy insulators, bike shorts, and much more. Check it out to learn more about the standout products our reviewers have been testing.

Lightest Avalanche Airbags? | Ortovox LiTRIC 2025 Packs | Blister Summit Video

September 27, 2024 by Kara Williard

Ortovox’s new line of LiTRIC avalanche airbags includes some of the lightest models on the market, and in this video, we get all the details on their development; how the supercapacitor-based system works; why Ortovox prioritized ease of use in its design; the various pack models, and more.

How HOJI Designs His Skis + New 4FRNT Nevar | Blister Summit Video

September 25, 2024 by Luke Koppa

Eric ‘Hoji’ Hjorleifson has his own unique skiing style, and his own approach to ski design. So we sat down with Hoji to hear all about it, including how he and 4FRNT developed his current signature series of skis, the brand-new (and cambered!) 4FRNT Nevar, and more.

Blister reviews the 2025 Devinci Troy and Troy ST

2025 Devinci Troy & Troy ST

September 25, 2024 by Zack Henderson

The new Devinci Troy is here, and it has arrived with a new sibling in the Troy ST. Both bikes get all new Canadian-made frames, updated geometry, and ample adjustment — check out our coverage of Devinci’s new pair of Trail bikes.

Fox Live Valve Neo Electronic Shocks

September 28, 2024September 24, 2024 by David Golay

Fox’s original Live Valve electronically controlled suspension has been around for quite a while now, but it never became a common sight on the trails. So, Fox went back to the drawing board and came up with Live Valve Neo — a wireless, dramatically streamlined second generation. Check out what they’ve come up with.

Noah Bodman reviews the Kona Process 134 for Blister

Flash Review — Kona Process 134

September 23, 2024 by Noah Bodman

Kona recently revised their longstanding Trail bike, and it's shaping up to be an impressive offering. Here are our initial thoughts.

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2024 Rocky Mountain Instinct

September 21, 2024September 19, 2024 by David Golay

It’s no big surprise that Rocky Mountain is touting the versatility of their 140mm-travel Trail bike, the Instinct — but what they’ve cooked up is pretty interesting, and it stands out from the do-it-all Trail bike market in some interesting ways. Check out our Full Review and Deep Dive comparisons to discover what sets it apart.

Zack Henderson reviews the Specialized Stumpjumper 15

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 & Stumpjumper 15 Alloy

September 17, 2024 by Zack Henderson

Specialized’s Stumpjumper recently got a major update, and now they’ve released the more affordable alloy version of the Stumpjumper 15 alongside the carbon model. Check out the all-new frame, adjustments, and GENIE shock tech in our First Look.

Santa Cruz Hightower 4

September 17, 2024September 17, 2024 by Zack Henderson

The Hightower is still Santa Cruz’s do-everything 29er, but the latest version gets more travel and slacker geometry for improved descending prowess. But the updates don’t stop there — check out our First Look to learn more.

OneUp V3 Dropper Post

September 16, 2024 by David Golay

OneUp’s longstanding V2 dropper post might be the most widely used one out there — so have they managed to improve things with the V3 iteration, or messed up a great product? We’ve been riding the V3 for the better part of a year and are ready to weigh in.

Canyon Spectral:ONfly

September 12, 2024September 12, 2024 by Zack Henderson

The Spectral:ONfly is the newest addition to Canyon’s Spectral family, this time with a lightweight TQ HPR50 drive system. Walk through Canyon’s new Lightweight eMTB with us in our First Look.

2025 Fox 38 Grip X2

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024 by David Golay

The most noticeable update to Fox’s latest fork lineup was its (optional) and un-subtle gold paint, but the showy exterior hides a new series of dampers, and we’ve been testing the Grip X2 version of the Fox 38 fork. Now we’re ready to offer our take on the results of the update, how the new 38 and Grip X2 damper fare against the competition, and whether they’d be a good fit for you.

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