Testing in Telluride

If you checked out our Winter Buyer’s Guide, you saw our announcement that we’d be heading to Telluride this season to review a bunch of next year’s gear. We now have a bunch of that new gear in hand, we’re excited to get started, and we’d love to meet up with you while we’re there.

So on the weekends of February 24, March 10, and March 17, come to Telluride and let’s take some laps together or meet up for an apres drink.

Some of the 18/19 Gear We’ll Be Testing (and we’ll be adding to and updating this list)

Atomic / Salomon SHIFT MNC binding
Atomic Vantage 97
Atomic Vantage 107
Black Crows Daemon
Black Diamond Boundary Pro 115
Blizzard Bonafide
Blizzard Rustler 9
Blizzard Sheeva 9
Blizzard Sheeva 10
Blizzard Sheeva 11
DPS Cassiar 94
Dynastar Legend X96
Dynastar Legend X106
Faction Candide 3.0 (revised)
Faction Dictator 4.0
Faction Prodigy 2.0 (revised)
Faction Prodigy 3.0 (revised)
Folsom – The Hammer
HEAD Kore 99
Icelantic Nomad 115
Liberty Genesis 106
Liberty Origin 112
LINE Sakana
Moment Deathwish (revised)
Nordica Santa Ana 93
Nordica Santa Ana 100
ON3P Wrenegade 108 (revised)
ON3P Kartel 108 (revised)
ON3P Wrenegade 114
ON3P Jesse 96
ON3P Jesse 108
Renoun Endurance 98
Rossignol Exp. 94 Ti
Rossignol Soul 7 HD
Salomon QST 106 (revised)
Tahoe Lab Directional
Venture Euphoria
Volkl Mantra M5
Wagner Custom
4FRNT MSP 107

We’ve been gathering up new 18/19 products every day now, and will be taking all of them with us to Telluride. Notable gear for our first trip includes the all-new ON3P Wrenegade 114, Rossignol Experience 94 Ti, Black Diamond Boundary Pro 115, Faction Dictator 4.0, the Salomon / Atomic Shift MNC binding, and much more.

For more on why we’re going specifically to Telluride and why we think you should too, check out my article from our 17/18 Winter Buyer’s Guide:

•••

This past February, I headed to Telluride to see for the first time the Wagner Custom Skis production facility that Pete Wagner had just talked about on our podcast about custom ski building.

I hadn’t been to Telluride since 2010, but for several years, I kept a photo on my computer that my friend James had taken of me on Seniors chute off of Telluride’s Palmyra Peak. (That’s the grainy photo below — phone cameras have certainly come a long way.) It was one of those great days on the mountain that just gets lodged in your brain.

I looked at that picture literally every day, and I talked often about getting back there. But sometimes life gets in the way.

On the night of Sunday, February 19th, I pulled in to Mountain Village, which sits just above the town of Telluride. I got out of my car, looked up, and I was stopped by the stars. I think I stood there for about 15 minutes, just looking up. Quiet and stars.

The next morning, I woke up and could see the mountains.

I am fortunate to get to spend a whole lot of time in and around mountains, but the 13,000 and 14,000 ft peaks around Telluride are something else. Words quickly begin to fail. If you’ve been to Telluride, you know what I’m talking about. The mountains there are incredibly beautiful, and equally gnarly. Sublime and scary. They’re no joke.

Then I went skiing.

What I’ve come to believe over the years is that some skiers really love snow, while others really love terrain. And while I certainly love good snow, I’ll always choose interesting terrain.

And good lord, the terrain here.

If you’re into steeps and chutes, this place is insane. If you’re into cruising wide groomers, you’re set. If you’re into easy-access backcountry laps where you can get as rowdy as you want, this place is pretty ideal. If you want steep bump runs to keep you honest, you’re covered. And if you like techy lines / techy skiing, this place has it for days.

Most of us at Blister are into all of these things, which is why, back in February when I was skiing with a couple Telluride locals, I just kept saying to myself and to them, “We need to get back here.”

So we are.

Blister in Telluride

This February and March, we will be in Telluride testing a bunch of brand new 18/19 gear. Because whether you’re testing an easy-going beginner ski, or the most game-on comp ski on the market, or anything in-between, you can most definitely do it here.

Join Us

But again, don’t just take our word for it, come join us and see for yourself. We’ve listed some weekend dates below when we’d love to have you come ski a few laps with us, or talk shop with us, or grab a drink with us (Telluride is good for that, too).

February 24-25
March 10-11
March 17-18

Hope to see you there!

Meetup Times & Locations:

• Saturday, February 24th:
  • 1 pm right outside of Wagner Custom Skis in Mountain Village.
  • 5 pm at Oak, at the base of Chair 8 and the Gondola down in Telluride.

• Sunday, February 25th:
  • 1 pm right outside of Wagner Custom Skis in Mountain Village.