BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Midlayer & Insulation Roundup – 2024
As the temperatures continue to drop in the northern hemisphere, many of us are thinking about and adapting our layering setups. Midlayers and insulators are a vital part of this, especially when it comes to balancing cold temperatures with high-output activities. In our new Midlayer & Insulation Roundup, several of our reviewers discuss some of their recent favorites.
2023-2024 Volkl Secret 102
Skis that stand out for their high-speed capabilities and precise edge hold are rarely also ones that stand out for being maneuverable or accessible. The new Volkl Secret 102 doesn’t totally break that trend, but it does offer a really impressive balance for the right skiers. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Volkl Secret 102
We compare the Volkl Secret 102 to the Volkl Secret 96, Blizzard Black Pearl 97, K2 Mindbender 99Ti W, Nordica Santa Ana 98, 4FRNT MSP CC, Armada Reliance 102 Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, Rossignol Rallybird 104 Ti, Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free, Line Blade Optic 104, Faction Dancer 3X, & Salomon QST Stella 106.
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Contenders: Best Team Edits of 2023, Snowboard (Ep.8)
What were the best snowboard team edits of 2023? Justin Bobb and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the contenders, and why they made the cut. What do you think should be in the top 3?
2024 RockShox BoXXer
The new 38mm-stanchioned RockShox BoXXer was a long-awaited and poorly kept secret. We have now logged a whole lot of laps on one and are ready to weigh in on how it performs, and how it compares to its competition. Check out our full review for all the info.
Blizzard Announces Brand-New Anomaly Ski Collection
Blizzard just announced a brand-new line of all-mountain skis. Here are the details on the 2024-2025 Blizzard Anomaly skis.
Flash Review: 23/24 Folsom Giver
Paul Forward has been spending time on a custom version of Folsom’s Giver shape that’s designed for daily skiing at Alyeska — check out his initial impressions.
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Flash Review — 2024 Orbea Rallon
We were big fans of the prior-generation Orbea Rallon, but how does the new one stack up? Check out our early impressions.
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Blizzard Announces New 24/25 Black Pearl Skis
Blizzard’s Black Pearl skis are some of the most popular all-mountain skis in the world, and they just announced that they’re overhauling them for the 2024-2025 season. Here are the details.
Ski / Snowboard Outerwear Mega Roundup — Men’s (2023-2024)
Over the past couple of seasons, we have been testing *a lot* of ski / snowboard outerwear. So in this huge, “mega roundup,” we’re comparing all of these pieces head-to-head to help you figure out which ones might be worth considering. In Part One, we cover 20 different jackets & pants.
Win Skis From Elan
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get Elan’s new Playmaker 101 ski!
Gear Predictions, 2024 (Ep.279)
Jonathan Ellsworth, Kara Williard, Justin Bobb, and Luke Koppa attempt to predict what’s “in” and what’s “out” when it comes to gear in 2024, what trends will be revived, what categories will see the most change, and they spin off into several other tangents.
2023-2024 K2 Mindbender 106C
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for two lengths of the K2 Mindbender 106C.
Flash Review: 23/24 K2 Mindbender 106C W
K2 updated their lighter “Mindbender C” skis for 23/24, and we’ve been skiing the new Mindbender 106C W. Check out our initial impressions.
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2023-2024 G3 SEEKr R3 100
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the G3 SEEKr R3 100.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Win Tickets to Blister Summit 2025
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get 2 passes to our upcoming Blister Summit 2025! Enter for your chance to win — and either way, you can still save a lot of dough if you take advantage of our early-bird registration pricing, which is available till June 18th.
Deep Dive: Pivot Shuttle AM
We compare the Pivot Shuttle AM to the Pivot Shuttle LT, Orbea Wild, Specialized Turbo Levo, Devinci E-Troy and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
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Reviewer Reports: World Cup DH Recap, Tons of Bikes, Suspension, Tires, & More (Ep.222)
We’ve been testing a huge spectrum of bikes — from Gravel to Enduro — plus a bunch of new tires, suspension, and more. Simon Stewart and David Golay sat down to talk about all of it, recap the World Cup DH season opener, and more.
Stuff We Like: May 2024
This edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from apps and tools designed for travel to duffel and ski boot bags, lightweight jackets, and more. Check it out to see all the latest products our reviewers have been digging.
Motion Instruments System 2 Suspension Data Acquisition
Pro racers have long used suspension telemetry to work on their bike setup, but those systems have traditionally been expensive, finicky, and tough to interpret. Motion Instruments’ new System 2 data acquisition package is meant to change that.
‘Better Off Dead’ & ‘Hot Dog’ with Amie Engerbretson & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.12)
Pro skier, Amie Engerbretson, joins us to coin new terms; offer scalding-hot takes; debate whether ‘Better Off Dead’ is responsible for rockered skis; and she definitely WANTS HER TWO DOLLARS!
Deep Dive: Yeti SB165
We compare the Yeti SB165 to the Yeti SB160, Santa Cruz Nomad, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Orbea Rallon, Norco Sight, Kavenz VHP 16, Ibis HD6, Contra MC, Trek Slash, Chromag Lowdown, Propain Tyee, SCOR 4060 LT, Cotic RocketMAX, Pivot Firebird, Specialized Enduro, and Banshee Titan.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024 Yeti SB165
The new Yeti SB165 is their first production mullet bike, and the longest travel one in their lineup as well. But is it a more easygoing alternative to their high-strung SB160 Enduro race bike or something else entirely? Check out our full review for our take.
2024-2025 Liberty Scope 104
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for Liberty’s new Scope 104.
Flash Review: 24/25 K2 Mindbender 89Ti W
This season we got on the narrowest metal-laminate ski in K2’s Mindbender series — here are our initial thoughts on the Mindbender 89Ti W, how it compares to the excellent Mindbender 99Ti W, and more.
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Flash Review — 2024 Pivot Switchblade
The Pivot Switchblade has long been a super-popular do-it-all Trail bike, but how does the new one perform? We’ve got some early impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 24/25 Atomic Backland 109
Jonathan Ellsworth has now logged several days on the new Backland 109 — mounted with the new Shift2 binding — and here he chimes in with his most notable takeaways so far.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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