BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Boot Mechanics
Boot Mechanics is an impressive operation with a team of professional bootfitters, all of whom are MasterFit Certified, with two locations in Golden and Avon, Colorado.
Stuff We Like: July 2023
What gear have our reviewers been liking lately? In the July edition of our Stuff We Like series, we’ve got everything from car-camping setups to outdoor-bathroom solutions, bike components, and lots of summer apparel.
Miranda Miller on DVRGNT Minds, Burnout, & Riding All the Bikes (Ep.180)
Miranda Miller is best known as a gravity MTB racer — and former DH World Champ — but she’s been branching out widely in her career, including riding a lot of gravel, and we sat down to talk about it.
2024 RockShox SID, SID SL, and SIDLuxe
With the RockShox BoXXer DH fork getting an update last week, the SID and SID SL were seemingly due for one of their own, and now those new versions are here, along with an updated SIDLuxe rear shock. Check out RockShox’s latest XC suspension offerings.
Yakima StageTwo
Yakima is no stranger to the vehicle rack business, and their StageTwo is a well-executed, easy-to-use premium tray hitch bike rack. We’ve been using it for a few months and have been really happy with how it functions — check out our Full Review for the whole story.
Flash Review — Canyon K.I.S. System
Canyon’s “Keep It Stable” (K.I.S.) system is a deceptively simple mechanism meant to calm down a bike’s steering in certain situations, and we just got a first ride on it.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
Topic of the Week: Parenting & How Risky is Too Risky?
Parenting. It can be challenging, rewarding, exhausting, and … controversial. Recently a video went viral showing some risky parenting. What’s your take?
Mountain Towns & Outdoor Recreation: Challenges & Solutions (Ep.270)
For anyone who lives in or visits mountain towns, this conversation contains some of the best ideas and proposals we’ve ever heard for helping both mountain towns and outdoor recreation survive and thrive.
23/24 DPS Skis | Blister Summit 2023 Brand Lineup Video
We sat down with Thomas Laakso, DPS’s VP of product and operations, to learn about their 2023-2024 ski lineup, including the brand-new Kaizen collection; how they’ve continued to evolve their use of carbon fiber, different woods, and other materials; the updated Koala series and Koala 111; making skis in the U.S., and more.
Starling Mega Murmur
Starling has just launched a longer-travel version of their Murmur, now with a fully-UK-made frame, appropriately dubbed the “Mega Murmur.”
Win a Head-to-Toe MTB Kit from Giro
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a full head-to-toe MTB kit from Giro!
Magnus Granér & Peyben on 1000 Skis & Moving the Culture Forward (Ep.255)
We talk with Magnus Granér & Peyben about launching and evolving 1000 Skis; how they developed their current ski lineup; analyzing the brand’s environmental impact and acting on those findings; the latest Bunch film; why they’re psyched on the current state and trajectory of freeskiing, and a whole lot more.
2024 Norco Fluid FS Carbon
Norco released their updated all-rounder Trail bike, the Fluid FS Aluminum, last season, which was an immediate success due to its combination of performance and value for riders of all kinds. They’ve now introduced a carbon version with a few new build kits, too — check out all the details.
Race Face Era Cranks
Race Face calls the Era the “strongest, stiffest, and most durable” carbon crank they’ve ever made, and we’ve spent nearly a full year on a pair to find out how those claims hold up on the trail.
Lal Bikes on Making the Supre Drive a Reality (Ep.179)
The Lal Bikes Supre Drive is an extremely interesting take on reinventing the mountain bike drivetrain, and we sat down with Cedric and Alex from Lal to get the whole story of taking it from a prototype to production, getting bike companies (and the public) on board with a very novel concept, and a whole lot more.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
So You Wanna Start a Ski Company? (Ep.293)
What’s it like to actually start a ski company? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? We talk with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more.
Yeti SB140
The Yeti SB130 was pretty aggressive for a mid-travel Trail bike when it launched a few years back, but the SB140 that replaced it is no longer such an outlier on paper — so what does that mean for the new SB140? We’ve spent a bunch of time on Yeti’s latest do-it-all Trail bike and are ready to weigh in.
Deep Dive: Yeti SB140
We compare the Yeti SB140 to the Revel Rail 29, Ibis Ripley AF, Canyon Spectral 29, Santa Cruz Hightower, and Pivot Switchblade.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
Flash Review: 23/24 Moment Commander 102
We just got our first laps on the brand-new Commander 102 — here are some of our initial on-snow impressions, including comparisons to the Stöckli Stormrider 102 and Armada Declivity 102 Ti.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
2025 Nordica Enforcer & Santa Ana Skis | Blister First Look Video
Nordica’s Enforcer & Santa Ana skis have become some of the most notable all-mountain models on the market, and they’re all getting updated for the 2024-2025 season. Kara Williard & Luke Koppa cover what’s changed, what hasn’t, and everything else you need to know about the new skis.
Atomic Announces 24/25 Maverick, Maven, Bent, & Backland Skis
Atomic recently made a big announcement about the updates they’re making to their all-mountain, freeride, and touring ski collections for the 2024-2025 season. Here are the details.
2023-2024 Salomon Stance 102
Salomon updated their Stance line of metal-laminate all-mountain skis this season, and the new Stance 102 is a very different ski than its predecessor — and for the majority of skiers out there, that is a good thing. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Salomon Stance 102
We compare the latest Stance 102 to the original Salomon Stance 102, Salomon Stance 96, Salomon QST 106, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Rossignol Sender 106 Ti+, Fischer Ranger 102, Dynastar M-Pro 99, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, Parlor Cardinal Pro 102, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Nordica Enforcer 100, Nordica Enforcer 99, Folsom Blister Pro 104 (Primary 104), Blizzard Cochise 106, Volkl Mantra 102, Atomic Maverick 100 Ti, Black Crows Justis, Head Kore 99, DPS Kaizen 105, Peak 104 by Bode, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, Elan Ripstick 106, J Skis Hotshot, Blizzard Rustler 10, Black Crows Atris, & Line Blade Optic 104.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
Raide: Building a Solutions-Based Backcountry Brand (Ep.281)
We talk with Kyle Siegel, the founder of Raide, about how — and why — he started the brand; their lightweight 40L backpack that immediately made a splash in the backcountry market when it was released; and more.
Win J Skis & Daymaker Touring Adapters
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get a pair of J Skis Slacker skis + Tekdapter ski touring adapters from Daymaker Touring!
Outbound Lighting on Night Riding, Light Design, & More (Ep.205)
Night riding is a lot of fun, and often the only way for many folks to find time to get out in the darker winter months. We sat down with Outbound Lighting’s Tom Place to chat about light design, how they go about it, how to choose the right lights for your needs, and much more.
2023-2024 Armada Locator 104
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Armada Locator 104.