BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review — SCOR 2030
With their short-travel 2030, SCOR claims that “shredability meets pedalability.” Testing that claim has been our focus during our time with it so far — check out our initial impressions.
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Flash Review: 23/24 K2 Mindbender 90C
Here are some of our initial impressions after skiing the updated K2 Mindbender 90C, both on groomers and off piste.
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3-Board Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (23/24)
Over the past weeks, we’ve been rolling out our reviewers’ picks for their personal ski quivers, and now it’s time for our snowboard reviewers to chime in — starting with their ideal 3-snowboard quivers.
Last Season’s Historic Snowfall, El Nino / La Nina Predictions, & More with OpenSnow’s Bryan Allegretto and Evan Thayer (Ep.288)
Today we are talking about weather forecasting — and finding your people in this dark, cold, and sometimes lonely universe — with two of the weather forecasters from OpenSnow, Bryan Allegretto and Evan Thayer. We discuss last season’s historic winter; how much stock you ought to put into the whole ‘El Nino or la Nina thing’; whether the stated snowfall amounts at various ski areas are fake news; all the ingredients that go into the creation of snowfall; and more.
Line Launches Limited-Edition Bacon 122 Ski
Line recently overhauled their Bacon collection for the 23/24 season, but now there’s already another member of the Bacon family — check out the limited-edition Bacon 122.
2-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (23/24)
In the penultimate feature of our annual ski-quiver series, we ask our reviewers which 2 skis they’d pick for all the skiing they do, as well as how those picks would change if they didn’t do any backcountry touring, and what their 2-ski quiver would look like for any location in the world. In Part 3 of their selections, we hear from Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth.
Biggest Ski Buying Mistakes + Ski Tuning, Ski Wax, & Ski Boots (Ep.273)
What are some of the biggest mistakes skiers make when buying gear? And what do regular, recreational skiers & snowboarders need to know about ski tuning and waxing? Jonathan discusses these questions and more with Logan and Riley Boone of Boone Mountain Sports. They also talk about how they all met (it was in Austria), and Jonathan reveals the upcoming ‘Blister 90-Flex Challenge’.
Win Outerwear from Strafe
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get either the Women’s Scarlett Bib or Men’s Nomad Bib from Strafe!
Katy Winton on Burnout, Recovery, & Returning to Racing (Ep.197)
Katy Winton has had a challenging last couple of years, from a protracted concussion recovery to having to put together her own privateer program at the last minute to even race in 2021. And then two races into the 2022 EWS season, she was so severely burned out that she pulled out of the rest of the season to recover. Now, she’s ready to tell the whole story, so we brought her back on Bikes & Big Ideas to share it.
Flash Review: Luke’s Opening Day Gear: 23/24 Rossignol Forza, Lange Shadow, Rab Vapour-Rise, & Anon Goggles
We’re back on snow! And in this special opening-day Flash Review, Luke Koppa shares some thoughts on the Rossignol Forza 70D V-Ti, Lange Shadow 130 LV, Rab Vapour-Rise Summit Jacket, & Anon M5 goggle.
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Amateur Hour: Paul Forward on Arrows (Ep.37)
Last year we talked with Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, about the art, ethics, and craftsmanship of traditional bows (episode #8). And today, we’re talking about arrows.
Phaenom Footwear Announces Limited Drop of New Ski Boots
phaenom footwear, the newest and most nebulous ski boot company to hit the market, has announced a limited drop of their first collection of ski boots. Here are the details.
Deep Dive: 2024 Trek Slash
We compare the Trek Slash to the Contra MC, Cannondale Jekyll, Norco Range, Forbidden Dreadnought, Canfield One.2 Super Enduro, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, Santa Cruz Megatower, and Propain Tyee.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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‘The Blackcountry Journal’ with Mallory Duncan & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.2)
The Blackcountry Journal is a new, truly different, 10-minute-long film by Mallory Duncan that packs a lot into its short running length, bringing together the worlds of jazz and skiing, and incorporating ideas, words, and scenes that you won’t soon forget.
Women-Specific Avalanche Education Scholarships
The American Avalanche Association and Backcountry Access (BCA) are once again offering a scholarship program for female-identifying individuals who are pursuing a Professional Level Avalanche course in the 2023-2024 season. Applications are now open!
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Deep Dive: Folsom Completo 100
We compare the Completo 100 to the Folsom Cash 106, Salomon QST 98, Salomon QST Lumen 98, RMU Apostle 96 Ti, RMU Valhalla 107, Line Optic 96, Renoun Endurance 98, Shaggy’s Mohawk 98, ZAG Slap 104, ZAG Slap 104 Lady, DPS Wailer 100, DPS Kaizen 105, Romp Zorro 100, Blizzard Rustler 10, Blizzard Sheeva 10, Black Crows Atris, Black Crows Camox, Nordica Unleashed 98, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, Armada Reliance 102 Ti, J Skis Masterblaster, Salomon Stance 102, Fischer Ranger 102, Fischer Nightstick 97, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Volkl M6 Mantra, Volkl Secret 96, Nordica Enforcer 99, Nordica Santa Ana 98, & Majesty Havoc 100 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.
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Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge on Feuds, Media Coverage, Movies, & More (Ep.305)
Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, is back to talk with Jonathan about their ongoing feud; media coverage of the eclipse; two stories from the soon-to-be-released MG #201; what they’re reading and watching; and more.
New Glade Goggles, Sunglasses, & Helmets | Blister Summit Video
Glade quickly made a name for themselves in the goggle market, offering versatile photochromic options that could be functional across a huge range of light conditions — and did so without eye-watering price tags. Since then, they’ve continued to refine their lenses, add new models, and expand into helmets and sunglasses. In this video from Blister Summit 2024, we got all the details on Glade’s newest collection of goggles, helmets, and sunglasses.
Flash Review: 24/25 Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro
We’ve been A/B testing the original and updated versions of Tecnica’s venerable Zero G Tour Pro — here are our thoughts so far on how the new boot compares.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review — Norco Fluid VLT
The 2024 Norco Fluid VLT gets a thorough redesign including Bosch’s potent new Performance Line SX motor, and our early impressions have us rethinking the lightweight vs. full-power eMTB argument.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Ski / Snowboard Outerwear Roundup — Women’s (2023-2024)
This year we got in a whole lot of outerwear, from cozy insulated kits to burly shells — and a lot of those pieces are now on sale! In this roundup, we compare and contrast nearly a dozen of the latest women’s ski / snowboard jackets, pants, and bibs we’ve been testing.
2024-2025 Armada Locator 112
Our reviewer, Paul Forward, has been testing all sorts of touring skis for years, especially light and fat ones, and he says the Armada Locator 112 has “quickly become one of my favorite all-round skis for any of my human-powered skiing endeavors.” Check out our Full Review to see why.
Whiskey, Murder, and a Bunch of New Skis (Ep.293)
Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring
Win MTB Gear from Crankbrothers
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a bunch of mountain bike gear from Crankbrothers, including their Mallet Trail Clip-In shoes, any pair of their pedals, and an S.O.S. tool kit of the winner’s choice!
Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, March 2024 (Ep.217)
In their third installment of Reviewing The News, Ryan and Simon get into: the slopestyle strike; Scott’s apparent management instability; riding in Tuscany; some reflections on how we ever rode without dropper posts; and some new lightweight eMTBs running the hotrod Bosch SX motor — including the 39 lb Norco Fluid VLT.
Giant Trance X
Giant has updated their longstanding Trance platform with the new Trance X and Trance X SX. Both the Trance X and Trance X SX get a lot more adjustability, more aggressive geometry, and some other refinements. Dig into our First Look to get all of the details on what Giant has cooked up.
Flash Review — Yeti SB165
The new Yeti SB165 has grown a mullet, but it sticks with (mostly) very similar geometry to the outgoing 27.5’’-wheeled version. Check out our initial impressions of how it all comes together.
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.
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