BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Deep Dives w/ Angel, July 2023 (Ep.269)
Angel Collinson is back to talk about her recent reunion with Sage Cattabriga-Alosa & Ian McIntosh, then she & Jonathan dive deep into some crucial relationship dynamics; vampire erotica; your ‘Ask Angel’ questions; our Open Mic Series; & more.
Flash Review — Vitus Escarpe
The Vitus Escarpe is a great value and looks well sorted on paper, but does it all come together on the trail? We’ve started spending time on one to find out — check out our early impressions.
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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SCARPA CEO, Kim Miller, on Their ‘Green Manifesto’ & B Corp Status (Ep.254)
Kim Miller, Scarpa North America’s CEO, is back on GEAR:30 to discuss Scarpa’s Green Manifesto and their pathway to B Corp certification, plus we talk about the life cycle of certain products; some of Scarpa’s gear that exemplifies this commitment to sustainability; what some of the challenges and takeaways have been; and much more.
Win MTB Shoes from Ride Concepts
The TWO winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the new men’s or women’s Accomplice or Accomplice Clip shoes from Ride Concepts!
Gear of the Year (So Far) (Ep.178)
We’ve been testing a huge range of bikes and gear this summer, so we sat down to chat about some of the things that have impressed us most so far, including bikes across the travel spectrum, SRAM’s new GX Transmission, and a whole lot more.
Assessing Greatness: The Art & Craft of Tennis, Great Sports Writing, & Top 5 Lists (Ep.31)
Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form). Then we discuss Troy’s Top 5 all-time tennis players, which serves to help us assess greatness in any sport.
Five Ten Kestrel Boa
Five Ten cut its teeth in the bike world by making gravity-oriented shoes, and they’re still best known for those offerings. But the new Kestrel Boa is a much more XC-oriented shoe than we’ve seen from Five Ten before, and it’s meant to add a little bit of their gravity shoe know-how to an XC shoe form factor.
Flash Review — SRAM GX Eagle Transmission
We’ve been spending time on the new SRAM GX Transmission. Check out our impressions so far.
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.
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SRAM GX Transmission & Bronze Stealth Brakes
SRAM’s new T-Type groupsets launched just a few months ago with high-end XX SL, XX, and X0 tiers, and now there’s a new, more affordable GX version. While the high-level details closely mirror those of the higher-end variants, SRAM has done a lot more than just make a less-expensive, heavier version of the Transmission. Check out our First Look for all the details.
OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz on Smoke Forecasting, Wildfire Tracking, Common Mistakes, & Best Practices for Adventuring Outdoors (Ep.268)
Before you head out to bike, hike, run, camp, or climb, wildfire, lightning, and smoke exposure are factors that need to be well understood. OpenSnow founder and meteorologist, Joel Gratz explains the science of smoke forecasting and wildfire tracking, and shares some of the most common mistakes and best practices for adventuring outdoors.
23/24 WNDR Alpine Skis & Snowboards | Blister Summit 2023 Brand Lineup Video
At Blister Summit 2023, we sat down with WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, to get a state of the union on the brand and discuss their 2023-2024 ski and snowboard lineup. We cover the brand-new Nocturne 88 skis; Shepherd snowboard and splitboard; revised Vital 98; the evolution of their “Algal Tech” and “Spiral Made” construction techniques; and much more.
Blister Labs: Wheelset Testing — Updates & Initial Results (Ep.253)
Today we’re providing some updates and discussing the implications of the initial results of our Blister Labs wheelset testing with Greg Vanderbeek and Travis Hainsworth.
Win a Pack from RMU
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Core Pack 15L from RMU!
Deviate Cycles on High-Pivot Bikes, Onshoring Production, & the Lowlander Prototype (Ep.177)
High-pivot Trail bikes are becoming increasingly common, but Deviate Cycles was a pioneer of that trend, and we sat down with Deviate co-founder Ben Jones to talk about why they went that direction when few companies were; gearboxes & mass adoption of new ideas; onshoring production & their wild Lowlander 3D-printed titanium and carbon fiber prototype; & a whole lot more.
2023 Specialized P.Series
Specialized has overhauled its longstanding P.Series line of Dirt-Jump bikes, and the lineup now includes versions for the whole family, with wheel sizes ranging from 20’’ to 27.5’’.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, on the Benefits, Culture, & Craft of Saunas (Ep.40)
WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, aka, the ‘Sauna Shaman’ talks about how Hoji kicked off his obsession with saunas; their numerous benefits; and he lays out what it takes (and costs) to build your own sauna.
2023-2024 DPS Kaizen 105
The recently launched DPS Kaizen skis feature a new construction, new shapes, and are the latest in a long line of the brand’s do-it-all, carbon-construction skis. The Kaizen 105 sits in the middle of the new collection, and we’ve had two reviewers testing two different lengths of it — check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: DPS Kaizen 105
We compare the DPS Kaizen 105 to the DPS Pagoda 106 C2, DPS Koala 103, Peak 104 by Bode, Peak 104 by Dav, Salomon Stance 102, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, ZAG Slap 104, Salomon QST 106, RMU Apostle 106, K2 Mindbender 106C, Wagner Summit 106, Volkl Blaze 106, Volkl Mantra 102, WNDR Alpine Intention 108, HEAD Kore 105, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, Elan Ripstick 106, J Skis Hotshot, Blizzard Rustler 10, Black Crows Atris, Line Blade Optic 104, & Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free.
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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2023-2024 J Skis Allplay
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the J Skis Allplay.
2023-2024 Moment Commander 102
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Moment Commander 102.
‘The New Radical’ with Connor Ryan & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.9)
Jonathan talks with Connor Ryan about his new video series, “The New Radical,” which kicks things off by asking the question, What is Radical?
The Key to Happiness?
In our latest Open Mic, Sander Hadley sets the astronomical and meteorological records straight, and has some thoughts on how to be happy.
How to Choose the Right Ski Length | BLISTER Video
How do you know what ski length is best for you? And why does it matter if your skis are too short or too long? Choosing the right ski length is tricky, but getting it right makes a huge difference. In this video, we’re here to help.
Flash Review: 23/24 Volkl Revolt 114
Update 1.15.24: We just spent a properly deep day on the brand-new Revolt 114 and have some new thoughts to share about its flotation, high-speed stability, maneuverability, and more.
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.)
2023-2024 Salomon Stance 90
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Salomon Stance 90.
Win Any WNDR Alpine Ski or Snowboard
Enter for your chance to win any of WNDR Alpine’s algae-derived skis, snowboards, or splitboards!
Skier Ability Ratings Revisited; Monoskiing; & More with Powder7’s Jordan Jones (Ep.280)
Are you an “expert” skier or rider? Advanced skier? Intermediate? We’re revisiting these questions with Jordan Jones, co-founder and president of Powder7. See what you think, then let us know your thoughts.