BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
GEAR THERAPY: A Mother Gets Back into Skiing — Where to Start?? (Ep.263)
When it comes to gear, we’ve all been there: loads of questions, crippling confusion, severe analysis paralysis. Sometimes you don’t even know where to start. You need some help! So in our 3rd session of GEAR THERAPY, Blister Member, Arika Poulin Weller, joins Blister reviewers Kara Williard and Kristin Sinnott to get some advice on 1-ski quivers, alpine ski boots, broad ski-gear jargon and what it all means, and more.
Liv Rail MIPS Helmet
Liv’s recently overhauled Rail MIPS helmet is the brand’s highest-end model for off-road use, and it’s been a welcome companion during all of our hot rides this summer.
GEAR THERAPY! — Session #1 (Ep.187)
Bikes are expensive, there are more good ones than ever before, and understanding the tradeoffs between options and how to find the right one to suit your needs can be tricky. We’re here to help. Welcome to Gear Therapy.
Flash Review — 2024 Yeti SB140
We’ve started spending time on Yeti’s long-awaited successor to the SB130 — so is the new SB140 a refreshed take on that longstanding and ultra-popular all-rounder, or is it something else entirely? Check out our early impressions.
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Dearborn Denim founder, Rob McMillan, on Building a Premium, Affordable, & Ethical Apparel Manufacturing Company in Chicago (Ep.35)
Dearborn Denim founder, Rob McMillan is working on building a big apparel company that ethically manufactures premium products at an affordable price, right in Chicago. Impossible you say? In this conversation, Rob lays out the blueprint.
2023 Manitou Mattoc
Our Bike Editor has long been a big fan of the Manitou Mezzer and got pretty excited when Manitou dropped a new version of their Mattoc Trail bike fork, since it looked a lot like a mini-Mezzer on paper. Having now spent a lot of time with the Mattoc, the story is a bit more complicated than that — but that’s probably a good thing for a lot of folks.
Flash Review — Santa Cruz Heckler SL
Santa Cruz has entered the lightweight eMTB market, and we’ve started spending time on the new Heckler SL. Check out our early impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Shore and Chore Beach and Utility Cart
Shore and Chore’s utility cart is a well-built, thoroughly-featured hauling device that’s proven to be practical for a wide variety of uses — from paddling our local rivers to DIY projects, errands, and more. Check out our Full Review for the whole rundown.
Mountain Gazette Editor, Mike Rogge, on Outdoor Media & Issue #200 (Ep.277)
Mike Rogge is back to talk about outdoor media (even though we lie and say we aren’t going to this time), plus Mountain Gazette’s big new issue #200, which includes contributions from Jeremy Jones, comedian Steve Martin & cartoonist Harry Bliss, Karl Fostvedt, and more.
Win a Bike Maintenance Kit from mountainFLOW
The TWO winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a Bike Maintenance Kit from mountainFLOW!
BOA & Ski Boot Design with Hoji, K2’s Tom Pietrowski, Fischer’s Christoph Lentz, Dalbello’s Riccardo Bonaiti, and Dynafit’s Ross Herr (Ep.262)
Hoji and ski boot designers from K2, Fischer, Dalbello, and Dynafit discuss ski boot design in general; the hype and skepticism around BOA (are boot buckles dying?); the balancing act of designing a walk mechanism; the challenges presented by the boot-binding interface, and more.
Vemdalen Ski Shop
Vemdalen Ski Shop is a dedicated, specialty ski shop right beside the ski area Vemdalsskalet. At Vemdalen Ski Shop, you are guaranteed a great shopping experience with their staff full of expertise, an authentic atmosphere, and excellent gear to suit your needs.
We Are One Convergence Wheels
We Are One has been making some of our favorite carbon wheels for quite a while now, and the latest models in their Convergence line are claimed to be stronger and more damped than their longstanding Union rims — and they use a wild-looking design to get there. We’ve been spending a lot of time on the middle-width wheel in the range, the Triad, and are ready to weigh in.
Trek on the New High-Pivot Slash (Ep.186)
The Trek Slash has been in their lineup for a long time, but the new sixth-generation bike is a big departure from the earlier iterations — first and foremost because of its new high-pivot suspension layout — and we sat down with the lead engineer on the project, Matt Yerke, to hear all about it.
Flash Review — 2024 Trek Slash
The Trek Slash has gone high-pivot and grown a mullet, and we’ve started spending time on the new one.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Deep Dive: Revel Rascal V2
We compare the Revel Rascal V2 to the Santa Cruz Hightower, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Transition Smuggler, Trek Fuel EX, Yeti SB140, Orbea Occam LT, Yeti SB135, Canyon Spectral 125, Chromag Darco, and Rocky Mountain Element.
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 Blizzard Black Pearl 94
We’ve been spending time on Blizzard’s widest model in their recently updated Black Pearl lineup, the Black Pearl 94 – here are our initial thoughts.
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Flash Review — 2024 Norco Optic
The new Norco Optic is by far the shortest-travel high-pivot bike that we’ve been on to date, and our early impressions are pretty interesting.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024 Norco Optic & Norco Sight
Norco is updating their flagship Trail / All-Mountain bikes, and they’ve got some surprises in store — beginning, but not ending, with the fact that they’ve both got high-pivot suspension layouts. Here are the details on the new Norco Optic & Sight.
2023-2024 Heritage Lab HB122
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Heritage Lab HB 122.
Flash Review: 23/24 Heritage Lab HB122
The HB122 is one of Heritage Lab’s latest models, inspired by the iconic K2 HellBent — here are Paul Forward’s initial thoughts on this big, fully rockered pow ski.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Crank Brothers Mallet Trail BOA Shoes
Crank Brothers’ new Mallet Trail BOA shoes combine many features from more gravity-oriented shoes into a lighter, more pedal-friendly package. We’ve been spending a lot of time in the new model, and what Crank Brothers have come up with is pretty interesting.
2024-2025 Stöckli Stormrider 95
This season we’ve been testing several Stöckli skis, and we’re kicking off our Full Reviews & Deep Dive comparisons with the all-mountain-oriented Stormrider 95.
Deep Dive: Stöckli Stormrider 95
We compare the Stormrider 95 to the Stöckli Stormrider 102, Volkl M6 Mantra, Salomon Stance 96, Blizzard Anomaly 94, Nordica Enforcer 99, Fischer Ranger 96, Salomon QST 98, Nordica Enforcer 94, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, J Skis Masterblaster, K2 Mindbender 96C, Peak 98 by Bode, K2 Mindbender 89Ti, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, Head Kore 93, Blizzard Rustler 9, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, ZAG Harfang 96, Faction Dancer 2, Blizzard Bonafide 97, Black Crows Camox, Nordica Unleashed 98, RMU Apostle 96 Pro, Line Blade Optic 96, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, Renoun Endurance 98, Dynastar M-Pro 99, Season Aero, Wagner Summit 97, & Shaggy’s Mohawk 98.
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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Red Gerard, T. Bird, & Carter Westfall on Natural Selection & the Future of Comps (Ep.298)
We talk with Olympic and X Games gold medalist, Red Gerard; the legendary T. Bird; and the CEO of Natural Selection about the future of comps. Snowboarders are going to love this one; skiers are going to want to pay close attention; and all of us have an opportunity here to think about the past and future of snowsports comps. Watch or listen to the conversation here.
2024-2025 Blizzard Anomaly 94
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Blizzard Anomaly 94.
2023-2024 Folsom Spar 78
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Folsom Spar 78.