BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review — 2024 Santa Cruz Stigmata
We got a first ride on the new Santa Cruz Stigmata last week — check out our initial impressions (and one of our “gravel-curious” reviewer’s thoughts on this sort of riding in general).
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2024 Santa Cruz Stigmata
Longer, lower, and slacker tend to be the standard buzzwords for an updated mountain bike, but Santa Cruz has applied them to their new Stigmata Gravel bike in a big way.
Flash Review — Pivot Shuttle AM
We’ve started spending time on Pivot’s new Shuttle AM — check out our initial impressions.
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Flash Review — Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum
We’ve started spending time on Trek’s new aluminum Fuel EXe, testing its claims of a quieter motor and more “natural” feel on the trail — check out our initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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GEAR THERAPY: A Guitarist’s Ski Gear Questions (Ep.256)
When it comes to gear, we’ve all been there: loads of questions, crippling confusion, severe analysis paralysis. You need some help! Welcome to our inaugural edition of Gear Therapy.
Win a Bike Rack from Yakima
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get Yakima’s StageTwo premium hitch bike rack!
Esker Rowl
Esker might be flying under the radar for some mountain bikers, but their 140mm-travel Rowl makes a very strong case for why more folks should be paying close attention to what they’re up to.
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
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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.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
‘Apollo’ w/ Marcus Caston, Cam McLeod, & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.10)
We talk with one of our favorite skiers, Marcus Caston, and one of our favorite creatives, Cam McLeod, about their beautiful short film, Apollo. This is a film to savor, to share with your friends, and to revisit for years to come.
Propain Tyee
The Propain Tyee is an especially good value for money in terms of the parts spec and looks well-thought-out on paper, but does it all come together on the trail? We’ve spent several months on one and are ready to weigh in.
Deep Dive: Propain Tyee
We compare the Propain Tyee to the Kavenz VHP 16, SCOR 4060 LT, YT Capra, Santa Cruz Nomad, Santa Cruz Bronson, We Are One Arrival 152, Trek Slash, Trek Fuel EX, Starling Murmur Enduro, Orbea Rallon, Orbea Occam LT, REEB Steezl, Yeti SB160, and Pivot Firebird.
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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Our Upcoming Blister Summit: Kristin & Jonathan Discuss Details, Highlights, & What You Need to Know (Ep.295)
Jonathan & Kristin talks discuss the most up-to-date details of the Summit, the things they’re most excited about, and more.
Flash Review: 24/25 Blizzard Anomaly 102
The new Anomaly 102 has big shoes to fill — namely, the Blizzard Bonafide & Cochise’s roles in the brand’s line. Here are our initial on-snow impressions for the new ski.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Redesigned 24/25 Shift2 Binding Announced
The Shift binding has become one of the most popular “hybrid” touring bindings since its release several years ago, and now it’s getting its first major update. Here are all the details about the new Shift2 binding.
Win Skis from Blizzard
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get their choice of the Sheeva 10 or Rustler 10 from Blizzard!
2023-2024 RMU Apostle 96 Pro
The Apostle 96 Pro takes RMU’s playful all-mountain shape and adds two sheets of metal — a combo we don’t often see. So, how well does the resulting ski blend these seemingly unusual design traits? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Apostle 96 Pro
We compare the RMU Apostle 96 Pro to the standard RMU Apostle 96, RMU Apostle 106 Pro, Line Blade Optic 96, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, J Skis Masterblaster, Renoun Endurance 98, Blizzard Rustler 9, Salomon QST 98, Nordica Enforcer 99, Volkl M6 Mantra, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, Black Crows Justis, Head Kore 99, Elan Ripstick 106, Faction Dancer 2, Black Crows Camox, Dynastar M-Free 99, Nordica Unleashed 98, Rossignol Blackops 98, Season Kin, K2 Reckoner 102, 4FRNT Switch, Faction Mana 2, Liberty Origin 101, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, Shaggy’s Mohawk 98, Season Aero, Line Blade, & K2 Mindbender 96C.
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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Reviewer Reports: Storm Cycles, All-Mountain Skis, 3D-Printed Goggles, & More (Ep.282)
Kara, Luke, Dylan, and Eric discuss some of the powder and all-mountain skis they’ve been testing, plus Dylan’s new favorite ski poles, a standout touring boot, 3D-printed custom goggles, and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls.
Rónán Dunne on Joining Mondraker Factory Racing (Ep.206)
Rónán Dunne is on a meteoric rise through the World Cup Downhill ranks, and he’ll look to continue that on the newly formed Mondraker Factory Racing team. We sat down with Rónán to chat about leaving Nukeproof for Mondraker, the state of DH racing in general, his goals for 2024 and beyond, and much more.
Flash Review: 23/24 Nordica Steadfast 85 DC
We just got our first day on the widest ski in Nordica’s Steadfast collection. Here are our initial thoughts on the Nordica Steadfast 85 DC and how it slots into the narrower all-mountain and wider piste-oriented categories.
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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