BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
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.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Dynafit & Hoji Release New Ridge AT Boots
Dynafit and master-gear-tinkerer, Eric “Hoji” Hjorleifson, have been toiling away on another new ski-touring boot design, and the Dynafit Ridge series is the result. Here’s the rundown on these new lightweight AT boots.
Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, January 2024 (Ep.207)
We’re expanding our Reviewing the News podcast series to Bikes & Big Ideas, and in this inaugural episode, hosts Simon Stewart and Ryan Palmer kick things off by discussing Greg Minnaar leaving Santa Cruz, Mondraker’s US expansion and new ultra-talented World Cup DH team, the state of the bike industry at large, and a whole lot more.
Knolly Chilcotin 6.0
Knolly teased an extensive overhaul of their bike lineup when they launched the new Endorphin last fall, and now the next model has broken cover. Check out our First Look for the rundown on the new Chilcotin.
Flash Review: 24/25 Dynafit Ridge Binding
Dynafit’s new Ridge AT binding is not only impressive when it comes to ease of use, but also its performance. Check out our initial 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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Flash Review: 23/24 Stöckli Stormrider 95
We just got our first day on the Stöckli Stormrider 95, and so far, it’s shaping up to be a very intriguing option in the directional all-mountain class. Check out our intiial on-snow 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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Cast-Iron Cookware w/ Blister reviewer, Simon Stewart (Ep.41)
Jonathan is joined by Blister senior bike editor, Simon Stewart, who is on a quest to see if the fancier, more expensive cast-iron products coming out today are ‘better’ than their cheaper counterparts.
Head & Tyrolia Announce New 24/25 Touring Skis, Boots, Bindings, & More
In a big announcement, Head & Tyrolia have revealed their expansive 24/25 line of touring-specific gear, including brand-new collections of skis, boots, bindings, & more. Here are the details for Head’s new Crux product lineup and Tyrolia’s new Almonte bindings.
Salomon Announces New 24/25 QST X Ski
Salomon is adding a brand-new ski to their lineup, and while the QST X is their widest model for the 24/25 season, it’s definitely not the heaviest. Here are the details on the new Salomon QST X.
2023-2024 Moment Countach 110
The new Countach 110 is one of the few skis in Moment’s lineup that doesn’t neatly fit into one of their established product series. After first testing it at last year’s Blister Summit, several of our reviewers continued to put time on it over the past year, and now it’s time for them to chime in — check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Moment Countach 110
We compare the Countach 110 to the Moment Commander 108, Moment Wildcat 108, Moment Wildcat, Moment Deathwish, Rossignol Sender Free 110, DPS Koala 111, Rossignol Sender Squad, Dynastar M-Free 108, Meier Leeper, Black Crows Anima, Blizzard Cochise 106, Volkl Katana 108, Rossignol Sender 106 Ti+, Faction Dancer 3, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Nordica Enforcer 110 Free, Nordica Unleashed 108, Black Crows Corvus, Icelantic Nomad 105, J Skis Hotshot, 4FRNT Hoji, Blizzard Rustler 11, Fischer Ranger 108, Head Kore 111, Line Blade Optic 114, & Salomon QST Blank.
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.)
‘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.