BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Blister Brand Guide: Topo Athletic Running Shoe Lineup, 2023
Topo Athletic continues to expand their line of low-drop, wide-toebox running shoes — check out our Brand Guide for the full rundown on their 2023 lineup and which model might make the most sense for how and where you run.
Blister Labs: the Evolution of Outdoor Gear Testing | Blister Summit 2023 Video
How are we advancing the state of ski testing? At Blister Summit 2023, we brought together Jeni Blacklock, Sean Humbert, Leo Beuken, and Travis Hainsworth to discuss what we’ve been working on and why it matters, and we announce our latest initiative that we’ll be rolling out soon: Blister Community Reviews.
Flash Review: 23/24 Line Chronic 101
The Chronic name has been in Line’s collection for years, but now there’s a new, wider version. Check out our initial thoughts on the new Chronic 101.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Speedland Founders Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon On Their Latest Hyper-Performance Trail Shoe, the GS:TAM (Ep.169)
We sat down with Speedland co-founders Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon to talk about their latest shoe commission, the GS:TAM; growing a boutique hyper-performance trail running brand; future projects; and much more.
Story Time with Hoji, Rory Bushfield, McKenna Peterson, & Forrest Shearer (Ep.257)
In this hilarious conversation, Jonathan asks Hoji, Rory, McKenna, and Forrest about their favorite lines, closest calls, and craziest stories from their years of professional skiing & snowboarding.
Pivot Shuttle LT
The long-range eMTB market is heating up, with companies turning up the capability, and battery size bragging rights featuring prominently. But while the Pivot Shuttle LT’s battery isn’t the biggest out there, it might actually be a better bike for it.
Skis, Boots, Bindings, & More: Salomon 23/24 Ski Gear | Blister Summit 2023 Video
We sat down with Salomon’s Joe Johnson to cover all the new products they’re rolling out for the 2023-2024 season — and there is a LOT. We discuss the brand-new touring-oriented QST Echo 106 ski; the role that Cody Townsend & their other athletes play when developing new products; Salomon’s revamped metal-laminate Stance skis; the new S/PRO Supra BOA boot collection, and more.
2023 Sea Otter Classic Recap, Part 2
We’re onto the last day of Sea Otter, and have some more new stuff to show and tell about.
2023-2024 Salomon S/Pro Supra BOA 105 W
Here are our measured specs, photos, and a quick rundown of Salomon’s new medium-volume boot, the S/Pro Supra BOA 105 W.
2023 Sea Otter Classic Recap, Part 1
We’re at Sea Otter, and there’s a lot of new stuff to check out. Here’s some of the early stuff that caught our eye.
2023-2024 Peak 98
The Peak 98 is the do-everything model in Bode Miller’s new ski company’s lineup — check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to see where it slots into the market, and whether it might work for you.
Deep Dive: Peak 98
We compare the Peak 98 to the Peak 88, Peak 98SC, Peak 104, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Blizzard Bonafide 97, Volkl M6 Mantra, Salomon Stance 96, Nordica Enforcer 100, Black Crows Justis, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Blizzard Rustler 9, Moment Commander 98, Fischer Ranger 102, Fischer Ranger 102 FR, Faction Dancer 2, Atomic Maverick 100 Ti, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, Dynastar M-Pro 99, Volkl Mantra 102, ZAG Harfang 96, Wagner Summit 97, Head Kore 99, J Skis Masterblaster, Salomon QST 98, & 4FRNT MSP 99.
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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Coalition Snow: 10 Years of Skis & Snowboards, 23/24 Lineup, & More w/ Founder & CEO, Jen Gurecki (Ep.242)
Kara Williard talks with Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow, about operating a women-owned ski and snowboard company for the past 10 years; how the vision has evolved; their brick-and-mortar storefront; inclusive trips around the world; initiatives to grow the sport and the community; their 23/24 lineup; and more.
Blizzard’s New Rustler & Sheeva Skis | Blister Summit 2023 Video
We sat down with Blizzard’s Christian Avery & Leslie Baker-Brown to go over all the new skis they’re rolling out for the 2023-2024 season. We discuss the new Rustler & Sheeva lines; how they differ from the previous iterations; Blizzard’s Women 2 Women program & how it influences their ski concepts; the purposes of their “FluxForm” & “TrueBlend” technologies, and more.
Win La Sportiva Ski Boots
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Vanguard or Vanguard Women’s ski touring boot from La Sportiva!
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Deep Dives with Angel, November 2023 (Ep.286)
Angel Collinson and Jonathan discuss a subject that we don’t talk much about in the outdoor community, and yet, it’s an experience that every single one of us will deal with at some point in our lives: grief
4-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (23/24)
We started our annual ski-quiver series with giant 5-ski quivers, but now it’s time to trim things down — but just a bit. Seven of our reviewers have now chimed in with their picks, including the latest update from Jonathan Ellsworth.
5-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (23/24)
With ski season kicking off soon (or already) in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s once again time to think about ski quivers. We’re starting by asking our reviewers what they’d pick if they were putting together a 5-ski quiver — you can now see what our founder, Jonathan Ellsworth, would pick.
Parlor Custom Skis: Building Skis in Boston, Custom vs. Semi-Custom Skis, & the Age-Old Question of Ski Width for East-Coast Skiing (Ep.271)
Jonathan was at the Parlor Custom Skis factory in East Boston to check out the factory and talk with Parlor owner & manager, Mark Wallace, about building custom skis in Boston; assessing skiers (and skiers assessing themselves); custom vs. semi-custom skis; and more.
Flash Review — Devinci E-Troy
The Devinci E-Troy has pretty radical geometry for a mid-travel eMTB, and we’ve started spending time on it. 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.
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.)
Win Skis or a Snowboard from Weston
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get their choice of a pair of skis or a snowboard from Weston!
Daymaker TEKDAPTERS Ski Touring Adapters | First Look Video
Daymaker Touring’s TEKDAPTERS are the latest ski-touring solution to hit the market, and they’re one of the most affordable ways to get into the backcountry. In this video, we go over how they work, who they’re for, how they compare to Daymaker Classic adapters, and more.
Neko Mulally on Selling the Frameworks DH Bike, Signing Asa Vermette, and More (Ep.195)
Neko Mulally’s Frameworks DH bike is now available for pre-order, and we sat down with Neko to chat about its development, the production version of the bike, his experimentation with different frame materials, and much more.
2024 Canyon Lux Trail
There’s a ton of diversity in the shorter-travel Trail bike world these days, and maybe no brand singlehandedly demonstrates that better than Canyon. Their Lux Trail, Neuron, and Spectral 125 all share similar-ish travel numbers but have very, very different geometries and intended uses. Now, Canyon’s giving the most XC-oriented bike of the bunch, the Lux Trail, a big update.
2024 Santa Cruz V10
Santa Cruz hasn’t tried to hide that they’ve been working on a new version of their V10 DH bike, and now it’s here. Meet the eighth generation of one of the most successful DH race bikes of all time.
Flash Review: 23/24 Scarpa Maestrale RS
Update 11.6.23: We’re skiing again! Check out Dylan Wood’s thoughts after he got his chance to try the updated Scarpa Maestrale RS.
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.)
Blister Speaker Series: Trevor Kennison & Level 1 director, Josh Berman (Ep.285)
Trevor Kennison & Level 1 founder, Josh Berman, came to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series for a follow-up conversation about their new film, Full Circle. We discussed what life’s been like for both of them since the film premiered; we take questions from the audience; and Trevor answers the big question: is he glad his injury happened?