BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Shop Talk: Gear West on Year-Round Relevance, Community, & Specialty Service (Ep.238)
We talk with Jeff and Isabel from Gear West in Long Lake, MN to hear about how they’ve built a year-round community at their “campus”; the challenges and upsides of providing multi-sport services throughout the year; the effects of recent uphill access at Buck Hill; a couple of gear trends, and more.
Win a RockyMounts Bike Rack
This week the winner of our Gear Giveaway will get the adaptable and sleek GuideRail hitch bike rack from RockyMounts!
Flash Review: 22/23 Northland AM178
Northland makes beautiful, wood-veneer, fully cambered skis in Steamboat Springs, CO. We’ve been testing their 90mm-wide AM178 — check out our initial impressions.
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2023-2024 Fischer Ranger 108
The Fischer Ranger 108 effectively replaces the old Ranger 107 Ti, which was an exceptionally precise and stable, but demanding ski. So just how similar or different is the new Ranger 108, and is it more of a wide all-mountain ski or a narrow pow ski? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to find out.
Deep Dive: Fischer Ranger 108
We compare the Ranger 108 to the Fischer Ranger 107 Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Blizzard Cochise 106, Volkl Katana 108, Salomon QST 106, J Skis Hotshot, Elan Ripstick 106, Nordica Enforcer 110, Nordica Unleashed 108, Black Crows Atris, Black Crows Corvus, Icelantic Nomad 105, Rossignol Sender 106 Ti+, Faction Dancer 3, Blizzard Rustler 11, Line Blade Optic 104, Dynastar M-Free 108, 4FRNT MSP 107, & Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review — Specialized Turbo Levo
Check out our initial on-trail impressions of Specialized’s Turbo Levo e-bike, including how it stacks up against the Pivot Shuttle LT that we’re also testing.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Caleb Holonko on Building, Filming, and Going Huge (Ep.161)
Caleb Holonko’s “Lights Out” was one of the most outrageous video edits we saw last year, and he’s already followed it up with another banger with “In The Know.” So we sat down to talk about his take on building, filming, and melding new-school riding with classic North Shore style, plus a whole lot more.
Moosejaw Announces 2023 Outdoor Accelerator Program Winners
We’re excited to announce this year’s winners of the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator Program, a partnership between Moosejaw, ICELab, & Blister. Learn more about the four brands here.
2022-2023 Coalition Snow Rafiki
The Rafiki is Coalition Snow’s widest ski, and we have been skiing it quite a bit during recent storm cycles. Check out our Full Review and Deep Dive Comparisons to see exactly where it excels, and how it compares to some other women-specific powder skis.
Deep Dive: Coalition Snow Rafiki
We compare the Rafiki to the Blizzard Sheeva 11, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Salomon QST Stella 106, Nordica Unleashed 108 W, Majesty Vadera Ti, K2 Mindbender 115C W, Salomon QST Blank, Armada ARW 106 UL, & Faction Dancer 3X.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 23/24 Rossignol Sender Free 110 vs. Dynastar M-Free 108 vs. Rossignol Sender Squad
How do these three heavy, strong, yet playful skis compare? Check out Jonathan Ellsworth & Luke Koppa’s 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 — Yeti SB160
We’ve started spending time on Yeti’s latest take on an Enduro race bike, the SB160. Check out our Flash Review for 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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Ryan Scura on “Urban Oasis,” Trail Running in San Francisco, and the Importance of Green Spaces in Cities (Ep.163)
Together, Ryan Scura and Dylan Ladds make up Dooster, the award winning production company the two childhood friends created to tell outdoor adventure stories through film. We recently sat down with Ryan to talk about one of their latest projects, “Urban Oasis: A Love Letter to San Francisco,” a short that explores trail running in one of California’s most densely populated cities.
Flash Review: 22/23 Peak 98
We’re testing all the skis in Peak’s lineup, and we’re kicking off our reviews with the all-rounder in the collection, the Peak 98. Check out Luke Koppa & Jonathan Ellsworth’s 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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2022-2023 Meier Leeper
Owen Leeper is known for his high-speed straightlines and massive airs, but how does his pro model perform under the feet of mere mortals? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to find out.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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
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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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
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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Women’s MTB Jersey Roundup – 2023
Lots of miles on the bike this summer has meant plenty of time for testing a bunch of women-specific jerseys, and for this year’s women’s MTB Jersey Roundup, we have nine options that span everything from tank tops to long-sleeve downhill jerseys.