BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Blister Summit 2023 Recap & Photo Story: Day 1
Blister Summit 2023 is off to a great start! Check out the photos, stories, and recaps from the first day.
Drew Petersen on Skiing with College Kids, Mtn Towns & Mental Health, & More (Ep.247)
Jonathan sits down with Drew Petersen in Blister HQ to talk about skiing with Western Colorado University’s freeride team, and to dive deeper into certain topics around mountain towns and mental health that Drew explores in his film (that you can watch on YouTube), Ups & Downs.
Flash Review: 23/24 Rossignol Sender Free 110
We’ve had several reviewers spending time on two different lengths of the new Sender Free 110 — check out their thoughts so far.
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Win Any Blizzard Rustler or Sheeva Ski
The winner of this week’s gear giveaway can pick any new Rustler or Sheeva ski from Blizzard!
2022-2023 WOVN Kingfisher 120
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pics, and flex pattern numbers for the WOVN Kingfisher 120.
Flash Review: 22/23 Dynastar M-Pro 108
This season Dynastar updated one of their longest-standing and most “legendary” skis — here are our initial thoughts on the new M-Pro 108.
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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Neko Mulally’s World Cup DH Bike Development (Ep.156)
When we last caught up with Neko Mulally he had just launched his Frameworks self-designed World Cup DH race bike project, and now a year later, he’s learned a whole lot — and changed a lot of the frame design details along the way. So we sat back down to get the whole story.
2023 Santa Cruz Nomad
The newly mulleted Santa Cruz Nomad is pretty different from the bike that it replaced, but it’s still the more playful, less-demanding Enduro bike in Santa Cruz’s lineup — and it’s excellent.
Jeremy Jones: The Art of Shralpinism
In our latest installment of Open Mic, we are publishing the opening pages of Jeremy Jones’ book, The Art of Shralpinism, with an introduction by Jonathan Ellsworth that focuses on the artistry of the book itself.
2022-2023 Majesty Dirty Bear XL
This season Majesty opted to take a longstanding ski in their lineup and split it into two different models — check out our full review for more on the new, 105mm-wide Dirty Bear XL.
Deep Dive: Majesty Dirty Bear XL
We compare the Dirty Bear XL to the Black Crows Atris, Line Sir Francis Bacon, Salomon QST 106, K2 Reckoner 102, J Skis Hotshot, 4FRNT Devastator, Moment Deathwish 104, Elan Ripstick 104, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Whitedot Altum 104, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, Line Blade Optic 104, 4FRNT MSP 107, Sego Big Horn 106, Armada ARW 106 UL, Black Crows Camox, Volkl Revolt 104, Blizzard Rustler 10, DPS Koala 103, RMU Apostle 106, & ZAG Slap 104.
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.)
In Search of the ‘Best’ Coffee Gear (& Ski Boots), Pt. 2 (Ep.20)
Sam Higby, co-owner of First Ascent Coffee Roasters, joins Jonathan to talk pour overs, grinders, brewing at altitude, programmability, and more. Listen up, then let us know what your pick is for the best coffee-making setup out there.
Katie Asmuth on Beating the Injury Bug, Mom Strength, & Golden Ticket Season (Ep.158)
While running injuries are undoubtedly the suckiest part of the sport, they’re also perhaps the most inevitable, so learning how to approach them mentally can make time on the shelf an opportunity for growth. After being sidelined with a broken foot for most of 2022, we talked to Saucony Athlete Katie Asmuth about how she used her injury as a way to engage with the trail running community in different ways, and much more.
NF Heavyweight Pants
The NF Heavyweight Pants are the Canadian brand’s take on a cold / wet weather mountain bike pant, and they go about things rather differently from a lot of other options out there — with excellent results.
22/23 4FRNT MSP 91
Here are two of our reviewers’ initial impressions of the narrowest and newest ski in 4FRNT’s metal-laminate MSP collection.
BLISTER 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).
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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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.
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 — 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
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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(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.)
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.