BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Your Questions: Our Favorite Skis This Season; Big vs Small Brands; Quiver Overlap; & More (Ep.348)
Jonathan and Luke answer your questions, including our go-to backpacks for ski-touring; how a given brand’s size, location, and ethos factor into our own purchasing decisions; what skis to get if you’re spending a lot of time cruising slow-speed groomers; how we view “Quiver Overlap”; and one of the most frequent questions we get: what were our favorite skis this season?
Win Cycling Gear From Lezyne
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Super Drive 1800+ Smart Front Bike Light, Saddle Ai Alert 250 Rear Bike Light, & Pocket Drive Pro Bike Hand Pump from Lezyne!
2026 Orbea Rallon
FMD Racing unveiled the prototype Orbea that they’ve been racing on at the Bielsko-Biala DH World Cup last weekend, and it turns out that it’s the new Rallon — historically Orbea’s Enduro bike. The new version is meant to fill double duty as both a DH and Enduro rig, with a big range of adjustments to suit, and looks to be a massive departure from the Rallon of old. Check it all out here.
Propain Tyee — 2025 Update
Propain has revisited the Tyee, but instead of a full overhaul, they’ve focused on smaller refinements, new colors, and new build kit options. Check out the changes in our First Look.
Reading Culture: Books, Reading, & Indie Bookstores Today w/ Arvin Ram, Owner of Townie Books (Ep.70)
Jonathan talks books, book recommendations, the state of independent bookstores, the art of reading, and the craft of writing, with Arvin Ram, who is a writer, avid reader, owner of the indie bookstore, Townie Books, and the director of the Mountain Words Festival.
Flash Review: 25/26 Head Kore 112 Ti
The new Kore 112 Ti features many of the same updates as the rest of the overhauled Kore collection, but the 112 (and 118) offer something a bit different on snow. Here are our initial thoughts on how the Kore 112 Ti compares to the Kore 118 Ti, the previous Kore 111, and the narrower Kore Ti models.
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2025-2026 Head Kore 112 Ti
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the new Head Kore 112 Ti.
Breaking News: Revel Bikes is Back — and So is Revel Founder, Adam Miller (Ep.275)
After announcing just a few weeks ago that it was shutting down operations, Revel Bikes is back. And Revel’s founder, Adam Miller, is back. So, how did this all happen? And what happens next? Jonathan Ellsworth talks with Adam Miller to get the whole story.
Revel Bikes is Back
Revel Bikes announced their impending closure a month ago, but founder Adam Miller swept in and bought the brand back from the group he sold it to in 2021, with plans to resume regular operations, including full warranty support and production of their newly-launched models.
‘The Eiger Sanction’ w/ Cody Townsend & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.38)
Cody and Jonathan discuss The Eiger Sanction, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this week; it stars Clint Eastwood, the biggest movie star in the world at the time; and, importantly, Alex Honnold has called this the most realistic climbing film that Hollywood has ever produced. So … is Alex right? And how does the rest of the film hold up?
Pivot Shuttle SL/AM
Slotting between the Shuttle SL and Shuttle AM, the Shuttle SL/AM, as the name implies, merges a lightweight drive system like the one found in the SL with the frame of the AM. But instead of going with the Fazua Ride 60 motor that’s in the SL, Pivot chose to go with the more powerful, higher revving Bosch SX motor. Check out our First Look for all the details.
Flash Review: 25/26 Ellis Kanso 106
Ellis is one of the newest ski brands to hit the market, and their new Kanso 106 is meant to be a versatile and playful all-mountain option. Here are 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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2025-2026 Ellis Kanso 106
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Kanso 106 by Ellis Skis.
Founder Stories: Creating a Company in the Outdoor Industry (Venture Snowboards, CARV, Spark R&D, & AlpenFlow Design) (Ep.357)
We talk to Klem Branner, Venture Snowboards; Will Ritter, Spark R&D; Jamie Grant, CARV; and Cobey Nash, AlpenFlow Design about the highs, the lows, and the breakthroughs that come with starting a company — and the even more challenging work of keeping a company going.
Flash Review: OneUp Wave Flat Pedals
The OneUp Wave pedals aren’t shaped like any other flat pedals we’ve seen, and their performance is proving equally unique so far. Check out our impressions from the first few rides.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ w/ Jonathan Ellsworth & Simon Stewart (Ep.40)
On June 10, 1982, ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ premiered in the USA. This Steven Spielberg film won multiple Oscars, became the most successful film of all time, and caused a huge spike in bike sales. So today, we revisit one of the most significant films in movie history.
Flash Review: Salsa Spearfish
Salsa has jumped right into the modern XC bike mix with the new Spearfish. Check out our Flash Review to see how we’re getting along with it after a few rides.
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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Salsa Spearfish
XC bikes have seen a renaissance in the past few years, melding more confident Trail-inspired geometry with super-efficient pedaling performance. Salsa has made their entry into this brave new world of XC bikes with the Spearfish, and it looks rather promising. Our First Look digs into what they’ve cooked up.
Flash Review: 25/26 Salomon QST 106
We’re rounding out our Flash Reviews of the updated Salomon QST series with the longest-standing model, the QST 106 — check out our initial thoughts on how it compares to the prior-gen version and other QST models.
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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2025-2026 Salomon QST 106
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for Salomon’s updated QST 106.
Blister Book Club: ‘Everest, Inc.’ w/ author, Will Cockrell (Ep.360)
Jonathan talks with Will Cockrell about his excellent book, Everest, Inc. They discuss the fascinating history of guiding on Everest, the evolution of that industry, and the broader topic of the ethics, principles, and parameters of guiding in general, anywhere.
TRP Evo Pro Brakes
TRP’s Evo Pro brakes take over from the popular DH-R Evo as their flagship gravity offering, and TRP says the new stoppers offer better ergonomics, more power, and greater adjustability. We’ve spent the last seven months putting those claims to the test. See how the Evo Pro brakes stack up.
Ski vs Bike Industry, Part 2: State of Shops; Gear Wins & Fails; & the Future of Each (Ep.350)
Today, we take a look at the state of ski shops vs bike shops; what each industry is doing to grow participation and engagement in their sport; gear wins and fails; and our reviewers weigh in on which industry has the brighter future.
Ibis Oso 1.1
The Ibis Oso 1.1 got a few construction tweaks and a smaller price tag, but it’s still a very unique-looking offering on the eMTB market. It comes with a unique ride, too, but one that should appeal quite a bit to the right buyer. Read on to find out who the Oso might be for.
Win Apparel From SPC/LST
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Sapien Quilted Crew, Omega E-Waist Active 5.5” Short, and Range Beanie from SPC/LST!
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, May 2025 (Ep. 277)
Mike and Simon discuss the exciting start to mountain bike World Cup DH racing, the fantastic Giro d’Italia, Christopher Blevins’ domination, Mathieu van der Poel’s rough day on a mountain bike, some good industry news, and a whole lot more.
2026 Orbea Occam SL & Occam LT
Orbea has updated the Occam SL and Occam LT Trail bikes, and while the changes aren’t massive, there are a couple of nice tweaks — including the option to forgo headset cable routing.