BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Flash Review: Kona Hei Hei 10

The Kona Hei Hei has taken many forms over its 30+ year history. So, where does the most current, 10th generation of the Hei Hei sit in the market? We’ve been spending some time on it and have some initial thoughts.

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Paul Forward reviews the Dynafit Ridge Pro ski boot for Blister

2025-2026 Dynafit Ridge Pro Ski Boot

The Ridge Pro is the latest collab between Dynafit and Eric ‘Hoji’ Hjorleifson, and it’s proven to offer a really impressive blend of uphill efficiency and downhill capability — but there are some caveats to consider. Check out our Full Review for the whole story.

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Simon Stewart riding the Santa Cruz Vala

Santa Cruz Vala

The Vala brings about a couple of firsts for Santa Cruz — their first Horst Link bike and their first Bosch-powered eMTB. After several months on board the Vala, it’s left quite an impression. Find out why in our Full Review.

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Simon Stewart riding the Santa Cruz Vala

Deep Dive: Santa Cruz Vala

We compare the Santa Cruz Vala to the Cannondale Moterra SL, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay, Pivot Shuttle AM, Devinci E-Troy, and Orbea Wild.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

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Blister reviews the Volkl Mantra 88

Flash Review: 25/26 Völkl Mantra 88

Völkl is updating the Mantra 88 next season, and the new version has been impressive so far — here are Jonathan’s initial takeaways.

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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David Golay reviews the DT Swiss EXC 1200 Classic wheels for Blister

DT Swiss EXC 1200 Classic Wheels

DT Swiss’s 1700-series wheels are deservedly popular as higher-end aluminum options that come in at a reasonable price, but what about their flagship 1200-series carbon models? We’ve spent a ton of time on the Enduro-oriented EXC 1200 Classic wheelset to find out. Here’s our Full Review.

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Blister reviews the La Sportiva Sender

Flash Review: 25/26 La Sportiva Sender

The Sender is a new freeride-touring boot from La Sportiva, and it’s proven to be an interesting option during our initial testing. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.

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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Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion (Ep.270)

Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion (Ep.270)

Cascade Components is best known for making aftermarket suspension links to change the leverage curve of a wide range of bikes, but they’ve just launched something much more radical: a high-pivot conversion kit for the current Specialized Stumpjumper. So we sat down with them to discuss why, how, and what they learned from the project.

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BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Kona Hei Hei 10

The Kona Hei Hei is one of the longest-standing mountain bikes out there, with a legacy spanning over 30 years. Today, Kona launched the 10th version of the Hei Hei, making changes in certain areas while leaving others the same. Check out what is (and is not) new.

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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

Blister reviews the Salomon S/Lab QST Blank

Flash Review: 25/26 Salomon S/Lab QST Blank

Part of Salomon’s overhaul of the QST series, the new 112mm-wide S/Lab QST Blank was reportedly designed with input from lots of Salomon’s younger “Mountain Collective” athletes. So, what’s changed vs. the original Blank? Based on our initial testing, you could argue that the answer is both “not much” and “a lot.” Here’s why.

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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David Golay reviews the Trickstuff Maxima Brakes for Blister

Flash Review: Trickstuff Maxima Brakes

The name of the Trickstuff Maxima brakes gives a good idea of what they’re about, at least on paper: big power, big bling, and a pricetag to match. We’ve started spending time on Trickstuff’s most powerful, gravity-oriented brake to see if they deliver.

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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BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Win Packs & Radios From BCA

The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a Stash Pro 40-UL or Stash 20-S pack and BC Link 2.0 Radio from Backcountry Access!

BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, April 2025 (Ep. 272)

Mike and Simon discuss the sad news about Revel Bikes closing shop, the exciting start to mountain bike World Cup XC racing, Tadej Pogačar’s incredible Spring Classics campaign, Specialized’s polarizing eMTB speed limit decision, some of their favorite new products, and a whole lot more.

Bosch Performance Line CX-R

Bosch CX-R Motor & Software Upgrade for CX Drive Systems

Bosch has announced the expected CX-R version of their Performance Line CX motor along with a performance software upgrade for the current CX motor. Both offer impressive power and a host of other notable upgrades. Let’s see what’s new.

BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Stuff We Like: April 2025

In this month’s edition of Stuff We Like, our reviewers discuss a wide array of gear they’ve been digging, from burly bike stands to shoulder-season layers, ultra-breathable touring kits, mesh duffels, and lots of multifunctional summer apparel for the hot months to come.

On CRAFTED, Eli Brown and Jonathan Ellsworth talk with Andrew Jones, the founder of and winemaker for Field Recordings. The brand has growing over the last 16 years into one of the most talked-about labels in the country. In this episode, Andrew talks nursery hustle, breaking the rules, and why wine should be fun, not fussy. We also talk boxed wine, baseball cards, and Andrew fires off some of the sharpest wine one-liners we’ve ever heard.

Viticulture, Wine Making, & Karaoke w/ Field Recordings’ Andrew Jones (Ep.68)

Andrew Jones has spent decades planting vines for other people — some of the biggest names in California. But then his side project turned into Field Recordings, and that has grown into one of the most talked-about labels in the country. Here, Andrew talks with us about nursery hustle, breaking the rules, and why wine should be fun, not fussy.

David Golay reviews the Fox 36 SL for Blister

Flash Review: 2026 Fox 36 SL Grip X

The new Fox 36 SL replaced the longstanding 34 as their shorter-travel Trail bike fork, and Fox claims it’s got a much stiffer chassis at a modest weight penalty. Let’s check how our time on the 36 SL is going so far.

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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Blister reviews the RMU Professor 101

Flash Review: 25/26 RMU Professor 101

We’ve been spending time on the new Professor 101, which expands the freestyle-friendly Professor collection to a more versatile and all-mountain-friendly width. 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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Blister reviews the RMU Professor 101.

2025-2026 RMU Professor 101

Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the RMU Professor 101.