BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Deep Dive: Fischer Ranger 102
We compare the Ranger 102 to the Ranger 102 FR, Ranger 108, Ranger 96, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Black Crows Justis, Blizzard Bonafide, Zag Slap 104, Blizzard Rustler 10, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Moment Commander 98, Line Blade Optic 104, Black Crows Atris, Elan Ripstick 106, Faction Dancer 2, Atomic Maverick 100 Ti, Dynastar M-Pro 99, Nordica Enforcer 100, Salomon QST 98, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Volkl Mantra 102, Salomon Stance 102, J Skis Masterblaster, & 4FRNT MSP 99.
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Win Any Liberty Ski
The winner of this week’s gear giveaway will get to pick any ski they want from Liberty’s diverse lineup!
Shop Talk: 3D Printing & Bootfitting w/ Pulse Boot Lab (Ep.234)
We are back with Kai Palkeinen, founder of Pulse Boot Lab, to hear what Kai and the team at Pulse have been up to, including 3D printing, fitting race boots, and his thoughts on some other recent boot technology, including the rise of BOA dials.
In Search of the ‘Best’ Coffee Gear, Pt 1 (Ep.19)
What’s the best way to make coffee? Strong opinions abound, and our editor-in-chief is currently trying to figure it all out. So we are launching this CRAFTED mini series on coffee gear to try to gain some clarity on the topic. See what you think, and let us know what you recommend!
Trail Running 101: How to Recover from a Trail Run
How well you recover from a run is one of the largest factors dictating your potential for progress. Yet knowing exactly how to handle post-workout recovery can be confusing, with different approaches at times offering conflicting information. So in part ten of our Trail Running 101 series, we provide some basic and easy to follow tips for how to get started.
Braydon Bringhurst on Climbing the Whole Enchilada (Ep.155)
A few months ago, Braydon Bringhurst pulled off the incredible accomplishment of climbing the Whole Enchilada trail in Moab, Utah in a single day — and *rode* every inch of it. So we sat down with Braydon to get the whole story.
Flash Review: New Outerwear Update: Women’s Flylow & Trew
We’ve been testing some updated and interesting kits from Trew and Flylow this season — check out Kara Williard’s initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 22/23 Faction Mana 3
Here are our thoughts so far on the 112mm-wide Faction Mana 3, which replaces the Faction Candide 3.0.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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MTB Brake Shootout
What’s the most important component on a mountain bike? A strong argument could be made for brakes, and there are now a greater number of good, powerful brakes than ever before. But how do they actually stack up against each other? We’ve spent the past year-plus directly comparing eight of the top options from Shimano, SRAM, TRP, Hayes, Hope, Magura, & Cascade Components — in this in-depth roundup, we explain how they all compare, what each does best, and which ones might be ideal for you.
The Most Me
In our latest Open Mic, Hadley Hammer talks about “sameness,” freedom, and the ski industry.
Transition Relay
Transition’s second e-bike, the Relay, is here — and among other things, it isn’t *always* an e-bike. Check out our First Look for the rundown.
John Kelly on Barkley Marathons Lore, Being Uncomfortable Being Comfortable, & Rebuilding Speed (Ep.157)
We recently sat down with La Sportiva Athlete John Kelly to talk about being only the 15th person to ever finish the infamous Barkley Marathons; the mindset required to run for several days straight; how he rebuilt his speed to run a sub-2:30 marathon; and much more.
Ski Manufacturing, Sustainability, & Atomic’s New Impact Statement (Ep.245)
Today we’re talking about the ski industry, ski manufacturing, and sustainability in general, and Atomic’s own historical and quite recent initiatives, including their new, annual Impact Statement.
2022-2023 Lib Tech Orca Split
The Lib Tech Orca Split is a versatile, volume-shifted splitboard that has proven its capability across steep Alaskan lines, spring hardpack, and just about everything in between. Check out the full review for more info, including how it compares to other boards from Jones, Venture, & Rossignol.
Flash Review: 22/23 Meier Leeper
As Owen Leeper’s pro model, we were curious to see where the Meier Leeper would fall into the ~115mm-wide category. Here are our initial impressions.
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:
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
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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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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.
Flash Review — Canyon K.I.S. System
Canyon’s “Keep It Stable” (K.I.S.) system is a deceptively simple mechanism meant to calm down a bike’s steering in certain situations, and we just got a first ride on it.
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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