BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Roundup: 23/24 BOA Ski Boots from Atomic, Fischer, K2, & Salomon
BOA dials are taking the ski boot world by storm for 2023-2024 — here’s an overview of what to expect from four different brands.
Flash Review: 23/24 Lange Shadow 130 LV
Update 1.26.23: We’ve added some more of our initial impressions of the new Shadow 130, including what we learned when A/B testing it against the Tecnica Mach1 130 on two different pairs of skis.
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Stuff We Like: January 2023
To kick off Stuff We Like for 2023, we have an assortment of items, including ski accessories such as gloves, vests, and helmets; bike shoes and winter boots, kids’ shoes, backpacks, cooking pans, and more.
Hoka Speedgoat 5
Hoka’s continued refinement of the Speedgoat, a model that’s developed into an indispensable fixture within the brand’s trail line, reflects a delicate balance between bold updates and carryover from the past. Benefiting from an overhauled upper and tuned midsole and outsole, the Speedgoat 5’s performance has dazzled us so far. Check out our full review to learn more.
Geoff Kabush on Longevity, Having Fun, & Career Evolution (Ep.154)
Geoff Kabush has had about as long and varied a career as a professional racer can have, so we sat down with him to chat about the ups and downs over the years, his favorite events and stories, what keeps him going, & a whole lot more.
Amateur Hour: BLISTER founder, Jonathan Ellsworth, on Watches (Ep.18)
Today on CRAFTED, Blister Podcast Producer Extraordinaire, the Strikingly Handsome Justin Bobb, is talking about watches with Jonathan Ellsworth for our latest edition of Amateur Hour.
Flash Review: 22/23 Rossignol Sender 104 Ti
Here are our initial thoughts on the Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, including how it compares to the previous Blackops Sender and the new Sender 106 Ti+.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2022-2023 Nordica Unleashed 108
The widest ski in Nordica’s new Unleashed series offers something a bit different from its competitors in the more playful all-mountain category. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to learn more.
Deep Dive: Nordica Unleashed 108
We compare the Nordica Unleashed 108 to the Nordica Enforcer 110 Free, Enforcer 104 Free, Dynastar M-Free 108, Black Crows Atris, Elan Ripstick 106, Salomon QST 106, 4FRNT MSP 107, J Skis Hotshot, Folsom Cash 106, Black Crows Corvus, DPS Pagoda 106 C2, Icelantic Nomad 105, DPS Koala 103, RMU Apostle 106, Moment Deathwish 104, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Blizzard Rustler 10, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Faction Dancer 3, 4FRNT Devastator, Line Blade Optic 104, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, Sego Big Horn 106, & Whitedot Altum 104.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Ibis Exie
The Ibis Exie isn’t new, but the overseas-made version is, and it’s *much* more affordable than the US-made original that Ibis launched a couple of years back. Check out our First Look for the details.
Jeff Stern on the 2022 UltraRunners of the Year Awards, the Art of Profile Writing, & Covering the Sport as a Pro (Ep.156)
We recently talked to Salomon Athlete, Jeff Stern, about racing as an elite while simultaneously covering the trail running landscape in his role as the assistant editor of Ultra Running Magazine, a still independently owned publication that has served as “the voice of the sport” since 1981.
Flash Review: 22/23 Armada ARV 116 JJ UL
Reviewer Kara Williard is currently in Japan, and the lightweight and playful ARV 116 JJ UL is the ski she decided to bring with her. Check out her Flash Review to see her thoughts on it 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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Year of the BOA? Atomic’s Matt Manser on New Ski Boots, Liners, & BOA Systems (Ep.232)
Matt Manser is back to go deep on the new 23/24 Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD (and XTD BOA GW); the new Hawx Ultra XTD Mimic Professional liner; the all-new Atomic Backland XTD; and why we’re seeing the proliferation of the BOA system on ski boots.
2023-2024 Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 BOA GW
Today, Atomic announced an overhauled Hawx Ultra XTD lineup of boots. Within this new lineup is a freeride touring boot that uses a BOA closure system in the place of the two lower shell buckles. Check out our First Look for details on the new Hawx XTD lineup and on the new Hawx Ultra XTD 130 BOA GW in particular.
2023-2024 Atomic Backland XTD 120
Atomic has launched a new collection of touring boots under their Backland umbrella — check out our First Look for all the info about the new Backland XTD boots.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Race Face Era Cranks
Race Face calls the Era the “strongest, stiffest, and most durable” carbon crank they’ve ever made, and we’ve spent nearly a full year on a pair to find out how those claims hold up on the trail.
Lal Bikes on Making the Supre Drive a Reality (Ep.179)
The Lal Bikes Supre Drive is an extremely interesting take on reinventing the mountain bike drivetrain, and we sat down with Cedric and Alex from Lal to get the whole story of taking it from a prototype to production, getting bike companies (and the public) on board with a very novel concept, and a whole lot more.
Skiboot RX
Skiboot RX in Billings, MT is best known for its high-quality bootfitting, selection of alpine and backcountry gear, and a wide array of accessories, in addition to ski and board services.
Flash Review: 23/24 ZAG Harfang 106
The Harfang 106 is ZAG’s widest directional freeride model — check out our initial thoughts on how it’s been comparing to the competition.
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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Endura MT500 MIPS Helmet
We have been spending the last several months in Endura’s updated MT500 MIPS helmet and have been impressed by its comfort and versatility. Check out our full review to learn more about this high-end Trail helmet.
Deep Dives w/ Angel, July 2023 (Ep.269)
Angel Collinson is back to talk about her recent reunion with Sage Cattabriga-Alosa & Ian McIntosh, then she & Jonathan dive deep into some crucial relationship dynamics; vampire erotica; your ‘Ask Angel’ questions; our Open Mic Series; & more.
Flash Review — Vitus Escarpe
The Vitus Escarpe is a great value and looks well sorted on paper, but does it all come together on the trail? We’ve started spending time on one to find out — 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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SCARPA CEO, Kim Miller, on Their ‘Green Manifesto’ & B Corp Status (Ep.254)
Kim Miller, Scarpa North America’s CEO, is back on GEAR:30 to discuss Scarpa’s Green Manifesto and their pathway to B Corp certification, plus we talk about the life cycle of certain products; some of Scarpa’s gear that exemplifies this commitment to sustainability; what some of the challenges and takeaways have been; and much more.
Win MTB Shoes from Ride Concepts
The TWO winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the new men’s or women’s Accomplice or Accomplice Clip shoes from Ride Concepts!
Gear of the Year (So Far) (Ep.178)
We’ve been testing a huge range of bikes and gear this summer, so we sat down to chat about some of the things that have impressed us most so far, including bikes across the travel spectrum, SRAM’s new GX Transmission, and a whole lot more.
Assessing Greatness: The Art & Craft of Tennis, Great Sports Writing, & Top 5 Lists (Ep.31)
Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form). Then we discuss Troy’s Top 5 all-time tennis players, which serves to help us assess greatness in any sport.
Five Ten Kestrel Boa
Five Ten cut its teeth in the bike world by making gravity-oriented shoes, and they’re still best known for those offerings. But the new Kestrel Boa is a much more XC-oriented shoe than we’ve seen from Five Ten before, and it’s meant to add a little bit of their gravity shoe know-how to an XC shoe form factor.