BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Deep Dive: Line Blade Optic 92
We compare the Blade Optic 92 to 20 other skis in its class, including the Line Blade Optic 96, Line Sick Day 94, Salomon QST 98, Atomic Bent 100, Nordica Unleashed 98, Black Crows Serpo, Blizzard Rustler 9, Volkl M6 Mantra, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, Line Blade, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, Armada Declivity 92 Ti, Dynastar M-Free 99, Black Crows Camox, Fischer Ranger 96, Fischer Ranger 94 FR, Season Aero, 4FRNT Switch, J Skis Fastforward, and J Skis Masterblaster.
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.)
Flash Review: 22/23 Head Supershape e-Rally
Here are some of our thoughts from our time so far on the 78mm-wide, piste-oriented Supershape e-Rally.
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.)
Blister Holiday Gift Guide 2022 — Kids & Parents Edition
Need some last-minute gift ideas for outdoorsy parents and kids? Check out our recommendations.
Blister Labs: Travis Hainsworth on Soft Robotics, MoCap, & Wheelsets (Ep.227)
When Travis Hainsworth isn’t out on his highly questionable one-ski quiver, he’s busy being the associate director of the Western-CU Boulder Computer Science Program here in Gunnison, CO, and an integral member of our Blister Labs team.
Win Faction Skis
The winner of our gear giveaway this week can have their choice between the Dancer 3 or Dancer 3X from Faction!
1-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (22/23)
You can now check out Part Three of our reviewers’ picks for their personal 1-ski quivers, with additions from Jonathan Ellsworth and Kristin Sinnott.
Flash Review: 22/23 Majesty Dirty Bear XL
Update 12.16.22: We’ve been spending more time on Majesty’s new all-mountain freestyle ski, and it’s proven to be a very intriguing addition to the category.
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.)
Reynolds Blacklabel 329 Trail Pro Wheels
The Reynolds Blacklabel 329 Trail Pro wheels are very light and notably wide for an all-around Trail bike option, and we think that makes them an especially compelling option for the right riders. Check out our full review to see how they stack up and who they’ll work best for.
Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2022 — In The Garage
Next up in our 2022 Gift Guide series are those bigger items that you might need to hide in the garage — you can now check out Part Two of our reviewers’ recommendations, with additions from Jonathan Ellsworth and Kristin Sinnott.
BLISTER+: Real-World Testimonials — Dylan Wood
Dylan Wood shares his injury story, and how BLISTER+ helped him get the care he needed — at no cost to him.
BLISTER+: Real-World Testimonials — Jonathan Ellsworth
A random crash on a very mellow section of a mtn bike ride left me in rough shape, and a friend took me to the emergency room. Even though I was paying nearly $600 a month for insurance, I still had to pay $8000 to cover my deductible.
With BLISTER+, I would have paid $0.
Ellie Smith on Racing all the Disciplines, Bike Setup, Welding, & More (Ep.148)
Ellie Smith entered the 2022 race season with few expectations and little more of a plan than to do her best and see where things went from there. Then she won the Australian National DH Championships (on an Enduro bike) — and that was just the start.
Trail Running Glossary of Terms: Trail Lingo
Trail running culture has a language all its own, full of slang terms, expressions, and phrases that add character to the sport. Here’s another update to our Trail Running Lingo glossary, in an attempt to define and explain some of the common, curious, and often-confounding vocabulary of the sport.
CORK: Holiday Edition (Ep.16)
Danielle & Katie Nichols, the sisters behind CORK in Stowe, VT, are back to talk more about “natural wine”; discuss Italy, “priest stranglers,” and Corksicles; offer advice on holiday gift buying; and tell us about the revamped CORK Wine Club.
2022-2023 Nordica Santa Ana Unlimited 93
Nordica’s Santa Ana series has gained a lot of fans over the years, and with the Santa Ana Unlimited 93, Nordica has done a good job maintaining some of the most notable qualities of the Santa Ana series while cutting out a whole lot of weight for a more uphill-friendly ski. Check out our full review for more.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Flash Review — EXT Era V2.1 Fork
We’ve started spending time on the latest iteration of the EXT Era fork — check out our initial on-trail impressions of the Era V2.1.
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.)
Mike McKnight on His Record-Setting Cocodona 250 Comeback & Discovering His Potential (Ep.174)
Salomon athlete Mike McKnight’s comeback at this year’s Cocodona 250 was improbable, to put it mildly. After trailing the leaders by more than 30 miles, he rallied to not only win the race, but to do so in record-setting fashion. So, we sat down with Mike to recap his victory, talk about his approach to 200+ mile events, and more.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (May 2023) (Ep.262)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the case for climate optimism; this season’s record number of skier visits; Super El Nino; the Most Canadian News; mountain town advice (including a new pick-up line for mtn towns?); and of course, Succession.
Volkl Revolt 114, Blaze 114, & Secret 102 | Blister Summit 2023 Video
Volkl’s Chris McKenna runs us through the new Blaze 114, a lightweight freeride powder ski; their new big-mountain model, the Revolt 114; how the two compare; how the Revolt 114 differs from the rest of the Revolt series; the updated women’s Secret 102, and more.
Flash Review — 2023 Orbea Wild
We’ve started spending time on Orbea’s longest-travel e-bike, the Wild. Check out our initial thoughts.
Bikes vs. Skis, 4th Edition (2023): Part 3 (Ep.247)
Which ski company is most similar to which bike company? What’s the latest incendiary thing that will come out of Dylan Wood’s mouth? This final installment of our 4th edition is another fun one.
Win MTB Apparel from Flylow
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get Flylow’s new Trailworks Jacket plus any Flylow MTB shorts and a Flylow jersey!
Flash Review: 23/24 Scarpa Gea RS
Here are our initial thoughts on Scarpa’s updated Gea RS, including comparisons to the Tecnica Zero G Tour Scout W.
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.)
HT T2 & X3 Pedals
Our bike editor has been a huge fan of HT’s clipless pedals for a long time now, and the latest iterations of their Trail and DH pedals — the T2 and X3 — bring about some subtle but welcome refinements while retaining everything that made the older T1 and X2 great in the first place.
23/24 HEAD Skis & Boots | Blister Summit 2023 Video
We sat down with HEAD’s Andrew Couperthwait to discuss how they went about expanding their freestyle-oriented Oblivion series, including 2 brand-new models; Cole Richardson and other HEAD athletes’ roles in those skis’ development; the evolution of their Kore skis; their recently overhauled Kore boots, and more.
Stuff We Like: May 2023
For May’s edition of our monthly Stuff We Like series, we have a bunch of items to kick off summer, including water shoes and sandals, sunscreen, hats, towels, shorts, bike tools and accessories, chamois butter, and more. Check it out to see the latest gear our reviewers have been digging.
New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v7 GTX
The Gore-Tex version of New Balance’s updated Hierro v7 could be a popular model in North America this spring and summer, considering the Mountain West’s unprecedented snowpack. We’ve just begun testing, but so far the shoe’s off to an auspicious start, drawing comparison to models we’ve reviewed favorably in the past. Check out our initial impressions to learn more.