BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (November 2022) (Ep.239)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the FWT x FIS merger; the most Canadian news; our least favorite QBs; our big disagreement about the ending of The Bear (with spoilers); and more.
Heritage Lab Skis, with Marshal Olson (Ep.226)
Too often, we have to mourn the discontinuation of our all-time favorite ski designs. So Marshal Olson started Heritage Lab Skis to fix that.
Win Elan Skis
This winner of our Gear Giveaway this week can pick any non-Black Edition Ripstick or Ripstick Tour ski they want from Elan!
Canyon Spectral 125, Trek Fuel EX, Santa Cruz Nomad, & More (Ep.147)
We’re still hard at work testing bikes and have updates on a lot of the new ones we’ve been spending time on, including the new Trek Fuel EX, the mulleted Santa Cruz Nomad, and much more.
Flash Review: 22/23 Scarpa 4-Quattro XT
We’ve been touring in Scarpa’s brand-new crossover boot, the 4-Quattro XT, and our impressions so far have been very interesting. Check out our initial takeaways.
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Art, Gear, & Beer: Blister Artist Series w/ John Fellows & Brandon Capps (Ep.15)
Artist, John Fellows, and New Image Brewing founder Brandon Capps, discuss our Blister Artist Series collab: the inspiration & production of the artwork; starting with the artwork to create the beer; how Jonathan came up with the name of the beer; the difference between an IPA & Double IPA; wabi sabi & kintsugi; and more.
Flash Review: 22/23 Faction La Machine Mega
Paul Forward has been spending time on Faction’s new 109mm-wide touring ski, La Machine Mega — here are his 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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Vitus Mythique
Vitus has just launched US-based distribution for their consumer direct bike sales, and along with it they’ve got a new version of the Mythique Trail bike — and it’s an outstanding value for money. Check out our First Look for all the info.
Jason Hardrath on Deer Collisions, Convoluted Bliss, & Keeping the Dream Alive (Ep.149)
Since his first appearance on our show back in March, Jason Hardrath has spent much of his summer touring his film, “Journey to 100,” in cities across the country. But life on the road hasn’t stopped him from continuing to set some pretty mind-blowing FKTs while he’s at it, so we had him on to hear all about them, and more.
Our new Blister + Spot Membership, with Spot founder Matt Randall (Ep.238)
Our Blister + Spot Membership is going to help a lot of people. So we talk with Spot founder, Matt Randall, about how it works; why it’s important for anyone who doesn’t have insurance; why it’s important for anyone who has insurance but high deductibles; and more.
Apply for the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator
We’re always looking for the best products out there, and the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator, in collaboration with Western CO University’s ICELab and Blister, is looking to help early-stage companies realize their vision. If you or someone you know is looking to bring that big idea to market, check this out.
Revel Rail 29
The Revel Rail 29 is a well-rounded bike that blurs the line between longer-travel Trail bikes and full-on Enduro sleds — and one that multiple reviewers really got along with. Check out our full review to see how the Rail 29 performs on the trail.
Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2022 — Under the Tree
Next up in our 2022 Gift Guide series are the items that our reviewers think will make an awesome addition beneath the tree this holiday season — check out their picks, which include something for just about anyone.
Flash Review — 2023 Trek Fuel EX
We’ve started spending time on the radically-updated (and wildly adjustable) Trek Fuel EX — check out our Flash Review for 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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Flash Review: 22/23 Head Kore RS 130
Here are our initial impressions of Head’s completely updated 22/23 touring boot, the Kore RS 130.
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:
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.
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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.
Jesse Melamed on His 2022 EWS Title, “Near Death” Save, Moving to Canyon, & More (Ep.171)
Reigning EWS Overall Champ Jesse Melamed joins us on Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about his 2022 season, his approach to bike setup, his battles with Richie Rude, moving to Canyon from Rocky Mountain, and a whole lot more.
New Tech / Safety Gear in the Backcountry | Blister Summit 2023 Video
Alexander Cernichiari (Ortovox) and Paul Forward (heli-ski guide, physician, & Blister reviewer) provide a state of the union on technology’s role in the backcountry and the related safety gear, and answer questions regarding avalanche airbags, interference between avalanche beacons and other electronics, apps that aim to identify avalanche terrain, the capabilities — and limits — of smartphones, and more.
Adventures in HomeBrewing, Distilling, & Coffee Roasting + the Launch of Calibration Coffee Lab (Ep.26)
Before Alex LeBlanc started Calibration Coffee Lab in Greenville, South Carolina, he was a mechanical engineer, a home brewer, home distiller, and a home coffee roaster. So what led him to leave the world of engineering to start a coffee company, and how did he go about doing it?
2022-2023 Meier BNK
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pics, and flex pattern numbers for the Meier BNK.