BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
Flash Review: 22/23 Fischer Ranger 96
Update 12.14.22: Luke Koppa adds his thoughts so far on the new Ranger 96.
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Yeti SB120
Yeti’s been busy, launching three new bikes in just the last few weeks. Next up we’re taking a closer look at the shortest-travel one, the SB120.
Ryan Montgomery on Creating an LGBTQ+ Trail Community Through ‘Out Trails’ (Ep.150)
Ultrarunning is often admired for the strength of its community, a quality that unites runners with a sense of belonging. However, we can always do more to ensure that this feeling of acceptance extends to everyone, regardless of how they identify. So, we sat down with Altra Athlete Ryan Montgomery to talk to him about Out Trails, an initiative he started to help build safe spaces for LGBTQ+ runners.
Chromag Darco and Lowdown
There might not be another brand on earth as well-known for aggressive hardtails as Chromag, but today they’ve launched their first (adult) full suspension bikes — the Darco and Lowdown — and they look to keep a lot of Chromag’s identity intact, just in a squishier package.
An Exchange: Cody Townsend & Jonathan Ellsworth on The Bear
For this edition of our Open Mic series, Jonathan Ellsworth and Cody Townsend exchange their takes on the FX show The Bear, discussing the plot, the cinematography, and the (controversial?) ending.
BLISTER+: Real-World Testimonials — Luke Koppa
Luke Koppa shares his injury experience and why BLISTER+ is not only useful for catastrophic injuries, but also “minor” ones — especially when you might forgo medical attention altogether, purely due to the cost.
Flash Review: 22/23 Zag Harfang 96
Our male and female reviewers have been testing two lengths of Zag’s directional all-mountain ski — here are their initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Flash Review — Commencal T.E.M.P.O.
The Commencal T.E.M.P.O. is both their shortest travel full-suspension bike, and a big departure from their design norms in other ways — and we’ve started spending time on it. Check out our early on-trail 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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Ferreol Skis: Reenvisioning Ski Construction (Ep.248)
We talk with Ferreol co-founder, Jonathan Audet, about how they created their own “Innovation Lab” to test new skis and materials; the development of their own alternative to titanal alloy; fully replacing fiberglass with natural flax fibers; their 23/24 ski lineup, and more.
Dynastar’s New M-Cross Skis & 23/24 Freeride Collection | Blister Summit 2023 Video
At Blister Summit 2023, we sat down with Dynastar’s Matt Farness to discuss the evolution of their “M” line of freeride and all-mountain skis, including the brand-new M-Cross series. We cover the newest iteration of their wood / polyurethane “Hybrid Core 2.0” construction; the differences between the M-Cross, M-Pro, and M-Free skis; and more.
Win Summer Gear from Kaenon and Chums
The three winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get an awesome summer prize package from Chums and Kaenon!
Nike Pegasus Trail 4
The Pegasus Trail 4 feels like Nike is bringing one of their most popular off-road models full circle. Updates introduce new technology to a shoe that’s reverted to its original identity as a fairly lightweight road-to-trail hybrid after spending a few iterations masquerading as a burly ultra-distance option. Check out our full review to learn more.
Forge+Bond on Envisioning, Designing, Testing, & Refining a Carbon Fiber Wheel Design (Ep.172)
Forge+Bond just launched as a new high-end wheel brand, and we sat down with folks from their product and engineering teams, plus F+B athlete Jill Kintner, to talk about the whole process of designing, testing, and refining a new wheelset — from conception to prototyping to athlete feedback and more.
2022-2023 Fischer RC One 82 GT
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Fischer RC One 82 GT.
Bravus Brewing Company: Elevating NA Beer (Ep.27)
Not all beer is created equal, and that certainly goes for NA beer, too. So what’s the secret? We talk with Bravus Brewing Company founder, Philip Brandes, to learn more.
23/24 Faction Skis Collection | Blister Summit 2023 Video
At Blister Summit 2023, we sat down with Faction’s Henrik Lampert, to discuss the brand’s 2023-2024 lineup of skis. From dual-metal-laminate, flat-tailed models to playful twin-tips and multiple touring series, it covers a bit of everything.
Order & Read Now: Our 23/24 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide
Order your print and/or digital copy of the biggest, most honest, accurate, and genuinely useful buyer’s guide in the ski industry. Includes 300+ skis, 70+ boots, & much more.
Order now to get the instant access to the Digital Edition and/or Print.
Leilani Bruntz: Crepitus — An Accident Report
When things go wrong in the mountains, we need to share these stories and see what we all can learn. In our latest Open Mic, professional guide, Leilani Bruntz, shares her recent experience of a difficult day in the mountains.
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.
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