BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
Flash Review: 22/23 Fischer Ranger 96
Update 12.14.22: Luke Koppa adds his thoughts so far on the new Ranger 96.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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
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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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.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
New Balance Fresh Foam X More Trail v3
The New Balance Fresh Foam X More Trail v3 is a lot of shoe by just about any standard. As one of the most cushioned ultra-distance options currently on the market, it has so far escaped several of the common pitfalls that plague many models in the hyper-maximalist trail shoe category. Check out our full review to learn more.
Snowbound
Snowbound is a family-owned shop on Sydney’s North Shore in Australia. This store offers a top-notch assortment of ski equipment and services.
Flash Review — GT Sensor ST
We got pretty excited about the new GT Sensor ST when it launched, and now we’ve started spending time on it. Check out our initial 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.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
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23/24 Atomic Skis & Boots | Blister Summit 2023 Video
We discuss Atomic’s updated “Bent” ski collection; Chris Benchetler’s new role as Creative Director at Atomic; how they’ve evaluated & decreased the environmental impact of their skis; implementing the BOA Fit System into their ski boots; the brand-new Backland XTD boots, and more.
Resisting the Algorithm
In our latest Open Mic piece, Brendan Leonard writes about modern life, real discoveries, and the essence of adventure.
2023 Giant Glory Advanced
The Giant Glory is back. The prior-generation version had grown long in the tooth and mostly faded out of the market, but now there’s a new one with a full carbon fiber frame, mixed wheels, tons of adjustability, and more. Check out our First Look for the rundown.
Leah Yingling on Lululemon’s FURTHER Initiative, Their New Women-Specific Road-to-Trail Shoe, & Her Western States 100 Expectations (Ep.175)
Leah Yingling returns to the show to discuss her new partnership with Lululemon and the brand’s FURTHER initiative, a first-of-its-kind ultramarathon for women intended to help close the sex and gender data gap in sports medicine that historically underrepresents female athletes.
2022-2023 Shaggy’s Mohawk 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Shaggy’s Mohawk 98.
23/24 Dalbello Cabrio & Cabrio Free Boots | Blister Summit 2023 Video
We sat down with Dalbello’s Riccardo Bonaiti to discuss their 2023-2024 ski boot lineup. We cover the brand-new Cabrio LV line of boots; how they compare to the Krypton & Chakra series they replace; the Cabrio LV Free boots that replace the Lupo series, and more.
Brendan Leonard (@semi_rad) on Fatherhood; Creative Work; & the Nuts-&-Bolts of Making Just about Anything (Ep.263)
Brendan Leonard (@semi_rad) is back to talk about fatherhood; creative work and the nuts-and-bolts of creating; and his new book, MAKE IT, which is an easily digestible guide to making just about anything, actually.
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.
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.)
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.