BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide: eMTBs
Our Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide chapters on eMTBs are here, covering everything from quick-handling light-assist Trail bikes to full-power Enduro sleds.
The Future of Rampage & How to Fix It (Ep. 299)
With four helicopter evacuations, the 2025 Red Bull Rampage was one of the most injury-plagued Rampages ever. It’s been weighing heavily on our minds and left us questioning the safety of the event and what should be done.
Travel Coffee Gear, Hand Grinders, & Coffee Roasting with Calibration Coffee Lab’s Alex LeBlanc (Ep.87)
How do you make great coffee on the road? Jonathan talks with Alex LeBlanc of Calibration Coffee Lab about our recent attempts at this. Then, we discuss Alex’s own approach to roasting, and how to achieve things like consistency, versatility, and uniqueness in the process.
Scott Ransom
The Scott Ransom might look more like a hardtail eMTB than a full-suspension Enduro bike at first glance, but its wild hidden shock aesthetic belies surprisingly well-rounded on-trail performance.
Phil Casabon on ‘ORNADA,’ Armada’s New Team Film (Ep.57)
BDog, aka, Phil Casabon, is one of the most creative skiers to ever do it, and today, we talk with him about this banger of a film, ORNADA, the first team film put out by Armada in over a decade. Plus, in this conversation, Phil lays out his Top-5 movies & Top-5 ski films of all time.
WTB Peacekeeper Tires
WTB might not be the first name you think of in tires, but their new Peacekeeper tire presents a very strong case for itself as an especially high-performing XC/Trail tire. Check out our review to find out why we’re excited about WTB’s latest offering.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, October 2025 (Ep.381)
Cody and Jonathan discuss CT’s most recent travel horror story; ski industry cartels?; Jim Morrison’s Everest ski descent; Kilian Jornet’s ‘States of Elevation’; Red Bull Rampage; Balin Miller; the extreme insurance hikes at Timberline Lodge; and what we’re reading & watching.
2025-2026 United Shapes Deep Reach
The United Shapes Deep Reach promises powder performance, but with versatility to keep the good times rolling when the deep stuff goes away. Check out our Full Review to see how we got along with the Deep Reach in a wide range of conditions.
Blizzard-Tecnica: 10 Years of Designing Women-Specific Skis & Boots (Ep.367)
Do “women-specific” skis need to exist? What about ski boots? In our conversation today, Leslie Baker-Brown shares her thoughts after leading Blizzard-Tecnica’s Women2Women program for the past 10 years.
Priority Bicycles on the High-Pivot, Belt-Drive, Gearbox Vanth Enduro Bike (Ep. 298)
The Priority Vanth doesn’t look like much else out there, and the story of its development is similarly unconventional.
Flash Review: Priority Vanth
The Priority Vanth is both striking and very affordable for a high-pivot gearbox Enduro bike, but how does it ride? Here’s what we’ve learned after a month-plus on board.
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Priority Vanth
High-pivot, mixed-wheel, gearbox, belt-drive, and… affordable? The Priority Vanth offers a strong showing when it comes to buzzword bingo, but there are plenty of details to dig into — including how the Vanth rides.
Win Hats from Passage
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get any hat from Passage Hat Co!
Esker Woodsy
We put a ton of miles on Esker’s Aluminum Woodsy to find out how it lives up to Esker’s claim of being “Built for the Backcountry”.
Deep Dive: Esker Woodsy
We compare the Esker Woodsy to the Santa Cruz Bronson 5, Spot Mayhem 140, Rocky Mountain Instinct, Salsa Blackthorn 145, and Knolly Fugitive 140.
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:
2025-2026 K2 Alchemist
The K2 Alchemist is built for speed, but it holds up surprisingly well across a range of conditions — check out our Full Review to see why we think it could be just what some hard-charging riders have been looking for.
How Does a Small Craft Brand Break Out? SennzaFinne Shares Their BluePrint (Ep. 91)
In a spirits landscape full of massive brands and mega marketing budgets, what differentiates a craft producer? SennzaFinne, the Seattle based amaro producer founded by former bartenders, has found creative ways to make their mark.
Flash Review: Evil Offering
It’s been a quiet few years for Evil, but their new Offering has gotten a major overhaul, and the on-trail results are intriguing.
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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Evil Offering
It’s been a while since we saw a new bike from Evil, but their updated Offering brings some welcome changes while sticking to other parts of the familiar Evil recipe. Check it out here, including our initial on-trail impressions.
Durston X-Mid Pro 2 Shelter
Our reviewer has been testing ultralight backcountry shelters for decades, and the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is his current all-round favorite. Here’s why.
OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz on the Outlook for This Winter; Extended Snow Forecasts; AI Updates; & More (Ep.385)
Joel Gratz, the founding meteorologist & CEO of OpenSnow, is back to talk about … snow! And snow forecasting. And what’s new in the world of weather modeling. So if you like snow and you like to know when & where the snow will fly, listen up!
MTX Brake Pads
Brake pads are a small part with a huge impact on braking performance, and MTX’s Red Label Race and Gold Label HD pads deliver convincing performance on the trail. Check out our thoughts after five months of riding both options.
Gear Gossip w/ Moment Skis’ Luke Jacobson (Ep.371)
Today we spill some tea, break some news, fire off a few rants, and we walk through Moment’s 25/26 lineup, including what Moment CEO, Luke Jacobson, believes to be the most significant changes to the line.
Best Bikes of the Century, Part 2 (Ep. 302)
Our search for the best bike of the 21st century continues. For Part 2, Simon Stewart, David Golay, Xan Marshland, and Zack Henderson have 16 more brands to argue over.
Caviar 101 with Black River Caviar (Ep.90)
Caviar. Is there any word — or food — that more quickly conjures up associations of luxury and opulence? We talk with Sarah Mayo for a deep dive into the history of global caviar production and the ways in which the modern market is shaping consumption.
Flash Review: Diaz Upper & Lower Runt
Diaz Suspension Design’s new Lower Runt fork air spring upgrade runs counter to some current trends in air spring design, and makes some intriguing performance claims in doing so. So, how does it all come together on the trail? We’ve started to find out.
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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Diaz Upper & Lower Runt Fork Air Spring Upgrade
Diaz Suspension Design has doubled down on their Runt fork air spring upgrades, adding a Lower Runt to their lineup to go with the original Runt — now dubbed the “Upper Runt” — air spring upgrade kit. There’s a lot going on here, and it’s quite intriguing.