BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
‘LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching’ w/ Luke Koppa, Jonathan Ellsworth, & Eli Brown (Ep.55)
‘LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching’ is the hilarious — and surprisingly heartfelt — documentary you didn’t know you needed in your life. But you do. And today, Luke, Eli, and I make an impassioned case for why you do.
Trickstuff Maxima Brakes
Trickstuff’s brakes have long been the stuff of legend — and legendarily hard to come by, even if you’re willing to throw down their steep asking price. But now they’re becoming more widely distributed and more readily available under DT Swiss’ ownership, and we’ve put a massive amount of vert on their flagship Maxima gravity brake to see how it stacks up.
Hashing Things Out: Lincoln Knowles, Cody Townsend & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.379)
Cody and Jonathan have been talking about Lincoln Knowles, the climber, free soloist, and content creator who has been making waves in the climbing world. And today, Lincoln joins them to hash things out and discuss some big topics that have implications for the entire outdoor industry.
Pivot Firebird V5
The latest 5th-generation version of the Pivot Firebird is still an impressive take on a go-fast Enduro race bike, but pigeonholing it into that one role would sell it short. Here’s our take on what makes the new Firebird a compelling option for a surprisingly wide array of riders.
Deep Dive: Pivot Firebird V5
We compare the Pivot Firebird V5 to the Pivot Firebird V4, Yeti SB160, Yeti SB165, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Propain Tyee, Santa Cruz Megatower, Santa Cruz Nomad, and Ibis HD6.
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5 Years of Prototypes: AlpenFlow Ski Bindings Origins & Overview
In the first of our videos from Blister Summit 2025, we sit down with AlpenFlow Designs to get the whole story on how and why they decided to make a ski-touring binding; how their prototypes of the AlpenFlow 89 have evolved over the first 5 years of development; what they believe sets it apart from the rest of the market; how it actually works; and more.
Win a Helmet & Goggles from Pret
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Pret Fury or Vision Helmet, as well as a pair of Pret Effect Goggles!
Best Skis of the Century from Each Brand, Part 2 (Ep.365)
In Part 2 of our series on the Best Skis of the Century, Luke Koppa and Sascha Anastas join Jonathan Ellsworth to dive into the best skis from 23 more brands, and we also discuss some of the best and most notable women-specific skis of the past 25 years.
Propain Sresh SL
Propain’s lightweight Sresh SL eMTB has proven to be an option that’s hard to define, but easy to get along with in a wide variety of settings. Check out our Full Review for our takeaways after 3 months aboard this mid-travel eMTB.
Deep Dive: Propain Sresh SL
We compare the Propain Sresh SL to the Yeti MTe, Pivot Shuttle SL/AM, Pivot Shuttle SL, Norco Fluid VLT 130, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Trek Fuel EXe, and Mondraker Dune XR.
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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Rocket Ramps on Building Trails, Ramps, and Action Sports Infrastructure (Ep. 296)
Simon catches up with Henry Lanman of Rocket Ramps about the crazy big lines they built for the bike park in Picuris Pueblo, the sustainability of their ramps, their passion for building action sports infrastructure, and more.
Giro Chamber III Shoes
Giro’s new Chamber III went on a bit of a diet, but remains a fairly aggressive, gravity-focused clip shoe. We’re ready with a Full Review after five months of trail time.
‘Pressure Drop’ + 30 Years of TGR w/ Todd Jones & Nick McNutt (Ep.54)
Jonathan talks with TGR co-founder, Todd Jones, then pro skier, Nick McNutt, about the past, present, & future of Teton Gravity Research, and their excellent new 30th-anniversary film, Pressure Drop.
Inside the Minds of Pro Skiers: Competition, Careers, & Close Calls w/ Dane Tudor, Todd Ligare, Amy Jane David, & Stinius Skjøtskift (Ep.378)
Dane Tudor, Todd Ligare, Amy Jane David, and Stinius Skjøtskift joined us for a wide-ranging conversation on skiing, competition, and career-defining moments — recorded live at the Blister Summit 2025.
EXT Vecta
The EXT Vecta brings most of the features of their flagship Storia V4 coil shock to a much more affordable package, but how does its performance stack up? We’ve spent the summer finding out. Here’s what we found.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
The Whiskey that Set a Land Speed Record: Montgomery Distilling (Ep.89)
Today, Eli talks with owner and land speed record holder, Ryan Montgomery, of Montgomery Distilling to discuss the similarities between aquavit and gin; the labor of love known as kirschwasser; and the world’s first bourbon-based amaro.
Deep Dive: Chromag Reazon
We compare the Chromag Reazon to the Chromag Darco, Chromag Lowdown, Forbidden Druid V2, Knolly Fugitive 140, Propain Hugene 3, Trek Fuel EX Gen 7, Kona Process 153, Reeb Steezl, Transition Sentinel, and Starling Murmur.
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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Chromag Reazon
Instead of drooling over aerospace-grade carbon, why can’t we get stoked on bicycle-grade steel? The Chromag Reazon makes one of the most compelling cases for bringing steel into high-end Trail bikes we’ve seen to date.
‘Farming Turns’ w/ Chris Rubens & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.59)
Chris Rubens is a professional skier and a professional farmer. His excellent 25-minute film, ‘Farming Turns,’ will be available on YouTube on Wednesday, and Jonathan talks to Chris about it all — including a great cameo performance from Chris’ longtime friend, Hoji.
10 Quick Things: ‘Movie Premieres, Robots, & Snowboards’ Edition (Ep.383)
Jonathan shares some highlights and updates from the whirlwind of a trip he’s currently on.
MRP Lift V2 Fork Damper
We’re used to rear shock dampers coming tuned for a given bike and rider, but it’s much less common in forks. MRP thinks that should change, and their Lift V2 fork damper upgrade is offered in five rider-weight-specific tunes, on top of some other interesting features. Check it all out here, including our early on-trail impressions.
Flash Review: MRP Lift V2 Fork Damper
The MRP Lift V2 fork damper promises increased composure over stock options and comes in a range of rider-weight-specific tunes, but how does it perform? Here’s our early take.
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.)
Best Skis of the Century, Part 5 (Ep.369)
What are the Top 10 skis of the century? Top 3? #1 Ski? Today, Blister reviewers Dylan Wood, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth reveal their selections, and we also share some of the picks and insights from a number of pro skiers and ski industry professionals.
Win Outerwear From Beringia
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a men’s or women’s St. Elias Jacket and Bibs from Beringia!
Fox 34 SL
Can a super lightweight fork still perform in more serious terrain? Fox has pulled out the stops to make their new 34 SL do just that, and the result is quite impressive — but there’s plenty of nuance to that story, too. Check out our Full Review after a few months riding the Fox 34 SL.
Reviewer Reports: Bikes Big & Small, Wet-Weather Gear, & More (Ep.300)
David and Zack give the rundown on a whole bunch of the latest gear they’ve been testing, including the high-pivot, gearbox-equipped Priority Vanth, some excellent new wet-weather gear, and more.
Atherton A.150.M
There’s a new mixed-wheel version of Atherton’s 150mm-travel All-Mountain bike — the A.150.M. But it’s far from just being the existing A.150 with a smaller rear wheel.