BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Win Elan Ripstick Skis
This week the winner of our Gear Giveaway will get to pick any pair of skis from Elan’s lightweight Ripstick collection!
12 New Skis from the Blister Summit (Ep.186)
Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth give a quick recap of the Blister Summit, then discuss a dozen of the skis we spent time on at the event.
2022-2023 Faction La Machine Max
Faction’s 126mm-wide La Machine Max turned heads when it first came out, and our reviewer / heli-guide / pow-expert has become a very big fan of it after two seasons. Apparently, he’s not the only one, since Faction is also creating a whole new collection of La Machine skis for 22/23. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons for more on the widest La Machine and the rest of the new series.
Deep Dive: Faction La Machine Max
We compare the Faction La Machine Max to several other wide powder skis, including the 4FRNT Renegade, Folsom Rapture, Moment Chipotle Banana, Moment Wildcat Tour, Head Kore 117, DPS Lotus 124, and Moonlight Cruiser.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review — Antidote Carbonjack 29
We’ve started spending time on the Antidote Carbonjack. 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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Push Industries’ Darren Murphy on Product Development, Suspension Tuning, & Local Manufacturing (Ep.107)
We’ve got Darren Murphy from Push Industries on Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about suspension design and tuning, the Eleven Six shock, how to set up your suspension, and much more.
Jason Koop on Recent Research, Training Myths, & Bad Science (Ep.109)
CTS coach Jason Koop makes his return to talk about the increase in ultramarathon-specific research; myths around running economy; the art of pairing coaches with athletes; how to sift through all the bad science on social media; and his time with Timothy Olson on the PCT.
Blister Summit ’22 — Recap & Photo Story
And just like that, our 2022 Blister Summit has wrapped up. Summit B was an absolute blast, with bluebird skies, soft snow, fantastic panel discussions, and more. Check out our recap and stay tuned for tons of videos and reviews in the coming weeks.
K2 Announces New 22/23 Mindbender Ti Skis
Today K2 announced that they’re making several updates to their Mindbender Ti freeride skis, and we’ve got some in for long-term testing. Check out all the details here.
Flash Review: 22/23 Renoun Endurance 98
We’ve been spending time on the revised version of Renoun’s original all-mountain ski — check out some initial impressions from Kara Williard.
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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Stuff We Like: February 2022
This month’s edition of Stuff We Like features ski boot liners, sunglasses at a big range of price points, outerwear, and a lot more.
On Race Broadcasting & Going Mainstream
The UCI just announced that Discovery will be taking over World Cup race broadcasting from Red Bull, starting in 2023. Our Bike Editor has some thoughts.
Flash Review: 22/23 Line Blade Optic 114
We’ve been skiing the Blade Optic 114 at the 2022 Blister Summit — check out our initial impressions of this playful freeride ski.
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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Win a Flylow Outerwear Kit
This week our winner will get a full men’s or women’s Flylow outerwear kit!
Cascade Components on Making Bikes Better (Ep.106)
We sit down with Cascade Components to talk about suspension design; their aftermarket links & the goals behind them; plus brakes, chain guides, and a whole lot more.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Naked T/r
Naked Sports Innovations’ design approach is driven by the concept of “simplexity” — using simple design aspects to improve the utility of complex products. With the Naked T/r, a laceless trail running shoe intended for racing, the brand offers a rethinking of high-performance footwear through subtraction instead of addition. Check out our First Look for our early impressions.
Olivia Amber on Ego Trips, Halloween Costumes, & How Not to Die In the Mountains (Ep.144)
We caught up with The North Face mountain-ultra runner, Olivia Amber, a year after her first appearance on Off The Couch to recap her summer adventures; talk through the importance of managing ego in the mountains; recount all-time Halloween costumes; and much more.
Moment Factory Store
The Moment Factory Store is much more than just a ski factory. They offer a curated selection of hardgoods, in addition to a robust array of ski and bootfitting services, and an impressive demo program. Find out more about this unique shop in our summary.
Markus Eder on Training, Pressure, Mental Prep, & the Golden Age of Skiing (Ep.233)
We talk to one of the best big-mountain skiers of all time, Markus Eder, about training; skateboarding as prep for ski season; the golden age of skiing; competing; filming the Ultimate Run; lessons from Hoji and Sam Anthamatten; the Volkl ‘Built Together’ program; & more.
Win RMU Skis
This week the winner of our weekly Gear Giveaway will get a pair of RMU’s new powder ski, the Professor 121!
Q&A with Hoji: Gear, Training, Mental Prep, the Blister Summit, & More (Ep.220)
Hoji is back to answer questions from our Blister Members about gear; his tinkering process; coming to the Blister Summit; how he trains for an upcoming season; mental preparation, and … we get some bonus questions from Markus Eder, too.
Canfield Jedi 29
The Canfield Jedi is back, and the new 29er version of the longstanding flagship DH race bike offers a nicely refined take on the high-pivot suspension that made the earlier iterations popular.
Modernizing the Shoe Fitting Experience: A Review of Fleet Feet’s Outfitting Process
Getting fitted for running shoes is often practiced as more of an art than a science, a system that can rely too heavily on guesswork in the absence of information. Fleet Feet’s Outfitting Process, a method that uses 3D scanning technology to map the contours of the foot, provides a degree of precision that traditional fitting techniques lack. Check out our review to hear more about our experience.
LoveYourBrain on Care, Community, & Recovery from TBIs (Ep. 141)
We sat down with Adam Pearce of LoveYourBrain to chat about everything LYB is doing to provide resources and support for folks recovering from traumatic brain injuries, how the conversation around TBIs is changing, and much more.
Flash Review — 2023 RockShox Pike
The new 2023 RockShox ZEB has been super impressive, but how about its little sibling? Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions of the new Pike.
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.)
Trail / Enduro MTB Fork Comparisons
There are more options for Enduro forks on the market than ever before, and we’ve updated our roundup with nine of the top contenders from Fox, RockShox, Manitou, Öhlins, and Marzocchi — including RockShox’s new 2023 Lyrik and ZEB. So how do all these forks stack up, and who should be opting for the extra-burly Fox 38, RockShox ZEB, or Öhlins RXF38?
Barr Hill Distiller, Ryan Christiansen, on Honey, Bees, Gin, & More (Ep.11)
We talk with Barr Hill president and distiller, Ryan Christiansen, about bees and pollinators; the process of producing exceptional gin; what makes their Barr Hill vodka unique; the impact of their ‘Bees Knees Week’ initiative; their foray into the world of whiskey; and more