BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Reserve 30 SL Wheels
Reserve’s 30 SL carbon wheels are a new offering meant for Trail bike duty, and at first glance, they seem a lot like the longstanding Reserve 30 that’s been put on a diet. But that’s far from the whole story, and the on-trail results are compelling.
Flash Review: 21/22 Moment Wildcat
Moment says that the latest Wildcat is much more similar to the original Bibby / Blister Pro than before, so, is it? Check out our initial thoughts after a couple days of skiing the 21/22 Wildcat.
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Debatable: Integrated Brake Lever Clamps are Nonsense
Integrated brake and shifter clamps have become commonplace on modern mountain bikes, but our Bike Editor makes his case for why they should go away.
Skiing Austria, Ski-Boot Mods, & the Atomic Redster G9 RS, X9 S, & X9 WB (Ep.178)
Matt Manser, Atomic’s ski boots product manager, is back to discuss Jonathan’s trip to Austria; Matt’s Jura coffee maker; our scotch & rye whiskey tasting sessions; skiing Zauchensee and Kitzsteinhorn on the Atomic Redster G9 RS, X9 S, and X9 WB; ski boot terms (and unconditional love); and some modifications we made to Jonathan’s ski boots — which you might want to consider for your own.
2021-2022 DPS Foundation Koala 118
This year DPS updated the big, burly, yet playful Koala 119 that many of us loved. So is the new Koala 118 more of a subtle update, or a different ski entirely? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: DPS Foundation Koala 118
We compare the Koala 118 to the previous Koala 119, Black Crows Anima, Rossignol Blackops Gamer, Kye Shapes Numinous, Dynastar M-Free 118, J Skis Friend, Volkl Revolt 121, Moment Wildcat, Salomon QST Blank, Moment Chipotle Banana, 4FRNT Renegade, 4FRNT Inthayne, Line Outline, Line Vision 118, Season Forma, and Atomic Bent Chetler 120.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Win a Trip to the Blister Summit @ Mt. Crested Butte
You’re not going to want to miss this season’s Blister Summit, and this week, you have a chance to attend, stay, and ski for free!
Flash Review: 21/22 Moment Deathwish 104
We just wrapped up our first day on the new Deathwish 104 — check out some of our initial thoughts.
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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Gear of the Year, 2021 (Ep.99)
2021 was Blister’s busiest year ever for testing mountain bikes and gear, and there were some real standout products among that crop. So we rounded up a bunch of our reviewers to give a rundown of the highlights of the last year, and we make some predictions for the year to come and talk about a bunch of the bikes and gear that we’re most excited to spend time on soon, too.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (Dec 2021) (Ep.197)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the current situation of under-staffed & overcrowded ski areas; national parks and Native American tribes; the looming shortage of lithium batteries for electric vehicles; whether or not to ski the backcountry with your dog; what we’re watching; and more.
Ion Rascal Amp
The Ion Rascal Amp doesn’t try to be the techiest, most gadget-laden shoe on the market. Instead, it tries to take a tried-and-true design and execute it well. So did Ion succeed?
Flash Review: 21/22 J Skis Masterblaster
Update 1.4.22: With all the recent snow, we’ve been able to see how the new Masterblaster handles softer and steeper off-piste conditions, and have some more thoughts on the 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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2021-2022 Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free
We’ve now had multiple reviewers on the Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free, and in this update, Kara Williard adds her thoughts on this metal-laminate women’s all-mountain ski.
2022 Norco Range
Even by the standards of ~170mm travel Enduro bikes, the Norco Range is quite the bruiser — both on the way down, and on the climb back up. But for the right rider, that makes it something special.
What We’re Watching — January 2022
Kick off the new year (or ride out the post-NYE hangover?) with this month’s installation of What We’re Watching, which includes everything from quick edits to a couple of feature-length ski, bike and climbing films.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Emilie Siegenthaler on the New Downhill Rider’s Association (Ep.135)
We sat down with Emilie Siegenthaler to chat about the newly formed World Cup DH rider’s association and her role as a rider representative, what we can expect for the upcoming season, and a whole lot more.
The Alchemist co-founder & brewer, John Kimmich, Part 1 (Ep.6)
With Heady Topper, John Kimmich created one of the most sought-after beers in the world, and effectively created the profile of the modern IPA. Here in Part 1, we talk to John about his path to opening The Alchemist with his wife, Jen, in 2003; the business — and current landscape — of craft beer; what distinguishes great beer from mediocre beer; and more.
Rossignol Hi-Speed Elite 130 Carbon LV
Here are our measured specs, images, and initial impressions of the new Rossignol Hi-Speed Elite 130 Carbon LV boot.
Flash Review — Intense Tracer 279
Update 9.13.22: Dylan Wood adds his initial impressions of the Intense Tracer 279.
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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High Above Nova Hip Pack
We’ve been impressed with a number of High Above’s hip packs over the years, and their new, less-expensive Nova model is also excellent.
Davy Crockett on the History of 100-Milers, Ultrarunning in the 1800s, and the G.O.A.T. Debate (Ep.137)
On this week’s episode of Off The Couch, we trace the development of the 100-mile footrace in America with ultrarunning historian, Davy Crockett, before busting some myths about the Western States 100, debating the greatest ultrarunner of all time, and much more.
Blister Brand Guide: Dynafit Running Shoe Lineup, 2022
Since debuting their first line of technical footwear for mountain running in 2011, Dynafit has expanded into everything from ultra-distance models to those specific to shorter efforts in technical terrain. Check out our 2022 Brand Guide to see what’s new from them this year.
Mountain Towns & Local Food Systems, Pt. 3: Chris Rubens on Skiing & Farming in Revelstoke (Ep.226)
Why did one of the best freeride skiers of the past 20 years become a farmer? We talk to Chris Rubens about starting First Light Farm with his partner, Jesse, in Revelstoke, BC; the parallels between skiing & farming; and why Chris finds farming to be so meaningful.
Pro Ski & Mountain Service
With a knowledgeable and extremely qualified staff dedicated to customer service, Pro Ski and Mountain Service is our top choice of ski shop in the North Bend area.
Win POC Helmets & Eyewear
This week our lucky winner will get to pick between POC’s Enduro-oriented Otocon helmet + Ora goggle combo or their Trail-oriented Kortal helmet + Devour sunglasses!
Blister Labs: Product Manufacturers vs. Researchers & Reviewers (Ep.213)
Can engineering actually help us discover real-world characteristics about products that will be meaningful to end users? Or, when we incorporate quantitative data, do we mostly run the risk of having that data leading people astray? We discuss with Thomas Laakso, the vice president of product and operations at DPS Skis, and Dr. Sean Humbert of Blister Labs.
Deep Dive: Santa Cruz Hightower 3
We compare the Santa Cruz Hightower 3 to the Hightower 2, Guerrilla Gravity Smash, Santa Cruz Bronson, Yeti SB130, We Are One Arrival, Antidote Carbonjack, Orbea and Occam LT.
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.)