BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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
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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.
Flash Review: 22/23 Icelantic Saba Pro 117
We just spent a day on Icelantic’s reverse-camber pow ski, the Saba Pro 117 — check out our 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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Flash Review: 22/23 Atomic Bent 110
Update 2.22.22: We just got back on the Bent 110 at the Blister Summit, this time with 8″ of new snow. Check out some of our additional 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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Logan Williams on the Black Canyon 100k; Recovery; & Running as an Art Form (Ep.108)
Our running editor, Matt Mitchell, sat down with Salomon athlete Logan Williams to discuss his recent top 10 finish at the Black Canyon 100K. This top-10 finish happened after Logan ruptured his achilles last year at Black Canyon, so Logan talks about what returning to the scene of the crime meant for him; his relationship with injury; how he’s recovering from racing 62 miles through the desert; his thoughts on running as an artform, and a whole lot more.
Blister Summit 2022: Panel Session Topics, Participants, & Schedule
Here’s a rundown on all of the panel discussions we’ll be hosting at our 2022 Blister Summit, as well as a schedule, list of panelists, and a way for you to submit your own questions for all panel discussions.
Blister Summit Panel Session Topics & Speakers + Product Design & Innovation (Ep.185)
We give an update on the topics we’ll be discussing at our upcoming Blister Summit, and tell you who the athletes, founders, product designers, and snow safety experts are that we’ll be discussing these things with. Then, we’re reposting a fantastic conversation on product design and innovation — it’s a must-listen for anyone interested in either of those things.
2022-2023 4FRNT Hoji
The middle ski in Eric Hjorleifson’s signature series got a big update this season, and we think the changes make for a notably more versatile ski — whether you use it in the backcountry or at the resort. Check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons of the Hoji.
Deep Dive: 4FRNT Hoji
We compare the Hoji to the 4FRNT Renegade, 4FRNT Raven, 4FRNT Devastator, WNDR Alpine Intention 110, Black Crows Corvus, Salomon QST Blank, 4FRNT Inthayne, Black Crows Anima, Line Vision 118, K2 Reckoner 112, Moment Deathwish, J Skis Friend, Wagner Summit 106, Head Kore 111, RMU YLE 110, Sego Comp 110, Icelantic Nomad 105, Nordica Enforcer 110 Free, and J Skis Slacker.
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.)
Win Kästle Skis
This week the winner of our Gear Giveaway will get a pair of the Kästle ZX100, their all-round, playful freeride ski.
Starling Cycles on Simplicity, Design, & Building Bikes in a Shed (Ep.105)
Starling Cycles have made a name for themselves building simple, elegant steel single-pivot bikes, and we sat down with founder Joe McEwan to talk about going from working on aerospace composites to building metal bikes, his thoughts on bike design — including why simpler is often better — and a whole lot more.
On the Creation of a “Hyper-Performance” Trail Shoe Company: Speedland (Ep.107)
Why would two friends who’d been working at the highest levels of product design at Nike and Under Armour leave to create a hyper-specific, hyper-performance trail running shoe company? We talk to Speedland co-founders, Dave Dombrow and Kevin fallon to get the answers; to learn about their journeys into and through the design world; and to discuss the design elements of what a “hyper-performance” trail shoe looks like to them.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Win Glade Goggles & a Helmet
This week the winner of our weekly Gear Giveaway will get Glade’s brand new Adapt 2 Goggles and Boundary Helmet!
A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt. 4: Big-Mountain Freeride Bootfitting with Fasa (Ep.221)
For the fourth installment of our Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, we talked with Fasa, who not only works at the Moment Ski Factory, but also happens to run one of the best bootfitting shops in the Reno area. Fasa runs us through what a “big-mountain freeride” approach to bootfitting looks like; how his background in running informs his understanding of feet and biomechanics; some weirdness about what athletes can tolerate, and much more.
Altra Outroad
The Outroad is Altra’s first true hybrid running shoe designed to transition between roads and trails with ease — here are our thoughts on how well it blurs those lines.
The Orogenesis Collective on Building the World’s Longest MTB Trail (Ep.142)
What if there was a Pacific Crest Trail, but for mountain bikes? The Orogenesis Collective is making it happen, with the planned route covering over 5,000 miles and spanning three countries. So we sat down to chat about the route, the story behind its founding, what you can do to help, & much more.
The Art & Science of Whiskey, with Liz Rhoades, WhistlePig (Ep.12)
We sat down with the head of whiskey development at WhistlePig, Liz Rhoades, to dive deep into the art and science of distilling, sourcing, yeast strains, specific types of rye, non-alcoholic whiskey, and … WhistlePig’s new bourbon.
e*thirteen Grappler Tire
e*thirteen calls the Grappler their most aggressive tire ever, meant for steep terrain across a range of conditions. Check out our full review to see how it stacks up against some other tires that claim the same.
Next Level Mtn Bike Wheel Testing | Blister Labs
In this video we provide a behind-the-scenes look at our latest testing of various mountain bike wheels’ performance characteristics — check it out to see what we’ve been up to!
What Does it Mean to be an ‘Outdoors’ Person?
There are 50 million “outdoors people” in the U.S., and Sander provides his thoughts on some of the interests — and responsibilities — that link pretty much all of them.
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.