BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

Flash Review: 21/22 Shaggy’s Brockway 90
Here are some of our initial thoughts about Shaggy’s wide-ish, piste-oriented ski.
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2022 Canyon Torque
Canyon’s Enduro / Freeride bike, the Torque, just got a big update — including all the wheel size options. Check out our First Look for all the details.

Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2021 — Under The Tree
Next up in our 2021 Gift Guide are the items that our reviewers think will make an awesome addition beneath the tree this holiday season.

Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (Nov 2021) (Ep.193)
Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest ski edit of all time; the definition of “ski mountaineering”; whether humans will visit earth as a tourist destination; Alex Honnold & the Fifty Project; and more.

We Are One Arrival
We’ve now spent a lot of time on the We Are One Arrival and it’s one of the most impressive bikes we’ve been on this year — at least for the right rider.

Jonathan’s Sleep Experiment
Our founder has historically been downright terrible in terms of sleeping enough, but he’s now trying to change that. In this ongoing series, he’s documenting the things he’s been reading and listening to to help with the process, and some of the tips, tricks, habits, and products he’s been using.

What We’re Watching — December 2021
This month’s iteration of What We’re Watching includes a whole bunch of skiing and mountain biking videos from a huge range of athletes — and a physics video thrown in, for good measure.

The Pro’s Gear: Hadley Hammer (Ep.173)
We talk to professional skier, Hadley Hammer, about the gear she’s most & least picky about; her own gear preferences; and we fight about The Queen’s Gambit.

Win Any Head Kore Ski
Enter for a chance to win some new lightweight freeride skis!

Flash Review: 21/22 Head Kore 87
Here are some of our initial thoughts on the narrowest ski in the Kore lineup.
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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Cedric Eveleigh of LAL Bikes, on Reinventing the Derailleur (Ep.94)
Mountain bike derailleurs have improved immensely, but is there a better way entirely? Cedric Eveleigh thinks so, and he founded LAL Bikes to make his Supre Drive a reality. We sat down with Cedric to break down this extremely promising new design, and get the full story on its development, the next steps, and more.

Flash Review: 21/22 Salomon Stance W 88
Check out our initial impressions of this metal-laminate women’s all-mountain ski from Salomon.
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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Topo Athletic Mtn Racer 2
The new Topo Athletic Mtn Racer 2 is in contention to be our running editor’s favorite long-distance mountain running shoe of the year. Check out his review to see why, and why this 2nd version is such an improvement over the original.

4-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (21/22)
Check out Part Two of our reviewers’ 4-ski quiver picks, with additions from Paul Forward, Kristin Sinnott, Eric Freson, Jonathan Ellsworth, & Dylan Wood.

Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2021 — Stocking Stuffers
It’s once again the season for giving, and we are back with our annual Gift Guides to help you think creatively about some of the gifts you give this year. We’re kicking things off with 19 stocking stuffer ideas.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

Rod Farvard on UTMB, “Hobby Jogging,” & Making the Transition from Triathlon to the Trails (Ep.136)
On this week’s episode of Off The Couch, we sat down with ultrarunner Rod Farvard a week removed from finishing 5th American at this year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc to talk about his first time racing on an international stage; how he made the jump from triathlon to trail running; “hobby jogging”; and a whole lot more.

2022 Pivot Firebird
Pivot talks a big game about the Firebird being a hardcore Enduro race bike first and foremost, and having spent several months on the bike, they’re right to — it’s a good one.

Blister Brand Guide: Scott Running Shoe Lineup, 2022
Scott has quietly been making a wide range of performance footwear for both roads and trails since 2006, when they contracted a research and development lab in Portland, Oregon to help them design a lineup of shoes to meet the diverse demands of their athletes. Now over 15 years old, Scott’s trail and road running lines continue to offer innovative options for all sorts of runners. Check out our Brand Guide to learn more.

Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (August 2022) (Ep.225)
Cody and Jonathan discuss what’s going on at the National Ski Patrol; the proposed Little Cottonwood Canyon Gondola; “pigloos”; mountain-town advice; what we’re reading & watching; and more.

Hickory & Tweed
This family-owned-and-operated ski shop provides excellent customer service, with a major focus on quality in-store experiences for every customer.

Blister Brand Guide: Craft Running Shoe Lineup, 2022
Craft is perhaps better known for making moisture-wicking technical layers than shoes, but since breaking into the footwear space a few years ago, they’ve already turned out an impressive lineup of innovative shoes for roads, trails, and everything in between. Check out our 2022 Brand Guide to see what’s new from Craft this year and which of their models might make the most sense for you.

A Very Deep Dive on Bootfitting, Pt 1: The Basics (Ep.212)
Few things in the world of ski gear are as complex, important, or misunderstood as bootfitting. So in this 1st episode of our new series on bootfitting, we dive into the basics with Sam Tischendorf, Masterfit University instructor, former clinical podiatrist, and lead bootfitter.

Flash Review — Pivot Shadowcat
Update 9.2.22: Luke Koppa is now the third reviewer we’ve had on Pivot’s new lightweight, 27.5″ Trail bike, and he’s a fan — check out his 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.
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.)

9point8 Fall Line Dropper Post
The 9point8 Fall Line is a lightweight dropper post with a bunch of unusual features that set it apart from many of its competitors.

Win a Sleep System from Zenbivy
This week’s lucky winner will get Zenbivy’s MotoBed — one of our favorite sleep systems for comfortable year-round car camping!

Dillon Osleger on Historic Trails, Changing Climates, & Evolving Communities (Ep.133)
On this week’s episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we chatted with professional mountain biker, trail builder, and climate scientist, Dillon Osleger, about Rezduro; the Protect Our Winters Bike Alliance; trail building and advocacy; the development of mountain biking as both a sport and a community; and much more.

What is Natural Wine? Danielle & Katie Nichols of CORK, Stowe, VT (Ep.4)
To find out, we talked with Danielle and Katie Nichols, the two amazing sisters behind CORK Restaurant & Natural Wine Shop. Danielle and Katie provide a fantastic introduction and overview of natural wine, explain how they got into it; and they tell us about “Twinkie Wines,” too.