BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Amateur Hour: Blister reviewer, Kristin Sinnott, on Making Homemade Ice Cream (Ep.67)
Jonathan talks with Blister reviewer & Blister Summit director, Kristin Sinnott, about her lifelong love of ice cream; what we should know about making ice cream at home; and why she always hunts for small-batch ice cream when she’s traveling.
Flash Review: Specialized’s Updated Butcher and Eliminator
Specialized’s changes to the Butcher and Eliminator are a case of incremental improvement, but those updates are ones we’re awfully excited about. Do those tweaks add up to upgraded performance? Our Flash Review covers our initial impressions after some on-trail time.
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Revel Bikes Is Closing
Revel Bikes is closing shop. Here’s what we know so far.
Flash Review: Kona Hei Hei 10
The Kona Hei Hei has taken many forms over its 30+ year history. So, where does the most current, 10th generation of the Hei Hei sit in the market? We’ve been spending some time on it and have some 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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Mountain Gazette’s Mike Rogge on the Natural Selection Ski Comp; Old Gear; “Outdoor” Movies; & More (Ep.353)
Mountain Gazette owner & editor, Mike Rogge, is back to talk about Travis Rice’s Natural Selection SKI comp; the virtues of crappy old gear; Jim Morrison’s trip report in the new issue of Mountain Gazette; Mike’s unorthodox picks for movies to cover on Blister Cinematic; & more.
2025-2026 Dynafit Ridge Pro Ski Boot
The Ridge Pro is the latest collab between Dynafit and Eric ‘Hoji’ Hjorleifson, and it’s proven to offer a really impressive blend of uphill efficiency and downhill capability — but there are some caveats to consider. Check out our Full Review for the whole story.
Santa Cruz Vala
The Vala brings about a couple of firsts for Santa Cruz — their first Horst Link bike and their first Bosch-powered eMTB. After several months on board the Vala, it’s left quite an impression. Find out why in our Full Review.
Deep Dive: Santa Cruz Vala
We compare the Santa Cruz Vala to the Cannondale Moterra SL, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay, Pivot Shuttle AM, Devinci E-Troy, and Orbea Wild.
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: 25/26 Völkl Mantra 88
Völkl is updating the Mantra 88 next season, and the new version has been impressive so far — here are Jonathan’s initial takeaways.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025-2026 Völkl Mantra 88
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the updated Völkl Mantra 88.
Reviewer Reports: Closing-Day Setups, Trip Reports, Cody’s Surprise Visit, & More (Ep.343)
Luke, Kara, Jonathan, and Jbobb discuss a whole bunch of ski and snowboard gear they’ve been testing — and the very different locations and conditions where that testing has taken place.
Win PHANTOM Glide Ski / Snowboard Kits
The five winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a PHANTOM Glide Single Application Kit!
DT Swiss EXC 1200 Classic Wheels
DT Swiss’s 1700-series wheels are deservedly popular as higher-end aluminum options that come in at a reasonable price, but what about their flagship 1200-series carbon models? We’ve spent a ton of time on the Enduro-oriented EXC 1200 Classic wheelset to find out. Here’s our Full Review.
Flash Review: 25/26 La Sportiva Sender
The Sender is a new freeride-touring boot from La Sportiva, and it’s proven to be an interesting option during our initial testing. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.
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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Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion (Ep.270)
Cascade Components is best known for making aftermarket suspension links to change the leverage curve of a wide range of bikes, but they’ve just launched something much more radical: a high-pivot conversion kit for the current Specialized Stumpjumper. So we sat down with them to discuss why, how, and what they learned from the project.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
2024-2025 Salomon MTN 96 Carbon
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Salomon MTN 96 Carbon.
2025 Nicolai / Geometron G1
Geometron arguably did more than anyone else to spur on the geometry revolution that mountain bikes underwent over the last decade or so. Their second-generation G1 doesn’t appear to be as radical as the original one in some respects, but it’s a more refined, modern take on an aggressive, ultra-adjustable Enduro bike.
Deep Dive: Nicolai / Geometron G1
We compare the Nicolai / Geometron G1 to first-generation G1, RAAW Madonna V3, Privateer 161 V2, Chromag Lowdown, and Contra MC.
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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‘Jeremiah Johnson’ w/ Mike Rogge & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.37)
‘Jeremiah Johnson’ stars one of the most famous actors of all time, Robert Redford. But why did Mike Rogge want to discuss this film that came out 53 years ago? Why was it so important to Robert Redford? And how did it inspire one of the most popular GIFs / memes today??
SRAM GX Transmission Upgrade Kit
SRAM just launched the new 70 and 90-series mechanical versions of their T-Type groupsets. Now there’s a cheaper way to convert a mechanical Transmission setup to the GX wireless version.
2024-2025 ON3P Woodsman 92
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the ON3P Woodsman 92.
Flash Review: Öhlins RXF36 m.3
The changes Öhlins made to the latest m.3 generation RXF36 look more like subtle refinements than a major overhaul on paper, but small tweaks can make a big difference when it comes to suspension performance. Check out how our time with the RXF36 m.3 is going so far.
Craig ‘Weazy’ Murray on Winning Natural Selections’ 1st SKI Comp; GRITT; & More (Ep.356)
We go behind the scenes of Natural Selection’s first ski comp with Craig ‘Weazy’ Murray, winner of the men’s division. We also talk about Weazy’s other passions, including riding mtn bikes at an increasingly high level, and why his work with GRITT means so much to him.
Flash Review: 25/26 Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition
Elan’s “Black Edition” skis are meant to serve as higher-end versions of their existing models, and we’ve been spending time on the latest blacked-out version of the Ripstick 102. Here are 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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2025-2026 Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Elan Ripstick 102 Black Edition.
Rocky Mountain to Reboot Under New Ownership
Rocky Mountain has been going through financial difficulties and restructuring. They’re now under new ownership, with plans to resume new bike development and push the brand forward.
Reviewer Reports: Testing at Palisades, Ski Touring Gear, Favorite Ski Socks & Midlayers (Ep.346)
Luke, Kristin, and Jonathan discuss some of the skis, boots, and bindings that have stood out during their recent testing; Luke’s experience at Palisades Tahoe + Level 1 SuperUnknown; which ski socks they each used most this season; some interesting new midlayers, & more.