BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
What We’re Watching — November 2021
This month’s What We’re Watching features a baker’s dozen ski, bike, and freedive(?) videos for your viewing pleasure.
Nordica Announces New Santa Ana & Enforcer Unlimited Skis
Nordica just announced their first line of touring-oriented skis. We’ll be spending time on them soon, but in the meantime, learn more about the new skis here.
Shop Talk: Vertical Playground, Oppdal Norway (Ep.169)
Once upon a time, a couple of friends who were scheming to get some gear for their own adventures ended up creating a phenomenal outdoor shop. We talk to Trygve Sande and Rune Kvalsnes about the origins of Vertical Playground; their trip with Hoji where the idea of the 4FRNT Raven was born; some of their favorite gear; and more.
Women’s Bike Jersey Roundup — 2021
Whether your jerseys are looking pretty worn after a long summer or your bike season is just starting, this roundup is for you.
Win The New J Skis Masterblaster
This week the winner will get J Skis’ updated, metal-laminate all-mountain ski!
Reviewer Reports: Santa Cruz Bronson, Norco Range, We Are One Arrival, & More (Ep.90)
We’ve been testing a lot of bikes of late, so we sat down to give a rundown of what we’ve been riding, including the Santa Cruz Bronson, We Are One Arrival, Norco Range, and more.
Reserve Fillmore Tubeless Valves
Tubeless valves aren’t typically the most “exciting” things out there, but Reserve Wheels have made a genuinely better one, dubbed the Fillmore. Check out what makes them so special.
Hope Evo Crankset
Hope’s updated Evo crankset is reportedly designed for everything from XC to DH, and it stands out from most aluminum cranks due to its low weight & made-in-UK design. Check out our review for more on how it compares to the competition.
10 Barrel Brewing x Protect Our Winters: PRAY FOR POW
Here’s our take on this great beer for a good cause.
adidas Terrex Two Ultra
The Terrex Two Ultra is designed to offer comfort during long trail runs, and for the right person, it could be excellent. Check out our review to see if you should have it on your list.
Full Stack Supply Co. (Faction Skis & FW Apparel) Announces New Ski Boot Brand
Today it was announced that the parent company of Faction Skis & FW Apparel will be launching a new ski boot brand next season.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (Oct 2021) (Ep.188)
Cody and Jonathan discuss ‘fast pass’ programs at ski areas; Angel Collinson’s retirement announcement; the recent climate change / energy bill; bighorn sheep terrain closures in the Tetons; what we’re reading & watching; and more.
Stuff We Like: October 2021
Our latest Stuff We Like roundup features everything from paddleboards to beer, MTB tires to water bottles, a whole lot of apparel, and more.
Debatable: The Worst Bike Maintenance Task
What’s the worst bike maintenance task you can think of? In this edition of our “Debatable” series, our editor lays out his nomination, and his potential solutions to it.
Pete Wagner on Wagner’s new Summit Skis, Avalanche Cores, & Niehues Collab (Ep.168)
We talk to Pete Wagner about three big new things happening at Wagner Custom Skis, where everything is built right in Telluride, Colorado.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Trail Running Glossary of Terms: Trail Running Shoe Materials & Tech
As much as footwear brands try to simplify how they market the technology that goes into their shoes, making sense of all the different types of plastics, fabrics, and foams out there can be confusing. So, in our second installment in our Trail Running Glossary of Terms series, we’ve put together a list of some of the most common materials used to construct shoes, along with some of their benefits and drawbacks.
Reynolds on the Environmental Footprint of Bike Manufacturing (Ep.131)
We chatted with Reynolds about their new environmental impact study and what they learned about the emissions output from making bike frames. We also get into recycling & why some materials are better suited to it than others; how Reynolds hopes to be a blueprint for other brands to take studying their own output more seriously; and touch on everything from Spitfire airplanes to Roman swords and classic Jaguar race cars along the way.
2023 RockShox ZEB
RockShox recently gave their longest-travel single-crown fork, the ZEB, a major overhaul, and the new fork is a big improvement in several key areas — without really compromising what the previous version already did very well. Check out our full review for the rundown, including how it compares to the Fox 38 and Öhlins RXF38.
A Very Deep Dive on Coffee w/ Sam Higby of First Ascent (Ep.2)
We discuss the difference between very good and very bad instant coffee; light roasts vs. dark roasts; the brewing process; brewing coffee at altitude; how to make great coffee on a budget; and more.
The Other 99%
Kicking off our Open Mic series is Angel Collinson, who shares some of her thoughts on purpose, mindfulness, and leaning into 100% of life — not just the peak experiences.
Reviewer Reports: On Running vs. Skiing, Go-to Gear, & Ramen Bombs (Ep.133)
Matt Mitchell and Drew Kelly sat down to compare notes on how their summer mountain runnings seasons have played out, including the ways Drew sees his skiing translate to the trails, gear picks for all-day epics, the (in)famous “Ramen Bomb,” and more.
LoamLab Components Grips and Counterpunch
A lot of mountain bikers have probably crashed by clipping a tree with the outside of their bar. LoamLab’s Counterpunch is meant to save folks from some of those crashes (and potential broken pinkies) with a subtle aluminum guard that replaces the outer clamp of a lock-on grip — and having gone and punched some trees with them, they work.
Protect Our Winters’ Mario Molina on the New Climate Bill (Ep.222)
The United States Congress just passed a historic climate bill, so we spoke with the executive director of POW, Mario Molina, to discuss the backstory and details of the bill, and what needs to happen now.
Blister Brand Guide: Scarpa Trail Running Shoe Lineup, 2022
Scarpa, often known for their mountaineering and skiing equipment, has turned out numerous trail running shoes over the past few years. In 2022, they’ve expanded their tidy lineup to include niche options for technical terrain, racing, road-to-trail, and more. Check out our Brand Guide to get the rundown on all of the different models from Scarpa this year.
Reviewing the Reviewer: Kara Williard (Ep.209)
Our resident ski reviewer, bike tester, boot fitter, and sustainable farmer, Kara Williard, is in the hot seat to cover everything from ski and bike gear preferences to scorpion-eating chickens; her stint as a Tall-Tee-clad park rat; whether goalie gloves smell worse than sweaty ski boots; and much more.
Win Running Vests from Naked Sports Innovations
This week TWO lucky winners will each get Naked Sports Innovations’ High Capacity Running Vest + their Drink Tube Kit!
2022 Rocky Mountain Element
The Rocky Mountain Element has long been a traditional XC race bike, but the new one very much is not. It’s got a bunch more suspension travel and wildly more aggressive geometry than the bike it replaced, but still maintains a fair bit of XC influence, too. So how does that all add up, and who is it going to work best for?