BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
The Ski Monster
The Ski Monster is our go-to shop in Boston, MA, for all things ski- and snowboard-related.
Your Fully Customizable Dream Build? Introducing Sherpa Custom Mountain Bikes (Ep.39)
What if you could buy a bike without immediately looking to swap out a bunch of the stock parts? And what if this dream build of yours was competitively priced? Sherpa Custom Mountain Bikes is a brand-new company that allows you to customize every part and color of your new bike, with over 1,000,000 combinations to choose from; their “photorealistic 3D dream builder” provides life-like graphics that allow you to scrutinize every detail of your custom build; and they’re also offering a life-time warranty on their frames and rims. Sound too good to be true? We sat down with the founders of Sherpa to question them about this intriguing ambitious new venture.
Ryan Hall on His First Ultra; Performance & Weight; Proper Perspective; & More (Ep.66)
Ryan Hall is a two-time Olympian and is the only American to run a sub-2:05:00 marathon. But these days, Ryan is far more focused on lifting, yet he just completed his first ultramarathon — and he did it in the most ‘Off The Couch’ way possible. So we sat down with Ryan in Blister HQ to talk about his first ultra; finding proper perspective; weight & performance; and more.
Blister Brand Guide: Hoka One One Shoe Lineup, 2020
Hoka’s shoe lineup is now more diverse than ever: they still make plenty of maximal, high-cushion shoes, but they also offer a lot of more minimal options for both roads and trails, as well many casual variations designed to bring the brand’s comfy, plush ride to everyday shoes. Check out our Brand Guide for a rundown on their entire 2020 lineup.
Jeremy Jones on His New Film, Purple Mountains (Ep.142)
We talk to snowboarder & Protect Our Winters founder, Jeremy Jones, about his new film; the importance of reviving a lost art; and more.
Shaggy’s Skis 20/21 Lineup + Luke & Drew Ski Pow on 9.9.20 (Ep.113)
We talk to Northern-Michigan-based Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis co-founder & product engineer, Jeff Thompson, about their 20/21 lineup; their unusual “nanoMag” construction; and more. Then Luke Koppa talks about skiing pow this week (??) in Crested Butte.
Win a Jacket from Dark Peak
The winner this week will get a men’s or women’s insulated jacket from Dark Peak!
The Strangest Bike? Structure Cycleworks founder, Loni Hull (Ep.38)
Structure Cycleworks arguably makes the coolest bikes out there — or the ugliest bikes out there. So we talked to their founder, Loni Hull, about why he introduced a front-linkage suspension design; why rear-linkage designs are everywhere, while front-linkage designs are utterly uncommon; and the pros and cons of bringing such an unorthodox bike to market. So whether you are a true bike dork or you just appreciate outside-the-box thinking and design, consider this a ‘Must-Listen.’
4FRNT SKIS Gets New Owners
Jason Levinthal has sold 4FRNT. Here’s the deal, and some thoughts from Hoji.
Blister Brand Guide: Altra Running Shoe Lineup, 2020
Interested in Altra’s road or trail shoes but not sure where to start? Check out our Brand Guide, where we cover their entire 2020 lineup, highlight what’s changed since last year, and help you differentiate between all of their shoes.
La Sportiva Lycan II
The original La Sportiva Lycan was designed to be a softer, wider, and more cushioned shoe for mellow, smooth trails. But with the new Lycan II, they went in a very different direction, positioning it as a mid-distance shoe for “rocky and highly technical terrain.” So how do the two versions compare, and why should you opt for the Lycan II over Sportiva’s numerous other “mountain running” shoes?
2021 Privateer 141
Today Privateer launched their second bike, the 141, which maintains much of the modern geometry, sensible design, and very competitive price point of their Enduro-oriented 161 bike, but packages it into a shorter-travel, more versatile design for the masses. The result seems very compelling — check out our First Look for more.
Win a Men’s or Women’s Flylow Outerwear Kit
The winner this week will get both a jacket & shell from Flylow’s 20/21 collection!
Men’s Mountain Bike Jersey Roundup — 2020
We’ve rounded up 11 men’s mtb jerseys that our reviewers have been using for the past 1-2 seasons — many of which are currently on sale. Check out our roundup to see how they compare, and which ones might work well for how and where you ride.
Evolving Bike Geometry & the New Trek Slash (Ep.37)
Today, Trek officially released an update of their enduro-focused Slash, so we offer our initial impressions of the new bike and ask what this big new release might be able to tell us about where we are in terms of the evolution of bike geometry. To this end, we also talk about a couple other examples, including the Pivot Switchblade and the Rocky Mountain Instinct BC.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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
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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.
Over The Edge
Over The Edge has more than 25 years of experience as a core mountain bike shop, dedicated to serving their customers with top notch sales and service, as well as leading trail building efforts in their communities.
ON3P Skis 22/23 Lineup with Scott Andrus (Ep.177)
We talk with ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, about what’s been going on at ON3P, and we walk through the brand’s 22/23 lineup of skis.
Win Season Skis or Boards
Enter for a chance to win any Season snowboard or pair of skis you want!
Deep Dive: Lange Ski Boots Brand Lineup, 21/22
Second in our new Deep Dive series on ski boot lines is the 21/22 Lange ski boot collection, which includes everything from racing to free-touring boots, and we discuss all notable specs, features, most similar boots from other brands, and more. Become a Deep Dive subscriber or Blister Member to check it out.
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.)
Michele Graglia on Success & Struggle (Ep.102)
Michele Graglia has racked up a number of major victories in his career, including wins at the Badwater 135, Yukon Arctic Ultra, the Moab 240, and more. But in this conversation, we focus on some of Michele’s recent struggles, disappointments, and difficulties, and Michele talks about what he’s learned along the way — and what he’s still learning.