BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Baby / Child Carriers Roundup
For the active parents out there, we’ve just updated our child-carriers roundup, including the popular and recently overhauled Osprey Poco Plus backpack.
Win Shoes, Shorts, & a Top from New Balance
This week TWO people will each get a pair of shoes from New Balance, and get to pick from any of their shorts and tees / tanks!
Flash Review: 20/21 Salomon QST 118
Update 7.3.20: Jonathan Ellsworth weighs in on the Salomon QST 118.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2020 Revel Rail
We’ve now had two reviewers riding Revel’s 165mm-travel bike, the Rail, and they’ve both come away very impressed by its versatility. Check out our full review to see why, and how it compares to some other options in its class.
Our Favorite Kid’s Gear, Part 1 (Ep.105)
Kristin Sinnott and Justin Bobb join Jonathan Ellsworth to talk about some of the kid’s gear they’ve found to be the most game changing. And even if you don’t have kids, you should still listen to learn about a piece of gear that we’ve currently named, “The JBobber.” And there’s another piece of equipment that currently has a unanimous approval rating among our Blister parents, and might be the single greatest piece of kid’s gear of all time? Check it out.
The History & Future of the BC Bike Race with Dean Payne & Simon Stewart (Ep. 29)
We talk with Dean Payne, the president and co-founder of the BC Bike Race, about the origins and evolution of one of the most epic bike races and events in the world. And Simon Stewart (aka, Mr. Tank Driver) is sitting in as co-host to discuss with Dean all things BC Bike Race, the world’s largest hockey stick, drinking with Russell Crowe, and what goes into putting together an event like this.
WTB Verdict & Judge
The Judge & Verdict are two of WTB’s newest, aggressive tire options and we’ve put around 500 miles on them. Check out our review to see what makes them stand out in this crowded category, and how they compare to similar options like the Maxxis Minion DHF & DHRII.
Abby & Cordis Hall on Couple Goals, FKTs, & their Pfiffner Traverse ‘Date Run’ (Ep. 56)
Abby and Cordis Hall are both very good runners who both run for Adidas TERREX and who both recently set FKTs for the Cottonwood Marble Loop in Death Valley. And Abby and Cordis are soon going to both be going after another FKT, this time, on the rather gnarly Pfiffner Traverse. So we discuss all of that, plus the benefits and challenges that arise when your partner is also a competitive runner. And we also talk about a current rule that is in place specifically for women’s FKTs that deserves to be re-considered.
2021 Transition Spur
Transition just announced a new addition to their lineup: the 120mm-travel, 29”-wheeled Spur. Check out our First Look for more on the new “All-Country” bike and how its design compares to the current crop of shorter-travel 29ers.
What You Need to Know – and Do – about the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) (Ep. 134)
You are probably familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but what do you know about the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)? NEPA is a critical piece of legislation, and each of us needs to understand what it does and why it matters so much — especially since some major changes to NEPA are being proposed that could have extremely serious environmental and human rights consequences. So to help us understand the high stakes of the changes being proposed, we spoke to Hilary Eisen, the policy director for the Winter Wildlands Alliance.
La Sportiva Helios III
When it was first introduced, the Helios was an outlier in the La Sportiva trail running lineup — an ultralight, minimal, flexible shoe for mellower terrain. They recently brought back the Helios and we think the new Helios III is the most refined version yet. Check out our review.
Backcountry Access Announces Software Update for Tracker2 Avalanche Transceivers
BCA just announced a free software update for their popular Tracker2 transceiver. Learn more about how to take advantage of it here.
2021-2022 4FRNT Raven
For the 20/21 season, 4FRNT is offering a new, special edition of their excellent Raven ski. Check out our First Look & Flash Review for more on this collab with Eric Hjorleifson & Pomoca, and how the newest Raven compares to the rest of the market.
Win Hiking Shoes from Tecnica
This week TWO people will each get a pair of Tecnica’s customizable Plasma S shoes!
2021-2022 Black Crows Atris
This past season we had two reviewers spending time on the latest iteration of the playful “big-mountain” ski in the Black Crows lineup, the Atris, and you can now check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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.
21/22 Black Crows Mirus Cor
We’ve got another update on Black Crows’ new, strange carver, and it’s a bit surprising.
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.)
Marcus Caston on the Return of the Turn (Ep.192)
When it comes to true ‘all-mountain’ skiing, Marcus Caston makes one of the nicest turns in the game. He’s also got one of our favorite video series, Return of the Turn. So we talked to Marcus about the new episode; coaching; why people think he’s from the East Coast; and we discuss some Best / Worst episode ideas. (Paging Glen Plake…)
Blacked-Out Top Sheets & Objective Ski Testing
On our latest GEAR:30 podcast, we were discussing the best and worst practices for testing skis. This raised the question: would blacking out the top sheets of skis produce more objective results? Here is our take. Give it a read, and let us know what you think.
Debatable: Bigger Isn’t Always Better
The bike industry likes touting stiffer parts as being better, but our Bike Editor makes the case for why that doesn’t always pan out.
Shop Talk: Pulling Back the Curtain on Gear Testing (Ep.172)
Today we’re talking all things ski testing, and to provide their wealth of experience in this arena are The Ski Monster’s George Michaelsen and Matt Berkowitz. We discuss good ways and bad ways to conduct gear tests; how and why The Ski Monster has been able to ramp up the amount of gear testing they’re doing; and why not all gear tests are created equal.