BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

2020-2021 Venture Carbon Storm Splitboard
Venture designed their Carbon Storm splitboard to handle everything from tight tree lines to big, open faces. While we often hear things like that, we don’t think Venture’s claims are far off. The Carbon Storm is a very versatile, approachable splitboard for the masses — check out our full review.

Chasing John Colter & Recreating the Colter Route (Ep. 40)
Simply put, the exploits of the explorer, John Colter (who was a member of Lewis & Clarke’s famous expedition), are mind boggling. And in their short film, “Colter: A Legacy of Adventure,” Sawyer Thomas and Riis Wilbrecht set out to venture through the territory John Colter had explored two centuries ago, across some of the most remote terrain in the lower 48 states. So we talked to Sawyer and Riis about John Colter and why they chose this particular adventure; the (serious) difficulty of running, skiing, and trekking through this terrain; the logistics of shooting this film; and more.

2021-2022 Rossignol BLACKOPS Sender Ti
Rossignol shocked a lot of us when they announced that they’re killing off their “7” series and replacing it with the very different BLACKOPS collection. Well, we’ve now spent a good chunk of time on one of the new skis, the BLACKOPS Sender Ti — check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons.

Deep Dive: Rossignol BLACKOPS Sender Ti
We compare the BLACKOPS Sender Ti to the Black Crows Corvus, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Folsom Blister Pro 104, Fischer Ranger 102 FR, Volkl Mantra 102, Fischer Ranger 107 Ti, Nordica Enforcer 100, ON3P Woodsman 108, ON3P Wrenegade 108, Moment Wildcat 108, Blizzard Cochise, Salomon QST 106, K2 Mindbender 108 Ti, Moment Commander 108, Blizzard Rustler 10, and 4FRNT MSP 107.
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.)

TREW Capow Jacket & Bib
TREW designed their touring-oriented Capow kit with the help of CAPOW Guiding, and we’ve had two reviewers using it for everything from long days on the skin track to laps in the resort. Check out our full review.

Flash Review: 19/20 Moment Commander 118
Check out Eric Freson’s initial on-snow impressions of Moment’s big gun, the Commander 118.
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.)

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 Trail
The Air Zoom Pegasus 36 Trail is the lightest shoe in Nike’s trail-running lineup, and we’ve come away pretty impressed by it, both for fast races and mellower training runs. Check out our full review.

2021-2022 Black Crows Justis
For 20/21, Black Crows are replacing both their Daemon & Navis with a brand-new ski, the Justis. This new ski is not exactly your traditional, 100mm-wide all-mountain ski — check out our video First Look, writeup, and Flash Review for more.

Flash Review: 20/21 Black Crows Justis
Check out our initial on-snow impressions of the Justis.
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.)

Win a Jacket from Houdini
Enter for your chance to win Houdini’s top-of-the-line ski / mountaineering shell!

Ibis Cycles founder, Scot Nicol (Ep.15)
We talk to Ibis Cycles founder, Scot Nicol, about the new Ripmo 2; the current Ibis lineup; Scot’s background in the early (and awesome) days of mtn biking; the history and trajectory of Ibis; and a whole lot more.

A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 4: Liners, Ramp Angle, & Forward Lean (Ep.88)
Ski boot liners are probably the most overlooked and least appreciated piece of ski gear out there, but they are a critical piece of equipment. So Matt Manser, the product manager of Atomic Ski Boots, is back to demystify the extremely complex, very expensive, and poorly understood category of ski boot liners. Along the way, we also discuss Atomic’s new “Mimic” liner technology and the new-for-next-season Hawx Prime XTD.

2021-2022 Fischer Ranger 99 Ti
If the words “precision,” “quickness,” and “energy” come to mind when describing your ideal all-mountain ski, the Fischer Ranger 99 Ti should be on your radar. Check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons.

Deep Dive: Fischer Ranger 99 Ti
We compare the Ranger 99 Ti to the Fischer Ranger 102 FR, Salomon QST 99, K2 Mindbender 99 Ti, Volkl Mantra M5, Volkl Mantra 102, Blizzard Bonafide, Nordica Enforcer 100, J Skis Masterblaster, Blizzard Rustler 9 & 10, ON3P Wrenegade 96, Atomic Vantage 97 Ti, Liberty Origin 96, Renoun Endurance 98, Moment Commander 98, and Dynastar Legend X96.
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.)

Beringia Altai Over Hoody
When it comes to stop-and-start activities like ski touring, a big puffy jacket can not only be nice, but also extremely important if things go wrong in the backcountry. We’ve been using the Beringia (the North American branch of Teton Bros) Altai Over Hoody a lot this season, and think it makes for a great insulation layer. Check out our full review.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

2021 Santa Cruz Nomad
The original Santa Cruz Nomad was one of the first bikes to shape the mold for the modern Enduro bike, way back in 2005. Now in its fifth generation, the new bike stands out from the rest of the market in some interesting ways. We’ve been spending a ton of time on this 27.5”-wheeled bike, and it makes a compelling case for why smaller wheels should stick around. Check out our full review for more.

Flash Review — Forbidden Dreadnought
High-pivot bikes might be even trendier than mullets right now, and we’ve now been spending time on the Forbidden Dreadnought. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions of this very interesting offering.
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.)

Men’s Mountain Bike Jersey Roundup — 2021
We’ve been testing 11 different MTB jerseys, from standard options to casual-looking ones to some that you could even wear to a pretty nice dinner. Check out our roundup to see how they all compare.

Ultimate Direction Fastpack 40
Ultimate Direction’s Fastpack 40 is designed for, well, fastpacking, but we’ve also found it to be great for longer day hikes and runs where you need to carry lots of gear but also want to move quickly through all sorts of terrain.

The Mt. Rushmore of “Poppy” Skis (Ep.153)
Previously on GEAR:30 we laid out our Mt. Rushmore of Ski Suspension. Now, we’re moving to the opposite end of the spectrum. We define some terms, talk about some of the characteristics that can help make a ski more poppy; and work our way through a bunch of skis. Check it out, and let us know what skis you think are most deserving.

Win Any Sunglasses from SPY
This week TWO people will get to pick any sunglasses they want from SPY’s updated lineup!

The Rise — and Rise — of Brad Simms (Ep.73)
Few (if any) riders have the power, balance, & creativity of Brad Simms. So you might assume it’s been a pretty quick and easy path to prominence for someone this unique. But it hasn’t been an easy road, and in this conversation, Brad spells it all out; talks about how close he came to calling it quits; his new partnership with Canyon bikes; his interest in all types of riding; and more.

WNDR Alpine Launches New Pow Ski: The Reason 120
Today WNDR Alpine released their third ski, the Reason 120, and we sat down with WNDR’s Matt Sterbenz to get the backstory on the new ski; why it was actually the first ski he wanted to make; how it compares to their Vital 100 & Intention 110; and more.

New Balance Fresh Foam More Trail v1
New Balance made their name in the trail running world with their super minimal shoes, but their Fresh Foam More Trail is basically the opposite — a plush, maximal shoe designed for long distances. And after our first ~85 miles in it, we think it’s an excellent execution of that design.

Doug Chadwick on Our Need for a New Understanding of Nature (Ep.173)
This week we discuss grizzlies, whales, microbes, humankind, & the future of the world with the wildlife biologist & author, Doug Chadwick. All of these are topics in Doug’s excellent new book, Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All.

Shimano ME7 Clipless Shoes
Shimano’s ME7 is a clipless trail shoe that’s meant to be up for a bit of anything, so how well does it live up to Shimano’s claims about its versatility? Check out our review to find out.

Current State of Helmet Tech, pt. 4: POC (Ep.152)
We talk with the Head of Product at POC, Oscar Huss, about headforms — the things they stick into helmets to mimic your head before smashing up helmets in testing; the numerous variables that need to be considered when setting up a way to test “safety”; the different considerations that go into designing kids helmets; and more.