BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
2025-2026 Salomon QST 94
The QST 94 is a brand-new model for Salomon, and it’s the narrowest offering in their overhauled QST collection. After spending lots of time on it this season, we’re excited to share why it stands out so much in the all-mountain category. Here’s our Full Review.
Deep Dive: Salomon QST 94
We compare the Salomon QST 94 to the Salomon QST 92, Salomon QST 100, Salomon QST 98, Salomon Stance 96, Black Crows Serpo, Dynastar M-Pro 94 Ti, Stöckli Stormrider 95, Elan Ripstick 96, RMU Apostle 96 Ti, Line Optic 96, Black Crows Camox, Meier Wrangler, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, Renoun Endurance 98, Blizzard Rustler 9, ZAG Slap 98, J Skis Masterblaster, J Skis Fastforward, Folsom Completo 100, Icelantic Nomad 100, DPS Wailer 100, Rossignol Sender Soul 102, K2 Mindbender 96C, and K2 Mindbender 99Ti.
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Is This the ‘Top Gun’ for Bartenders? (Ep.66)
We’re all familiar with ‘Top Gun’ — a school that separates the best of the best. But what if we told you there is an elite certification program designed to test the best bartenders in the business? Today, we’re discussing that program — Bar 5 Day — with Steve Olson and Doug Frost.
Flash Review: Santa Cruz Bullit 4
Santa Cruz has added the 170 mm travel Bullit to thier revamped lineup of Horst Link euipped eMTBs built around the latest Bosch CX drive system.
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Flash Review: 25/26 RMU Professor 111
This season, RMU expanded their freestyle-friendly Professor collection with the Professor 111. Here’s our take on the ski so far, including comparisons to RMU’s Apostle 114 and several other skis in the same class as the Professor 111.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, March / April 2025 (Ep.352)
Cody and Jonathan discuss tariff zaniness; the state of outdoor-sports comps; whether it’s good when big companies move into outdoor sports (Nike & snowboarding?); and more. They also rate your takes, talk about Cody’s trips to Norway & Utah, and share what they’ve been reading & watching.
Flash Review: 2026 Fox Float X2
Fox’s new Float X2 has dramatically different damper architecture from the prior version and some air spring tweaks to go with it. Check out our early thoughts after A-B testing the two generations of Float X2 for a few rides.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025 Sea Otter Classic Recap
Check out a bunch of the most interesting, compelling, and just plain odd stuff we’ve seen at Sea Otter this year.
Gear Testing Tips & Tricks w/ Hoji, Ted Ligety, Anne Wangler, & Jess Tennyson (Ep.342)
How do the pros — Hoji, Ted, Anne, and Jess — go about assessing and testing ski and snowboard gear, and what advice do they have for the rest of us? Plus, you’ll hear Ted share one of his favorite (but questionable??) ways of testing skis.
Win Apparel From Le Bent, Party Shirt International, & Curious Creatures
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a sweet prize pack that includes a Men’s or Women’s Midweight Crew Base Layer from Le Bent, a Sun Hoodie from Party Shirt International, & a Cottonwood Long Sleeve Tee from Curious Creatures!
2024-2025 ON3P Woodsman 100 Tour
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the ON3P Woodsman 100 Tour.
Lal Bikes on the Supre Drive & Katana Trail Bike (Ep.269)
Rear derailleurs have been around in their current general form for many decades now, but Lal Bikes thinks there’s a better way, and the Supre Drive is their answer. Now, they’ve got their own bike to go with it: the Katana. So we sat down with Lal Founder, Cedric Eveleigh, to hear all about it.
Lal Katana
Lal Bikes turned a lot of heads when they launched the Supre Drive a few years ago, and now they’re launching their own bike built around it. Meet the Katana.
Flash Review: 25/26 Faction Dancer 79
Faction is expanding their Dancer collection of directional, metal-laminate all-mountain skis, and we’ve started getting time on the newest and narrowest ski, the Dancer 79.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025-2026 Faction Dancer 79
Faction is adding a narrower option to their metal-laminate Dancer collection. Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the brand-new Faction Dancer 79.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Win Hiking Shoes From La Sportiva
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will both get the women’s or men’s Prodigio Hike GTX shoe from La Sportiva!
Reviewer Reports: Tons of Suspension, Long Travel Enduro Bikes, Trickstuff Brakes, & More (Ep.274)
David and Zack discuss a ton of new gear they’ve been testing, including a whole lot of suspension from Fox, Trickstuff’s Maxima brakes, and more; compare their experiences converting their Enduro bikes to ultra-long-travel setups; chat about both of Pivot’s Trailcat variants, & more.
Flash Review: 24/25 Salomon MTN 96 Carbon
Several of us have been skinning and skiing on Salomon’s MTN 96 Carbon, which is the successor of one of our all-time favorite touring skis, the MTN Explore 95. Here’s what Luke Koppa has learned so far.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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
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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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