BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
2021-2022 Nordica Enforcer 94
As many companies seem to be doing for 20/21, Nordica is updating many of their popular skis. The new Enforcer 94 takes much of the old Enforcer 93’s design and adds a few interesting changes — check out our First Look and Flash Review for more.
Flash Review: 20/21 Nordica Enforcer 94
Check out our initial on-snow impressions of the new Enforcer 94.
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Drilling for Oil under Moab’s Slickrock Trail? (Ep.16)
Recently, a preliminary proposal from the Bureau of Land Management was put forward to auction the right to drill for oil and natural gas under Moab’s Slickrock Trail, one of the most famous mountain bike trails in the world. How is this possible? And what should each of us be doing to protect our trails? For answers to these questions and to learn what exactly happened with Slickrock Trail, we talked to Ashley Korenblat, the founder of Public Land Solutions.
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.
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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.
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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.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Deep Dive: DPS Foundation Koala 103
We compare the Koala 103 to the DPS Foundation Koala 118, DPS Pagoda 106 C2, Moment Wildcat 108, Dynastar M-Free 108, Line Sir Francis Bacon, Fischer Ranger 102 FR, Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, Liberty Origin 106, Black Crows Atris, Icelantic Nomad 105, Blizzard Rustler 10, Prior Northwest 110, ON3P Woodsman 108, Moment Meridian, J Skis Hotshot, Elan Ripstick 106, Line Sick Day 104, Head Kore 105, Whitedot Altum 104, 4FRNT Devastator, K2 Reckoner 102, Volkl Revolt 104, & Season Nexus.
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.)
Revelshine founder, Jake Bilbro, on Skiing & Wine Culture, and the Joys of Getting Out but Going Easy (Ep.175)
Jonathan Ellsworth was in Ketchum, Idaho, this past week hanging out and riding bikes with Blister member, Jake Bilbro, who is the founder of Revelshine. In this conversation, they talk about Jake’s unique background; skiing and wine culture; the joys of getting out but going easy; and more.
2021-2022 Head Kore 87
Head’s updated 21/22 Kore lineup includes everything from fat pow skis to much narrower options for more typical conditions. Today we’re talking about the latter end of that spectrum — check out our First Look of the new Kore 87.
Sam Shaheen’s Denali Expedition & the Gear He Used (Ep.155)
This spring, Sam Shaheen and friends took on the very big challenge of a Denali expedition. So on GEAR:30 we get the debrief from Sam, discuss what he and his crew learned in the process, and go over some of the most important gear he used (including a homemade unicorn nose guard), and of that gear, what worked well and what didn’t.
Win $150 Gift Cards from Arms of Andes
This week TWO people will get $150 to spend on Arms of Andes’ high-end, locally sourced alpaca-wool garments!
Catching Up with Sanjay Rawal + the Importance of “Running Easy” (Ep.89)
Sanjay Rawal is back on the podcast to discuss his latest film project about the American runner, Patti Catalano Dillon; how being coached by Patti has caused him to completely overhaul how he trains; and why we all might benefit by remembering to “run easy.”
Blind Trials Rider & Bike Mechanic, Matt Gilman (Ep.75)
When he was in his 20s Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding; how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more.
Blister Brand Guide: Orbea Mountain Bike Lineup, 2021
From extremely light hardtails to long-travel Enduro bikes, Orbea’s current lineup covers a pretty broad spectrum over just a handful of models. Check out our Brand Guide for a breakdown of what sets each bike apart, what builds are the best bang for the buck, and more.
Dr. Rami Hashish on Optimizing Athletic Performance, Aging Well, & Rethinking Work (Ep.174)
We talk with Dr. Rami Hashish about a whole lot of topics surrounding high-level human performance, injury prevention, and how to age well. Dr. Hashish is the founder of the National Biomechanics Institute, has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and a PhD in Biomechanics, serves on the review board for various national and international medical and engineering journals, and sits on a global committee for spine and brain injury.
Chromag Minor Threat
Chromag has long been known for making aggressive hardtails, but they’ve just released their first full-suspension model — and it’s a kids’ bike. The Minor Threat (which is the best new product name we’ve seen in a while) is an interesting new direction for the brand and looks like a very promising option for the younger rippers out there. Check out our First Look for all the info.
Win Hip Packs from Dakine
This week TWO people will get Dakine’s recently revised Hot Laps 5L hip pack!
Current State of Helmet Tech, pt. 5: WaveCel (Ep.154)
We talk to the co-founder of WaveCel, and discuss the origins & development of WaveCel; Dr. Madey makes what might be the best case we’ve ever heard about why rotational forces play such a critical role in brain injuries; and we discuss how WaveCel compares to MIPS and Koroyd.