BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
How You Can Help Brands Go Climate Neutral (Ep.11)
These days, a lot of brands — and especially a lot of outdoor brands — like to talk about sustainability. But what concrete steps are companies actually taking to measure, reduce, and offset their carbon emissions? We talk to Climate Neutral CEO, Austin Whitman, about how Climate Neutral is enlisting brands to reduce and pay for their emissions and helping consumers to identify which brands are taking real action; the problem of “greenwashing”; the cost of reducing carbon emissions; the legitimacy of carbon offsets; and what individuals & companies can do right now.
Gore’s 3 New Gore-Tex Pro Fabrics (Ep.71)
Gore-Tex has been the leader in waterproof fabrics for decades, and today, they’re announcing a complete overhaul of their flagship fabric, Gore-Tex Pro. So this week we went to Banff, Alberta, and sat down with the category manager of Gore’s “Pro” line, Mark McKinnie, for an in-depth discussion about the new fabrics. We talk about what makes the new Gore Pro unique; the 3 different versions of Gore Pro; Gore’s intensive validation and field-testing processes; how the new ‘Pro’ fits into Gore’s sustainability goals; and much more.
Win Any LINE Skis You Want
Pick any ski you want from Line’s 19/20 collection!
Fall Baby Clothes Roundup — 2019
Looking for ways to keep your little one comfortable this fall? Our youngest reviewer is back again with some of the clothes he’s been rigorously testing this year — check them out here.
Interviews from Mile 201 of the Moab 240 (Ep.22)
What’s it like to run two hundred and one miles … and know that you still have another 40 miles to go? And why would you sign up and subject yourself to this? To find out, we went to Moab, Utah, to the Moab 240 Endurance Run to capture the very raw and unfiltered reactions from runners, pacers, friends, medics, and concerned mothers from the Geyser Aid Station at mile 201 of the Moab 24. And we also learned what this race — and this community — is really about.
2020-2021 Dynafit TLT Speedfit Boot
More people are skinning uphill at ski areas and touring “on-piste,” So Dynafit developed the TLT Speedfit specifically for “on-piste tours.” Check out our full review of the boot (including whether we think you can also get away using it for backcountry touring).
19/20 Moment Deathwish
We just spent a day on the new Moment Deathwish — check out our initial impressions.
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‘Blink of an Eye’ writer & director, Paul Taublieb (Ep.106)
If the story told in the new film Blink of an Eye weren’t true, nobody would believe it. Friendship, brotherhood, heroes, triumph, tragedy, and redemption are the topics, and we discuss all of them on our latest Blister Podcast with the film’s writer & director, Paul Taublieb. If you are interested in or intrigued by auto racing, you will love this one. And if you have zero interest in NASCAR, then you especially need to listen, for reasons we’ll explain.
Travel Backpack Roundup — 2019
Need a new carryon bag? Or a travel-friendly backpack? How about both? We’ve been using several options that fit all of those criteria — check them out here.
The Science & Witchcraft of World Cup Ski Tuning (Ep.70)
How do the world’s elite ski racers and their technicians squeeze every drop of performance out of their skis? We sat down with Cameron Smith who runs the race department for Head USA to learn about all the major aspects of ski tuning including base vs edge angles, base prep, and waxing. We also discuss why World Cup racers have 50 skis per discipline; the elusive “speed wagon”; and the delicate balance of science and superstition in ski racing.
Win a Men’s or Women’s Outerwear Kit from Flylow
Win a jacket + bib combo from Flylow!
2020-2021 Amplid Snommelier
As part of Amplid’s “Future Shapes” collection, their Snommelier is designed to “create a unique personality” on snow. And after spending a lot of time on this big-mountain gun, we’d say that Amplid’s claims are pretty spot-on. Check out our full review for more.
Cam Smith on Moving through Mountains (Ep.21)
When Cam Smith graduated high school in Rockford, Illinois in 2014, he had little or no mountain experience. But fast forward a few years, and Cam is now an accomplished trail runner, mountain biker, a member of the U.S. ski mountaineering team, a repeat winner of the Grand Traverse Mountain Run from Crested Butte to Aspen, and a repeat winner of the Grand Traverse Triple Crown. So we talk to Cam about his journey, his goals, his relation to running and skiing and mountain biking, his work as a coach and as a guide at the Adaptive Center here in Crested Butte, and more.
Blister Speaker Series 2.2: Honnold Foundation ED, Dory Trimble (Ep.105)
When Alex Honnold, was looking for a new executive director for his Honnold foundation, he tapped Dory Trimble. And with the massive success of the film, Free Solo, Dory has guided what started as Alex’s small, personal passion project into a rapidly growing nonprofit working on global solar energy initiatives. So in our latest Blister Speaker Series, we talk to Dory about what it’s like working with Alex; how she’s managed the explosive growth of the Honnold Foundation; and she offers great advice for anyone interested in getting involved with organizations committed to doing social good.
BLISTER Buyer’s Guide, Pt. 2 + Reviews of Other Buyer’s Guides (Ep.69)
We answer a bunch of the questions you submitted, then assess some of the product reviews from several of the other ski review publications — and one gear recommendation website.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Reviewer Reports: Longer-Travel Enduro Bikes (Ep.59)
We talk to Blister bike editor, David Golay, about 4 longer-travel enduro bikes from Privateer, Santa Cruz, Rocky Mountain, & Marin that he’s been spending time on in the PNW.
Blister Summit Brand Lineups: Folsom Skis 21/22
We sat down with Folsom Custom Skis CEO, Mike McCabe, to talk about two of the most surprising skis of the Blister Summit; how Folsom does things; Mike’s thoughts on the Blister Summit; and more.
2021-2022 DPS Pagoda Piste 90 RP
The Pagoda Piste 90 RP is a uniquely versatile, narrower all-mountain ski that should be on the radar of folks who spend a lot of time off piste. Check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: DPS Pagoda Piste 90 RP
We compare the Pagoda Piste 90 RP to the DPS Pagoda Piste 94 C2, DPS Pagoda 100 RP, Elan Wingman 86 CTi, Fischer Ranger 94 FR, Blizzard Brahma 88, Nordica Enforcer 88, Renoun Endurance 88, Armada Declivity 92 Ti, Salomon Stance 90, Black Crows Orb, Folsom Spar 88, & Liberty Evolv 90.
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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Hoji on the Dynafit Radical Pro; the Hoji Hole; & More (Ep.141)
Our patron saint of GEAR:30 is back on the show today, and we talked to Hoji about the new Dynafit Radical Pro; how it compares to the Hoji Free boot; the evolution of the “Hoji Hole” testing prototypes; and more.
Win Women’s & Men’s Ride Concepts Shoes
The TWO winners this week will each get a pair of the new Ride Concepts Hellion Elite mtb shoe!
Blister Summit Brand Lineups: ROSSIGNOL 21/22
At the Blister Summit, we dove deep into Rossignol’s 21/22 ski lineup, with Rossi’s alpine category manager, Jake Stevens. We discussed the decision to kill the “7 Series” and the Soul 7; what they are going for with their Black Ops series that replaces it; why “-ish” is a very important suffix for Rossignol; and more.
Cam Smith on Setting The Grand Traverse Record & Training for Skiing, Running, & Mtn Biking (Ep.163)
Last Sunday, Cam Smith and Tom Goth set a new record at the Grand Traverse, which is a point-to-point ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen. Starting at midnight, racers travel 40 miles across the Elk Mountain range, climbing over 6,800 vertical feet. Cam is also a repeat winner of the Triple Crown of The Grand Traverse, so we talked to Cam about his record-setting night; skiing vs. skimo; his World Cup ski goals; and how he specifically trains for skiing and mountain running and mountain biking.
Flash Review: 20/21 Folsom Custom Rapture
Last year reviewer and heli-guide, Paul Forward, worked with Folsom to create an ideal pow ski for a season of heli skiing. Check out his initial thoughts on the resulting ski.
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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Flash Review: 21/22 Tecnica Cochise Pro W
Kara Williard has been spending time in the new 120-flex women’s Cochise boot. Check out her initial thoughts.
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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2021-2022 Wagner Summit 106
Wagner made a few skis for testing at the Blister Summit, and we’ve continued to spend time on their “50/50” 106mm-wide ski. The results have been quite impressive — check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Wagner Summit 106
We compare the Wagner Summit 106 to the Line Sick Day 104, Elan Ripstick 106, Liberty Origin 106, Black Crows Atris, Blizzard Rustler 10, Volkl Blaze 106, Armada Tracer 108, Sego Condor 108, J Skis Slacker, 4FRNT MSP 107, Whitedot Altum 104, 4FRNT Devastator, Moment Wildcat 108, & Fischer Ranger 102 FR.
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.)