BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

Blister Brand Guide: Blister provides an overview of Commencal's 2020 Mountain Bike Lineup

Blister Brand Guide: Commencal Mountain Bike Lineup, 2020

Commencal is one of a few direct-to-consumer MTB brands, which means many of their bikes are significantly cheaper than their competitors. They also make several bikes that cover a pretty broad range of end uses, so check out our Brand Guide to figure out which of their bikes could be a good fit for you.

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Running coach, Jason Koop, goes on Blister's Off The Couch podcast to discuss his running career, how he got into coaching, his approach to coaching, and more

Jason Koop: Runner, Head Coach at CTS Ultrarunning (Ep.20)

Jason Koop is a passionate runner, the author of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning, the head coach of CTS Ultrarunning, and someone who is not afraid to speak his mind. So we talked to Jason about his endurance coaching; “nonsensical” training aids & techniques; his recent running of the 330 km Tor de Geants; the current state of the minimalist / maximalist shoe debate; what he thinks the running scene will look like 10 years from now; and a *whole* lot more.

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Dash Longe goes on the Blister Podcast to talk about his new film, Stone's Throw, his recent move to DPS Skis, and more.

Dash Longe on Skiing, Ski Films, & Ski Design (Ep.104)

Dash Longe is a skier who’s been doing it — and going big — for a long time. So I spoke to Dash about his brand new film, Stone’s Throw, and about ski films in general; his coming up during the heyday of the freeskiing revolution in Tahoe; ski design and Dash’s work on the DPS Koala 119; and more. Check out this post for the whole conversation — and watch Dash’s film, Stone’s Throw.

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Noah Bodman reviews the Alchemy Arktos 29 for Blister

2019 Alchemy Arktos 29

While there are now lots of “do-it-all” Trail bikes on the market, the Alchemy Arktos 29 brings something a bit different to the table. Check out our full review for more.

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Luke Koppa, Sam Shaheen, & Jonathan Ellsworth discuss on Blister's GEAR:30 podcast the 19/20 Blister Winter Buyer's Guide, the 19/20 Blister Best Of winners and runner-ups, and more.

19/20 BLISTER Winter Buyer’s Guide, Part 1 (Ep.68)

We just released our new 19/20 BLISTER Winter Buyer’s Guide, and given that it’s over 200 pages long, there’s a lot to talk about. So we’re going to have a 2-part conversation about the Guide, and here in part 1, we’re going to discuss some of our Blister “Best Of” selections; and some of the products that just missed the cut; some general trends and takeaways from putting this big book together, and we find out the real reason why Luke prefers mittens to gloves.

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Dylan Wood, David Golay, Luke Koppa, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast about how and why they built Blister's Mountain Bike Brand Guides

Why We Built a MTB Brand Guide (Ep.10)

Reviewers Luke Koppa, Jonathan Ellsworth, Dylan Wood, and David Golay discuss our new BLISTER Brand Guide to Mountain Bikes; why we saw a need for it; the trends and takeaways we’ve seen in the process of building it; and … the revolutionary new Badonkadonk bike.

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Kyle Robidoux goes on Blister's Off The Couch podcast to discuss how running has helped him as someone with limited vision, including running dozens of marathons and ultramarathons

Kyle Robidoux on Running, Skiing, & Being Legally Blind (Ep.19)

Kyle Robidoux is passionate about running and skiing and beer. He has run 25 marathons and ultra marathons, including three 100-mile races, and the Boston Marathon six times. Kyle also happens to be legally blind. So Kyle and I talk about his background, his anger about his receding vision and what he did about it; how he got into running and trail running; his efforts to create more inclusive trail races; his advice about how to deal with loss of any kind; and what specific things we all can do to be more supportive of everyone dealing with disabilities. (And we talk about beer.)

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Corey Rich goes on the Blister Podcast to discuss his new book, "Stories Behind the Images: Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography"

Adventure Photographer, Corey Rich (Ep.103)

Adventure photographer, Corey Rich, has spent a lot of time documenting some of the most interesting and amazing athletes in the world. So we talk to Corey about his time with the likes of Fred Beckey, Chris Sharma, Tommy Caldwell, Ashima Shiraishi; why making mistakes and being vulnerable makes for great storytelling; his excellent new book; what his dream assignment would be; and much, much more.

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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

Blister Brand Guide: 2021 Specialized Mountain Bike Lineup

Blister Brand Guide: Specialized Mountain Bike Lineup, 2021

The 2021 model year brought with it a bunch of new and revised bikes from one of the biggest brands in the world. Check out our Brand Guide for Specialized’s 2021 lineup for more info on the bikes, how they compare, and which ones you might want to consider.

Luke Koppa reviews the DPS Pagoda 100 RP for Blister

Flash Review: 21/22 DPS Pagoda 100 RP

DPS is launching a whole new collection of skis for 21/22. Check out our initial thoughts on the 100mm-wide option in the new Pagoda series.

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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Kera Linn goes on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast to discuss her mountain biking career, signing with Cannondale, and more

Kera Linn is Coming Up Fast (Ep.58)

We talk to Kera Linn about her rather meteoric rise in the mountain biking world — from her first time on a mountain bike, to her recent signing with Cannondale. We also talk about her equally interesting backstory (which includes playing all of the sports and going to all of the colleges) in this really fun conversation.

Kristin Sinnott reviews the Strafe Castle Jacket for Blister

Strafe Castle Jacket

With a sleek look that’s paired with high-end materials and insulation, the Strafe Castle Jacket warrants strong consideration if you’re in the market for an insulated ski / snowboard jacket that doesn’t look out of place away from the slopes.

Dylan Wood reviews the Elan Ripstick 116 for Blister

Flash Review: 21/22 Elan Ripstick 116

Check out some of our initial answers to the questions we posed when we first got our hands on Elan’s widest 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.

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.)

On Blister's Off The Couch podcast, Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Daryl Murphy about his Miles For Justice project and his campaign to bring Little Free Libraries to marginalized communities; why he’s been running 5k or more every single day for over 300 days; his running background; his plans for Miles For Justice; and more.

Daryl Murphy on Miles for Justice (Ep.83)

Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to Daryl Murphy about his Miles For Justice project; why he’s been running 5k or more every single day for over 300 days; his running background; his ideas about the future of Miles For Justice; and more.

Luke Koppa reviews the Elan Wingman 86 CTi for Blister

Deep Dive: Elan Wingman 86 CTi

We compare the Wingman 86 CTi to the Blizzard Brahma 88, Nordica Enforcer 88, Salomon Stance 90, Armada Declivity 92 Ti, Liberty Evolv 90, Renoun Endurance 88, Salomon S/Force Bold, Folsom Spar 88, Black Crows Orb, K2 Disruption 82Ti, Fischer Ranger 94 FR, Volkl M6 Mantra, & Elan Ripstick 106.

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.)

Luke Koppa reviews the Elan Wingman 86 CTi for Blister

2021-2022 Elan Wingman 86 CTi

If your definition of an “all-mountain” ski is one that’s a blast to carve on groomers but that can also handle occasional laps off piste, the Wingman 86 CTi should be on your list. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.

Blister reviews the Dynastar M-Free 108

Flash Review: 21/22 Dynastar M-Free 108, 192 cm

Update 3.22.21: We’ve added some more thoughts after putting in a few more days on the long M-Free 108.

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.)