BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Ben Sims
Ben Sims Age: 37 | Vitals: 5’10”, 180 lbs | Years mountain biking: 11 | Current Residence: Monument, CO I grew up in West Georgia and came to Colorado in the summer of 2000. My college years in Colorado introduced me to the world of
2021-2022 Prior Northwest 100
The brand-new Prior Northwest 100 slots into a diverse class of playful all-mountain skis. So how does its design compare to the competition? Check out our measured specs, rocker pics, and initial impressions.
2020-2021 DPS Alchemist Wailer A110 C2
DPS’s Wailer 112 has become very popular with many skiers, but it’s also been a bit polarizing. For 19/20, they’re adding a different version that could be appealing to those who weren’t previously interested in the Wailer 112. Check out our measured specs, rocker pics, and initial impressions of the new Wailer A110.
19/20 DPS Alchemist Wailer 110 C2
Check out our initial on-snow impressions of the brand-new Wailer A110.
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Dierdre Wolownick, The Sharp End of Life (Ep.87)
In some circles, Dierdre Wolownick is best known as Alex Honnold’s mom. But she is also the oldest woman to climb El Cap, an author, teacher, linguist, musician, marathon runner, and someone who continues to push her comfort zone. We talk to Dierdre about her new book The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story; what shaped her philosophy of parenting; how she’s become more courageous with age; and the importance of continuing to push past limits.
Tobe Novo Jacket and Bib
Tobe’s Novo Jacket & Bib bring the burly construction and durability of snowmobile outerwear to a skiing / snowboarding silhouette, but do these crossover pieces have any downsides? Check out our full review.
2019-2020 Elan Ripstick 106 Black Edition
For 19/20 Elan is releasing a limited “Black Edition” of their Ripstick 106. So what’s actually different with this new ski? Check out our measured specs, rocker pics, and initial impressions.
2021-2022 Line Sakana
Spring skiing is here, so we figured it’d be a good time to look back on one of the most fun skis we’ve been on for spring conditions — the Line Sakana. Plus, we’ve added some updates about how it performs as a 50/50 ski.
Win Travel Apparel from 686
Heading on a trip or just need some apparel for the unpredictable spring weather? Check out this week’s Gear Giveaway!
19/20 ON3P Lineup with Scott Andrus (Ep.46)
We talk to ON3P founder, Scott Andrus, about the 19/20 ON3P lineup, building skis for Michael Jordan & Tinker Hatfield, and we break quite a bit of news along the way.
19/20 Blizzard Zero G 105
Check out some of our initial on-snow impressions of Blizzard’s new touring 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.)
2020-2021 Weston Riva
After spending 30 days on it, the Weston Riva has proven to be an intuitive, stable, and surprisingly versatile powder-oriented board. Check out our full review.
Nicolas Vuignier — “Drones on Fire, and other bad ideas: The making of Heatseeker”
A few months ago, Nicolas Vuignier posted an edit that featured people skiing big-mountain lines illuminated only by some mysterious glowing objects in the sky. Now you can check out his video that documents the 4-year project behind the “Heatseeker” edit, and we think it’s well worth a watch.
2020-2021 Faction Candide 5.0
If you’ve watched any of Candide Thovex’s edits over the past few years, there’s a good chance that he was on the ski we’re talking about today. Check out our measured specs, rocker pics, and initial impressions of the 19/20 Faction Candide 5.0.
Blister Speaker Series 1.4: Ashley Korenblat (Ep.86)
Ashley Korenblat is the former chair of IMBA, currently owns Western Spirit Cycling and Outerbike, is the founder and managing director of Public Land Solutions, is on the advisory board for the Outdoor Industry Association, and she is a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. We talked to Ashley about her trajectory, and about the critical issues surrounding public lands policies and debates that we all need to understand and participate in.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Shop Talk: The Ski Monster founders, George & Eric (Ep.126)
We’re talking with the two friends who founded The Ski Monster in Boston, MA. We discuss how George and Eric met; how getting fired — twice! — turned out to be a very positive development; the diverse customer base they serve; why ski shops ought to work to elevate the experience of purchasing all of this expensive gear; and more.
Win Men’s & Women’s Jackets from Strafe
The TWO winners this week will each get Strafe’s versatile Alpha Hooded Insulator!
2021-2022 K2 Disruption MTi, 78C, 78Ti, & 82Ti
We’ve spent the last two weeks testing four of K2’s new Disruption skis back-to-back. Check out our review to see how the Disruption MTi, 78C, 78Ti, & 82Ti compare.
Hunt All-Mountain Carbon H_Impact Wheelset
Can a product that costs half as much as the competition perform just as well? That’s basically what Hunt is claiming about their Carbon H-Impact wheelset, and after 5 months of testing, we actually don’t think they’re far off. Check out our review of this impressive wheelset.
Nathan VaporSwift 4L Race Vest
While many aspects of running are less expensive than other, more gear-intensive sports, running vests can be quite pricey. But the VaporSwift 4L is Nathan’s take on a more affordable, yet still race-ready running vest — check out our review to see how it compares to its higher-end competition.
Peter Bromka on Running & Writing (Ep.76)
Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk with Peter Bromka, a runner that grew up in Portland, ran at Tufts University, and now is back in Portland where he runs for the Bowerman Track Club Elite Program. But in addition to training hard and running fast, Peter is focused on writing about running itself. And in this conversation, you’ll hear more about how he is currently pursuing both.
Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2020 — Under the Tree
Next up in our gift guide are those items that we think would be great under the tree — check out our reviewers’ top picks.
2021 Pivot Mach 6
Pivot just announced a brand-new bike — the latest generation of their 27.5″ Trail / Enduro bike, the Mach 6. Check out our First Look to learn more about the bike that Pivot says offers “eye-watering speed, telepathic handling, & unflappable stability.”
Inclusivity & Innovation in the Outdoor Industry: Moosejaw CEO, Eoin Comerford (Ep.153)
We talk with Moosejaw’s CEO, Eoin Comerford, about how to increase diversity and inclusivity in the outdoor industry; the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator; what Moosejaw’s aims are today, and how those aims are informed by Moosejaw’s parent company, Walmart; and more.
Canfield Bikes’ Lance Canfield (Ep.45)
We talk to Lance Canfield about Canfield’s new Tilt and Lithium bikes and the rest of their 20/21 lineup; the origins story of Canfield; the evolution of Rampage and competing in the first Rampage comps; the mountain bike industry today; and more.
Blister Brand Guide: Topo Athletic Running Shoe Lineup, 2020
Topo Athletic continues to expand their line of low-drop, wide-toebox running shoes — check out our Brand Guide for the full rundown on their 2020 lineup and which model might make the most sense for how and where you run.
Ski Quivers for Garden Gnomes, 1-Year-Olds, & Heli Guides (Ep.125)
We talk to Blister reviewers Sascha Anastas & Paul Forward about their ski quivers; binding preferences; coffee in AK; your questions; and more.