BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Avalanche Beacons & Backcountry Safety with BCA Co-Founder, Bruce Edgerly (Ep.43)
Avalanche beacons might not be sexy, but their proper use and design can be the difference between life and death. So we sat down with BCA’s co-founder, Bruce Edgerly, to talk about avalanche transceiver design, backcountry safety research, and the most important — yet often overlooked — aspects of a rescue.
Filmmaker, Sanjay Rawal, on the World’s Longest Race (Ep.2)
Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talk with filmmaker, Sanjay Rawal, about a 3,100 mile-long race that takes place on a sidewalk in Queens, NY; the attempt to save the traditional ways of life of the San Bushmen of Botswana; the long-distance (and extremely consequential) rituals of a Buddhist monastic community in Japan, and a whole lot more.
Deep Dive: Folsom Spar 88
We compare the Spar 88 to the Blizzard Brahma, Head Monster 88 Ti, Nordica Enforcer 93, J Skis Masterblaster, Renoun Z-Line 90, Atomic Vantage 90 Ti, Armada Invictus 89Ti, K2 Ikonic 84Ti, and Black Crows Orb.
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.)
2021-2022 Folsom Spar 88
Building a narrower “all-mountain” ski that actually works well all around the mountain is trickier (or, at least rarer) than you might think. But the Folsom Spar 88 does, and you can now check out our full review.
Holden M-51 Fishtail 3 Layer Jacket
Look good, ski good. The Holden M-51 Fishtail Jacket definitely brings a lot of style to the table, and it doesn’t skimp out on technical features, either. Check out our review.
Benshi Creative — “Before Tomorrow”
We watch a lot of ski edits, but the one series that has clearly stood out this year is Benshi Creative’s “Before Tomorrow.” Check out all three episodes here.
19/20 DPS Foundation Koala 119
Here’s our updated Flash Review of DPS’s new pow ski, where Jonathan Ellsworth shares his thoughts on the Koala F119.
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.)
Blister Speaker Series 1.3: Dan Abrams, Flylow (Ep.84)
Our 3rd Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University was with Dan Abrams, president and co-founder of Flylow. Dan gets into the details of running an outerwear company, and in doing so, offers insight into maintaining perspective while under pressure, how he approaches risky decisions, making the most of bad situations, and more.
Smith 4D Mag Goggle
Ski & snowboard goggles have undergone a lot of changes recently, but one thing that’s remained relatively unchanged is their lenses. For 19/20, Smith is changing that with their 4D Mag goggle, which features a unique extended lens to offer increased field of view. So is it just a gimmick, or a notable advancement? Check out our review.
Amundsen Peak Anorak
Anoraks and technical fabrics don’t often get packaged together. But Norwegian brand, Amundsen, combined the two in their Peak Anorak, and the resulting jacket certainly stands out compared to the rest of the ski jackets on the market.
New Gear + Sam’s Review of Tinder (Ep.42)
Sam Shaheen, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about some of their favorite new skis, then — in what might be our most anticipated review ever — Sam Shaheen gives us his honest, in-depth, pretty hilarious, and surprisingly insightful take on the dating app, Tinder.
2024-2025 Romp Skis Zorro 100
This season we built a custom ski with Romp, and you can now check out our full review for more info on the custom process, the resulting ski, and how well it lived up to our expectations.
19/20 K2 Mindbender 116C
Here are our initial on-snow impressions of the widest ski in K2’s new Mindbender lineup.
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.)
2019-2020 Rossignol Soul 7 HD W
You may have heard a thing or two about the Rossignol Soul 7. Time now to talk about the women’s Soul 7 HD W, and you can check out our measured specs, rocker pics, and initial impressions.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Win any Moment Ski
The winner this week will get to pick any pair of skis they want from Moment’s 20/21 lineup!
Hayes Dominion A4 Brakes
After 6 months of testing, the Hayes Dominion A4 has become one of our all-time favorite brakes for aggressive trail and DH riding.
5-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (20/21)
It’s once again that time of year where we spend way too much time thinking about ski quivers, so we’re kicking off our reviewers’ personal quiver selections with the big ones: 5-ski quivers.
Billy Yang on Running, Filmmaking, Media, Moving (??), & More (Ep.72)
Billy Yang is (among other things) a runner, filmmaker (Billy Yang Films), podcast host (Billy Yang Podcast), and someone who has been chronicling the sport of running in a fashion that is often beautiful, and always inspiring. So Brendan Leonard and Jonathan Ellsworth talked to Billy about everything from cigarette brands to the need for more compassionate critical thinking in our world.
Adaptive Sports & Recreation: Past, Present, & Future (Ep.149)
Did you know that 1 out of 5 people in the United States have a disability? That is just one reason why you ought to know about the world of adaptive sports. So to get an overview of the past, present, and future of adaptive sports and recreation, we sat down with Chris Read and Betty Philbin of the Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte.
20/21 Blister Buyer’s Guide + Your Questions (Ep.121)
Luke Koppa and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss some of the highlights and big takeaways from our new Winter Buyer’s Guide; our Best Of award winners; whether or not the 20/21 crop of ski gear represents a step forward; and we then answer a lot of the questions you submitted.
Win any Liberty Ski
The winner this week will get to pick any pair of skis they want from Liberty’s 20/21 lineup!
Smith Forefront 2 Helmet & Attack MAG MTB Glasses
Smith recently updated their highest-end Trail helmet, the Forefront 2, and we’ve been testing the new version along with their Attack MAG MTB Glasses to see how the two work together and how they compare to the competition.
How to Care for Your Waterproof Outerwear & Down Jackets
Ok, people, our outwear nerds / gurus want you to start properly taking care of and cleaning your waterproof jackets & pants, down jackets & mid layers, and other technical apparel to keep them performing at their best. So they’ll tell you how, and recommend several products to use.
Altra Superior 4.5
The Superior remains Altra’s most minimally cushioned, all-round trail shoe, but how different is the latest Superior 4.5 compared to prior iterations, and who should be considering the new shoe? Check out our review.
2020 Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana
Enduro racer? Long-legged Trail bike? Both? After 3 months of riding, we’ve updated our full review of Guerrilla Gravity’s longest-travel bike, the Gnarvana, and provide our take on where it slots into the market.
Mali Noyes & Lani Bruntz ski The Wurl (Ep.148)
The Wurl — The Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup — has gained a lot of attention in the trail running and climbing worlds, but it had never been done in the winter, and Mali Noyes and Lani Bruntz set out to ski it. So we talked with Mali and Lani about the origins of this idea to ski The Wurl, and the planning, logistics, and scouting that happened behind the scenes.