BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

2018-2019 Scott Superguide 105
The Scott Superguide 105 has all the ingredients of a powerful backcountry & mountaineering ski, and it shares a lot in common with one of our favorite skis in that category. Check out our measured specs, rocker pics, and initial impressions.

The New Salomon S/LAB SHIFT MNC (Ep.3)
Salomon’s new S/Lab Shift represents a significant leap forward in binding design. Check out our conversation with Salomon’s Cody Townsend Chris Rubens, and Benoit Sublet, and our initial on-snow review.

Alpenglow Sports Winter Mountain Festival
Today, one of Blister’s Recommended Shops, Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City, announced the schedule for their upcoming Mountain Festival — a nine-day free event aimed at beginner and intermediate backcountry users to celebrate human-powered mountain travel.

Win a Pair of Wagner Custom Skis
This week we’re giving away a pair of fully-custom skis from Wagner. Enter now for your chance to win.

2nd Look: J Skis The Metal
We’ve weighed in on The Metal as a more playful directional ski, but coming from the opposite end of the spectrum, how well does The Metal fare when compared to lighter, jibbier skis?

Win a Pair of Mountain Collective Passes
Best Christmas present ever? Give yourself and your favorite ski partner the gift of a pair of Mountain Collective passes. You’ll get access to a bunch of world-class mountains without any blackout dates. Enter Now.

Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2017 — Under the Tree
Here are some more of our favorite gift ideas…

What does it mean to talk about the “top end” of a ski?
What do we mean when we talk about the “top end” of a ski? Let’s clarify…

Full Movie: The Faction Collective — This is Home
With huge descents in Switzerland, pillows in Montana, gnarly urban in Finland, technical lines in the Wasatch, and a Verbier segment to end all Verbier segments — the Faction Collective movie, This is Home, highlights the mind-boggling talent on the Faction team. Check out the full film for yourself here.

Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2017 — Stocking Stuffers
‘Tis the season to do, say, and / or give some nice things to the people you care about, so this week we’re sharing a few of our own favorite gift ideas. (And don’t feel bad about picking up one or two of these items for yourself. Because screw it, you probably deserve it. Here’s to you, too.)

Park IB-3, MT-40, & MTB-7 Multi-Tools
Multi-tools are a basic necessity in any riding pack, so we took a look at 3 different ones from Park Tool to help you determine which you should carry.

Terrene Wazia Tire
If you’re looking for a tire to extend your fat biking season into the snowier months, the Terrene Wazia is worth a look.

The Making of Our Winter Buyer’s Guide (Ep.2)
In this conversation, we discuss the making of — and our takeaways from — our 17/18 Winter Buyer’s Guide, including our “Best Of” awards, our Blister Spectrums, our ski quiver selections, and some of the strangest claims we saw in some of the other buyer’s guides out there.

1-Ski Quiver: Reviewers’ Choices (17/18)
We’ve posted our reviewers’ 3-ski and 2-ski quiver selections, so it’s time now to take a look at the holy grail of the ski world: the every-single-day, any-and-all conditions, 1-Ski Quiver.

2018-2019 Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 120
With fifteen more days in the Hawx Ultra XTD 120, here is our update, with liner comparisons and comparisons to the Hawx Ultra 130.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

Win Ski Boots from Scarpa
Pick any boot you want from Scarpa’s Maestrale & Gea lines!

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.

Blister Brand Guide: La Sportiva Trail Running Shoe Lineup, 2019
La Sportiva has made a name for itself in many categories, including the trail running world. Their trail running shoes range from minimal race shoes to burly options designed for rough terrain, and you can check out our Brand Guide to see what sets each Sportiva shoe apart from the others.

Which Mountain Bike Pedals, and Why?
We just added more reviewers’ perspectives on the topic of which MTB pedals they use, and why they prefer the ones that they do. Check them out here.

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.

Blister Brand Guide: Trek Mountain Bike Lineup, 2020
Trek is one of the largest bike manufacturers in the world, and they have an expansive MTB lineup. Check out our Brand Guide for an overview of all of their mountain bikes.

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.

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.

Blister Brand Guide: Nike Trail Running Shoe Lineup, 2019
Nike makes hundreds of shoes, and they currently offer several trail-specific running shoes. So what sets each of their trail shoes apart? Check out our latest Brand Guide.


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.

Blister Brand Guide: Pivot Mountain Bike Lineup, 2020
When it comes to high-end tech, Pivot is one of the leaders in the industry, and they offer a wide range of mountain bikes. Check out our Brand Guide to help you quickly get a handle on the Pivot MTB lineup.