BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Patagonia Descensionist Jacket and Pants
The Patagonia Descensionist Jacket and Pants are one of our new favorite kits for all-around backcountry touring — check out our review to find out why.
DPS Phantom & the End of Ski Wax
DPS just launched a product that eliminates the need for traditional ski wax. Forever.
DPS Phantom & the End of Ski Wax (Ep.59)
DPS Phantom is a new product that claims to eliminate the need to ever again wax your skis or board. Sounds crazy, so we talked to DPS founder, Stephan Drake, and Jeff Bates, the technological developer of Phantom, to have them explain how this is possible.
Fred Beckey, Climber, 1923-2017
Climbing pioneer, Fred Beckey, died yesterday at the age of 94. Our climbing editor, Dave Alie, reflects on his time spent with Fred, and the essential lesson of Fred’s life.
2017-2018 Folsom Skis Primary
The Folsom Primary has proven to be a super-versatile ski, but we’re not done with the Primary just yet. Check out the full review and story – plus learn about a new deal for Blister members…
Patagonia Descensionist 40L Pack
Based on Patagonia’s mountaineering-oriented Ascensionist packs, the new Descensionist 40L features a similarly minimalist profile, some ski-specific features, and plenty of capacity in a lightweight package.
Win Any 4FRNT Ski You Want
Win one of our all-time favorite touring skis, the 4FRNT Raven — or any other 4FRNT ski you want.
Claudio Caluori on Redbull Rampage, DH, & the Meaning of Life (Ep.58)
You know him from his course previews of Redbull Rampage and WC DH, but you don’t know Claudio like this. We discuss Rampage, this past DH season, soccer, life, China, Elon Musk … and pretty much everything else.
The Fourth Phase — Action Cut
Travis Rice just released one of the best snowboard edits we’ve ever seen.
2017 Santa Cruz Hightower
We’ve put about 1000 miles on one of the most popular trail bikes on the planet. So we weigh in on its durability, and also which configuration of the bike we liked best.
Marker Kingpin Update
After months of speculation and concern, we’ve just confirmed that the Marker Kingpin will indeed be available for the 17/18 season. Check out our update for more info, as well as a look at our reviews of the Kingpin.
Wagner Custom Skis founder, Pete Wagner (Ep.57)
We talk to Pete Wagner about why the “indie” ski scene is so confusing; the Wagner factory and the unique connection with Telluride; what about their ski-building process that Pete is most proud of, and more.
Win Any Fischer Ranger Ski You Want
Very cool – this week’s winner gets to pick which Fischer Ranger he or she wants most…
The Faction Collective: This is Home
The latest from The Faction Collective: strong skiing, good song, and … some pretty philosophical aspirations?
2018 Patrol 672
The Patrol 672 is a new budget-oriented Trail bike, so how how much “bang” do you actually get for your buck?
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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.
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.
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.)
‘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.