BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: 24/25 DPS Wailer 100
DPS is reinstating and revising their Wailer series for the 24/25 season, and we’ve been spending time on the Wailer 100 – check out our initial impressions.
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Win Any Armada Ski
This week, the winner of our Gear Giveaway will get their choice of any Armada ski!
Pooping in Buckets? Skiers & Snowboarders on Climate Issues, Individual Behavior, & Collective Action
As skiers, snowboarders, and general users of the outdoors, the changing climate is an issue at the forefront of many of our minds. So, should we all be pooping in buckets? Or what should we do to most significantly and quickly improve the current situation? In this panel session from Blister Summit 2024, Jonathan Ellsworth hosts a conversation with Amie Engerbretson, Dr. Len Necefer, & Jake Black to address this and a whole lot more.
Dakotah Norton on Finding Consistency, Moving to Mondraker, the State of US DH Racing, & More (Ep.214)
Dakotah Norton is one of the most decorated American DH racers in recent years, and we sat down with him to chat about his 2023 season, including his rocky start and strong finish to it; moving to Mondraker Factory Racing for 2024 and beyond; the state of US DH racing and how to build a better series of stepping stones to World Cup Downhill; and much more.
Deep Dive: 2024 Orbea Rallon
We compare the Orbea Rallon to the prior-generation Rallon, Ibis HD6, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, Norco Sight, Propain Tyee, Contra MC, Norco Range, Trek Slash, Santa Cruz Megatower, Santa Cruz Nomad, YT Capra, Nicolai Nucleon 16, Cannondale Jekyll, Chromag Lowdown, REEB Steezl, Cotic RocketMAX, Yeti SB160, Specialized Enduro, and Banshee Titan.
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2024 Orbea Rallon
Orbea updated the Rallon for 2024 with the goal of adding stability and composure to their flagship Enduro race bike. So how does the new version stack up to its notably nimble and versatile predecessor? Here are our thoughts after a few months on the updated Rallon.
Flash Review: 24/25 Fischer The Curv GT 85 Redefine
The Curv GT 85 Redefine is an “all-conditions” carving ski that’s meant to showcase how Fischer can reduce the environmental footprint of their skis. Here are our thoughts so far on its on-snow performance (and more info about its unique construction).
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Do Eric Freson Things
A lot can be learned from the life of our friend and fellow Blister reviewer, Eric Freson, and the example he set. In today’s Open Mic, you’ll hear from some of the people who knew him best and loved him most, about what it really means to ‘Do Eric Freson Things.’
Comp Life: 4 Freeride Athletes on the FWQ, FWT, & Beyond (Ep.301)
After they competed in last weekend’s FWT Challenger stop in Crested Butte, Britta Winans, Colton Shaff, Mia Winans, and Tyler Curle sat down with us to peel back the curtain on the current freeride competition scene and discuss how the skiing and riding have evolved; differences between the FWQ and FWT events; their personal favorite moments from this season + personal favorite riders, and much more.
Flash Review: 24/25 Icelantic Nomad 106
We’ve been spending a lot of time on Icelantic’s overhauled Nomad skis — check out our thoughts on the updates, and the new Nomad 106 in particular.
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Icelantic Announces All-New 2025 Nomad & Maiden Skis | Blister Summit Video
The Icelantic Nomad and women’s Maiden lines of freeride skis have long been the brand’s best-selling models, and they’ve looked largely the same for a decade now. That changes for the 2024-2025 season, and we sat down with Icelantic to get all the details on the seven all-new models.
2024-2025 K2 Reckoner 124
The Reckoner 124 is the widest, most powder-oriented model in K2’s all-new Reckoner collection — here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Reckoner 124.
Blister Summit 2025 Discounts For Gunnison Valley Residents
The Blister Summit will be back in Mt. Crested Butte from February 23 to 27, 2025, and you’re invited! This year, we created a couple of options specifically for Gunnison Valley Residents. Option 1: Full Registration at the discounted rate of $250 Registration includes all
2023-2024 Line Bacon 108
The word “Bacon” has adorned the name of at least one Line ski for almost two decades now, and this season, Line launched three all-new models. So, how does the latest Bacon 108 compare to its cured-meat-named predecessors, and the rest of the freestyle market? Here’s our Full Review.
Deep Dive: Line Bacon 108
We compare the Line Bacon 108 to the previous-generation Line Sir Francis Bacon, Line Bacon 115, Line Chronic 101, Season Nexus, Armada ARV 106, 4FRNT Devastator, Nordica Unleashed 108, Dynastar M-Free 108, Majesty Dirty Bear XL, Moment Deathwish 104, Moment Wildcat 108, Whitedot Altum 104, RMU North Shore 110, Atomic Bent 110, Prior Northwest 110, Rossignol Sender Free 110, K2 Reckoner 112, Faction Mana 3, Zag Slap 104, Line Blade Optic 104, & Black Crows Atris.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Cannondale Habit
In a market full of generalist Trail bikes that strive to do well at a little of everything, the Cannondale Habit occupies a clear niche that is bound to excite the right rider. Check out our Full Review for the whole story, and our Deep Dive comparisons to see how it stacks up to several other Trail bikes.
Deep Dive: Cannondale Habit
We compare the Cannondale Habit to the Pivot Trail 429 Enduro, Niner JET 9 RDO, Yeti SB120, Esker Rowl, Commencal T.E.M.P.O., Trek Fuel EX, and Santa Cruz Hightower.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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The Wild Tale of Constru-Bikes & Their Massive Bike Theft and Trafficking Ring (Ep.227)
Thousands of high-end bikes have been stolen across the Western US and wound up in Jalisco, Mexico. The story behind the trafficking ring and how Bryan Hance of Bike Index uncovered it is a *wild* one — hear all about it on this episode.
2025 RockShox Flight Attendant Forks & Shocks
Right on the heels of RockShox launching their new Vivid Coil shock and Charger 3.1 fork damper, they’ve released new electronically-controlled Flight Attendant versions of all the above (and the air-sprung Vivid). Check out what they’ve come up with.
Stuff We Like: June 2024
This month’s edition of our Stuff We Like series includes tons of warm-weather and travel-friendly apparel, bike tools, camera gear, hair-care products, and more. Check it out to see what gear our reviewers have recently been digging.
Coffee Gear, Pt. 4: “Hero Espresso” & Jonathan’s Current Setup (Ep.43)
Today’s the day. Simon Stewart and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the coffee gear Jonathan ended up going with on his quest to create daily doses of ‘hero espresso’.
Flash Review — Shimano GRX Di2 Drivetrain
Shimano’s new semi-wireless GRX Di2 drivetrain brings a lot of interesting new functionality to the table, and we’ve started spending time on it. Check out our early impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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‘Wade in the Water’ with David Mesfin & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.15)
Our guest is David Mesfin, the writer, director, and producer of ‘Wade in the Water: A Journey into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture’ that chronicles the 1000-year-old tradition of Black surfing and highlights some of the black surfers and surfing organizations that are forging the next chapters of this tradition.
2024 Specialized Chisel
Hot on the heels of the recently released Epic and Epic EVO, Specialized is announcing the new Chisel. The Chisel keeps similar kinematics and geometry to the Epic, but gets an impressively light aluminum frame to bring down cost. Let’s look at what Specialized has welded up.
2024-2025 Peak 110 by Bode
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Peak 110 by Bode.
Flash Review — Scott Solace Gravel eRide
We’ve been riding the Scott Solace Gravel eRide on two different continents. Check out our impressions so far.
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Scott Solace Gravel eRIDE
The Scott Solace Gravel eRIDE puts the excellent TQ HPR50 drive system in a Gravel / All Road package. Throw in a few geometry tweaks, generous tire clearance, and options for Road and Gravel builds, and the Solace starts to look very interesting.