BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Deep Dive: Armada ARG II UL
We compare the ARG II UL to the previous ARG II, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Heritage Lab C132, K2 Crescendo, Folsom G-Wagon, Liberty Genome, Faction La Machine 5 Max, Moment Chipotle Banana, 4FRNT Renegade, Folsom Rapture, Atomic Bent Chetler 120, and some other, more conventional powder skis.
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K2 Announces 24/25 Reckoner & Omen Skis + New Ski Boots
K2 is overhauling nearly all of their freestyle skis for 24/25, from fat pow sticks to competition park & pipe models. They’re also launching several new boots, including two lightweight 140-flex models & a Karl Fostvedt 3-piece pro model. Here are all the details.
Flash Review — 2024 Rocky Mountain Instinct
The new Rocky Mountain Instinct got much, much slacker than the outgoing model, and a lot of other details have changed, too. Check out our early impressions of how that all comes together on the trail.
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Flash Review — 2024 Norco Sight
We’ve been spending time on both of Norco’s new high-pivot bikes. Check out our early impressions of the 150mm-travel Sight.
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Flash Review: 24/25 Atomic Bent 100
Atomic has updated the popular Bent 100 for 24/25, and we just got our first few days on the new ski. Here are our initial thoughts on how it compares the previous version and the wider Bent models.
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Hoji, Cody, Trevor, & Teton: Stories from the Field (Ep.299)
Trevor Kennison, Teton Brown, Cody Townsend, & Hoji swap stories about their experiences in the mountains & more.
2024-2025 Volkl Revolt 114
We were a bit surprised when we first saw the Volkl Revolt 114. It bears the same family name as their very playful, freestyle-oriented models, yet its overall design seems more in line with much more directional freeride options. So, is it some weird mutant of a ski? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to find out.
Deep Dive: Volkl Revolt 114
We compare the Revolt 114 to the Volkl Revolt 121, Volkl Katana 108, Moment Wildcat, Rossignol Blackops 118, DPS Koala 118, DPS Koala 111, Rossignol Sender Free 110, Dynastar M-Free 118, Rossignol Sender Squad, Meier Leeper, J Skis Friend, Prior Northwest 116, Black Crows Anima, Line Blade Optic 114, Salomon QST Blank, Icelantic Nomad 115, Moment Countach 110, Nordica Unleashed 114, Moment Deathwish, 4FRNT Hoji, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Head Kore 111, RMU North Shore 114, Head Oblivion 116, Parlor McFellon Pro, Nordica Enforcer 110 Free, & Blizzard Rustler 11.
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Jeremy Jones on Gear Reviews; Gear Mistakes; Soft vs. Hard Boots; & More (Ep.287)
Jeremy & Jonathan discuss gear reviews; the biggest gear mistakes; full-camber vs. no-camber boards; soft vs. hard boots (including Shane McConkey’s tinkering on that front); & more.
Win Any Ferreol Ski
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get their choice of any ski from Ferreol’s lineup!
Flash Review: 23/24 Stöckli Montero AR
The Montero AR is Stöckli’s 84mm-wide “All-Mountain Piste” model — here are our initial on-snow impressions.
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Ski & Snowboard Goggle Roundup — 2024
A good pair of goggles can end up being one of the most essential pieces of gear for a fun day on snow. We’ve been testing a *lot* of them lately, and in this roundup, we compare and contrast more than two dozen — from ultra-high-end flagship models to more budget-oriented (but still impressive) alternatives.
Norco on their New High-Pivot Optic and Sight (Ep.211)
Norco has a long history with high-pivot bikes, but the switch to that layout on their new Optic and Sight still came as a surprise. So we sat down with Norco engineer, Colin Ryan, to hear all about the thinking, testing, and development behind the new models.
Revel Rascal V2
Revel’s best-selling and most versatile bike, the Rascal, gets an update today with a new frame, expanded size options, and more. Check out our full review for all the info on the new bike, and our Deep Dive comparisons to learn how it stacks up against a whole lot of all-rounder Trail bikes.
Deep Dive: Revel Rascal V2
We compare the Revel Rascal V2 to the Santa Cruz Hightower, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Transition Smuggler, Trek Fuel EX, Yeti SB140, Orbea Occam LT, Yeti SB135, Canyon Spectral 125, Chromag Darco, and Rocky Mountain Element.
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:
2024-2025 ZAG Slap 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the ZAG Slap 98.
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, May 2024 (Ep.225)
MTB racing season is in full swing and Simon Stewart and Mike Ferrentino have a lot to cover on this iteration of Reviewing the News, from World Cup XC to Hardline, the Giro d’Italia and upcoming Tour de France, and a whole lot more.
7iDP Project.21 Helmet
7iDP is probably best known for their knee pads, but they’ve also been making helmets for a long time and their new Project.21 Trail helmet has a bunch of interesting features that make it stand out. Check out our Full Review for the rundown.
2024-2025 Salomon QST Lumen 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, flex pattern numbers, and some more info on the Salomon QST Lumen 98.
Flash Review: 24/25 Salomon QST Lumen 98
The QST Lumen 98 is situated in the middle of Salomon’s women-specific QST lineup, designed to be a versatile all-rounder. Check out our initial impressions to see how it handles a wide range of conditions.
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Flash Review — RAAW Madonna V3
Update, 6/5/2024: We’ve had more reviewers on the RAAW Madonna V3, logged a lot more time on it, and made a bunch of setup changes. Check out how our impressions have evolved.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Fox Union BOA Flat Shoes
Fox only recently added shoes to their product lineup, but the range-topping Union BOA Flat brings a whole lot to the table without many drawbacks — if you can stomach the price. Check out our Full Review to hear how we got along with their flagship flat pedal shoe.
Hall of Famer Bill Walton on Life, Bikes, Music, & More (Ep.310)
Last week, we lost one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, and a person with an all-time love of bikes. Today, Jonathan talks about what Bill meant to him personally, and we’re republishing here the conversation he had with Bill back on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast.
Deep Dive: Devinci E-Troy
We compare the E-Troy to the Orbea Wild, Pivot Shuttle LT, Pivot Shuttle AM, Specialized Turbo Levo, and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
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2023 Devinci E-Troy
The E-Troy is a mid-travel eMTB with notably aggressive geometry, and the on-trail results are pretty special. Check out the full review to find out what Devinci has cooked up.
Flash Review: 24/25 Kästle MX88 & MX84
We’ve been testing two of Kästle’s redesigned all-mountain skis — here are our initial thoughts on how the new MX88 and MX84 compare to each other and their respective competition.
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2025 Nicolai / Geometron G1
How do you go about updating what is *still* one of the most adjustable frames out there, with some of the most progressive geometry on the market, five years after it first launched? Geometron has found a lot to change on the new iteration of their Nicolai-built G1 — and much of what they tweaked might come as a surprise.