BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
2023-2024 RMU Apostle 96 Pro
The Apostle 96 Pro takes RMU’s playful all-mountain shape and adds two sheets of metal — a combo we don’t often see. So, how well does the resulting ski blend these seemingly unusual design traits? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Apostle 96 Pro
We compare the RMU Apostle 96 Pro to the standard RMU Apostle 96, RMU Apostle 106 Pro, Line Blade Optic 96, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, J Skis Masterblaster, Renoun Endurance 98, Blizzard Rustler 9, Salomon QST 98, Nordica Enforcer 99, Volkl M6 Mantra, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, Black Crows Justis, Head Kore 99, Elan Ripstick 106, Faction Dancer 2, Black Crows Camox, Dynastar M-Free 99, Nordica Unleashed 98, Rossignol Blackops 98, Season Kin, K2 Reckoner 102, 4FRNT Switch, Faction Mana 2, Liberty Origin 101, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, Shaggy’s Mohawk 98, Season Aero, Line Blade, & K2 Mindbender 96C.
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Reviewer Reports: Storm Cycles, All-Mountain Skis, 3D-Printed Goggles, & More (Ep.282)
Kara, Luke, Dylan, and Eric discuss some of the powder and all-mountain skis they’ve been testing, plus Dylan’s new favorite ski poles, a standout touring boot, 3D-printed custom goggles, and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls.
Rónán Dunne on Joining Mondraker Factory Racing (Ep.206)
Rónán Dunne is on a meteoric rise through the World Cup Downhill ranks, and he’ll look to continue that on the newly formed Mondraker Factory Racing team. We sat down with Rónán to chat about leaving Nukeproof for Mondraker, the state of DH racing in general, his goals for 2024 and beyond, and much more.
Flash Review: 23/24 Nordica Steadfast 85 DC
We just got our first day on the widest ski in Nordica’s Steadfast collection. Here are our initial thoughts on the Nordica Steadfast 85 DC and how it slots into the narrower all-mountain and wider piste-oriented categories.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Roval Traverse HD Wheels
We’ve been logging a lot of time on the Traverse HD, the heavier-duty model in Roval’s recently overhauled wheel lineup, which is meant for everything from aggressive Trail riding to bike park use. Check out our full review to find out how they’ve fared.
Tecnica Announces New 24/25 Zero G Tour Boots
Tecnica just announced that they’re updating their longstanding (and already very impressive) Zero G Tour ski boots. So, what’s changed? Here are all the details.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, Dec ’23 & Jan ’24 (Ep.294)
Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest athletic achievements in outdoor sports in 2023; Caroline Gleich’s run for the U.S. Senate; ski area & ski media business models; mountain town advice, the Most Canadian News; & more.
2023-2024 K2 Mindbender 106C W
K2 calls the recently overhauled Mindbender 106C W the ultimate one ski quiver, for “when you don’t know what the forecast has in store.” So, how does it compare to other wider all-mountain skis, as well as the previous version? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: K2 Mindbender 106C W
We compare the K2 Mindbender 106C W to the first generation Mindbender 106C, Folsom Cash 106, K2 Mindbender 116C W, Faction Dancer 3X, Salomon QST Stella 106, Armada ARW 106 UL, RMU Valhalla 107, DPS Kaizen 105, Blizzard Sheeva 10, Line Blade Optic 104, Nordica Unleashed 108, Majesty Vadera Ti, Blizzard Sheeva 11, & Coalition Snow Rafiki.
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.
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2023-2024 Rossignol Juggernaut
The Juggernaut is the stiffest twin in Rossignol’s lineup, but they recently tweaked it to make it more accessible. So just how game-on is the new model, and what sort of riders — freestyle-minded or not — might want to consider it? Check out our Full Review.
Stuff We Like: January 2024
This edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from snow saws to ski boots, lots of kids gear, 5 pairs of sunglasses, multi-tools, and more. Check it out to see all the latest gear our reviewers have been digging.
So You Wanna Start a Ski Company? (Ep.293)
What’s it like to actually start a ski company? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? We talk with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more.
Yeti SB140
The Yeti SB130 was pretty aggressive for a mid-travel Trail bike when it launched a few years back, but the SB140 that replaced it is no longer such an outlier on paper — so what does that mean for the new SB140? We’ve spent a bunch of time on Yeti’s latest do-it-all Trail bike and are ready to weigh in.
Deep Dive: Yeti SB140
We compare the Yeti SB140 to the Revel Rail 29, Ibis Ripley AF, Canyon Spectral 29, Santa Cruz Hightower, and Pivot Switchblade.
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:
Norco’s New DH Race Bike (Ep.219)
Norco hasn’t been shy about the fact that they’re working on a new DH race bike, and we sat down with Norco engineers Adrian Ward and Kirk McDowall to hear all about it.
Deep Dive: Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay
We compare the Instinct Powerplay to the Pivot Shuttle AM, Specialized Turbo Levo, Orbea Wild, and Norco Fluid VLT 130.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay
Lightweight, lower powered eMTBs are having a bit of a moment, but the Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay makes a strong case for a full-power motor, even on a mid-travel Trail bike. Check out our full review for our take.
Flash Review: 24/25 Romp Oso 105
We’ve been logging time on one of the newest — and most different — skis in Romp’s stock lineup. Here are our initial thoughts on the Oso 105.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024-2025 Icelantic Maiden 102
Icelantic overhauled their longstanding Maiden and Nomad skis for 24/25, including longer lengths options for the women’s Maiden series, and we spent the season testing the new Maiden 102 against its competition to see where it falls in the all-mountain market. Read all about it in our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Icelantic Maiden 102
We compare the Icelantic Maiden 102 to the Nordica Unleashed 98 W, Moment Sierra, Blizzard Sheeva 10, Faction Dancer 3X, Zag Slap 104, Armada ARW 106 UL, Nordica Unleashed 108 W, Atomic Maven 103 CTI, Fischer Ranger 102, Nordica Santa Ana 102, K2 Mindbender 99Ti W, Volkl Secret 102, DPS Kaizen 105, Line Optic 104, K2 Mindbender 106C W, Folsom Cash 106, & Salomon QST Stella 106.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Devinci E-Troy Lite
We’ve been seeing a lot of new lightweight eMTBs hitting the market lately, and Devinci has made a very interesting one with their new aluminum, made-in-Canada E-Troy Lite. Dig into our First Look for all the details on the new bike.
Deep Dive: Ibis HD6
We compare the Ibis HD6 to the Yeti SB165, Orbea Rallon, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, Norco Sight, Propane Tyee, Santa Cruz Nomad, Chromag Lowdown, Kavenz VHP 16, Specialized Enduro, and REEB Steezl.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Ibis HD6
Ibis set out to make a modern Enduro race bike and came up with the HD6 — the longest travel bike they’ve ever made. We’ve been spending a lot of time on the HD6, and it has proven to be an interesting take on the genre. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to see what we mean.
A Brief-ish History of Blister with Jonathan Ellsworth and Michael Clarke (Ep.306)
So who was really behind the creation of BLISTER, and did the whole thing get started because of a misunderstanding over a couple of beers? Today, we dive into the origins story of Blister, with the two people most responsible for it.
2024 Sea Otter Classic Recap, Part 2
We’ve got more dispatches from the 2024 Sea Otter Classic.
Flash Review — Yeti ASR
Yeti has re-entered the World Cup XC race arena with their new ASR, and our initial impressions on this lightweight full-suspension bike are quite positive.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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