BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
2025 DPS Skis | Wailers, Pagoda Tour CFL, Koalas, & More | Blister Summit Video
The folks at DPS Skis have been busy. For the 2024-2025 season, they’ve launched a whole new Wailer ski collection; created their next-generation Pagoda Tour CFL series; are now making *all* of their skis in their own Utah factory, with the on-shoring of the Koala skis; continued to expand their Revive program to let customers trade in and purchase used DPS skis; and that’s not even an extensive list. In this video, we sat down with them to get all the details.
Flash Review: 24/25 Majesty Havoc 100 Ti
We’ve been spending time on the Majesty Havoc 100 Ti. Check out our initial on-snow impressions on this directional, all-mountain ski.
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Sarah Sturm on Her Unconventional Path to Gravel-Racing Stardom (Ep.213)
Sarah Sturm’s path to gravel-racing stardom was unconventional, and her telling of the story is highly entertaining. So we sat down with Sarah to hear all about it, and chat about taking on new challenges; failure; peeing one’s pants(?); the state and health of gravel racing; and much more.
2023-2024 RMU Valhalla 107
RMU says their women-specific Valhalla 107 is “a skier’s dream once you enter fresh snow,” but at a narrower width than most powder-specific models, can the Valhalla 107 really compete when things get deep? And what about its all-mountain versatility? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons for our take.
Deep Dive: RMU Valhalla 107
Check out our Deep Dive comparisons of the RMU Valhalla 107 to see how it compares to the Blizzard Sheeva 10, Wagner Summit 106, K2 Mindbender 106C W, Armada ARW 106 UL, Folsom Cash 106, Line Pandora 110, Faction Dancer 3X, Line Pandora 104, Salomon QST Stella 106, Nordica Unleashed 108, Folsom Completo 100, K2 Mindbender 116C W, Blizzard Sheeva 11, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Coalition Snow Rafiki, & Majesty Vadera Ti.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 24/25 DPS Wailer 107
DPS is bringing the Wailer name back to their lineup for the 24/25 season — here are our initial thoughts on the widest ski in the new collection, the Wailer 107.
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2024-2025 DPS Carbon Wailer 107
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the new DPS Carbon Wailer 107.
Flash Review: 23/24 J Skis Allplay
J Skis recently redesigned their best-selling ski, the Allplay, and we’ve been spending some time on it this season. Check out our initial impresssions.
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Flash Review — 2024 Specialized Epic EVO
Specialized’s new Epic 8 EVO offers an intriguing blend of XC race geometry and surprisingly beefy parts, 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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2024 Specialized Epic and Epic EVO
Specialized’s new Epic 8 and Epic 8 EVO come with a whole host of suspension, geometry, and frame construction updates, but also signal how the changing nature of Cross Country racing is demanding more capable bikes. Check out our First Look for more on what Specialized has cooked up.
RockShox SID and SIDLuxe Flight Attendant
RockShox’s wild electronically-controlled Flight Attendant suspension is now available on the SID family of forks and shocks — and they’ve added a bunch of very interesting new functionality in the process. Check out our First Look for the rundown.
Flash Review: 24/25 Blizzard Anomaly 94
The Anomaly 94 effectively ends the long reign of the Blizzard Bonafide, and we’ve been spending time on the new ski to see how it compares, and where it slots into the current market.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 24/25 K2 Reckoner KF
Karl Fostvedt’s new pro model, the 114mm-wide Reckoner KF, is one of the wildest-looking new skis — at least on paper. Check out our initial on-snow impressions of this super-rockered, super-soft ski.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Zebras, Fashion, & Ski Culture: Hadley Hammer & Kellyn Wilson (Ep.300)
We talk to professional skiers, Hadley Hammer and Kellyn Wilson, about their new project, TOGS, which is dedicated to widening ski culture and making it more acceptable for each of us to be our full selves.
Flash Review: 23/24 Moment Commander 92
Here are some of our thoughts so far on Moment’s directional, metal-laminate, and narrowest ski, the Commander 92 — including how it compares to the Commander 102 and several other ~90mm-wide all-mountain skis.
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:
Knolly Warden MX
Knolly has overhauled the final model in their full-suspension MTB lineup, with the new Warden getting mixed wheel sizes, revised geometry, improved aesthetics, and a bunch more. Check out what they’ve come up with.
‘Tour de Pharmacy’ with Jonathan Ellsworth & Simon Stewart (Ep.16)
What outdoor sports film has the most star-studded cast of all time? Probably the 2017 mockumentary, ‘Tour de Pharmacy.’ It’s hilarious, kinda disturbing, completely ludicrous, and very NSFW.
Flash Review: 24/25 Dynastar M-Cross 88
Where does the M-Cross 88 fall in the class of narrower “all-mountain” skis? Here are our initial on-snow impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024-2025 Dynastar M-Cross 88
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, flex pattern numbers, and more info on the widest model in Dynastar’s all-mountain collection, the M-Cross 88.
Adrian Ballinger on Everest, Ethics, & Unexplored Places (Ep.313)
We talk with Adrian Ballinger about the multiple sides of Everest, the many different ways to approach it, the culture of high-altitude mountaineering, and more.
Deep Dive: 2024 Norco Sight
We compare the Norco Sight to the Trek Slash, Kavenz VHP 16, Norco Range, Norco Optic, We Are One Arrival 152, Santa Cruz Bronson, Propain Tyee, Pivot Firebird, Deviate Highlander II, Orbea Rallon, Ibis HD6, 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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2024 Norco Sight
Norco has been one of the pioneers in the recent resurgence of high-pivot bikes, but their decision to move their mid-travel Sight to the layout still came as a bit of a surprise. But has it paid off? We’ve been spending a lot of time on the updated Sight and are ready to weigh in.
Win MTB Rims From We Are One Composites
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get their choice of any pair of carbon fiber mountain bike rims from We Are One Composites!
The Life of a Ski Engineer + 24/25 LINE & K2 Skis (Ep.302)
Sean Fearon, ski development engineer for LINE & K2, helped design over a dozen of the brand’s new 24/25 skis, and he gave us the full backstory on LINE’s overhauled Pandora and Vision series; the new K2 Reckoner and Omen lines; working with Karl Fostvedt on his unique pro model; what life as a ski engineer actually entails, and more.
Flash Review — EXT Storia V4
Check out our early impressions of the EXT Storia V4 and how it compares to the previous version of the shock.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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EXT Storia & Arma V4
EXT hasn’t been shy about the fact that new V4 iterations of their Storia and Arma rear shocks were on the way, but now they’re here. Check out our First Look for all the info on their new offerings, and our Flash Review for our early impressions of the Storia V4.
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.