BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
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Helmet Tech, Head Injuries, & Best Practices for Skiers & Snowboarders (Ep.288)
We discuss current helmet technology, head injuries, and best practices for skiers & snowboarders with Blister reviewer (and physician assistant), Sascha Anastas; Steven Kennedy of Giro; Frederik Kjellberg of MIPS; and pro skier, Drew Petersen.
Flash Review: 24/25 Atomic Maven 103 CTI
We’ve been spending time on an all-new women-specific ski from Atomic, and the widest in the collection, the Maven 103 CTI. Check out our initial impressions.
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Win Skis from K2
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get the Mindbender 106C from K2!
Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, February 2024 (Ep.212)
Ryan Palmer and Simon Stewart are back for another episode of Reviewing The News and there’s plenty to talk about: Kyle and Rachael Strait’s possible new bike sponsor; Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania; brake lever lawsuits; the Dutch police crackdown on modified e-bikes; a groundbreaking new eMTB from Cannondale; and more.
Santa Cruz Heckler SL
Santa Cruz has created something truly special in the Heckler SL. Check out our Full Review to learn more about what makes the Heckler SL stand out in the lightweight eMTB category, plus a bonus head-to-head comparison vs. full-power eMTBs.
Deep Dive: Santa Cruz Heckler SL
We compare the Heckler SL to the Trek Fuel EXe, Pivot Shuttle AM, Specialized Turbo Levo, and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024-2025 Armada ARG II UL
The original Armada ARG was one of the earliest “superfat,” ultra-powder-specific models to hit the market in the mid-2000s. Today, the modern ARG II UL carries on its legacy, but these days, its specialist design is far, far less common. So, why is that, and why has Armada opted to keep it around? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons for the whole story.
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.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
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 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.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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.
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 2 x 12-Speed 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.