BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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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Flash Review: 24/25 Blizzard Black Pearl 94
We’ve been spending time on Blizzard’s widest model in their recently updated Black Pearl lineup, the Black Pearl 94 – here are our initial thoughts.
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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 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.
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.