BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: 23/24 Volkl Blaze 114
Following a surprise early-season storm, we got back on Volkl’s new lightweight freeride ski, the Blaze 114. Here are some initial takeaways from Jonathan Ellsworth.
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Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2023 – Under The Tree
Next up in our 2023 Gift Guide series are the items that our reviewers think will make for awesome additions beneath the tree this holiday season. If you’re looking for a gift for the skier, biker, hiker, traveler, or just about any other type of person in your life, check them out!
‘Apocalypse Snow’ with Régis Rolland (Ep.4)
We follow up last week’s conversation about one of the greatest ski & snowboard movies of all time, with the star of Apocalypse Snow, the snowboarding legend and pioneer, Régis Rolland. Régis and Jonathan discuss the making of the film; what interested him in getting on a snowboard in the first place, and Régis kindly answers some of the burning questions we raised about the film in last week’s conversation.
Flash Review: 23/24 Fischer RC4 Pro LV
We’ve been spending time in Fischer’s new 140-flex boot — check out our initial impressions, including comparisons to the Lange Shadow, Tecnica Mach1, and the RC4 Pro MV BOA.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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1-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (23/24)
After weeks of ski-quiver discussions, we’ve finally arrived at the hardest question of all: what single ski would you use for all the skiing you do? In the last update, we get to hear from Jonathan Ellsworth & Paul Forward. Check out their selections and a bunch of our other reviewers’ personal picks.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, November 2023 (Ep.289)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the *trillion* dollar outdoor industry; e-bike bans?; the business of retro sneakers / retro skis; Cody snowboarding; mtn town relationship advice; & more.
A Message to Our Blister Members
Jonathan Ellsworth discusses some important changes to our Blister Membership that are happening in 2024 — and a special offer for all current Blister Members.
Win a Pack from Hyperlite Mountain Gear
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Crux 40 ski mountaineering pack from Hyperlite Mountain Gear!
Flash Review: 23/24 RMU Apostle 96 Pro
We just got our first day on the metal-laminate version of RMU’s narrower all-mountain ski — here are some initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Reviewer Reports: Early-Season Ski Gear Testing, Mtn Biking in Nepal, & More (Ep.274)
Luke, Kara, and Jonathan discuss getting back on snow, ski boots, frontside skis, mountain biking in Nepal, engagement taco parties, and new apparel.
Dynafit Releases New Ridge Ski-Touring Binding
Today, Dynafit announced a limited-edition release of their newest binding, the Ridge, which they’re calling “the most comfortable ski touring binding on the market.” Here are the details.
Albatross Bikes on the Super-Adaptable Apogee Module (Ep.198)
There are lots of custom hardtail builders out there, but the constraints of pivot locations, maintaining frame alignment, and the tooling needed to make it all work means that fully-customizable full-suspension bikes are a lot rarer. Albatross Bikes has taken a very creative approach to offering customizable full-suspension bikes with their Apogee Module, and we brought them on to hear all about it.
The Blister Speaker Series at Western
NEXT GUEST: On Tuesday, December 5th, Courtney Dauwalter, Salomon athlete and one of the greatest ultrarunners of all time, is coming to Western Colorado University for another installment of our Blister Speaker Series.
Blister’s Holiday Gift Guide 2023 – Stocking Stuffers
‘Tis the season for giving, and our reviewers are here to help. We are kicking off our annual Holiday Gift Guides with some top stocking stuffer ideas for the bikers, skiers, snowboarders, campers, hikers, travelers, and just about any other type of person on your list.
‘Apocalypse Snow’ with Mike Rogge, Justin Bobb, & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.3)
We discuss the craziest and probably the greatest snowboard / ski / monoski / snowblade film of all time. The film was seen by millions of people when it came out, and nearly 40 years later, it still feels wildly innovative and fresh.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Blister Summit 2025 Discounts For Gunnison Valley Residents
The Blister Summit will be back in Mt. Crested Butte from February 23 to 27, 2025, and you’re invited! This year, we created a couple of options specifically for Gunnison Valley Residents. Option 1: Full Registration at the discounted rate of $250 Registration includes all
2023-2024 Line Bacon 108
The word “Bacon” has adorned the name of at least one Line ski for almost two decades now, and this season, Line launched three all-new models. So, how does the latest Bacon 108 compare to its cured-meat-named predecessors, and the rest of the freestyle market? Here’s our Full Review.
Deep Dive: Line Bacon 108
We compare the Line Bacon 108 to the previous-generation Line Sir Francis Bacon, Line Bacon 115, Line Chronic 101, Season Nexus, Armada ARV 106, 4FRNT Devastator, Nordica Unleashed 108, Dynastar M-Free 108, Majesty Dirty Bear XL, Moment Deathwish 104, Moment Wildcat 108, Whitedot Altum 104, RMU North Shore 110, Atomic Bent 110, Prior Northwest 110, Rossignol Sender Free 110, K2 Reckoner 112, Faction Mana 3, Zag Slap 104, Line Blade Optic 104, & Black Crows Atris.
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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Standout Backcountry Gear: Past, Present, & Future (Ep.289)
We talk with Trygve Sande, one of the founders of VPG (our Blister Recommended Shop in Oppdal, Norway), about all-time pivotal pieces of backcountry gear; products that help break down the barriers to entry; skiing in Norway; and last but not least, Trygve’s involvement and collaboration with Hoji and 4FRNT’s new concept ski.
Win Ski Boots from La Sportiva
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get the Skorpius CR II ski touring boot from La Sportiva!
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.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
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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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.