BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
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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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Flash Review — 2024 Norco Optic
The new Norco Optic is by far the shortest-travel high-pivot bike that we’ve been on to date, and our early impressions are pretty interesting.
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2024 Norco Optic & Norco Sight
Norco is updating their flagship Trail / All-Mountain bikes, and they’ve got some surprises in store — beginning, but not ending, with the fact that they’ve both got high-pivot suspension layouts. Here are the details on the new Norco Optic & Sight.
2023-2024 Heritage Lab HB122
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Heritage Lab HB 122.
Flash Review: 23/24 Heritage Lab HB122
The HB122 is one of Heritage Lab’s latest models, inspired by the iconic K2 HellBent — here are Paul Forward’s initial thoughts on this big, fully rockered pow ski.
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Crank Brothers Mallet Trail BOA Shoes
Crank Brothers’ new Mallet Trail BOA shoes combine many features from more gravity-oriented shoes into a lighter, more pedal-friendly package. We’ve been spending a lot of time in the new model, and what Crank Brothers have come up with is pretty interesting.
2024-2025 Stöckli Stormrider 95
This season we’ve been testing several Stöckli skis, and we’re kicking off our Full Reviews & Deep Dive comparisons with the all-mountain-oriented Stormrider 95.
Deep Dive: Stöckli Stormrider 95
We compare the Stormrider 95 to the Stöckli Stormrider 102, Volkl M6 Mantra, Salomon Stance 96, Blizzard Anomaly 94, Nordica Enforcer 99, Fischer Ranger 96, Salomon QST 98, Nordica Enforcer 94, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, J Skis Masterblaster, K2 Mindbender 96C, Peak 98 by Bode, K2 Mindbender 89Ti, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, Head Kore 93, Blizzard Rustler 9, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, ZAG Harfang 96, Faction Dancer 2, Blizzard Bonafide 97, Black Crows Camox, Nordica Unleashed 98, RMU Apostle 96 Pro, Line Blade Optic 96, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, Renoun Endurance 98, Dynastar M-Pro 99, Season Aero, Wagner Summit 97, & Shaggy’s Mohawk 98.
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:
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.
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.