BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: 24/25 Blizzard Anomaly 102
The new Anomaly 102 has big shoes to fill — namely, the Blizzard Bonafide & Cochise’s roles in the brand’s line. Here are our initial on-snow impressions for the new ski.
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Redesigned 24/25 Shift2 Binding Announced
The Shift binding has become one of the most popular “hybrid” touring bindings since its release several years ago, and now it’s getting its first major update. Here are all the details about the new Shift2 binding.
Win Skis from Blizzard
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get their choice of the Sheeva 10 or Rustler 10 from Blizzard!
2023-2024 RMU Apostle 96 Pro
The Apostle 96 Pro takes RMU’s playful all-mountain shape and adds two sheets of metal — a combo we don’t often see. So, how well does the resulting ski blend these seemingly unusual design traits? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: Apostle 96 Pro
We compare the RMU Apostle 96 Pro to the standard RMU Apostle 96, RMU Apostle 106 Pro, Line Blade Optic 96, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, J Skis Masterblaster, Renoun Endurance 98, Blizzard Rustler 9, Salomon QST 98, Nordica Enforcer 99, Volkl M6 Mantra, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, Black Crows Justis, Head Kore 99, Elan Ripstick 106, Faction Dancer 2, Black Crows Camox, Dynastar M-Free 99, Nordica Unleashed 98, Rossignol Blackops 98, Season Kin, K2 Reckoner 102, 4FRNT Switch, Faction Mana 2, Liberty Origin 101, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, Shaggy’s Mohawk 98, Season Aero, Line Blade, & K2 Mindbender 96C.
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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Reviewer Reports: Storm Cycles, All-Mountain Skis, 3D-Printed Goggles, & More (Ep.282)
Kara, Luke, Dylan, and Eric discuss some of the powder and all-mountain skis they’ve been testing, plus Dylan’s new favorite ski poles, a standout touring boot, 3D-printed custom goggles, and a bunch of Crashes & Close Calls.
Rónán Dunne on Joining Mondraker Factory Racing (Ep.206)
Rónán Dunne is on a meteoric rise through the World Cup Downhill ranks, and he’ll look to continue that on the newly formed Mondraker Factory Racing team. We sat down with Rónán to chat about leaving Nukeproof for Mondraker, the state of DH racing in general, his goals for 2024 and beyond, and much more.
Flash Review: 23/24 Nordica Steadfast 85 DC
We just got our first day on the widest ski in Nordica’s Steadfast collection. Here are our initial thoughts on the Nordica Steadfast 85 DC and how it slots into the narrower all-mountain and wider piste-oriented categories.
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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Roval Traverse HD Wheels
We’ve been logging a lot of time on the Traverse HD, the heavier-duty model in Roval’s recently overhauled wheel lineup, which is meant for everything from aggressive Trail riding to bike park use. Check out our full review to find out how they’ve fared.
Tecnica Announces New 24/25 Zero G Tour Boots
Tecnica just announced that they’re updating their longstanding (and already very impressive) Zero G Tour ski boots. So, what’s changed? Here are all the details.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, Dec ’23 & Jan ’24 (Ep.294)
Cody and Jonathan debate the greatest athletic achievements in outdoor sports in 2023; Caroline Gleich’s run for the U.S. Senate; ski area & ski media business models; mountain town advice, the Most Canadian News; & more.
2023-2024 K2 Mindbender 106C W
K2 calls the recently overhauled Mindbender 106C W the ultimate one ski quiver, for “when you don’t know what the forecast has in store.” So, how does it compare to other wider all-mountain skis, as well as the previous version? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: K2 Mindbender 106C W
We compare the K2 Mindbender 106C W to the first generation Mindbender 106C, Folsom Cash 106, K2 Mindbender 116C W, Faction Dancer 3X, Salomon QST Stella 106, Armada ARW 106 UL, RMU Valhalla 107, DPS Kaizen 105, Blizzard Sheeva 10, Line Blade Optic 104, Nordica Unleashed 108, Majesty Vadera Ti, Blizzard Sheeva 11, & Coalition Snow Rafiki.
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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2023-2024 Rossignol Juggernaut
The Juggernaut is the stiffest twin in Rossignol’s lineup, but they recently tweaked it to make it more accessible. So just how game-on is the new model, and what sort of riders — freestyle-minded or not — might want to consider it? Check out our Full Review.
Stuff We Like: January 2024
This edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from snow saws to ski boots, lots of kids gear, 5 pairs of sunglasses, multi-tools, and more. Check it out to see all the latest gear our reviewers have been digging.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Flash Review — Michelin Wild Enduro MH & Wild Enduro MS
Michelin’s new Wild Enduro tires look a lot more aggressive than the prior-generation versions that they replaced, but how do they perform on the trail? We’ve started spending time on the Wild Enduro MH and Wild Enduro MS, and are ready to weigh in with some early thoughts.
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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Housing Solutions & Mountain Town Economics with Troy Russ (Ep.308)
If you love skiing, snowboarding, trail running, or mountain biking, then why the hell do you need to know about things like short-term rentals, zoning codes, and accessory dwelling units? Troy Russ explains.
Flash Review: 24/25 Salomon / Atomic Shift2 Binding
The original Shift binding was a big advancement in the touring binding category when it was first released, but it wasn’t without its flaws. The new Shift2 binding is meant to address those downsides while still letting you skin uphill in pins and get alpine-binding performance on the way down. We’ve been testing multiple pairs of the Shift2 to test those claims — here are our thoughts so far.
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 Marin Alpine Trail E Bosch
Marin has dropped a new Alpine Trail E, featuring an all-new frame and suspension design and a move from a Shimano to a Bosch motor, all while hitting a very impressive price point. Let’s see what Marin brought to the table for the new Alpine Trail E.
Kona’s Back
After a turbulent couple of years, Kona’s founders are buying the brand back from Kent Outdoors.
Reviewer Reports: Travel Gear, Dinosaurs, & Camcorders (Ep.298)
Luke Koppa and Kristin Sinnott discuss some of the products they’ve found useful, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy while on the road or hurtling through the sky. They also get into extremely relevant things like camcorder storage solutions and dinosaur podcasts, the fact that Luke doesn’t actually like traveling, and more.
Win Tickets to Blister Summit 2025
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get 2 passes to our upcoming Blister Summit 2025! Enter for your chance to win — and either way, you can still save a lot of dough if you take advantage of our early-bird registration pricing, which is available till June 18th.
Deep Dive: Pivot Shuttle AM
We compare the Pivot Shuttle AM to the Pivot Shuttle LT, Orbea Wild, Specialized Turbo Levo, Devinci E-Troy and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
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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Reviewer Reports: World Cup DH Recap, Tons of Bikes, Suspension, Tires, & More (Ep.222)
We’ve been testing a huge spectrum of bikes — from Gravel to Enduro — plus a bunch of new tires, suspension, and more. Simon Stewart and David Golay sat down to talk about all of it, recap the World Cup DH season opener, and more.
Stuff We Like: May 2024
This edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from apps and tools designed for travel to duffel and ski boot bags, lightweight jackets, and more. Check it out to see all the latest products our reviewers have been digging.
Motion Instruments System 2 Suspension Data Acquisition
Pro racers have long used suspension telemetry to work on their bike setup, but those systems have traditionally been expensive, finicky, and tough to interpret. Motion Instruments’ new System 2 data acquisition package is meant to change that.
‘Better Off Dead’ & ‘Hot Dog’ with Amie Engerbretson & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.12)
Pro skier, Amie Engerbretson, joins us to coin new terms; offer scalding-hot takes; debate whether ‘Better Off Dead’ is responsible for rockered skis; and she definitely WANTS HER TWO DOLLARS!