BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

Flash Review: 23/24 Peak 88 by Bode
Given Bode Miller’s racing background, we were curious to try his take on a narrower all-mountain ski — check out our initial thoughts.
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Win Any Moment Ski
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get to pick any Moment ski they want from their expansive lineup!

Forbidden Bikes Founder Owen Pemberton (Ep.201)
Forbidden does a lot of things differently, from offering a full lineup of high-pivot bikes to taking an unconventional approach to size-specific geometry, and we sat down with founder and engineer Owen Pemberton to hear all about it.

2023-2024 Nordica Santa Ana 88
The Santa Ana 88 brings many of the wider Santa Ana skis’ signature traits to a narrower, more firm-snow-oriented package, but with a few tweaks that make it stand out within the collection. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons for the whole story.

Deep Dive: Nordica Santa Ana 88
We compare the Nordica Santa Ana 88 to the Nordica Santa Ana 93, Nordica Santa Ana 98, Blizzard Black Pearl 88, Meier Skis BNK, Line Pandora 84, Head Kore 85 W, Salomon Stance 88 W, Armada Reliance 92 Ti, Blizzard Sheeva 9, Fischer Ranger 90, & Atomic Maven 93 C.
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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Shaking Up the Wine World: Revelshine founder, Jake Bilbro (Ep.38)
Today we’re talking about why we need to move away from ‘business as usual’ in the wine world, with Revelshine founder Jake Bilbro, who lays out some rarely discussed facts about the impacts of the wine industry; his mission to change that; and why the likes of Jeremy Jones, Shane Dorian, Selema Masakala, Michelle Parker, and others have all signed up to push this mission forward.

‘Yearbook’ with Cody Townsend & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.6)
Cody and Jonathan dissect MSP’s iconic 2004 film, Yearbook, and discuss its most memorable segments, its impact on the sport, who won the movie, and more.

2023-2024 Kästle K130P LV
Kästle is new to the alpine boot market, and we have the K130P LV in for long-term testing. Check out our First Look for all the initial details.

2023-2024 Wagner Summit 91
The Summit 91 is the newest and narrowest addition to Wagner’s line of semi-custom skis, and we’ve spent the past two seasons testing against the rest of the ~90mm-wide all-mountain category. Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to see the results.

Deep Dive: Wagner Summit 91
We compare the Wagner Summit 91 to the Wagner Summit 97, Salomon Stance 90, Folsom Cash 93, Shaggy’s Brockway 90, Stereo Piste V3, Peak 88 by Bode, Nordica Enforcer 88, Parlor Cardinal 90, Romp Zorro 89, Black Crows Serpo, Salomon QST 92, Line Blade Optic 92, J Skis Fastforward, K2 Mindbender 89Ti, 4FRNT MSP 91, Folsom Spar 88, Blizzard Brahma 88, Head Kore 93, Atomic Maverick 95 Ti, Armada Declivity 92 Ti, & Volkl M6 Mantra.
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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Deep Dives with Angel, December 2023 (Ep.291)
What things should you consider when you’re wondering about turning a passion into a career? Should you pursue your passions at the cost of relationships? How do you say No to someone if they aren’t the right fit for a project? Angel Collinson is back on the show to discuss.

Flash Review: 23/24 Folsom Spar 78
We’ve started spending time on Folsom’s narrowest ski, the Spar 78 — check out our initial on-snow impressions.
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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Skiing with Your Eyes Closed, Shop Pizza, Egg Beaters, & Ski Boots with Greg Klein (Ep.276)
Shane McConkey’s college roommate is back, and Jonathan talks to Greg (president of Willi’s Ski & Snowboard Shops) about all the stuff in the episode title, plus the $10,000 bet made at our Blister Summit that it looks like he’s won?

2023-2024 Tecnica Zero G Peak Carbon
Despite it being Tecnica’s first foray into the 1-kg class of touring boots, the Zero G Peak Carbon is an extremely impressive product. Check out our full review to learn more, including how it compares to several other boots in its class.

Win Any Renoun Ski
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get to pick any unique, “VibeStop”-equipped Renoun ski they want!
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

2024-2025 Armada Locator 112
Our reviewer, Paul Forward, has been testing all sorts of touring skis for years, especially light and fat ones, and he says the Armada Locator 112 has “quickly become one of my favorite all-round skis for any of my human-powered skiing endeavors.” Check out our Full Review to see why.

Whiskey, Murder, and a Bunch of New Skis (Ep.293)
Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring

Win MTB Gear from Crankbrothers
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a bunch of mountain bike gear from Crankbrothers, including their Mallet Trail Clip-In shoes, any pair of their pedals, and an S.O.S. tool kit of the winner’s choice!

Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, March 2024 (Ep.217)
In their third installment of Reviewing The News, Ryan and Simon get into: the slopestyle strike; Scott’s apparent management instability; riding in Tuscany; some reflections on how we ever rode without dropper posts; and some new lightweight eMTBs running the hotrod Bosch SX motor — including the 39 lb Norco Fluid VLT.

Giant Trance X
Giant has updated their longstanding Trance platform with the new Trance X and Trance X SX. Both the Trance X and Trance X SX get a lot more adjustability, more aggressive geometry, and some other refinements. Dig into our First Look to get all of the details on what Giant has cooked up.

Flash Review — Yeti SB165
The new Yeti SB165 has grown a mullet, but it sticks with (mostly) very similar geometry to the outgoing 27.5’’-wheeled version. Check out our initial impressions of how it all comes together.
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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RAAW Jibb V2
RAAW updated their Madonna V3 Enduro bike earlier this year, adding a lot of adjustability and refinements, and now their shorter-travel Jibb gets many of the same tweaks, updated geometry, and more. Check out our First Look for all the info.

Flash Review — 2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude
The new Rocky Mountain Altitude doesn’t look anything like the old one, but how much has the on-trail experience changed? Check out our impressions so far.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review — 2025 Fox 38 Grip X2
Fox says that their new Grip X2 damper offers substantially more support and composure than the Grip2 one that it replaces — and that sounds like the change that our Bike Editor was looking for. Check out his early impressions of the Grip-X2-equipped Fox 38 Fork.
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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Fox’s Overhauled Fork Lineup | Grip SL, Grip X, Grip X2, & New 32 Step Cast
Fox just launched three new fork dampers — the Grip SL, Grip X, and Grip X2 — that are featured across the bulk of their latest fork lineup, and they have a new gold color option to go with them. Check out our First Look for all the info on the new forks, and our Flash Review for our early impressions of the Fox 38 Grip X2.

Forbidden Dreadnought V2
We’ve been expecting an updated Forbidden Dreadnought since the Druid V2 broke cover last year, and now it’s here — with more suspension travel, increased adjustability, a new suspension layout, and radical geometry. Check out what Forbidden has cooked up.

Flash Review: 23/24 Folsom TRN TEK
Folsom says their TRN TEK is “the only NEW straight ski on the market,” and our managing editor just spent closing day on this 201cm-long, 69mm-wide ski. Here are his thoughts on the experience, including how much / little he had to adapt to the vintage design, how it compares to modern skis, and more.
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.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
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