BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: 24/25 K2 Reckoner KF
Karl Fostvedt’s new pro model, the 114mm-wide Reckoner KF, is one of the wildest-looking new skis — at least on paper. Check out our initial on-snow impressions of this super-rockered, super-soft ski.
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Zebras, Fashion, & Ski Culture: Hadley Hammer & Kellyn Wilson (Ep.300)
We talk to professional skiers, Hadley Hammer and Kellyn Wilson, about their new project, TOGS, which is dedicated to widening ski culture and making it more acceptable for each of us to be our full selves.
Flash Review: 23/24 Moment Commander 92
Here are some of our thoughts so far on Moment’s directional, metal-laminate, and narrowest ski, the Commander 92 — including how it compares to the Commander 102 and several other ~90mm-wide all-mountain skis.
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Helmet Tech, Head Injuries, & Best Practices for Skiers & Snowboarders (Ep.288)
We discuss current helmet technology, head injuries, and best practices for skiers & snowboarders with Blister reviewer (and physician assistant), Sascha Anastas; Steven Kennedy of Giro; Frederik Kjellberg of MIPS; and pro skier, Drew Petersen.
Flash Review: 24/25 Atomic Maven 103 CTI
We’ve been spending time on an all-new women-specific ski from Atomic, and the widest in the collection, the Maven 103 CTI. Check out our initial impressions.
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Win Skis from K2
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get the Mindbender 106C from K2!
Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, February 2024 (Ep.212)
Ryan Palmer and Simon Stewart are back for another episode of Reviewing The News and there’s plenty to talk about: Kyle and Rachael Strait’s possible new bike sponsor; Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania; brake lever lawsuits; the Dutch police crackdown on modified e-bikes; a groundbreaking new eMTB from Cannondale; and more.
Santa Cruz Heckler SL
Santa Cruz has created something truly special in the Heckler SL. Check out our Full Review to learn more about what makes the Heckler SL stand out in the lightweight eMTB category, plus a bonus head-to-head comparison vs. full-power eMTBs.
Deep Dive: Santa Cruz Heckler SL
We compare the Heckler SL to the Trek Fuel EXe, Pivot Shuttle AM, Specialized Turbo Levo, and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024-2025 Armada ARG II UL
The original Armada ARG was one of the earliest “superfat,” ultra-powder-specific models to hit the market in the mid-2000s. Today, the modern ARG II UL carries on its legacy, but these days, its specialist design is far, far less common. So, why is that, and why has Armada opted to keep it around? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons for the whole story.
Deep Dive: Armada ARG II UL
We compare the ARG II UL to the previous ARG II, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Heritage Lab C132, K2 Crescendo, Folsom G-Wagon, Liberty Genome, Faction La Machine 5 Max, Moment Chipotle Banana, 4FRNT Renegade, Folsom Rapture, Atomic Bent Chetler 120, and some other, more conventional powder skis.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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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.
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:
2023-2024 Fischer The Curv
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for The Curv ski by Fischer.
Order Now: Our 24/25 Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide
Order your print and/or digital copy of the biggest, most honest, accurate, and genuinely useful buyer’s guide in the ski industry. Includes 350+ skis, 65+ boots, & much more.
Skin & Ski 3 Million Feet in a Year?? Noah Dines’ Big Objective (Ep.316)
Is it possible to skin and ski 3 million vertical feet in a year? On Jan 1st, 2024, Noah Dines set out to find out. So what prompted Noah to attempt this? What does his typical day look like? What have been the biggest challenges so far, and what gear is he using to pull this off?
Flash Review — 2024 Marin Alpine Trail
The new Marin Alpine Trail looks extremely promising, with modern, adjustable geometry, good builds at impressive prices, and more bells and whistles than you might expect from such an affordable package. So, is there a catch? 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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2024-2025 4FRNT MSP CC
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the women’s 4FRNT MSP CC.
New Zealand Ski Season, Gear Trends, & How a Specialty Retailer Curates Their Products (Ep.304)
How has the ski / snowboard season in the southern hemisphere been this year? To find out, we caught up with Benji Knight and Darren Grimmett from Outside Sports in New Zealand, and they also fill us in on their local gear trends, how they go about curating the gear they offer, and more.
Win MTB Apparel From Flylow
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a shirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of gloves, and a pair of socks from Flylow’s men’s or women’s “Trail” line of MTB apparel!
RAAW Madonna V3
RAAW has made a name for themselves by building burly, simple bikes that are easy to live with for the long haul, and we’ve spent the last several months with their updated Madonna V3 to see how that promise is borne out — and how the big Enduro bike rides. Check out our Full Review for the whole story.
2023-2024 Head Oblivion 116
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Head Oblivion 116.
Deep Dive: RAAW Madonna V3
We compare the RAAW Madonna to the Chromag Lowdown, Kavenz VHP 16, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Orbea Rallon, Norco Sight, Nicolai Nucleon 16, Santa Cruz Nomad, Santa Cruz Megatower, Trek Slash, Ibis HD6, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, Yeti SB165, and Marin Alpine Trail.
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 Trek Top Fuel
The new Trek Top Fuel aims to compete with a crowded class of light, efficient shorter-travel Trail bikes including the Specialized Epic Evo, Rocky Mountain Element, and Santa Cruz Tallboy. Check out our early impressions of how the Top Fuel stacks up.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Geometron Bikes on the Design & Development of the New G1 (Ep.230)
Geometron arguably did more than any other bike brand to kick off the geometry revolution of the late 2010s, but they haven’t been content to rest on those laurels. The latest version of their G1 Enduro bike features a host of interesting — and maybe surprising — updates, so we sat down with them to hear all about it.