BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Outbound Lighting on Night Riding, Light Design, & More (Ep.205)
Night riding is a lot of fun, and often the only way for many folks to find time to get out in the darker winter months. We sat down with Outbound Lighting’s Tom Place to chat about light design, how they go about it, how to choose the right lights for your needs, and much more.
2023-2024 Armada Locator 104
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Armada Locator 104.
Fischer Announces New 24/25 Curv Ski Collection
Fischer recently announced new changes to their piste-oriented Curv skis, including four new models — one of which features a construction that reportedly drops its carbon footprint by 36%. Here are the details.
Contra MC
The steel-framed, high-virtual-pivot Contra MC doesn’t look like much else out there, and its on-trail performance stands out, too. Check out our full review.
Deep Dive: Contra MC
We compare the Contra MC to the Trek Slash, Norco Range, Kavenz VHP 16, Cannondale Jekyll, Forbidden Dreadnought, Cotic RocketMAX, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, & Nicolai G1.
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Flash Review: 23/24 Kästle K130P LV
We’ve been testing the stiffest boot in Kästle’s line of “performance” ski boots — here are our initial impressions.
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Flash Review: 24/25 Nordica Enforcer 99
Nordica is updating all their Enforcer skis for 24/25, and we’ve been skiing the replacement for the Enforcer 100, the new Enforcer 99. Check out our initial on-snow impressions.
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Flash Review: 24/25 Nordica Santa Ana 92
Nordica is updating all their Santa Ana skis for 24/25, and we’ve been skiing the replacement for the Santa Ana 93, the new Santa Ana 92. 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
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WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, on the Benefits, Culture, & Craft of Saunas (Ep.40)
WNDR Alpine founder, Matt Sterbenz, aka, the ‘Sauna Shaman’ talks about how Hoji kicked off his obsession with saunas; their numerous benefits; and he lays out what it takes (and costs) to build your own sauna.
2023-2024 DPS Kaizen 105
The recently launched DPS Kaizen skis feature a new construction, new shapes, and are the latest in a long line of the brand’s do-it-all, carbon-construction skis. The Kaizen 105 sits in the middle of the new collection, and we’ve had two reviewers testing two different lengths of it — check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons.
Deep Dive: DPS Kaizen 105
We compare the DPS Kaizen 105 to the DPS Pagoda 106 C2, DPS Koala 103, Peak 104 by Bode, Peak 104 by Dav, Salomon Stance 102, Rossignol Sender 104 Ti, Fischer Ranger 102, Armada Declivity 102 Ti, ZAG Slap 104, Salomon QST 106, RMU Apostle 106, K2 Mindbender 106C, Wagner Summit 106, Volkl Blaze 106, Volkl Mantra 102, WNDR Alpine Intention 108, HEAD Kore 105, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 105, Elan Ripstick 106, J Skis Hotshot, Blizzard Rustler 10, Black Crows Atris, Line Blade Optic 104, & Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2023-2024 J Skis Allplay
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the J Skis Allplay.
2023-2024 Moment Commander 102
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Moment Commander 102.
‘The New Radical’ with Connor Ryan & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.9)
Jonathan talks with Connor Ryan about his new video series, “The New Radical,” which kicks things off by asking the question, What is Radical?
The Key to Happiness?
In our latest Open Mic, Sander Hadley sets the astronomical and meteorological records straight, and has some thoughts on how to be happy.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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
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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!
Deep Dive: Yeti SB165
We compare the Yeti SB165 to the Yeti SB160, Santa Cruz Nomad, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Orbea Rallon, Norco Sight, Kavenz VHP 16, Ibis HD6, Contra MC, Trek Slash, Chromag Lowdown, Propain Tyee, SCOR 4060 LT, Cotic RocketMAX, Pivot Firebird, Specialized Enduro, and Banshee Titan.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024 Yeti SB165
The new Yeti SB165 is their first production mullet bike, and the longest travel one in their lineup as well. But is it a more easygoing alternative to their high-strung SB160 Enduro race bike or something else entirely? Check out our full review for our take.
2024-2025 Liberty Scope 104
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for Liberty’s new Scope 104.
Flash Review: 24/25 K2 Mindbender 89Ti W
This season we got on the narrowest metal-laminate ski in K2’s Mindbender series — here are our initial thoughts on the Mindbender 89Ti W, how it compares to the excellent Mindbender 99Ti W, and more.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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