BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
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.
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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
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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.
So You Wanna Start a Ski Company? (Ep.293)
What’s it like to actually start a ski company? How much does it cost? How do you find customers? We talk with Doug Bachand of FullSend Ski Co to answer all of these questions, to learn about Doug’s very unconventional journey to starting a ski company; and more.
Yeti SB140
The Yeti SB130 was pretty aggressive for a mid-travel Trail bike when it launched a few years back, but the SB140 that replaced it is no longer such an outlier on paper — so what does that mean for the new SB140? We’ve spent a bunch of time on Yeti’s latest do-it-all Trail bike and are ready to weigh in.
Deep Dive: Yeti SB140
We compare the Yeti SB140 to the Revel Rail 29, Ibis Ripley AF, Canyon Spectral 29, Santa Cruz Hightower, and Pivot Switchblade.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 23/24 Moment Commander 102
We just got our first laps on the brand-new Commander 102 — here are some of our initial on-snow impressions, including comparisons to the Stöckli Stormrider 102 and Armada Declivity 102 Ti.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025 Nordica Enforcer & Santa Ana Skis | Blister First Look Video
Nordica’s Enforcer & Santa Ana skis have become some of the most notable all-mountain models on the market, and they’re all getting updated for the 2024-2025 season. Kara Williard & Luke Koppa cover what’s changed, what hasn’t, and everything else you need to know about the new skis.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Runways, Race Courses, & Riding Gear: Curious Creatures’ Unique Origin Story (Ep.300)
Launching your own outdoor apparel company is no small feat, especially if it’s a one-woman operation. But with Curious Creatures, that’s exactly what Tasha Woodworth has done, and we sat down with her to hear all about her unique path to where she is today, as well as the ups, downs, and key takeaways from the journey.
Win Summer Shirts From Oleu
The THREE winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a UPF 50+ boardshirt from Oleu!
2024-2025 ZAG Slap 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the ZAG Slap 98.
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, May 2024 (Ep.225)
MTB racing season is in full swing and Simon Stewart and Mike Ferrentino have a lot to cover on this iteration of Reviewing the News, from World Cup XC to Hardline, the Giro d’Italia and upcoming Tour de France, and a whole lot more.
7iDP Project.21 Helmet
7iDP is probably best known for their knee pads, but they’ve also been making helmets for a long time and their new Project.21 Trail helmet has a bunch of interesting features that make it stand out. Check out our Full Review for the rundown.
2024-2025 Salomon QST Lumen 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, flex pattern numbers, and some more info on the Salomon QST Lumen 98.
Flash Review: 24/25 Salomon QST Lumen 98
The QST Lumen 98 is situated in the middle of Salomon’s women-specific QST lineup, designed to be a versatile all-rounder. Check out our initial impressions to see how it handles a wide range of conditions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review — RAAW Madonna V3
Update, 6/5/2024: We’ve had more reviewers on the RAAW Madonna V3, logged a lot more time on it, and made a bunch of setup changes. Check out how our impressions have evolved.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Fox Union BOA Flat Shoes
Fox only recently added shoes to their product lineup, but the range-topping Union BOA Flat brings a whole lot to the table without many drawbacks — if you can stomach the price. Check out our Full Review to hear how we got along with their flagship flat pedal shoe.
Hall of Famer Bill Walton on Life, Bikes, Music, & More (Ep.310)
Last week, we lost one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, and a person with an all-time love of bikes. Today, Jonathan talks about what Bill meant to him personally, and we’re republishing here the conversation he had with Bill back on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast.
Deep Dive: Devinci E-Troy
We compare the E-Troy to the Orbea Wild, Pivot Shuttle LT, 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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2023 Devinci E-Troy
The E-Troy is a mid-travel eMTB with notably aggressive geometry, and the on-trail results are pretty special. Check out the full review to find out what Devinci has cooked up.