BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
2024 Canyon Lux Trail
There’s a ton of diversity in the shorter-travel Trail bike world these days, and maybe no brand singlehandedly demonstrates that better than Canyon. Their Lux Trail, Neuron, and Spectral 125 all share similar-ish travel numbers but have very, very different geometries and intended uses. Now, Canyon’s giving the most XC-oriented bike of the bunch, the Lux Trail, a big update.
2024 Santa Cruz V10
Santa Cruz hasn’t tried to hide that they’ve been working on a new version of their V10 DH bike, and now it’s here. Meet the eighth generation of one of the most successful DH race bikes of all time.
Flash Review: 23/24 Scarpa Maestrale RS
Update 11.6.23: We’re skiing again! Check out Dylan Wood’s thoughts after he got his chance to try the updated Scarpa Maestrale RS.
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Blister Speaker Series: Trevor Kennison & Level 1 director, Josh Berman (Ep.285)
Trevor Kennison & Level 1 founder, Josh Berman, came to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series for a follow-up conversation about their new film, Full Circle. We discussed what life’s been like for both of them since the film premiered; we take questions from the audience; and Trevor answers the big question: is he glad his injury happened?
Win Outerwear from Flylow
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a bib + jacket outerwear kit from Flylow!
Jeremy Jones & Xavier Nidecker on Re-Up Tech: What it Is & Why it Matters (Ep.270)
We talk to Jeremy Jones and Xavier Nidecker about Jones’ new Re-Up Tech — what it is, how it works, and what it could mean for the greater ski & snowboard industry. We also discuss FIS and POW, and which board Jonathan ought to start on.
Candide Thovex Launches New Ski Brand: Candide Skis
The speculation & waiting is over: Candide Thovex has finally unveiled his new ski brand, aptly named Candide Skis. Here’s what we know so far.
Lachlan Morton on the Tour Divide Record, Bears, Payday Bars, & More (Ep.194)
The Tour Divide route covers 2,670 miles from Banff, Alberta to the US-Mexico border near Antelope Wells, New Mexico — Lachlan Morton just completed it in a record-setting 12 days, 12 hours, and 21 minutes. So we sat down with him to hear all about it.
2024 Transition TransAM
Earlier this year, Transition brought back their Smuggler after a lengthy hiatus. Now, they’re reaching even deeper into the vault to bring back the TransAM, their do-everything aggressive hardtail that was last offered back in 2016, but now in a version that feels like a worthy modernization of a classic.
Tectonic Altar V2 Pedals
It’s hard to make a flat-pedal design truly stand out from the vast sea of options out there, but Tectonic has pulled it off with their made-in-Colorado Altar V2, and the on-trail results are quite good, too.
What We’re Wearing, Skiing 23/24: Kara Williard
Next up in our new “What We’re Wearing” series — where our reviewers run us through their head-to-toe kits for resort skiing / riding and touring — is senior editor, bootfitter, and veteran outdoor retail worker, Kara Williard.
Which Skis Would You Bring Back from the Dead?
Here at Blister, we hate to see good gear get discontinued. But what if you could resurrect one of your favorites? That’s what we asked several of our reviewers — what would YOU pick?
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, October 2023 (Ep.284)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the latest FIFTY film, Comstock, and the conflict that lies at the heart of the FIFTY Project; FIS vs POW; a new division of Blister: Blister Cinematic; bigfoot & aliens; the Most Canadian News; and more.
Giray Dadali on the new Daymaker Touring TEKDAPTERS (Ep.269)
A very intriguing — and extremely affordable — new piece of ski-touring gear has just been released, the TEKDAPTERS, so we dive into all the details with designer and pro skier, Giray Dadali.
Win Skis from ZAG
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Slap 104 from ZAG!
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Blister Summit 2025 Discounts For Gunnison Valley Residents
The Blister Summit will be back in Mt. Crested Butte from February 23 to 27, 2025, and you’re invited! This year, we created a couple of options specifically for Gunnison Valley Residents. Option 1: Full Registration at the discounted rate of $250 Registration includes all
2023-2024 Line Bacon 108
The word “Bacon” has adorned the name of at least one Line ski for almost two decades now, and this season, Line launched three all-new models. So, how does the latest Bacon 108 compare to its cured-meat-named predecessors, and the rest of the freestyle market? Here’s our Full Review.
Deep Dive: Line Bacon 108
We compare the Line Bacon 108 to the previous-generation Line Sir Francis Bacon, Line Bacon 115, Line Chronic 101, Season Nexus, Armada ARV 106, 4FRNT Devastator, Nordica Unleashed 108, Dynastar M-Free 108, Majesty Dirty Bear XL, Moment Deathwish 104, Moment Wildcat 108, Whitedot Altum 104, RMU North Shore 110, Atomic Bent 110, Prior Northwest 110, Rossignol Sender Free 110, K2 Reckoner 112, Faction Mana 3, Zag Slap 104, Line Blade Optic 104, & Black Crows Atris.
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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Standout Backcountry Gear: Past, Present, & Future (Ep.289)
We talk with Trygve Sande, one of the founders of VPG (our Blister Recommended Shop in Oppdal, Norway), about all-time pivotal pieces of backcountry gear; products that help break down the barriers to entry; skiing in Norway; and last but not least, Trygve’s involvement and collaboration with Hoji and 4FRNT’s new concept ski.
Win Ski Boots from La Sportiva
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get the Skorpius CR II ski touring boot from La Sportiva!
2025 DPS Skis | Wailers, Pagoda Tour CFL, Koalas, & More | Blister Summit Video
The folks at DPS Skis have been busy. For the 2024-2025 season, they’ve launched a whole new Wailer ski collection; created their next-generation Pagoda Tour CFL series; are now making *all* of their skis in their own Utah factory, with the on-shoring of the Koala skis; continued to expand their Revive program to let customers trade in and purchase used DPS skis; and that’s not even an extensive list. In this video, we sat down with them to get all the details.
Flash Review: 24/25 Majesty Havoc 100 Ti
We’ve been spending time on the Majesty Havoc 100 Ti. Check out our initial on-snow impressions on this directional, all-mountain ski.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Sarah Sturm on Her Unconventional Path to Gravel-Racing Stardom (Ep.213)
Sarah Sturm’s path to gravel-racing stardom was unconventional, and her telling of the story is highly entertaining. So we sat down with Sarah to hear all about it, and chat about taking on new challenges; failure; peeing one’s pants(?); the state and health of gravel racing; and much more.
2023-2024 RMU Valhalla 107
RMU says their women-specific Valhalla 107 is “a skier’s dream once you enter fresh snow,” but at a narrower width than most powder-specific models, can the Valhalla 107 really compete when things get deep? And what about its all-mountain versatility? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons for our take.
Deep Dive: RMU Valhalla 107
Check out our Deep Dive comparisons of the RMU Valhalla 107 to see how it compares to the Blizzard Sheeva 10, Wagner Summit 106, K2 Mindbender 106C W, Armada ARW 106 UL, Folsom Cash 106, Line Pandora 110, Faction Dancer 3X, Line Pandora 104, Salomon QST Stella 106, Nordica Unleashed 108, Folsom Completo 100, K2 Mindbender 116C W, Blizzard Sheeva 11, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Coalition Snow Rafiki, & Majesty Vadera Ti.
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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Flash Review: 24/25 DPS Wailer 107
DPS is bringing the Wailer name back to their lineup for the 24/25 season — here are our initial thoughts on the widest ski in the new collection, the Wailer 107.
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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2024-2025 DPS Carbon Wailer 107
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the new DPS Carbon Wailer 107.