BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

David Golay reviews the Propain Ekano 2 CF for Blister

Propain Ekano 2 CF

Propain launched the Ekano 2 AL just a few months ago as a “freeride eMTB,” but the new Ekano 2 CF is substantially different from its aluminum sibling — starting but not ending with the SRAM Eagle Powertrain drive system.

Read More »
Simon Stewart reviews the Transition Repeater Powertrain for Blister

Transition Repeater Powertrain

The SRAM Eagle Powertrain bikes are rolling out, and Transition’s offering, the Repeater Powertrain, isn’t just a Repeater with a motor swap. Check out our First Look for all the info.

Read More »
BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Blister Speaker Series: Mark Abma (Ep.281)

Last Thursday, Mark Abma came to Western Colorado University for our Blister Speaker Series. He broke down his segment from the MSP film, ALL IN; discussed his part in the new MSP film, Land of Giants; and talked about his preparation for ski season; confidence; staying calm; and more.

Read More »
David Golay reviews the Shimano GE900 Shoes for Blister

Shimano GE900 Shoes

As part of their recent MTB shoe overhaul, Shimano replaced the longstanding and ultra-popular ME7 and AM9 models with a single new shoe: the GE900. But has that bold move paid off, or has Shimano messed with a good thing too much? We’ve been spending a lot of time in the new GE900 and are ready to weigh in.

Read More »
David Golay reviews the Orbea Occam SL and Occam LT for Blister

Flash Review — 2024 Orbea Occam LT

Orbea is talking about the new Occam LT as being quite different from the bike it replaces, and we’ve started spending time on it to find out how accurate that is. Check out our early 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.

If you’re already an active member, please log in.

(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

Read More »
David Golay reviews the Orbea Occam SL and Occam LT for Blister

2024 Orbea Occam SL and Occam LT

Orbea is giving their Occam line of Trail bikes a big overhaul, and while the new Occam SL and Occam LT may look a lot like the bikes they’re replacing, they’ve changed substantially once you dig a little deeper.

Read More »

BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

Luke Koppa reviews the Volkl Revolt 114 for BLISTER.

2024-2025 Volkl Revolt 114

We were a bit surprised when we first saw the Volkl Revolt 114. It bears the same family name as their very playful, freestyle-oriented models, yet its overall design seems more in line with much more directional freeride options. So, is it some weird mutant of a ski? Check out our Full Review & Deep Dive comparisons to find out.

Luke Koppa reviews the Volkl Revolt 114 for BLISTER.

Deep Dive: Volkl Revolt 114

We compare the Revolt 114 to the Volkl Revolt 121, Volkl Katana 108, Moment Wildcat, Rossignol Blackops 118, DPS Koala 118, DPS Koala 111, Rossignol Sender Free 110, Dynastar M-Free 118, Rossignol Sender Squad, Meier Leeper, J Skis Friend, Prior Northwest 116, Black Crows Anima, Line Blade Optic 114, Salomon QST Blank, Icelantic Nomad 115, Moment Countach 110, Nordica Unleashed 114, Moment Deathwish, 4FRNT Hoji, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Head Kore 111, RMU North Shore 114, Head Oblivion 116, Parlor McFellon Pro, Nordica Enforcer 110 Free, & Blizzard Rustler 11.

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.

(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Win Any Ferreol Ski

The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get their choice of any ski from Ferreol’s lineup!

Luke Koppa reviews the Stöckli Montero AR for Blister

Flash Review: 23/24 Stöckli Montero AR

The Montero AR is Stöckli’s 84mm-wide “All-Mountain Piste” model — here are 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.

If you’re already an active member, please log in.

(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

Reviewer Reports: Storm Cycles, All-Mountain Skis, 3D-Printed Goggles, & More (Ep.282)

Ski & Snowboard Goggle Roundup — 2024 

A good pair of goggles can end up being one of the most essential pieces of gear for a fun day on snow. We’ve been testing a *lot* of them lately, and in this roundup, we compare and contrast more than two dozen — from ultra-high-end flagship models to more budget-oriented (but still impressive) alternatives.

Norco on their New High-Pivot Optic and Sight (Ep.211)

Norco on their New High-Pivot Optic and Sight (Ep.211)

Norco has a long history with high-pivot bikes, but the switch to that layout on their new Optic and Sight still came as a surprise. So we sat down with Norco engineer, Colin Ryan, to hear all about the thinking, testing, and development behind the new models.

David Golay reviews the Revel Rascal V2 for Blister

Revel Rascal V2

Revel’s best-selling and most versatile bike, the Rascal, gets an update today with a new frame, expanded size options, and more. Check out our full review for all the info on the new bike, and our Deep Dive comparisons to learn how it stacks up against a whole lot of all-rounder Trail bikes.

David Golay reviews the Revel Rascal V2 for Blister

Deep Dive: Revel Rascal V2

We compare the Revel Rascal V2 to the Santa Cruz Hightower, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Transition Smuggler, Trek Fuel EX, Yeti SB140, Orbea Occam LT, Yeti SB135, Canyon Spectral 125, Chromag Darco, and Rocky Mountain Element.

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.

(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

Blister reviews the Blizzard Black Pearl 94 skis.

Flash Review: 24/25 Blizzard Black Pearl 94

We’ve been spending time on Blizzard’s widest model in their recently updated Black Pearl lineup, the Black Pearl 94 – here are our initial thoughts.

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.

(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

David Golay reviews the 2024 Norco Optic and Sight for Blister

Flash Review — 2024 Norco Optic

The new Norco Optic is by far the shortest-travel high-pivot bike that we’ve been on to date, and our early impressions are pretty interesting.

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.

(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

David Golay reviews the 2024 Norco Optic and Sight for Blister

2024 Norco Optic & Norco Sight

Norco is updating their flagship Trail / All-Mountain bikes, and they’ve got some surprises in store — beginning, but not ending, with the fact that they’ve both got high-pivot suspension layouts. Here are the details on the new Norco Optic & Sight.