BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: 25/26 La Sportiva Sender
The Sender is a new freeride-touring boot from La Sportiva, and it’s proven to be an interesting option during our initial testing. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.
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Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion (Ep.270)
Cascade Components is best known for making aftermarket suspension links to change the leverage curve of a wide range of bikes, but they’ve just launched something much more radical: a high-pivot conversion kit for the current Specialized Stumpjumper. So we sat down with them to discuss why, how, and what they learned from the project.
Kona Hei Hei 10
The Kona Hei Hei is one of the longest-standing mountain bikes out there, with a legacy spanning over 30 years. Today, Kona launched the 10th version of the Hei Hei, making changes in certain areas while leaving others the same. Check out what is (and is not) new.
2025-2026 Salomon QST 94
The QST 94 is a brand-new model for Salomon, and it’s the narrowest offering in their overhauled QST collection. After spending lots of time on it this season, we’re excited to share why it stands out so much in the all-mountain category. Here’s our Full Review.
Deep Dive: Salomon QST 94
We compare the Salomon QST 94 to the Salomon QST 92, Salomon QST 100, Salomon QST 98, Salomon Stance 96, Black Crows Serpo, Dynastar M-Pro 94 Ti, Stöckli Stormrider 95, Elan Ripstick 96, RMU Apostle 96 Ti, Line Optic 96, Black Crows Camox, Meier Wrangler, Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95, Renoun Endurance 98, Blizzard Rustler 9, ZAG Slap 98, J Skis Masterblaster, J Skis Fastforward, Folsom Completo 100, Icelantic Nomad 100, DPS Wailer 100, Rossignol Sender Soul 102, K2 Mindbender 96C, and K2 Mindbender 99Ti.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Is This the ‘Top Gun’ for Bartenders? (Ep.66)
We’re all familiar with ‘Top Gun’ — a school that separates the best of the best. But what if we told you there is an elite certification program designed to test the best bartenders in the business? Today, we’re discussing that program — Bar 5 Day — with Steve Olson and Doug Frost.
Flash Review: Santa Cruz Bullit 4
Santa Cruz has added the 170 mm travel Bullit to thier revamped lineup of Horst Link euipped eMTBs built around the latest Bosch CX drive system.
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Santa Cruz Bullit 4
The Santa Cruz Bullit 4 has landed, and it’s a lot different than the last one. Santa Cruz’s burliest eMTB draws some design cues from the Vala while bumping travel to 170 mm front and rear. Check it out in our First Look.
Flash Review: 25/26 RMU Professor 111
This season, RMU expanded their freestyle-friendly Professor collection with the Professor 111. Here’s our take on the ski so far, including comparisons to RMU’s Apostle 114 and several other skis in the same class as the Professor 111.
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Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, March / April 2025 (Ep.352)
Cody and Jonathan discuss tariff zaniness; the state of outdoor-sports comps; whether it’s good when big companies move into outdoor sports (Nike & snowboarding?); and more. They also rate your takes, talk about Cody’s trips to Norway & Utah, and share what they’ve been reading & watching.
Flash Review: 2026 Fox Float X2
Fox’s new Float X2 has dramatically different damper architecture from the prior version and some air spring tweaks to go with it. Check out our early thoughts after A-B testing the two generations of Float X2 for a few rides.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025 Sea Otter Classic Recap
Check out a bunch of the most interesting, compelling, and just plain odd stuff we’ve seen at Sea Otter this year.
Gear Testing Tips & Tricks w/ Hoji, Ted Ligety, Anne Wangler, & Jess Tennyson (Ep.342)
How do the pros — Hoji, Ted, Anne, and Jess — go about assessing and testing ski and snowboard gear, and what advice do they have for the rest of us? Plus, you’ll hear Ted share one of his favorite (but questionable??) ways of testing skis.
Win Apparel From Le Bent, Party Shirt International, & Curious Creatures
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a sweet prize pack that includes a Men’s or Women’s Midweight Crew Base Layer from Le Bent, a Sun Hoodie from Party Shirt International, & a Cottonwood Long Sleeve Tee from Curious Creatures!
2024-2025 ON3P Woodsman 100 Tour
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the ON3P Woodsman 100 Tour.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Antidote Pathseeker
Antidote’s mountain bike models are as stunning as they are rare, and now the creative Polish brand has turned its sights to the world of Gravel with the Pathseeker. It’s a head-turner as well, but not just visually — it also comes in both full suspension and hardtail options. Check out our First Look for more.
Flash Review: 25/26 Salomon Départ 1.0
The Départ is an athlete-driven ski from Salomon that represents a new chapter for the freestyle side of the brand. Here are our initial thoughts on it and how it compares to Salomon’s new QST models.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025-2026 Salomon Départ 1.0
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Salomon Départ 1.0.
Outlier MTB on Product Design, Founding a Company, & Their Wild Looking Flat Pedals (Ep.271)
Making a flat pedal design stand out is hard — especially in a manner that brings real performance changes vs. just aesthetic ones — but Outlier has done so twice with their Void and Pendulum pedals. Hear all about the concepts, the prototyping process, founding a company on products that truly are, well, Outliers, and a whole lot more.
Trickstuff Piccola HD Titanium Brakes & North American Distribution
Trickstuff is launching a lightly updated version of their lightweight Trail bike brake — and with it, official North American distribution of their whole lineup.
Transition Sentinel V3
The Transition Sentinel is a storied bike, with the first version making some major waves in bike geometry. The new one doesn’t push the envelope like that first release, but it’s a modern Trail bike through and through. Curious what that entails? Our Full Review covers what the new Sentinel can do.
Deep Dive: Transition Sentinel V3
We compare the Transition Sentinel V3 to the Transition Sentinel V2, Knolly Fugitive 140, Santa Cruz Bronson 5, Forbidden Druid V2, Norco Sight, Transition Smuggler, Deviate Highlander II, Kona Process 153, and REEB Steezl.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 25/26 Scott SEA 98
The SEA 98 is a part of Scott’s newest and most playful freeride collection, and this week, we’ve been testing and comparing it to some of its competition at Palisades Tahoe. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2025-2026 Scott SEA 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Scott SEA 98.
Flash Review: 25/26 Völkl Revolt 101
Update 4.23.25: We’ve logged several more days on the Revolt 101, including some recent ones at Palisades Tahoe, and we’ve got more to say about this new all-mountain ski — including how it compares to a longtime favorite, the original Fischer Ranger 102 FR.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Amateur Hour: Blister reviewer, Kristin Sinnott, on Making Homemade Ice Cream (Ep.67)
Jonathan talks with Blister reviewer & Blister Summit director, Kristin Sinnott, about her lifelong love of ice cream; what we should know about making ice cream at home; and why she always hunts for small-batch ice cream when she’s traveling.
Flash Review: Specialized’s Updated Butcher and Eliminator
Specialized’s changes to the Butcher and Eliminator are a case of incremental improvement, but those updates are ones we’re awfully excited about. Do those tweaks add up to upgraded performance? Our Flash Review covers our initial impressions after some on-trail time.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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