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Thread: Blister

  1. #1
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    Blister

    Goddamn it why do I have to pay $60/year to read a comparison from 4 years ago.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  2. #2
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    People gotta get paid somehow.

    Which does make me curious... do those guys have day jobs or other sources of income coming in? Living and skiing everyday at crested butte can't be cheap.

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  3. #3
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    I'm halfway surprised people do subscribe. My understanding is they don't purchase the gear they test? Reviews are generally great, but I wonder how much politics are involved. Surely they can't trash on a product if they want the manufacturer to keep sendin' em things, right?
    Last edited by KyleLanTheman; 02-22-2019 at 08:53 PM. Reason: Grammar

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by KyleLanTheman View Post
    Surely they can't trash on a product if they want the manufacturer to keep sendin' em things, right?
    Well, they sure do like the Soul 7. Just sayin'

  5. #5
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    That and they have ads. I know one of their reviewers is a heli guide and I’m pretty sure he’s a doctor as well. The others I know nothing about. Come on though 4 years later. Maybe release it to the public after a certain amount of time has lapsed.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  6. #6
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    I've been a little critical of blister for a few reasons: I've had fundamental disagreements with a few reviews they've posted (pretty much every Praxis review), their reviews of female skis are generally poor (they should definitely put their lady reviewers on male skis when they come in short enough sizes), but the main thing is that I basically hold them to the same standard I would any other professional journalist or self-proclaimed expert and call them out when they don't get it right. Which obviously they don't like. But I think if you're putting yourself out there like that as a figure of authority or expert and getting paid to do it as your job, you're accepting a level of responsibility similar to a journalist, unlike your average TGR poster.

    But the bottom line is that blister provides a service, and apparently it's one people are willing to pay good money for. So good for them. If you're complaining about lack of access to an old review, it means their content is valuable enough that you want to read it. And apparently badly enough to start a thread complaining about it. Personally, I'm grateful for the info they provide in their free reviews. Things like rocker profile pics and measured dimensions are really nice and way easier to find on their site than by searching TGR.

    If more folks here took it upon themselves to write detailed reviews/comparisons, maybe fewer people would rely on blister. Though even when mags make detailed posts and reviews, they often get lost or buried -- you can't easily sort by manufacturer or ski type the way you can on blister. So maybe we need review subforum on tech talk so that stuff doesn't get lost. And I think to some extent, your average layperson doesn't want to read a thread where various people might disagree on some aspect of a ski -- they want an "expert" opinion that they think they can trust.
    Last edited by auvgeek; 02-23-2019 at 02:03 PM.
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  7. #7
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    If their annual rate were 50% less I'd probably subscribe, I just can't justify it at the current price. Maybe use the current rate for current-year gear reviews, and a heavily discounted rate for everything older. That would fit reader demographics better.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    If their annual rate were 50% less I'd probably subscribe, I just can't justify it at the current price. Maybe use the current rate for current-year gear reviews, and a heavily discounted rate for everything older. That would fit reader demographics better.
    good observation


  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    If their annual rate were 50% less I'd probably subscribe, I just can't justify it at the current price. Maybe use the current rate for current-year gear reviews, and a heavily discounted rate for everything older. That would fit reader demographics better.
    3rd-ed

    I find their content very useful, but the subscription rate is too high, imo.

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  10. #10
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    Blister are good for finding info on mount points, straight pull lengths etc.

    The reviews are worth reading of course, but you have to take them with a grain of salt like any reviews.

    At least they don’t read as arrogant as they did a few years ago.


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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    If their annual rate were 50% less I'd probably subscribe, I just can't justify it at the current price. Maybe use the current rate for current-year gear reviews, and a heavily discounted rate for everything older. That would fit reader demographics better.
    yep, me 4.

  12. #12
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    Maybe we create a mag account and all pitch in $5-10 bucks a year then be able to access all that shit for far cheaper when spread out over 5-6 people?


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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by SkiLyft View Post
    Maybe we create a mag account and all pitch in $5-10 bucks a year then be able to access all that shit for far cheaper when spread out over 5-6 people?


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    I could be in on that.

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  14. #14
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    I’ll chip in. I go years without buying gear and when I’m going to it sure would be nice to read reviews.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  15. #15
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    VERY little of Blister's content applies directly to my height/weight class and ski performance tastes. Sure, if I had founded Blister, I would do some things differently, but it's not my company---it's theirs. Instead of complaining, I just ask myself "Is the world a better place if Blister shuts down? Or survives?" I want them to survive, so I root hard for Blister.

    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    Goddamn it why do I have to pay $60/year to read a comparison from 4 years ago.
    For now, the free option is: Just post a new thread here asking us to compare old ski models for you.

    Quote Originally Posted by sierra_cement View Post
    ...do those guys have day jobs or other sources of income coming in? Living and skiing everyday at crested butte can't be cheap.
    Their $600,000 deal might help payroll for 2 years: http://crestedbuttenews.com/2018/11/...view-for-600k/
    My blind guess is it seems like ~3 people are working full-time, worthy of real full-time salaries. When I rolled into CB and barged into their office unannounced, their managing editor was still working in the office after 5pm on a MLK holiday---that doesn't sound like slacking to me.

    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    ...I know one of their reviewers is a heli guide and I’m pretty sure he’s a doctor as well. The others I know nothing about.
    I skied a token 1.5 hours with reviewer/managing editor Luke Koppa after the highest lifts at CB closed for the day (limited terrain open in the final hours), but I saw enough to say Luke knows what he's doing and I'd trust his ski reviews (best when applied to skiers near his height/weight).

    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    .Come on though 4 years later. Maybe release it to the public after a certain amount of time has lapsed.
    Good idea. I encourage you to nicely propose that new policy to Blister. They might say "yes" and change which content they deem to be premium. I mean, I think this year's Winter Buyers Guide is free for the first time, so yeah...they seem open to change if it makes sense for their business.

    Quote Originally Posted by rob stokes View Post
    ...The reviews are worth reading of course, but you have to take them with a grain of salt like any reviews.
    Seconded. C'mon guys, you know how to consume info in the Internet Age. Sure, some of you might wish Blister's content is the perfect holy grail, but you know better. Like all content, focus on the good parts of it and filter out the rest.

    .
    - TRADE your heavy PROTESTS for my lightweight version at this thread

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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by rob stokes View Post
    At least they don’t read as arrogant as they did a few years ago.
    Maybe that Jonathan dude has discovered some humility and is actually seeing the worth of a ski from another person's perspective?

  17. #17
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    i dont pay for sheenless shit
    ever
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    That and they have ads. I know one of their reviewers is a heli guide and I’m pretty sure he’s a doctor as well
    P Forward on this board, he was down here for med school and I skied with him a bunch. Solid dude and ripping skier, I dont blister much tho.
    Move upside and let the man go through...

  19. #19
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    Lol, just checked the rate, I was thinking it was $30 annually to be a member, and I'd be willing to pay $15. Jeez, $60...yeah my limit is still $15.

  20. #20
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    Blister

    Quote Originally Posted by auvgeek View Post
    If more folks here took it upon themselves to write detailed reviews/comparisons, maybe fewer people would rely on blister. Though even when mags make detailed posts and reviews, they often get lost or buried -- you can't easily sort by manufacturer or ski type the way you can on blister. So maybe we need review subforum on tech talk so that stuff doesn't get lost. And I think to some extent, your average layperson doesn't want to read a thread where various people might disagree on some aspect of a ski -- they want an "expert" opinion that they think they can trust.
    Chicken/egg.

    TGR used to fucking rock for ski reviews. That’s what tech talk WAS. there were stickies that curated ski review links sorted by make/model.

    Then blister started. They tried to do ski reviews better, starting with the models created and refined on TGR and epicski, and posted in all the review threads. But instead of posting reviews in review threads, they posted links to their free site. And encouraged discussion on their site. And they positioned themselves as so fucking expert that discussion wasn’t debating pros and cons of a ski from different perspectives, it was debating the reviewers different impressions. It was fucking lame (though, to their credit, enough people worshipped at their altar that it worked).

    TGR ski reviews died. Blister put up a paywall.

    Fuck those guys and their stupid pay site.
    focus.

  21. #21
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    The reviews might not be 100% unbiased on blister, but I found them to be more honest and balanced than most reviews I found in tech talk, which often consisted of "first day, awesome ski, any turn shape, no speed limit, I'm in love, etc. "

    The average reviewer hasn't used enough skis to make a reasoned comparison, and had hundreds of dollars of thier own money in this new product they bought... That is biased.

    It was because of blister that I even knew of the existence of the Rossi Sickle and that ski was not popular, was almost certainly not being pushed by Rossi (they had the S7 to push), and was a super useful and accurate review.

    I still think the content there is the most reliable source for detailed info and impressions, even if it's not perfect. Maybe that's because it's curated in one place, maybe it's because the reviews are in a common format, or maybe it's because it's largely the same people doing the reviews (implying at least some consistency)... Or maybe it's all of the above.

    I'd love to support them, but not to the tune of $60 per year.

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  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shorty_J View Post
    The reviews might not be 100% unbiased on blister, but I found them to be more honest and balanced than most reviews I found in tech talk, which often consisted of "first day, awesome ski, any turn shape, no speed limit, I'm in love, etc. "

    The average reviewer hasn't used enough skis to make a reasoned comparison, and had hundreds of dollars of thier own money in this new product they bought... That is biased.

    It was because of blister that I even knew of the existence of the Rossi Sickle and that ski was not popular, was almost certainly not being pushed by Rossi (they had the S7 to push), and was a super useful and accurate review.

    I still think the content there is the most reliable source for detailed info and impressions, even if it's not perfect. Maybe that's because it's curated in one place, maybe it's because the reviews are in a common format, or maybe it's because it's largely the same people doing the reviews (implying at least some consistency)... Or maybe it's all of the above.

    I'd love to support them, but not to the tune of $60 per year.

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk
    It being the same people is the problem.

    Also, S6/sickle was a cult classic here before blister was a thing. Go here. Scroll to rossignol s6 reviews. The NEW Ski Review Links Thread
    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=104129
    focus.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by flowing alpy View Post
    hybrid Lotus 120
    this ^^
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  24. #24
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    Seriously, read this:

    Review: 186 Rossignol Ravyn (S6/Steeze)
    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=146197

    And this:

    TR: <3land Demo Day (8 skis and 4 goggles reviewed)
    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=140114

    Tell me that’s not better than Blister’s pedantic “well I headed over to Upper Deathwish Chute, my favorite run for this kind of ski....”
    focus.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mustonen View Post
    It being the same people is the problem.

    Also, S6/sickle was a cult classic here before blister was a thing. Go here. Scroll to rossignol s6 reviews. The NEW Ski Review Links Thread
    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=104129
    The S6 is not the same ski as the sickle... Different camber. It makes a big difference.

    There are only 2 reviews of that ski in that link, one of which is a super short mention in a demo day review, which I had to search for.

    The blister review is of a different ski, is more complete, has camber pics... Much more useful.

    The fact that the same people do the reviews means that at least their comparisons are relative. I don't ski like the blister guys do... Not even close. But I can read into the reviews because I know that.

    I stand by my statement.

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