Last season, no new ski model made as significant an improvement in its performance range as Blizzard’s Sheeva 9. A longtime member of the Blizzard Freeride collection, the Sheeva 9 – along with its men’s counterpart, the Rustler 9 – went through a significant re-design last year, boosting its abilities in any terrain it’s likely to encounter during its lifetime. In Realskiers’ terminology, it embellished its Power properties while remaining one of the most accessible, easy-to-steer models in the Women’s All-Mountain West genre.
Driving up the Sheeva 9’s fab Finesse scores were two principal drivers: the adoption of Blizzard’s TrueBlend core concept, and a palpable increase in overall width dimensions. TrueBlend is a precise allocation of sturdy beech stringers interspersed with lighter weight poplar in the mid-section and a dose of lighter-still Paulownia at the tip and tail. TrueBlend creates a perfectly balanced flex adapted for each length offered, so the 150cm has the same properties as the 174cm. (BTW, this is a huge size range, an indication that Blizzard is confident it will serve a broad swath of the market). This adaptation is particularly valuable for the Finesse skier who isn’t used to loading a ski.
The increase in waist width (from 92mm to 96mm) gives the Sheeva 9 a substantial boost in surface area, inherently improving both its flotation in new snow and ease of steering in chopped-up terrain. Naturally, this alteration means the Sheeva 9 shifts from a carve arc into a drifted turn with relish, another trait that assists the Finesse skier.
Yet Finesse qualities alone cannot elevate a ski to greatness; the all-terrain ski, by definition, has to be every bit as competent on hard snow as it is in freshies. The Sheeva 9 gets its power from a construction called FluxForm, comprised of two continuous bands of Titanal, positioned just over the edge, that extend nearly tip to tail. In the center section underfoot, where the unisex Rustler 9 inserts a slab of Titanal, the Sheeva 9 substitutes a Women’s Specific Design platform to serve the same functions in lighter, more pliable materials. The result is a ski that is at once easy to flex and made to hold on ice like magnets.
Our female testers weren’t loquacious on the subject of the Sheeva 9’s behavior, but their quick sketches hint at its versatility. “This ski is made for the more aggressive skier who wants to be lazy sometimes,” writes Bobo’s Becca Pierce, “but also wants to get her hip to touch the snow in long-radius turns.” Another tester pegged the Sheeva 9 as “very versatile, light and playful,” while one of the Granite Chief crew crisply commented, “Stable, fun, ripping.”
For its versatility in all snow conditions and accessibility for a broad range of skier abilities, we award the Sheeva 9 a Silver Skier Selection.