The Blizzard Brahma comes from a long line of off-piste skis that includes the wider Bonafide, Cochise and Bodacious. Its pedigree is pure off-piste. The addition of a dab more sidecut last season enhanced its hard snow chops, giving it an extra tug into the turn and more carve in its character. This small injection of carvability expanded its turn repertoire, but the Brahma remains essentially an off-trail ski wearing a corset.

The most notable advantage of Blizzard’s Flip Core baseline is the rockered forebody never calls attention to itself as it goes about its job. A less touted blessing is the way Flip Core construction, like that used in the Brahma, opens up the envelope of skiers who can both enjoy it and benefit from it. (That may sound like the same thing, but it ain’t necessarily so.)   The Brahma gives back what the skier puts in; the more the skier asks of it, the more energetic the response.

One oddity in this year’s data is the Brahma earned its lowest marks for off-piste performance, a category that is often assigned a default grade when off-piste conditions are either absent or performance in same is presumed unknowable. Any conjecture that the Brahma might underperform off-trail is off the mark. The Brahma is as off-piste prepared as any ski in the All-Mountain East genre.

“Blasted through chunder,” marveled Lauren from Footloose. “A strong ski, but still nimble.” Nadine, another Footloose foot soldier, adds, “You can push this ski. It’s strong on most surfaces.” Other testers praised its consistency and stability in all conditions encountered.

The whole idea of the All-Mountain East genre is the seamless integration of off-trail proficiency with (presumably already acquired) on-trail competence. The Brahma facilitates the transition from a skier who only dines off the groomed menu to one who can taste all the flavors the mountain has to offer.