I’ve tried for several seasons to strap on a pair of Blizzard Spurs, but I’ve always been thwarted. For several years no powder fell during test season and the few pairs in circulation were needed elsewhere. Once the product manager wouldn’t send me a pair to test because he knew they were unlikely to see any new snow. Since every one of its 192 centimeters was built for winter powder, not spring slush, he withheld his favors. I considered the Spurs to be my ever-elusive white whales, although these whales happen to be murdered-out black.

After finally getting on a pair in appropriate conditions, I understand why Blizzard put the kibosh on testing the Spur on whatever happens to be handy. The Spur is meant for making movies in Alaska. Its gigantic surface area rides so high it can be pivoted in a pipeline chute despite having the turn radius of a FIS GS race ski. The sidecut radius is invariably irrelevant because you’re always going to be smearing part, if not all, of every turn.

A partial laminate of Titanal keeps the midsection nice and quiet while the loose tip and tail try not to get involved in directional decision making. Totally flat underfoot, the Spur expects to bank off of a wall of soft snow, its asymmetric sidecut allowing the pilot to charge the fall line without fear of its parallel tracks suddenly converging. Believe it or not, the Spur is actually made to be forgiving, but only if you already know how to handle yourself in deep snow. With its enormous platform, the Spur begs to be ridden hard by someone who won’t spare the ponies.