by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The Cochise skier needs a full skill set to rein in its appetite for hellbent descents. The Cochise’s 27m-sidecut radius won’t cut across the fall line unless its pilot knows how to drive it from a high edge angle, and it practically prohibits turning at a plodding pace. The Cochise regards slow skiing as a sign of weakness and finds short turns as palatable as spinach ice cream. Experts who understand that the first rule of skiing crud is to charge it need a tool as stout as their style, one that will stand up to a full-on, fall-line assault. “A strong ski for strong skiers,” as Greg from Footloose sums up the crud-killing Cochise.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The experienced tester can tell in the first 100 yards that the Blizzard Bodacious is going to require some room to express itself. Like leaving the station on a bullet train, it doesn’t take long to realize speed is intrinsic to the experience. The Bodacious aims for the bottom of the mountain and annihilates any snow condition in its path. As stable as Gibraltar, the skier can trust the edge to hold through the thickest porridge or the thinnest ice crust; the Bodacious can’t be knocked off its course by anything made of snow.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
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by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The fact that the Firebird Comp can be coaxed into a long arc doesn’t mean it doesn’t prefer to zip in and out of turns to a faster beat. Its carvilicious tip likes to pull into a new turn more than its relatively narrow tail likes to hold onto it, so the Comp behaves like a turn-seeking missile. Mike from Granite Chief portrays his experience on the Firebird as “popping between turns like a pogo stick, yet it still held its own at speed,” Mike marvels. “Very snappy and responsive,” pens another Firebird fan. “I liked this one the most out of the Firebird series. “You gotta ski it, but a nice feel for that serious carving person. Rad!!”
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
The Blizzard Bonafide absolutely, positively doesn’t care about the prevailing snow conditions. It can transition from brittle corduroy to 18 inches of fresh without a hitch in its stride. It’s this chameleonesque character that makes the Bonafide a perennial contender for the title of best all-condition ski, end of story. The Bonafide is able to bully beat-up snow because in many respects it’s built like an Old School GS race ski, which was the powder tool of choice in the era just prior to the proliferation of fat skis. Last year the Bonafide was given a wee bit more shape, making its carving performance even crisper without detracting one iota from its drift-ability in gnarly old snow. Extraordinary performance is the product of insightful design and the quality of its execution; the Bonafide attests to Blizzard’s scrupulous attention to both.
