Bodacious

by | Sep 8, 2017

What was old is new again, as Blizzard returns the Bodacious to its original construction, replete with a double dose of Titanal. With the new Rustler 11 available as an option for the less aggro skier, the Bodacious could revert to the badass, big-turn ski envisioned by Arne Backstrom, the big mountain phenom who came up with Flipcore idea. The 2018 Bodacious is once again an absolute beast. I’m reasonably sure that if a 196cm Bodacious hit a brick wall at 40mph, there’d be nothing left of the wall.

RC Ti

by | Sep 8, 2017

The singular trait of the Blizzard RC Ti that sets it apart from other Non-FIS SL skis is the light caress it applies to a short turn. Most powerful carving skis earn their bona fides by being burly trench diggers, ripping up the corduroy carpet with the subtlety of a Sherman tank. Relatively speaking, the RC Ti is a waterbug, creasing the snow surface but not disfiguring it, zipping back and forth with the accuracy of a Chopin étude.

Quattro W 8.0 Ca

by | Sep 1, 2016

Part of the Quattro concept is to offer a choice of waist width, length and sidecut for a given construction and price point. The Quattro W 8.0 Ca has a sister ski, the 7.4 Ca, with the identical build, baseline and sidecut radius for each size, but an overall narrower silhouette. That both skis feel stable yet flexible is partly attributable to Blizzard’s IQ binding system that centers the integrated binding between two shoulders and fixes it to the ski with a single screw in the middle. A shock-dampening suspension system keeps the ride calm but doesn’t inhibit the Quattro W 8.0 Ca’s unusually sensitive snow feel.

Black Pearl

by | Sep 1, 2016

While the 2017 Pearl is assuredly lighter and flexier, it’s essential character hasn’t changed. By nature an off-trail ski, it has enough torsional rigidity to cut crisply into hard snow. Its ability to instantly adapt to changes in terrain and snow conditions make the Black Pearl the perfect pick for the woman who is ready to try off-trail skiing but also expects to partake of an equal measure of groomers.