The only negative comment I can summon regarding the Brahma 88 is, it’s no Black Pearl.
That remark requires a bit of explanation. You see, the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 has set sales records no other women’s ski may ever match, having outsold every men’s ski on the U.S. market for four years running. (Its reign most likely ended last year, but don’t let that fact interfere with my story.) The original Black Pearl was identical to the original Brahma, save for two sheets of Titanal. It actually had an identical twin in the launch unisex collection, the Kabookie, which earned its own following as a hybrid in-resort/backcountry ski.
Point being, the most popular ski in America and the Brahma 88 were once cut from the same cloth; since then, the Black Pearl went on to make a for-women/by-women version that they could barely keep in stock, while the Brahma 88, despite the laurels laid at its feet by reviews like the one you’re reading, hasn’t achieved the same measure of success.
Trust me, this disparity is more due to the Black Pearl 88’s shrewd design and marketing than the Brahma 88’s shortcomings. The innards of both models are still TrueBlend poplar and beech cores, which is the key to their round, nailed-to-the-snow turns. You can tell just by picking them up that the Pearls are lighter (1880g vs. 2100g @ 177cm); what you can’t tell is the Black Pearl 88 retains a slice of Titanal underfoot, just enough to calm her down without making her dull.
So why isn’t the Brahma 88 as popular among men as the Black Pearl is among women? Primarily, it’s due to the level of competition. There are quite a few men’s AME models that can dig trenches on groomers and kick aside clumpy crud; there aren’t so many women’s models with the same amount of moxie. Almost all made-for-women skis are docile enough for an intermediate; very few have enough ceiling for an expert.
If some men are shying away from the Brahma 88 because they tried an earlier Brahma and came away unimpressed, you should reacquaint yourself with its bottomless power reserve. The Brahma 88’s refusal to jump on the Lighter is Better bandwagon pays off in spades when it’s late afternoon and even the groomed runs look like hell warmed over. Don’t forget, the Brahma 88 is the Bonafide 97’s little brother, so it has the same crud-busting genes.
Allow me to quote myself, citing a couple of sentences from Coping with Success, which spoke to how Blizzard dealt with improving an already hot hand. “Models like the Bonafide and Brahma have always used lightweight poplar and higher density beech in the core, but TrueBlend micro-manages how and where the two woods are laminated, altering each model’s flex not just by model, but by size. Lacy tendrils of mocha-colored beech hopscotch around pale, parallel stacks of poplar, distributing density and damping in meticulously targeted doses.”
To reiterate, not only is the TrueBlend core adapted for every length to maintain an evenly balanced flex, but so is every rocker profile and sidecut. Making every length differently so each feels the same to its intended partner is no mean feat, as the manufacturer is making what amounts to five new skis instead of one.
The reason flex is primordial is because if a ski can be made easier to bend without losing its grip on hard snow, the pilot can use less of his/her precious energy reserve getting from turn to turn. But historically softer skis haven’t been able to withstand the vibrations induced by traveling fast over hard snow, handling as well as a Yugo with bald tires.
So it’s a joy to discover an all-terrain ski with the strength and stability of an Old School GS race ski that can be reined in to less than 40mph and still move edge to edge with the ease of a figure skater. The Brahma 88’s softer extremities allow it to roll over terrain so smoothly it’s as if the ski were part of the flow of the run and not a separate component. In keeping with the best the All-Mountain East genre has to offer, it’s as comfy on glassy groomers as it is in 18-inches of fresh. Like a gifted drummer, it can keep the beat no matter what tune you ask it to play.
“This is a fun, nimble ski,’ says Mark Rafferty from Peter Glenn. “Comfortable in short-radius turns in the steeps, comes around happily in moguls and gives a smooth ride at high speeds. If you prefer a slightly softer feel than the Bonafide without giving up significant performance, the Brahma 88 is worth considering. I never felt that it was doing anything counter to my efforts. I think of this as a friendly ski.”
To keep things friendly, pay close attention to length selection. If you’re not one of the biggest lads on the hill, you don’t need a 189cm. Remember, the Flipcore baseline doesn’t reduce its effective edge length once it’s tipped and pressured, so when you’re between sizes you’re probably better off going shorter, particularly if you like trees, bumps and chutes. In the immortal words of Marcus Caston, you can ski them hard, but they’re not hard to ski.
