I readily admit to an engrained bias in favor of the Blizzard Bonafide, as a pair has lived in the first row of my ski locker since its inception. I take them everywhere I go because I’m confident there’s no condition on earth they cannot ski, and ski well.
The Bonafide has remained a perennial all-star for skiers because it’s built on sound fundamentals: a wood core made from poplar and beech sandwiched between laminates of multi-directional glass and Titanal. Its Flipcore design connects to the edge early, with no disruption in the snow connection from the modestly rockered forebody through the midsection to its flat, supportive tail.
If one wished to pick a nit, it could be argued that the Bonafide is geared for the more skilled skier. But this is true of virtually all the more torsionally rigid models in the All-Mountain West genre. If you want to tone it down a bit, get it in a shorter length and you, too, can experience one of the greatest skis ever made.
The only change to the Blizzard Brahma for 20/20 is the addition of “88” to its moniker, the better to distinguish it from its new little brother, the Brahma 82. As surface area roughly equates to flotation and ease of operation in irregular, off-trail conditions, the Brahma 88 remains the better choice as a one-ski quiver. While we are encouraged by the trend to narrower skis, there’s no doubt that from the perspective of terrain versatility, a wider ski offers more benefits than liabilities.
The Brahma 88 has been among the top models in the All-Mountain East genre since it’s debut. The reasons for its sustained popularity are several, beginning with its Flipcore construction. To give you an idea of how different Flipcore construction is, when you get a Flipcore ski like the Brahma too hot when ironing on wax, the ski will try to revert to its originally molded position, revealing that it inherent camber is upside down. (BTW, don’t do this, please.)
Primary among Flipcore’s virtues is that there is no stress where the relatively mild tip and tail rocker connects with the middle of the ski; when the ski is tipped and pressured, the full length of the ski comes into play. An added benefit is that the ski follows terrain brilliantly, a big bonus in crud bumps. If the skier wants a little more oomph out of the turn, dual multi-directional fiberglass laminates provide energy on demand.
This ski shouldn’t be here. Skis with a patently off-piste baseline have no business infiltrating the ranks of Frontside models, by definition the domain of deep sidecuts and highly arched camber lines. How does a ski whose Flipcore baseline is practically already bowing manage to mingle with the second cousins of true race skis? If a sitcom producer cast a story about the Frontside category, all the proper club members would be draped in Armani, while the brash Brahma 82 would crash the party in flip-flops, jams and a tattered tee.
In short, the Brahma 82 is here because it’s so damn easy and fun to ski. It’s one of a tiny minority of Frontside skis with a higher Finesse score than Power score. Of course, it’s ease of use wouldn’t mean squat if it couldn’t hold on hard snow, but the Brahma 82 grips ferociously because beneath its mellow exterior beats the heart of a lion. Two end-to-end sheets of Titanal are sandwiched with layers of multi-directional fiberglass around a poplar and beech core. Throw in a dab of carbon in the tip to keep the swingweight down and a dampening platform underfoot and you have many of the same components that power the rest of the genre’s best skis.
Wingman is a new series from Elan that’s a hybrid of the Slovenian brand’s Frontside Amphibio collection and its off-trail Ripstick series. This formula makes the Wingman 86 CTi behave like a carving ski with a penchant for off-piste forays. It owes its hallmark tenacious edge grip – stunningly evident in all conditions – to a variety of interrelated factors.
First, its relatively deep sidecut (16.5m @ 178cm) combines with its asymmetric shape to create early edge contact that never lets go. Second, the rearbody and tail are also biased to the inside edge, so instead of whimping out at turn finish as so many rockered tails do, this Wingman drives through the arc on a solid platform. Third, Elan loads up the inside edge with more material so force concentrates there, improving stability. Finally, a brace of end-to-end carbon rods work in harmony with a sheet of Titanal to suck up shock and convert it into rebound energy that keeps the Wingman motoring even when the snow gets clumpy.
Elan created the Wingman series to bridge the worlds of on-trail and off-trail skiing, planting a flagship model in both the All-Mountain East and Frontside genres. The top of the latter ladder is the Wingman 82 Cti, a strong ski with such a gentle disposition we classified as a Finesse model. Based on the TNT Technology that originated with the off-trail Ripstick series, the Wingman 82 Cti is reinforced both with a central topsheet of Titanal and twin carbon rods near the base, which mirror the shape of the sidecut. To create a step-down model, Elan eliminated the expense of the carbon rods and the cost of carving out their CNC-created channels, resulting in the Wingman 82 Ti.
Drum roll, please. The Wingman 82 Ti will most likely sell for $399. That’s without a binding, but still, $399. Does it ski as well as the Wingman Cti? No, and if you’re an already skilled skier you shouldn’t spare the shekels when buying a ski you may have tor the next decade. But if you’re buying your first pair of skis after having served your time on rentals and hand-me-downs, the Wingman 82 Ti is one of the best deals you will ever find.
