2024 Blizzard Sheeva 9

No new ski model made as significant an improvement in its performance range as Blizzard’s Sheeva 9.  A longtime member of the Blizzard Freeride collection, the Sheeva 9 - along with its men’s  counterpart, the Rustler 9 - went through a significant re-design this year, boosting its abilities in any terrain it’s likely to encounter during its lifetime. In Realskiers’ terminology, the Sheeva 9 shifted from a Finesse ski to a Power ski, albeit a Power ski with the highest Finesse score in the genre. Driving up the new Sheeva 9’s fab Finesse scores were two principal drivers: the adoption of Blizzard’s TrueBlend core concept, and a palpable increase in overall width dimensions. TrueBlend is a precise allocation of sturdy beech stringers interspersed with lighter weight poplar in the mid-section and a dose of lighter-still Paulownia at the tip and tail.  TrueBlend creates a perfectly balanced flex adapted for each length offered, so the 150cm has the same properties as the 174cm. (BTW, this is a huge size range, an indication that Blizzard is confident it will serve a broad swath of the market.) This adaptation is particularly valuable for the Finesse skier who isn’t used to loading a ski. The increase in waist width (from 92mm to 96mm) gives the Sheeva 9 a substantial boost in surface area, inherently improving both its flotation in new snow and ease of steering in chopped-up terrain. Naturally, this alteration means the new model shifts into a drifted turn with relish, another trait that assists the Finesse skier.