The Quattro W 8.0 Ca we recommended last season returns in the guise of the Alight 8.0 Ca, renamed to fit into an umbrella rebranding of Blizzard’s women’s Frontside collection, part of a company-wide initiative, Women to Women, intended to better differentiate its women’s line. The Alight 8.0 Ca remains a featherweight that punches in the middleweight division, holding a secure, unwavering arc on the hardest artificial snow.
To the Rustler 11, combating crud is like a career in service to a noble cause. Horrid snow gives it purpose, a reason to get up every day and do good work. Its tip is intentionally loose, allowing it to contort to whatever heinous condition lies around the next tree. Underfoot, the Titanal reinforcement one can see poking through the top-sheets gets busy, maintaining torsional rigidity through the midsection.
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.
The top model in Salomon’s Frontside Performance family of X-Max carvers, the X14 Carbon is easier to steer than a GS race ski, but it has the same notions about how to attack a fall line. (We interrupt this review to report that Salomon’s X-Lab 175, a state-of-the-art non-FIS GS race ski, requires the skier to commit to every turn like it was a 30-year mortgage; relatively speaking, the X14 Carbon only requires the involvement of a one-night stand.)
Our testers adore the Rustler 10, particularly for its Finesse properties. Here’s a sampler: “The mix of underfoot grip with ease at the extremities is unmatched. Another home run for Blizzard!” “Rustler 102 is playful, loose, poppy, yet still has that Blizzard feel underfoot. It’s going to be easier for more skiers to deal with.” “Centered and well balanced.” “Super fun in soft stuff, quite forgiving, yet good power on the groomed.”