Originally Posted by
phatty
Anyone been on the new Cochise yet?
I was able to spend a couple days swapping through the new Blizzard lineup last month at Big Sky. I spent the most my time on the 185 and 177 Cochise. We got lucky and hit a low crowd 8" pow day with some gate drops that let us ski up untracked snow for more than half the day.
Im 37, 5'7" 140 lbs, former racer blah blah. I tend to like skis with a little bigger radius that can be made to turn shorter by the skier.
Current skis in the quiver over 100mm that I still use on the regular.
2014-2015 177 Cochise
2017 186 Blizzard Peacemaker
2020 180 Dynastar Menace Proto
My 2015 Cochise's have hundreds of days on them at this point and I have been searching for a replacement for several seasons but just didn't get along with the carbon tipped and tapered current version. Depending on conditions I currently bounce between the above skis going to the Cochise when its cut up or warmer snow that needs some muscle. The spot where I always wished the old version did a little better was in fresh snow, its well documented that they kinda submarined when it started to get a little deep.
For me the new 106 performed noticeably better in fresh snow, I've read that there is less rocker in this version but the profile of the rocker and balanced flex of the ski is just superior in fresh snow. I found this the case in both the 185 and 177 versions. I can happily ski either length of ski, for my terrain in Whitefish I think the 177 makes more sense for me but if I was local to a bigger mountain the 185 would be my choice. I noticed the bigger radius and stiffer flex right off the bat with the 185 but the ski has a great ability to shut down quickly and change direction that was kinda laking in recent past versions. I do find the tune can change affect this as well but I think the core, camber and flex are big players here. I found that if you got in the back seat on the past skis you went for a ride and that just doesn't happen on this ski. I agree with what the blizzard marketing team has said about this ski, that it is more accessible but not dumbed down. A lot of core skiers will read that line as bullshit but in this case its actually true, the ski still rips but is easier to get your self out the those "oh fuck" moments that happen when you are trucking.
A quick synapses for me is Its ability to blast cut up snow is top notch but now with improved soft snow characteristics. That being said this is no powder ski.... I'm getting a pair.
Last edited by Eluder; 04-03-2021 at 11:57 PM.
Reason: Fixing some spelling... I am sure there is more.
a positive attitude will not solve all of your problems, but it may annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
Formerly Rludes025
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