What's Blizzard up to?

**slowroastin** · 01-30-2019, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by nomad_games

i guess i'm the odd man out, I think the new graphics are super boring and bland. def prefer this years. Other than the fact that I wish the Rustler 11's were basically any color other than that green.

I agree.

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**axebiker** · 01-30-2019, 01:56 PM

Sometimes less > more...

I agree though...kinda boring. I don't mind boring however.

**XavierD** · 01-30-2019, 02:23 PM

FWIW, they are boring but Blizzard in 2019 is no longer Blizzard in 2009. Brand recognition and appeal has grown a ton. They don’t necessarily have the freedom of Line/Armada/Moment/ON3P in the graphics department. I doubt they are going to loose many sales on graphics, something which hasn’t necessarily been true over the last 10 years.

They do however pop much more in person than via photos. Topsheet texture gives them some depth. I’m a fan of the Rustler series in person.

**monkeywrenchMoose** · 02-03-2019, 12:01 AM

Whoo boy. Just picked up a pair of the 18/19 188 Rustler 10s to compliment my 188 Rustler 11s. Really looking forward to skiing them. Now I just need to find a good pair of those OG orange FKS 188s.

Will post a comparison review when I get a minute.

Feel like I finally have a quiver dialed. Skied my 185 Cochise today and remembered how much fun it is to go fast on those. Rustler 10s, 11s and Cochise is gonna be a pretty sweet setup for me at Alta.

**roQer** · 02-03-2019, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by couchsending

Yup it gets slightly heavier. 100-150 grams, can’t remember. Slightly different core configuration. Similar ski just deflects a little less at speed and shit conditions.

This sounds really good. Could be a nice contender for an easy going ski in the 100-105 class then. The current model seems to be limiting for more chargy skiing style.

**banzai** · 02-03-2019, 03:55 AM

Got myself some Brahmas (first Blizzard ski for me), impressed with the build quality.
The Brahma is a weapon! Bumps, hardpack it slays it all. 187s mounted at +2 for pivots. I have another mount (inserts) at +0,5 for shifts, curious how different it will ski there and how they will handle 20-30cm of fresh. Overall super happy, really want to try the rest of the line now. Bummer we dont have any local demo days.

**dfinn** · 02-03-2019, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by monkeywrenchMoose

Feel like I finally have a quiver dialed. Skied my 185 Cochise today and remembered how much fun it is to go fast on those. Rustler 10s, 11s and Cochise is gonna be a pretty sweet setup for me at Alta.

How do you choose between those 3? They all seem somewhat similar? Asking because I used to ski the 1st gen cochise a lot and have been thinking about maybe going back to the current one or maybe trying a rustler 11. This would be an every day snowbird ski.

**slowroastin** · 02-03-2019, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by banzai

Got myself some Brahmas (first Blizzard ski for me), impressed with the build quality.
The Brahma is a weapon! Bumps, hardpack it slays it all. 187s mounted at +2 for pivots. I have another mount (inserts) at +0,5 for shifts, curious how different it will ski there and how they will handle 20-30cm of fresh. Overall super happy, really want to try the rest of the line now. Bummer we dont have any local demo days.

What is your height/weight? Im 6’200lbs riding the 180 Brahma’s. Sometimes I wish they were the 187’s just to have a bigger sweet spot and more grip on ice. But I went with 180’s for maneuverability in tight bumps.

I want to add the new Bonafide to my quiver as well but im undecided on length. My local shop has 187’s and they hand flex much stiffer than the 187 Brahma. But 180 just seems short in my mind.

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**Bandit Man** · 02-03-2019, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by slowroastin

What is your height/weight? Im 6’200lbs riding the 180 Brahma’s. Sometimes I wish they were the 187’s just to have a bigger sweet spot and more grip on ice. But I went with 180’s for maneuverability in tight bumps.

I want to add the new Bonafide to my quiver as well but im undecided on length. My local shop has 187’s and they hand flex much stiffer than the 187 Brahma. But 180 just seems short in my mind.

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I’m inclined to tell you 187, especially at your height. I’m also inclined to ask why add a Bonafide when you already have a Brahma? Why not something like a Rustler 10 or 11? (Assuming you get to ski soft snow)

**slowroastin** · 02-03-2019, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Bandit Man

I’m inclined to tell you 187, especially at your height. I’m also inclined to ask why add a Bonafide when you already have a Brahma? Why not something like a Rustler 10 or 11? (Assuming you get to ski soft snow)

The Rustler 10 has peaked my interest but I already have a Kartel 108 and Deathwish in that spot. The Bonafide will fill in the 98 width spot as a hard snow ski in a 2 ski travel bag. I usually travel to Jackson, Bridger, Crested Butte, Taos given the year.

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**I've seen black diamonds!** · 02-03-2019, 11:09 AM

^^^^^If I owned Brahma, Bonafide, Cochise, I would almost never ski the Bonafide. Apart from groomers and bumps with deep troughs (where Brahmas shine), I think the Cochise is both more capable and less work to ski than the Bonafide.

**slowroastin** · 02-03-2019, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds!

^^^^^If I owned Brahma, Bonafide, Cochise, I would almost never ski the Bonafide. Apart from groomers and bumps with deep troughs (where Brahmas shine), I think the Cochise is both more capable and less work to ski than the Bonafide.

Thats interesting. Ive always imagined the Cochise to be more work than the Bonafide. The Cochise does come in my preferred length too. Im really tempted to acquire both and just see what I end up skiing most. Just have to get the length figured out. I already own the Brahma and Bodacious.

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**couchsending** · 02-03-2019, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by slowroastin

What is your height/weight? Im 6’200lbs riding the 180 Brahma’s. Sometimes I wish they were the 187’s just to have a bigger sweet spot and more grip on ice. But I went with 180’s for maneuverability in tight bumps.

I want to add the new Bonafide to my quiver as well but im undecided on length. My local shop has 187’s and they hand flex much stiffer than the 187 Brahma. But 180 just seems short in my mind.

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A little depends on where you’re skiing them. Sorry not paying attention if you said where that is.

I’ve got you by a couple lbs and an inch or so. 180 Bonafides are fun on groomers and in tighter terrain but on bigger mountains you’d want more ski. Maybe on a smaller mountain 180 would be fine but for everything else I’d go bigger. I personally like the 187 mounted 1 to 1.5cm forward.

As someone who has every model to choose from in the garage my two ski quiver is a 187 Bonafide and 192 Rustler 11. Out West I personally don’t need a Brahma. Maybe if I wanted to ski bumps more but I certainly don’t want to do that shit. If I skied Snowbird or Jackson all the time maybe a Cochise would be in there but for me I’m between sizes. 192 is too much work and 185 is a bit short especially in soft snow. Bonafides are a ton more fun on groomers than a Cochise is. As someone who grew up bashing plastic I still enjoy me some big arcs on groomers.

Digging the new 188 Rustler 10 construction. Might end up skiing them a little more this winter on say the day after a storm.

**banzai** · 02-03-2019, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by slowroastin

What is your height/weight? Im 6’200lbs riding the 180 Brahma’s. Sometimes I wish they were the 187’s just to have a bigger sweet spot and more grip on ice. But I went with 180’s for maneuverability in tight bumps.

I want to add the new Bonafide to my quiver as well but im undecided on length. My local shop has 187’s and they hand flex much stiffer than the 187 Brahma. But 180 just seems short in my mind.

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175cm/75kgs as god created me, after a morning dump.

**Beder** · 02-03-2019, 04:52 PM

First day on the 188 R10. Six inches of heavyish pow on a firm base. Very fun on the untracked, can really feel the flex fore and aft. Ski locks in the carve and releases it easily when you want it to. Relieved I didn't go with the shorter ski. Of course now I want the R11, but I own the 2013 Bodacious and these two will road trip together.

**monkeywrenchMoose** · 02-03-2019, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by dfinn

How do you choose between those 3? They all seem somewhat similar? Asking because I used to ski the 1st gen cochise a lot and have been thinking about maybe going back to the current one or maybe trying a rustler 11. This would be an every day snowbird ski.

6’ 0”, 175 Lbs, not an ex-racer, have traditionally preferred big, damp skis (187 Legend XXL, 188 RC112, 184 Mantra, 185 Cochise) to compensate for poor technical turn technique. Have traditionally liked going fast, have recently been focusing on turning well at speed along with more shifty/360s off natural terrain. Have skied at Bridger (2 years), Snowbird (2 years), Targhee (2 years) and Alta (past 5 years).

To be clear, I haven’t skied the Rustler 10 yet, just picked them up last night. I’ve been deciding between Cochise/Rustler 11 depending on snow conditions and mood.

Cochise is for 2 dimensional (refrozen, chalk, high speed groomers) snow and fast, powerful (Silver Fox, Little Cloud-ish, High Boy, West Rustler) skiing OR when skiing with friends also on similar skis (OG Katana, Cochise, Kaestle MX108).

Rustler 11 is for 3 dimensional (Soft chop, pow to knee deep, mid-winter mashed taters not too deep, soft and turn-y groomers) and playful, yet directional skiing (Thirds, Fred’s Trees, Westward Ho, Gad 2, Baldy). Also been recently into spinning off natural features, which was more difficult on the Cochise.

I’ve picked up the Rustler 10s for playful, yet directional skiing when the snow is more 2 dimensional (chalk, springtime, groomer days) and for skiing with friends on their smaller skis (J-Skis Master Blaster, Mantra, MSP 99). Time will tell if they fill that niche well. I like that they are the same length, but stiffer. Still on the fence about the smaller radius though. We’ll see.

**muted** · 02-04-2019, 10:46 AM

So I think someone asked me to compare the 188s and 192s after a few days on them....I probably suck at writing ski reviews though but I'll try.

188s R11s: Had a few days on them. Tips dove, and not confidence-inspiring at high speeds. Just kinda 'meh' to me. Didn't suck, didn't blow my mind. Good for stomping airs though, they are not flimsy.
192s R11s: Much stiffer tail, charges through chopped up snow, so it's what I'm looking for. No tip dive at all. Just as good for landing airs but hard to compare the two precisely air-wise with only a few days on the 188s. I'll guess the 188s are easy to trick with. The stiff tails of the 192s are work, no doubt, when it's not a pow day and it's bumped up in the trees, but you just have to lift the backs up as they ain't gonna slide into a turn easy. In soft treed moguls they do slide a bit and are good enough. If it's PNW snow, these things rip fast in trees!!!! They are more work in Utah light snow though. If you want something a notch down from this ski and is more surfy and playful, try the Salomon QST 118s.

MY big point I want to make is I'm finally won over by light skis. I thought they could never be as damp as traditional skis, and while they aren't they are plenty good enough. I now own 3 pair of light skis, and they all perform better than I'd guess. Past traditional skis I've owned have been El Dictators, 1st gen Big Daddys, and original m103s, all were 192 or more (can't remember exactly).

About me: I'm 6'2" and maybe 175pounds. I like to go fast like Ricky Bobby and catch air every run if it's soft. I ski forward and like to lean way over if possible. I ski at Solitude, and if I skied at Snowbird or BS the 192s are a must I think, there isn't a lot of places to really go fast at Solitude. Sounds like all Blizzard pros are 188s, and yes they are better skiers than me! So, if 188s are good enough for them that kinda makes my review questionable, I know, but I like the 192s and glad I stuck with the ski and didn't try something else.

**skibrd** · 02-04-2019, 11:55 AM

The 187 Brahma is a fun ski for no pow days in Jackson. An awesome two ski quiver for Jackson if you are a bigger guy would be the 187 Brahma and the 192 R11.

The 192 Cochise is fun, but it sucks in pow. 187 Bonafide is fun too, but just about anything you can do with a Bonafide, you can do with a Brahma and if you need more ski the Rustler 11 is perfect.

I haven’t been on the new (OG) Bodacious yet, but I bet that would slide in very nicely if you wanted to go a Brahma, R10/11, Bodacious quiver.

The Cochise and Bonafide are great one ski quiver skis, but once you get a second ski, they lose out quickly to the Brahma, R11 or similar skis.

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**roQer** · 02-12-2019, 01:09 PM

After a bunch of days on Rustler 11 192 I have to admit that I don’t grab my metal Katanas anymore. R11 is a better powder ski and less grabby in shit snow. The tails release more easily which makes skiing steep narrow lines less work. Katanas are still damper and smoother in non-soft 3D snow and on 2D snow. R11 gives maybe 10% of top end to Katanas in those conditions, nothing which can’t be adjusted to.
This applies just to the 192 cm version. In 188 length the R11 is more of an easygoing ski. Not bad on its own but not really comparable with the metal Katana.
The other question is what do I need the asym Spur for. The Spur is very surfy but kinda works best in deep powder in low angle terrain. As soon as it’s getting steeper I can’t tell a clear advantage over the R11. In contrary, in steep alpine terrain, chutes, spines etc. R11 is a clear winner because it has more backbone and is more agile.

**monkeywrenchMoose** · 02-12-2019, 01:45 PM

Just wanted to chime in and add some quick thoughts on the Rustler 10s now that I have a few days on them.

3 days total, 1 at Big Sky, 2 at Bridger.

Skied the 188cm Rustler 10s at Big Sky on a sunny, but very cold day with soft snow (~4 inches of powder on top of a week's worth of cold and soft conditions). First run was a cut up groomer, was super fun. These things really like to turn. Definitely a smaller radius than the 11's but actually felt more stable. I think they are definitely stiffer. I've heard people describe them as not particularly lively. I think that is an incorrect statement. They aren't particularly poppy, like my 184 Mantras, but they are definitely lively. They are really fun to be turning on. More lively than the 188 R11s. Was having fun on groomers and wide open mellow pow fields, hadn't hit a rock yet so I took them over to Challenger for some steeper terrain. Doh. Compressed edge, right below the heelpiece on the outside edge. Super bummed. No core shot though. These appear to be just as burly as every other Blizzard I've skied, cause I definitely smoked that rock. Hung out on groomers the rest of the day. Didn't spin, but they felt good in the air with little shiftys. Small landings were very confidence inspiring (less than 10 ft of air).

Next two days were at Bridger. Same conditions as described above. Skied off Schlaschman's most of day one, with a mix of Schlaschman's/Ridge Laps on day two. Spent time not going big, but getting into tight and steep terrain where precision turns needed combining with skiing fast to get things back under control. Man, these things were super fun. They are really good at turning small, but fast. No airplane/GS turns, but turning at speed and carving through moguls and terrain undulations. Really like that. The only weird thing I found was on steeper terrain, at low speeds (i.e. getting to the top of a chute), the downhill ski has a tendancy to hook the inside tip edge in 3D snow. Don't know if it is cause they are brand new and sharp, but my buddy who has the 180 R10s with less sharp edges, felt the same way. Very interesting. I may detune them if they continue to do that.

Anyone else experience that? I don't get that phenomenon on the R11s...

**roQer** · 02-12-2019, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrenchMoose

The only weird thing I found was on steeper terrain, at low speeds (i.e. getting to the top of a chute), the downhill ski has a tendancy to hook the inside tip edge in 3D snow. Don't know if it is cause they are brand new and sharp, but my buddy who has the 180 R10s with less sharp edges, felt the same way. Very interesting. I may detune them if they continue to do that.

Anyone else experience that? I don't get that phenomenon on the R11s...

In my experience, skis with shorter radius tend to be more hooky in weird 3D snow in steeper terrain. Camber plays a role as well. R11 has longer radius and less camber = less hooky.

**TadNT** · 02-19-2019, 10:09 PM

Anyone have experience to compare the Bushwackers to the Rustler 9?

East coast skier, 6'1" 185, off trail when ever possible, bumps over groomers....not a particularly fast skier, and don't really care to be. Much prefer trees and bumps to steeps.

Had the Bushwackers for about 5 years and loved them. Only complaint, on icy groomers- which, yeah, they are thing out here... - never felt they gripped all that well. But absolutely loved them in the trees and bumps.

Ripped an edge out last weekend, so....was going to replace them with Bushwacker 2019, but then the R-9 caught my eye with the partial metal underfoot. But I'm concerned they will be much stiffer and won't have that quick turn playfulness of the Bushwackers.

Thoughts?

Oh, and yeah....I just bought a pair on sale, so I guess I'll know soon enough.

**azmtbiker** · 02-19-2019, 10:22 PM

R11 188s just came in the mail.

I have the cochise 185 and the recommended mount on these R11s is significantly forward of that.

I am trying to decide between -1 and at the line. Have narrowed it down to these 2 choices.

I have seen a few posters who went -1 and thought is was good.

Anyone mount at the line and subsequently wished they had mounted back?

I want to get it right the first time if possible, have several sets of skis with an extra set of holes cause I wasnt happy with my first mount

**Bandit Man** · 02-19-2019, 10:50 PM

Skied my 188’s today and still happy with them on the line. They have a lot more tip and tail rocker and a tighter radius than a Cochise...and they ski like it. The more forward than a Cochise mount point makes sense for how the ski is designed and what it is intended to do.

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**noslow** · 02-20-2019, 05:25 AM

Originally Posted by TadNT

Anyone have experience to compare the Bushwackers to the Rustler 9?

East coast skier, 6'1" 185, off trail when ever possible, bumps over groomers....not a particularly fast skier, and don't really care to be. Much prefer trees and bumps to steeps.

Had the Bushwackers for about 5 years and loved them. Only complaint, on icy groomers- which, yeah, they are thing out here... - never felt they gripped all that well. But absolutely loved them in the trees and bumps.

Ripped an edge out last weekend, so....was going to replace them with Bushwacker 2019, but then the R-9 caught my eye with the partial metal underfoot. But I'm concerned they will be much stiffer and won't have that quick turn playfulness of the Bushwackers.

Thoughts?

Oh, and yeah....I just bought a pair on sale, so I guess I'll know soon enough.

I’m the same height as you but you have 10lbs on me and I ski the 180cm Rustler 9. Great ski for trees and bumps! Will be more solid underfoot than the Bushwacker and hard snow grip is quite good on mine as I run them full sharp with a 1/3 tune. They pivot very well with the rocker profile and the binding mount being slightly forward of the Brahma/Bushwacker.

Find mine very playful at lower speeds but have more backbone than the Bushwacker especially if you do some faster carving on groomers occasionally.