Blizzard Latigo vs Cheyenne

[lynseyf]

I demoed the Blizzard Cheyenne and really liked them. I can and have skied very stiff race skis but am looking for something a little softer to practice skiing bumps and really concentrate on improving my carving. I find very stiff skis only bend when I am going pretty fast and I would like to be able to feel smooth, precise edge changes at low speeds. I also want this ski to be able to perform at higher speeds as I will probably use it to do my L2 ski instructor exam and I know I need to work on long radius turns, we are assessed on shorts, bumps, variables and what BASI calls central theme, plough, plough parallel etc. Basically I want to ski this ski every day, on and off piste, to be able to push my skiing but for it not to be too stiff. I was going to buy the men's version of the Cheyenne, the Latigo, but I have just noticed it has 2 layers of metal vs. the Cheyenne which has none. Has anyone skied them both and can compare, a bit stiffer than the Cheyenne would be good, a totally different ski wouldn't.

 

[volklgirl]

I skied both during test fest this year. I'm a super heavyweight and found the Cheyenne to be squirrelly for me at speed. I liked the Latigo much more, but I also typically ski fairly-to-very-stiff Volkls.

From my review:

Blizzard Cheyenne, 163 cm, 115-78-100 (R 16.0 m):
The soft construction of the Cheyenne gives it outstanding forgiveness in a carving-oriented ski. This is a fun, easy, poppy ski with tremendous edge grip. It clung to the steeps and whipped off short turns faster than I could keep up. The combination of softness and short length made it really scary for me at speed and in cut-up snow, so I ended up also trying this one in the unisex Latigo version at 177 cm to get a better feel for it in an appropriate length. The correct length was much more stable and left me with a grin on my face. Best for intermediate through advanced carvers looking for a little more all mountain capability.

Besides the increase in stability, I don't remember noticing a huge difference in them.

 

[lynseyf]

Thanks @volklgirl sounds like the Latigo is just what I want then, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an old Aura/Mantra difference between the 2 skis.

 

[Perty]

Must admit I've been thinking about the Latigo as a on piste ski. This year I have been zooming about happily on stupidly fat skis (for the Alps) and contemplating reminding myself what sub 80mm skis really feel like. I really enjoyed the Brahmas when I tested them, so maybe try Latigo feels like a "carvier" version?

 

[volklgirl]

@Perty - Since you already have a fairly competent AM ski in the Kenja, I'd go with something even more carver oriented like the Volkl Charisma or Blizzard Viva X8 (810). Neither will disappoint.

 

[Perty]

Ahh..well..I never really fell in love with my Kenjas. Loaned them to a friend this season. I now see my quiver as likely to be my Liberty Envy Powders, plus something sub 80mm...but not sure if I want to go totally piste ski. No rush anyway. I'm feeling very proud of myself as this season kit purchases have been minimal...

 

[snow addict]

I got a real piste ski last summer and I am really glad I did. Yes, they see limited use, but when only pistes are available I am flying. Yes, it's possible to ski pistes and even to carve on most skis out there, and some all-mountain skis are known for their carving, but there is simply no comparison. Tight radius, stiff flex and narrow waist - my Magnums are eating ice for breakfast.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

That is my mindset. I love my kenjas and they can handle it all and when conditions are going to be mixed than they are my go to ski. However, I just love a tight radios turn and narrower waist ski for those iciest of days. I was flying on easter morning when the conditions were very hard and I was demoing a 81 underfoot hard snow ski. They will see limited use but will be optimal in early season or when it hasn't snowed in a while and the weather is just cold and the snow super hard/icy. Charismas, Magnums and Blizzard's are the front runners with a side dish of Rossi Pursuit HP; best price will win.

 

[Magnatude]

@lynseyf --I've been eyeing the Latigo for similar reasons to you (possibly not for attempting L2 just yet, but certainly for teaching and working on technique).

I haven't demoed either the Cheyenne or the Latigo. But I did demo the 173 Bushwhacker (wider version of Cheyenne?), which didn't do much for me, and bought the Brahma (wider Latigo?), in the same length, and I really like it, for practically everything, though I suspect a narrower ski than 88mm will be needed if I ever plan to progress up the instruction levels. To be fair, I'm moderately heavy (80kg and 178cm), which probably colours my experience, and I probably wouldn't even contemplate a non-metal version of the Brahma and Latigo. Thus I'd pretty much ruled out the Cheyenne for me. I don't remember thinking the Bushwhacker and Brahma skied alike with the only difference being their relative stiffness. But I didn't ski them on the same day (or even in the same season) so any comparison wouldn't be that useful. I just wasn't blown away by the Bushwhacker's performance, while I was, more or less instantly, with the Brahma's.

The Brahma doesn't feel overly stiff when skiing, and if anything is just really user-friendly in all sorts of conditions. It may be that the Latigo would be too much overlap for me, and so I've also been investigating other, more conventional carvers as well, like the Rossignol Pursuit 18 and HP, and the Blizzard Viva 8.0 or the Ultrasonic (both the latter skis are local deals from around 2012 or 13, I think). I'm getting a bit muddled about the right lengths to look at: I will be teaching mostly beginners this year and having something that is easy to manoeuvre is important -- but I still want a high-performing ski for my own development. Having said all that, I like skiing the Brahma so much that its narrower sibling seems really tempting ...

The Latigo sounds like it would work for you though, if you want more of an all-mountain ski, but in a narrower width. I'll be interested to see what you end up getting, and your impressions of it.

 

[lynseyf]

Thanks @Magnatude that is helpful as I demoed the 180cm Brahma and was quite happy on it, I would have liked to have tried the 173cm Brahma as well but the 180cm wasn't way too much ski for me in that length, unlike the 180cm Bonafide which I just felt would want to kill me if I was having an off day.