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Blizzard Zero G Backcountry Skis
- Thread starter Djburrito
- Start date
Elizabeth.I
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So, I haven't been on them but my boyfriend (who is an excellent skier) had the 105s. He found they (unsurprisingly) skied like a traditional, Blizzard ski. The were good for their width in powder and fun, good on firm, but terrible on punchy snow (breakable crust) and unforgiving of backseat skiing. It's really hard to ski them in a centred stance, so when the snow is punchy, you're always worried about getting a tip under the crust or winding up backseat. I vividly remember our day on Little Temple in the Rockies where skiing down was quite alarming due to the breakable crust (I fared a bit better on my Moment Sierras)! He found the 105s damp enough, no chatter or "pinging", so ride quality was good. He thinks the 95 or 85mm ski would be an excellent firm snow ski. Overall with the 105s, he found they weren't fun in the wide variety of conditions we encountered so he ended up selling them and replaced them with the Moment Deathwish Tour, which is a more versatile (although much fatter) ski. If you still wanted to go with Blizzard but wanted something less punishing, you could look at the Blizzard Hustle. I haven't been on them, but I have skied the Sheeva 11s which is the shape they are based on and they were super fun!
For myself, I'm not intimidated by an aggressive, stiff ski but in the backcountry, I always find myself gravitating towards a more forgiving ski because the snow can be super funky and you might just end up backseat. Nice to not get punished by stiff tails if you get knocked off balance! Of course, your choice does depend on where you live/ski. If you never/rarely encounter breakable crust or punchy snow, then they could be a great choice! And for me, if they were a quiver ski and I only used them for ski mountaineering in the spring on a melt-freeze crust or firm snow in couloirs, I think they'd be excellent in the narrow lengths!
Thank you! I ended up scratching the Blizzards and went with Armada Trace 98s after doing a bit more research. They're heavier skis but I think it'll be good to have a bit a weight on the downhill to blast through anything. And going along with your boyfriend's issues with the Blizzards, these were reviewed as pretty poppy and playful. Most of my backcountry skiing will be in VT where I live so I figure 98s should be good.
