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Ski manufacturers have reputations, and for a complete era of skiers, Blizzard’s has undoubtedly been that of being the model for hard-charging resort skiers in search of highly effective on-piste skis and crud-blasting efficiency. With stiff, damp, directional skis just like the Cochise, Sheeva, Anomaly, and Rustler dominating their lineup for the higher a part of a decade, it’s been a very long time since Blizzard delivered a ski aimed toward skiers in search of one thing extra playful. They’ve lengthy catered to skiers who come from a racing background, or a minimum of know a factor or two about “conventional” ski method. With the discharge of the all-new Canvas line, that’s all modified.Designed with heavy enter from their subsequent era of freeride athletes, the all-new Blizzard Canvas 108 is one thing we haven’t seen in a very long time from Blizzard: a progressive twin-tip ski with out a beefy, metal-reinforced core inside to stiffen issues up. At first look, it harkens again to the times of the Blizzard Gunsmoke within the mid-2010s period, a twin-tip freeride ski that balanced playfulness and Blizzard’s hard-charging DNA to turn into a cult-favorite trip amongst skiers out West. However, after using it for the higher a part of the early season right here within the Tetons and Wasatch, I’ve discovered it’s actually one thing new for Blizzard.
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Blizzard Canvas 108 Specs
Measurement skied: 186 cmLengths out there: 168cm, 174cm, 180cm, 186cm, 192cmSidecut: 140mm – 108mm – 128mmRadius: 19m (186cm)Profile: twin rocker, camber underfootWeight: 1870g (186cm)
Form, Flex and Building:
Blizzards are stiff and crammed with steel, proper? Not this one! The Canvas 108 is a stark departure from what we’re used to seeing from the Austrians at Blizzard.
In fact, the elephant within the room is the truth that it is a purpose-built twin tip ski, with a prompt mount level nearer to heart than most. The tip and tail form remains to be quintessentially Blizzard (with easily rounded taper strains paired with twin-rocker building and good quantity of camber underfoot. The dimensions-specific flip radius (19 meters for the examined 186 size) falls squarely into the center of the highway, balancing each a quick-turning character with extra high-speed stability.
The Canvas 108 skips the stiff nature of nearly each different ski within the present blizzard lineup–its poplar and paulownia wooden core gives a tender, poppy, and really spherical flex profile. I used to be truly stunned to study {that a} small strip of steel runs down the middle of the ski, because it doesn’t add a “heavy steel” really feel to the ski by any means. It’s no noodle, however I discovered it fairly straightforward to flex. In truth, I can butter up onto the information of those with out an excessive amount of effort–one thing I’ve by no means been in a position to do with another Blizzard ski.
Griffin Kerwin
That softer flex additionally comes at the price of some damping–an attribute many skiers have cherished Blizzard’s different freeride skis for. Nonetheless, it’s clear the design/athlete crew wished to do one thing completely different, so as a substitute of all-out crud-busting dampness, they went within the path of a great deal of power, poppiness, and a ski that may ollie and enhance off options like a skateboard.The poppiness is additional enhanced by how gentle the ski is. At 1870g per ski, the 186cm size falls nearer to the class of backcountry touring skis than mid-fat all-mountain rippers.
For reference, I skied these mounted with a Look Pivot 2.0 and Atomic Treatment 130 boots.
On-Snow Efficiency:
Ski testing up to now this winter has been far more difficult than most. Most resorts struggled to open on time, and heat temperatures mixed with rain to damage an already fragile snowpack as soon as they did. I’m used to snowboarding pow beginning round Thanksgiving right here within the Tetons, so I used to be a bit bummed to be caught using chopped-up man-made snow on numerous Slopes of Hope/Ribbons of Dying for many of December.
My thoughts desires to instantly examine it to different Blizzard skis to color an image about it, however I wish to describe it for what it’s, not what it isn’t. That being mentioned, the Canvas 108 would possibly as properly have been the right ski for our collective early-season scenario. The primary phrase I’d use to explain this ski could be very easy: “enjoyable.” However it goes far past that.The Canvas 108 is extraordinarily straightforward to ski, initiating turns with out a lot effort, and presents a considerable quantity of “draw” for a twin twip (the sensation of a ski pulling you right into a carved flip and throughout the autumn line). It’s a Blizzard in any case, and these guys have a complete video sequence extolling the virtues of “The Flip,” in order that responsiveness isn’t all too stunning. In my expertise, most twin-tipped skis with a mount level this near heart don’t provide that, as a substitute offering a extra centered, impartial, and pivot-y character.
Griffin Kerwin
Nonetheless, the Canvas 108 doesn’t want your full front-of-the-boot consideration to really feel like you’ll be able to management it. In truth, it desires to be pivoted, smeared, and buttered simply as a lot because it desires to carve. It’s stupidly enjoyable on skied-out groomers suffering from sidehits the place you’re carving just a few turns, slashing some tender bumps, and lining up sidehit airs to spin, shifty, or carry out no matter aerial maneuvers you please. In steeper timber, bumped out or chalky snow, the ski feels equally alive, with the sunshine weight and spectacular pop making it straightforward to air over moguls, press by way of troughs, and drift high-speed turns in chalky windbuffed bowls.
The one draw back to the sprightly nature of those skis is that they don’t have fairly sufficient mass to punch by way of heavy, moist, and cut-up snow. Whereas the tip rocker profile and unfastened tails assist with maneuverability in these situations (which we’ve sadly had extra of this early season that I would need on my worst enemy), they do get tossed round fairly a bit when attempting to ski quick in them.
I did head into some deeper snow out of bounds as soon as it began falling in late December to get a really feel for a way these carry out in big-mountain terrain. That included just a few laps out the gates at Jackson Gap (as soon as they re-opened after a compelled closure) and a while on my favourite native backcountry bootpack on Mt. Glory. Unsurprisingly, the Canvas 108 is ridiculously enjoyable in pow. The mid-fat waist width isn’t the floatiest choice by any means, and I’d most likely go for the soon-to-be-released Canvas 118 for devoted pow use, however the twin-rocker form and approachable flex make these extraordinarily enjoyable to bounce round in deep snow aboard, encouraging slashes, nosebutters, and simply all-around playful snowboarding.
Griffin Kerwin
Comparisons:
About 10 years in the past, the mid-fat twin tip was a very fashionable class in snowboarding, with nearly each model providing one thing to fill that slot. In recent times, that appeared to shift in the direction of extra directional choices, particularly from race-pedigree manufacturers like Blizzard, Völkl, or Atomic. As at all times, the trade operates in circles, and as we speak, I really feel like that twin-tip model is making a comeback.
The primary and maybe most similarly-intentioned ski I’d examine the Canvas 108 to is the Faction Studio 2. Each fall into the all-mountain twin-tip class and are supposed to stability playful and hard-charging traits, however achieve this very in a different way. I’ve discovered the Studio 2 to be stiffer and far more piste-oriented than the Canvas 108. It’s a bit faster and extra nimble and presents higher edge maintain on icy slopes, however I’d faucet the Canvas for versatility and assume it could make a extra usable and enjoyable resort ski for many skiers.
On the soft-snow freestyle entrance, I feel the closest comparability is to the Atomic Bent 110. At practically equivalent weights and really related shapes, I anticipated these skis to really feel extra related than they do. The Canvas feels far more energetic and “alive” than the Bent 110, making it a greater choice for inbounds snowboarding in variable situations. Conversely, the extra time I’ve spent on the Bent 110, I feel it makes for a wonderful freestyle touring ski that’s greatest stored to untouched tender snow.
Lastly, for all you Blizzard diehards on the market, I wish to examine this to the Blizzard Rustler 11. These skis are nothing alike. That’s to not say that when you love the Rustler 11 you received’t just like the Canvas–it’s simply very completely different. The place the Rustler desires to blast high-speed directional turns by way of no matter lies in its path, the Canvas desires to bounce round, air over, and magnificence its method by way of related terrain. The Rustler 11 desires to keep up a correspondence with the snow going straight, whereas the Canvas 108 doesn’t care whether or not it’s within the air, sideways, backwards, or the wrong way up.
Griffin Kerwin
What sort of skier is the Blizzard Canvas 108 greatest for?
As such a stark departure from what we’ve seen popping out of the Blizzard manufacturing unit these previous few years, I feel the Canvas 108 is a ski that’s going to be greatest fitted to a completely completely different set of skiers than a Rustler, Anomaly, Sheeva, Black Pearl or Cochise. Reality be informed, the Canvas breathes some much-needed recent life into Blizzard’s ski lineup and shall be an ideal selection for any fashionable, progressive freeskier in search of a do-it-all resort ski for using out West, or a pow-day ski for East Coast using.The most effective half? Due to its nonetheless wonderful on-piste efficiency, I don’t assume it’ll alienate skiers who nonetheless demand a ski that may carve and make a “actual” ski flip–it might do this plus hold within the park, slash and butter in pow, and switch all of the resort sidehits into your private enjoyable zone.
