Blizzard has a reputation for making burly high-performance skis best ridden by strong, speedy ex-racer types. It does not have the kind of vibe that our testers usually go for. However, while the brand-new Anomaly 102 is no exception in performance terms, it’s one of the most accessible Blizzard skis yet. The Brahma, Bonafide, and Cochise lines have been replaced by the all-mountain-focused Anomaly series and the 102 is the widest. Building on the construction of the freeride-oriented Rustler series that places metal strategically to balance stiffness and dampness, the Anomaly 102 offers finely tuned flex that’s satisfyingly powerful on hard snow, but not totally overpowering when things soften up.
Groomers & Resort Skiing:
Unsurprisingly, the Anomaly 102 wants to go fast. What we came to like, however, was how easy it was to get up to speed and control. There are plenty of skis out there that don’t have a speed limit, but many can be pretty scary to ride unless you’re a master of edge control and forward pressure in your boots. The Anomaly isn’t one of those. Some of our favorite laps were on steep wide-open groomers, where there was plenty of room to take advantage of the longer 21-meter turning radius. Despite a really quiet ride feel, the tall camber of the ski still feels energetic, giving it a good amount of liveliness when cranking from turn to turn.
“It’s an insane groomer ski. This is what I'd take out on a morning where the forecast looks sad but the mountain got a corduroy remodel overnight. There’s an effortless feel while carving (much easier than older Blizzards) but the Anomaly 102 doesn't seem to have a speed limit. It’s easy to slash and flex into whatever turn shape you wish when it's on edge.” - Max Ritter
Powder & Mixed Conditions:
That damp ride also shines when things get chopped up, with the ski delivering a confident and stable platform for pushing through all manner of ungroomed snow like windbuff, chalk, and cut-up post-storm crud. It’s just as happy on and off-piste, as long as the snow isn’t too deep. As another tester put it, “This is the ski you’re looking for when you want to charge through anything and still feel stable. It builds confidence as you let it rip through almost anything. The wood core/metal sandwich construction gives it that silky smooth feeling especially when conditions are not that silky.”
While it can plow through crud, the Anomaly 102 felt like an anchor in fresh powder. The narrower waist width, lack of tip and tail rocker, and the heavy construction did not translate to a floaty ski–but that’s ok given the ski’s intentions.
Park & Jibbing:
The super-quiet and damp feel comes at the expense of pop and playfulness for a more freestyle-oriented skier. It’s not the ski for you if you prefer to slash and pivot your turns all over the mountain, instead it’s hungry to get on edge and rail high-speed carves. With its flat tail, rearward mount and directional shape, these were possibly the least jibby ski at the test.
Who's it for?
There’s a nearly completely flat tail, with subtle tip rocker and almost no taper up front, it's not for jibbers. It feels quite stiff when hand flexing, but on snow, it certainly feels much more balanced, especially torsionally–that’s Blizzard’s FluxForm core at work. If you’re a high-performance skier living in a place that doesn’t frequently see fresh snow inbounds, the Blizzard Anomaly 102 would make an excellent choice as a daily driver. It balances power, agility, and excellent edge hold and loves cranking high-speed turns on hard snow. Grab a pair for those quiet mornings a few days after a storm when there’s fresh cord, no lift lines, and you want to channel your inner World Cup racer.
Groomers & Resort Skiing:
Unsurprisingly, the Anomaly 102 wants to go fast. What we came to like, however, was how easy it was to get up to speed and control. There are plenty of skis out there that don’t have a speed limit, but many can be pretty scary to ride unless you’re a master of edge control and forward pressure in your boots. The Anomaly isn’t one of those. Some of our favorite laps were on steep wide-open groomers, where there was plenty of room to take advantage of the longer 21-meter turning radius. Despite a really quiet ride feel, the tall camber of the ski still feels energetic, giving it a good amount of liveliness when cranking from turn to turn.
Skier: Max Ritter. P: Carter Edwards
“It’s an insane groomer ski. This is what I'd take out on a morning where the forecast looks sad but the mountain got a corduroy remodel overnight. There’s an effortless feel while carving (much easier than older Blizzards) but the Anomaly 102 doesn't seem to have a speed limit. It’s easy to slash and flex into whatever turn shape you wish when it's on edge.” - Max Ritter
Powder & Mixed Conditions:
That damp ride also shines when things get chopped up, with the ski delivering a confident and stable platform for pushing through all manner of ungroomed snow like windbuff, chalk, and cut-up post-storm crud. It’s just as happy on and off-piste, as long as the snow isn’t too deep. As another tester put it, “This is the ski you’re looking for when you want to charge through anything and still feel stable. It builds confidence as you let it rip through almost anything. The wood core/metal sandwich construction gives it that silky smooth feeling especially when conditions are not that silky.”
Skier: Lucas Boudreau. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren
While it can plow through crud, the Anomaly 102 felt like an anchor in fresh powder. The narrower waist width, lack of tip and tail rocker, and the heavy construction did not translate to a floaty ski–but that’s ok given the ski’s intentions.
Park & Jibbing:
The super-quiet and damp feel comes at the expense of pop and playfulness for a more freestyle-oriented skier. It’s not the ski for you if you prefer to slash and pivot your turns all over the mountain, instead it’s hungry to get on edge and rail high-speed carves. With its flat tail, rearward mount and directional shape, these were possibly the least jibby ski at the test.
Skier: Lucas Boudreau. P: Hanne Lundin Wallengren
Who's it for?
There’s a nearly completely flat tail, with subtle tip rocker and almost no taper up front, it's not for jibbers. It feels quite stiff when hand flexing, but on snow, it certainly feels much more balanced, especially torsionally–that’s Blizzard’s FluxForm core at work. If you’re a high-performance skier living in a place that doesn’t frequently see fresh snow inbounds, the Blizzard Anomaly 102 would make an excellent choice as a daily driver. It balances power, agility, and excellent edge hold and loves cranking high-speed turns on hard snow. Grab a pair for those quiet mornings a few days after a storm when there’s fresh cord, no lift lines, and you want to channel your inner World Cup racer.
