The Blizzard Alight 8.0 Ti is part of Blizzard’s new women’s specific frontside all mountain collection. Sure, frontside all mountain is somewhat of a contradictory phrase, but the idea is these skis are intended for use on groomed snow, but do have some ability off-piste. The shapes, however, are derived from frontside carving skis, which is really the strength of the entire Alight collection. The Alight 8.0 Ti is one of only two skis in the line that use metal and shares the widest waist width of 80 mm. On paper it seems geared towards more aggressive female skiers who want the extra stability and vibration dampening that comes along with metal and aren’t concerned with the fatigue and extra weight that can also come along with. The 4 mm tip and tail rocker profile is intended to provide smoother, easier turn initiation than a full cambered ski, which is a nice addition to carving skis with metal as they require slightly less skier input to initiate a turn.
Tami Razinger tested the 162 cm length and scored it 5 out of 5 for both quickness and torsional stiffness, two important elements for a high performing carving ski. It needs to be quick and needs to hold an edge; Tami thinks it can do both. She commented that “the Blizzard Alight 8.0 Ti stayed stable at high speeds and through bumps,” which is largely thanks to the metal laminate used in the construction of the ski giving it extra stability and dampening properties compared to a ski without metal. Tami thought it was a “great all around ski” that “excels in carving and maneuverability.” Tami recommended the Blizzard Alight 8.0 Ti to skiers sticking to “resort groomers,” although her comment that it handled bumps suggests it should be able to handle some variable snow conditions on those groomed slopes.
Carly Monahan, who skied the 156 cm length, thought it was “definitely a frontside carver.” She “felt like I really had to force it into shorter, quicker turns,” but admitted that it was “not ideal conditions (soft, creamy snow) to really test carving and edge hold.” She did, however, feel that “the sweet spot is definitely carving.” While the 80 mm waist width might suggest it is a more versatile all mountain ski, you really get much more versatility out of the Black Pearl series with the Alight series, and especially this ski, providing snappy, energetic carving performance. Carly thought it was a “perfect ski for firm groomers,” and thought it “felt most stable and smooth on edge.” She thought it was “fun making very round turns,” and that “this is where it excels: round carving turns.”
The Alight 8.0 Ti definitely accomplishes what it is intended to: high performance carving on firm snow. The metal laminate really sets it apart from its “sister” ski, the Alight 8.0 Ca, as it has noticeable increased stability and vibration dampening. On the other hand, it is heavier than the Alight 8.0 Ca, and some less aggressive skiers may find the ski with metal to be a little bit hard to handle. If you consider yourself a relatively aggressive skier, however, or if you like to ski at high speeds, you’ll love to feel of the Alight 8.0 Ti. It does have a relatively short turn radius of 12.5 m at the middle 156 cm length, so it’s not going to lay down super long arcs like a GS ski, rather relatively quick, snappy carving turns that will keep a smile glued to your face as you rip around the groomers at your local resort.
