The Blizzard Bonafide has been one of the most popular ~100 mm waist skis since its introduction years ago. Since then it has gone through two major changes. The first was the introduction of carbon to the tips and the tails, and now for 2018 Blizzard has changed the shape of the Bonafide for the first time ever. It retains its 98 mm waist width, but now has a slightly shorter turn radius and a more abruptly turned up tip. The theory is to increase ease of turn initiation, increase responsiveness, and make the ski a touch more playful, while retaining the stability and power that has made the Bonafide so popular. Did they do it? We certainly think so.
And James Stewart agrees. He skied the 180 cm length and had a series of glowing comments about the Bonafide, which started with, “Best in class. For a hard charging guy that can drive a ski and wants a sub-100 mm waisted do-it-all quiver killer, look no further.” The Bonafide’s ability to do a bit of everything has always been one of the highlights of the ski, and now it arguably achieves that better than ever before. James went on to say that the Bonafide has “excellent feel on snow; strong and damp. Every improvement through the generations has been exactly what it needed.” Those worried that Blizzard has taken some of the “oomph” out of the Bonafide need not be. It’s still a super powerful, burly ski, but the new shape makes it slightly more approachable.
Brooks Curran absolutely loves the new Bonafide giving it 5 out of 5 for overall impression as well as stability and torsional stiffness. Brooks is a pretty gosh darn aggressive skier, so it’s nice to get his feedback on the Bonafide. “Hands down one of the most confidence inspiring, and best carving, ~100 mm skis I’ve been on. It’s still heavy and requires aggressive skiing, but WOW will it reward you. (It has) everything I look for in a ski from this category.” We think this is an important characteristic of the Bonafide to note: it certainly rewards aggressive skiing, although the new version doesn’t punish more timid skiing quite as much as the previous version thanks to the slightly smaller turn radius. Brooks skied the longest length of the Bonafide, the 187 cm.
David Wolfgang agreed that the changes to the Bonafide for 2018 are for the best, commenting, “the changes in this year’s ski are small, but the impact was great. It’s even better than ever.” David tested the 180 cm length and scored the Bonafide 5 out of 5 for overall impression. In fact, all of our testers who got on a pair gave it either a 4 or 5 out of 5 for that category, so it’s safe to say no one disliked them. David went on to describe how Blizzard has improved upon an already awesome ski, “the ski feels livelier and quicker, but does not lose its rock solid stability.” We know this is something aggressive skiers have been worried about, and between David’s and James’ reactions I think we can all rest assured it’s still all there.
Joe Cutts skied the 187 cm length and compared the Bonafide to a race ski, which is a good comparison, except race skis can’t touch the versatility of a 98 mm width ski. He said, “ripping experts with strong legs will adore the Bonafide’s power and solidity. It arcs like a race ski, but with just enough rocker and taper to crush crud and hammer bumps.”
The Bonafide is still what it always has been: a ripping ski that loves to be skied fast and aggressively. The two sheets of metal and Blizzard’s famous “solid” feel gives the Bonafide incredibly stability, torsional stiffness, and vibration dampening that you need for high speed skiing. This new version of the ski adds in a touch more responsiveness, quickness, and “smooths” turn initiation and the skis ability to seamlessly link multiple carving turns. The Bones are back and better than ever!
