The Brahma CA is a brand new ski from Blizzard. It is based off the ever-popular Brahma, which has also been redesigned for 2018, but removes both sheets of metal from the ski and instead uses what Blizzard refers to as Carbon Drive. They have the same shape and rocker profile, but the core of the ski gives it a distinctly different feel. The Brahma CA is much lighter thanks to the removal of metal and is a very energetic ski thanks to the abundant use of carbon in its construction.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Brahma CA is its quickness. The lighter weight ski and carbon fiber really gives it a maneuverable, snappy feel. Justin Perry, who skied the 180 cm length, picked up on this right away and scored the ski 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability. Justin, who has had some time on the Brahma and other Blizzard skis with metal, thought that the Brahma CA is a “great all around ski for someone who doesn’t want metal in their ski.” He continues, “It turned on a dime and cut through all the crud. It’s very similar to the regular Brahma, except lighter and more forgiving.” We definitely agree that it’s a more forgiving ski, although that doesn’t mean it lacks energy or responsiveness.
David Marryat tested the 173 cm length and loved skiing on the Brahma CA. He gave the ski 5 out of 5 for everything except for flotation, which makes sense as the ski is only 88 mm under foot. David, who comes from an extensive snowboard background, but is still honing his ski technique thought that the ski is “great for the lightweight but strong intermediate skier looking for an upgrade. It’s more forgiving than the standard Brahma, but with all the attitude.” What David means is the Brahma CA still delivers high-end performance, just with a different feel. It takes a lot less effort to ski than the Brahma, is much less fatiguing, but still is incredibly responsive, holds an edge really well, and is versatile enough to ski the entire mountain as a true all mountain ski should. Jake Inger agreed with this sentiment, commenting that “the carbon gives the ski a forgiving feeling, yet they were able to hold an edge on many different kinds of snow (and terrain)”.
Matt McGinnis really describes the Brahma CA well. He too gave the ski high scores with it receiving 5 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, and even playfulness. Matt skied the 180 cm length and clearly was impressed by the Brahma CA as he also scored it 5 out of 5 for overall impression. We’re going to leave you with a series of quotes from Matt that we think anyone considering the Brahma CA will find extremely valuable:
“Here’s the thing about Blizzard skis: you know what you’re getting. There’s no ‘learning curve’ or ‘getting used to it’. You just look at the ski and ride it accordingly.”
“The Brahma CA is an excellent, playful frontside ski that’s capable at a variety of speeds. That said, it’s playful nature is most at home at moderate speeds and when the user wants to ski a variety of terrain.”
“Compared to the Brahma (non-CA) this is the more playful ski. Skiers looking for a more powerful ride at higher speeds should opt for the Brahma.”
We think those three quotes really sum things up nicely. The only comment we’d like to touch on is Matt calling it a “frontside” ski. We understand where he’s coming from: even Blizzard says these skis are developed from a “hard snow” approach, but the 88 mm waist width does give the Brahma CA enough versatility to ski off-piste, where a dedicated “frontside” ski may get bogged down.
