The Cochise is the widest ski in Blizzard’s All Mountain Freeride collection coming in at 108 mm under foot. It’s developed from a more traditional, hard snow turn shape, yet the rocker/camber/rocker profile gives it nice versatility across varying conditions and terrain. At its core lies a poplar-beech wood core and two sheets of titanal metal laminates. Needless to say, with that much metal, it is a relatively powerful, hard charging ski. Bi-directional carbon fiber in the tips and tails helps reduce swing weight a little bit while stabilizing these portions of the ski. We sent out a whole bunch of testers on the Cochise. In fact, it was a popular ski over both test days with lots of people jumping on it after skiing their assigned skis.
Jeffrey Siegel tested the 178 cm length and was most impressed by the stability provided by the two sheets of metal and the skis ability to remain maneuverable and quick despite it. He commented that the Cochise feels “stable while carving, but the ski excels at quick turns through heavy and cut up snow.” Something that emerged as a theme among our testers was the idea that these should be skied by relatively advanced, relatively aggressive skiers, and Jeffrey agreed, saying “the ski is easy enough to pivot, but still requires an expert or advanced level skier.”
Brooks Curran was blown away by the torsional stiffness and power of the Cochise, especially considering its waist width of 108 mm. According to Brooks it “rips when you get it up to pace, but can feel like a chore until you drive it to its crud busting potential.” Brooks wasn’t the only tester who felt the ski likes to be skied at a relatively high speed. Because of the two sheets of metal it can feel like quite a lot of ski to throw around at slow speeds, especially if you’re skiing a longer length, but as Brooks adds it “will reward aggressive skiers who can drive it.”
Caroline Kessler is one of those skiers who just couldn’t resist grabbing the Cochise and giving it a try after completing her assigned list of skis. Caroline’s thoughts were very similar to Brooks’. Caroline skied the 178 cm ski, which is a more appropriate length than the 185 cm that we gave Brooks. She commented that the Cochise is an “aggressive ski for someone who drives into turns and wants a stiff ski. It holds an edge very well and is especially stable at high speeds.” Caroline was also impressed by the ski’s ability to handle a wide range of conditions and ultimately concluded by saying it’s a “great ski for an aggressive all mountain/freeride skier.”
Mike Thomas has a knack for describing skis, and the 185 cm Cochise that he tested is right up his alley with its wider waist width and two sheets of metal. Mike clearly enjoyed his time on the Cochise and gave it 5 out of 5 for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. According to Mike, “this ski dominates variable snow. It’s a weird combination of easy-to-smear and powerful-on-edge.” In our opinion this is a huge compliment for the Cochise. So many brands try to combine performance characteristics that are often polar opposites, and rarely is it done as seamlessly as in the Cochise. Keep in mind that Mike is a relatively aggressive, relatively big skier, so his easy-to-smear comment should be thought of alongside Brooks saying it can feel like a chore (Brooks is much lighter weight, though a similar level of aggressiveness.” Mike, not missing a beat, did add that it’s “not for a timid skier or someone who wants to control speed by fighting gravity.” But, on the other end of the spectrum, he deemed them:
“Unflappable at speed”
