The Blizzard Quattro RX and RS sit atop the Quattro collection as being the two highest performing carving skis in the line. The RX is the wider of the two coming in at a versatile 84 mm under foot. The Quattro RX is designed and manufactured with a whole slew of high end technology. They have titanal laminates providing stability and vibration dampening, carbon fiber giving the ski exceptional responsiveness and energy, an integrated XCELL 14 binding with extended wings for better power transmission from your body to the snow, and more. On paper the result suggests one of the highest performing, most aggressive “wider” carving skis on the market. Did our testers agree?
In one word: yes. Bob St. Pierre has a lot of experience skiing high performance carving skis and was blown away by the Quattro RX. He skied the 181 cm length and claimed that the Quattro RX is “powerful beyond comparison in this category.” That’s quite a claim, but there aren’t many other skis in the 84 mm width range that can compare to the responsiveness and overall power of the Quattro RX. Bob went on to comment that the ski has “tremendous rebound, edge hold, and stiffness.” Because they are so responsive and stiff, however, Bob did note that you have to ski them relatively aggressively, “you must be on it or you’ll be in the backseat.” The Quattro RX is definitely not a ski for even a moderately timid skier. You need to be ready to charge at all times.
Although he skied the 174 cm length, Steve Sulin agreed with Bob in the sense that you need to be a certain level of aggressiveness in order to get the most out of the ski and not feel overwhelmed. He commented, simply, that they’re “not for the weak.” If you’re skill level is high enough, however, they are a “smooth, damp ride”. According to Steve the Quattro RX has “no speed limit” and added that the “faster you go the better it gets.” Both Bob and Steve gave the Quattro RX 5 out of 5 for both stability and torsional stiffness, a significant achievement.
Marcus Shakun continued the trend and also scored the Quattro RX 5 out of 5 for both stability and torsional stiffness. Marcus skied the 181 cm ski, which is certainly the most appropriate given his height. His thoughts echoed Bob and Steve and further support the idea that you need to be a relatively aggressive skier to enjoy the Quattro RX. He commented that the Quattro RX “loves to have a skier drive the ski. It requires the skier’s attention at all times.” Requiring full attention is a great way to describe the ski. It certainly doesn’t like it when a skier tries to relax and just ride the ski. It can buck you a little bit if you’re not forward on the ski and driving it at all times. That being said, for those that can handle it, the Quattro RX “has great edge hold and is stable at high speeds.”
If you like skiing fast and aggressively while making carving turns you’ll love the Quattro RX. The 84 mm width gives it solid ability when the snow is a little softer, making it a great choice as a carving ski for western skiers or anyone who finds themselves in softer snow when trying to lay down aggressive GS turns. The Quattro RX really is, however, a ski intended for advanced and expert skiers. Less aggressive skiers will find it overpowering and will be better off going with a different Quattro in the line like the 8.4 Ti or 8.0 Ti. Marcus has an excellent quote to summarize the Quattro RX, which we’ll leave you with:
“It’s not a ski you can slide out or run straight. It always wants to be turning. It’s for advanced and expert skiers who love medium to long radius turns at SPEED.”
