The Blizzard Rustler 11 is brand new for 2018 and is the wider of two skis in Blizzard’s Freeride collection. These skis are inspired by soft snow and are designed to deliver a fun and playful skiing experience, while still being burly enough for some relatively aggressive skiing. They use uni-directional carbon fiber and a partial length titanal laminate that tapers as it reaches the tips and tails. This makes the tips and tails more supple, while retaining solid torsional stiffness under foot. The series of testers we had on the Rustler 11 had a range of responses to the ski that essentially covers all aspects of the Rustler 11’s performance.
Mike Aidala was impressed by the stability and torsional stiffness of the skis, giving the Rustler 11 5 out or 5 in both those categories as well as floatation. Despite the only partial metal laminate, Mike had no issues with the skis power, commenting that they felt “super aggressive” and that they had the ability to “plow through the busted snow”. We think this is a huge compliment to the Rustler 11 as Mike has experience skiing some heavier skis with more metal in their construction, yet he certainly didn’t feel held back on the Rustler 11. It should be noted that he was skiing the 188 cm ski, so some of that stability is likely coming from the length. He didn’t, however, comment that they felt too long, so if stability out of a ski like this is what you desire, don’t hesitate to go with a long length.
Caroline Kessler couldn’t resist getting on the Rustler 11 and her thoughts aligned with Mike’s quite nicely, although she was skiing the 178 cm length. Caroline was impressed by the stability in the ski as well, especially considering the partial sheet of metal. She thought that it “takes good effort to turn quickly” and added that “at high speeds it absolutely rips, holds an edge super well.” She felt that she could ski as hard and as fast on it as she wanted and had a recommendation for potential skiers: “Good ski for an aggressive all mountain or freeride skier going into deeper choppier snow and wanting to go fast and hard.”
Brooks Curran, who has plenty of experience driving burly skis, was most impressed by the skis quickness and playfulness. His thoughts were more focused on these characteristics: “Poppy and playful. Likes to jump around but in turn gets thrown around a bit. Light and fun with a freestyle feel.” We think this is a great response to the ski, especially when added to Mike and Caroline’s thoughts. Like Mike, Brooks tested the 188 cm length. Really aggressive skiers will likely feel the maneuverability and playfulness, but the ski does have solid stability if you decide you want to charge on it.
We’d recommend the Rustler 11 to any skier who wants a relatively versatile freeride ski. Combine the thoughts of our testers and you’re hitting a wide range of performance characteristics. You can ski fast and hard over chopped up snow, but the ski is light and quick enough to throw around and does have a playful feel if you’re that type of skier. Skiers who want the ultimate in big mountain power and who aren’t as focused on maneuverability should check out the rereleased Bodacious from Blizzard.
