It was hard finding negative comments for the 2019 Blizzard Rustler 10’s . Pretty much all of our testers loved the ski, and they loved for many different reasons. Blizzard might just be on to something here with this Rustler line. With a wood core and a strip of metal underfoot, the skis feel and perform like a cohesive unit of awesomeness.
Justin Perry ripped some runs on the 180 cm ski and gave it high marks in most categories. The notable exception was the 3 out of 5 he gave the ski for forgiveness, meaning he found it to be on the stiff side. For a wood core freeride specific ski, that’s kind of a compliment. From Justin: “Great all-around ski for anything you may want to do. You need float? You got it. You need quick turns or to land switch? You got it.” Sounds good, Justin!
Hans Von Bielsen found the 180 cm to be a bit short, but his marks and scores seemed to indicate that it didn’t affect the way he felt about the skis. It’s all 4’s and 5’s from Hans. He called “the Rustler 10 my every day slayer. It is playful and easy to ski and keeps it together at speed.” We like to hear that even thought the skis felt short, they were able to perform admirably at speed.
Charlie Roy sort of disagreed with Hans from a stability standpoint, giving the 180 cm ski a 2 out of 5 for that category. That didn’t stop him from the overall enjoyment of the product. “This ski is a blast! Buttery, floaty, and holds when you need it to. Super lightweight swing weight makes it great for the trees. Perfect for just ripping around and dipping into the trees.” Charlie touches on the playful and fun nature of the ski and points out, quite astutely, that these skis are capable of performing at a multitude of levels.
Dave Marryat skied the 172 and re-iterates some of the other tester’s feelings about the ski. He, too, found it short, but did not let it deter him from loving the performance and versatility of the Rustler 10. He gave it a 5 for overall impression and went on to comment that it’s a “great option for the 100+ mm waist crowd. Super versatile shape—can carve or smear turns. It’s more playful than its flat tail cousins with still plenty of power to be had. Loves soft snow and tight trees.” Dave’s review falls right in line with everything we’ve been hearing and seeing from one of the most playful and versatile skis of the test.
Continuing on with the “short” feel of the skis, Troy Dehm had a similar experience with the 180 cm. None of the testers that commented on the shortness of the skis ever let that fact get in the way of their overall fondness for the Rustler 10. Troy also gave the ski a 5 out of 5 for overall impression, fortifying the theory that this ski is just really darn popular. His input back up that theory: “Awesome ski! You can sluff around or charge through thick heavy mush. Surprisingly nimble for its shape and size. You can tear through the woods and hit the brakes with ease. Huge sidecut allows you to turn it quick or hold on hard GS turns.” He concludes his glowing review with: “I want it!”
The 2019 Blizzard Rustler 10 has no shortage of fans and compliments. It has solidified its spot in its second year as a true chameleon—capable and willing to perform any task asked of it. Our testers were quite unanimous with their opinions, and if you’re an advanced to expert level skier looking for an awesome ski, this is it.
