Blizzards all-new Firebird line for 2019 is re-defining the on-piste category in a major way. With three civilian models for this upcoming year, the SRC falls into the short turn category, while the WRC is the GS version and the Comp is the middle radius ski. The SRC is a system that closely mirrors the competition slalom ski. As such, it is a short turn master—capable of leaving serious trenches down the hill. With a 68 mm underfoot width, this thing is no joke—the 12 meter radius at 160 cm length is borderline absurd for a general public ski. However, that does not mean it doesn’t have a market. Beer league racers, former competitors, and expert skiers looking for that elusive ski not currently in the quiver will all find a good home for the SRC. Featuring world-cup style construction, this thing is race-ready and wants to turn. It’d probably be best if you didn’t try to ride a flat ski—the SRC must be on edge at all times. Our testers were pretty much blown away with the responsiveness and turning ability of the Firebird SRC.
Hans Von Briesen tested the 165 cm SRC. Obvious low scores for flotation and forgiveness were found, while the 4 out of 5 for overall impression was a nice surprise. It takes a good skier with great balance to find the sweet spot of the ski, and Hans was able to do both. “Stable, short radius ski. Ready to go fast—quick edge to edge. Strong skiers will love it, less athletic will work much harder. Still forgiving and willing to cut a turn short and release, but really wants to turn.” Hans touches on some nice points here, and notes that the athletic pedigree of the ski should really match the skier’s abilities.
Benny Wax skied the 155 cm SRC and, not surprisingly, gave top marks for quickness and edge hold. That’s really what these skis are made for. Benny’s a great skier—loves to make a lot of turns right down the fall line—and our presumption was that he’d like the SRC. He did, calling it: “High-test! Quick and with a short sweet spot. When you find the center sweet spot this ski wants to turn and accelerate.” The rocketing out of the turn concept is certainly a race-course specific skill, and if you are able to stay in the middle of the ski and let it rip side to side, you’ll feel the acceleration out of the turns just like Benny did. He also summed it up by remarking that it’s “pretty much for the race course” echoing our sentiment that it takes a pretty specific skier to glean the most performance and enjoyment from the SRC.
Jason Krupsky agrees. He skied the 165 cm and, to nobody’s surprise, scored the ski high for quickness and edge hold. Additionally, he gave it a 5 out of 5 for overall impression. Jason was impressed. Unsurprisingly, he scored it a 1 out of 5 for flotation. Hopefully nobody is mistaking the SRC for a powder ski. Jason does a great job at pointing out the singular nature of the ski: “This ski has one purpose in life—to turn and turn quickly. If you are looking for a SL race ski or something to hammer 200 turns per run down an icy covered piste, these are perfect.” He continues by saying that these skis “hold on anything,” so if you are that type of skier who values edge grip over everything else, you’ll find some fun on the SRC.
Our testers did a great job by understanding the true nature of the skis, and not treating them like they are something they’re not. As a result, we got some really good information about the Blizzard SRC’s strengths, and who would like and appreciate the singular aspect of the skis.
