The Blizzard Quattro RX returns for 2019 largely unchanged. The success and performance of the model speaks for itself, and Blizzard is fully reaping the rewards of the popularity of the whole Quattro series. As the flagship model, the RX is the pinnacle of performance and construction design. At 84 mm underfoot, the ski sits squarely in the middle of the mid-fat cruiser ski category. As a frontside crusher, the RX is solid, stable, and damp. Our testers identified with the tame nature of the ski, and couldn’t really get enough of the smoothness at speed.
Michael Carroll-Sherwin skied the RX in a 174 and found it to be a bit long. He gave top scores for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. The low score in flotation is unsurprising. The skis have a bit of tip and tail rocker, but not enough to let it float. “The camber underfoot leaves you fully planted to the snow which allows you to fully commit to high speed trench town turns.” Michael obviously tapped right into the soul of the skis and found what they wanted to do and let them do it. He concludes his review with a bit of advice: “Stay on trail, and let these corduroy hunters eat!”
Also testing the 174, David Raybould’s big takeaway was that the RX preferred to be at speed. “Likes to be skied hard and fast for the best reward. Not rewarding at slow speed It’s a more versatile version of the RS (narrower, more trail-oriented Quattro ski).” These comments mirror his low scores for playfulness and forgiveness. He continues on to call the RX a “Burly, planted feel that is aimed at the expert frontside skier.” With the addition of damping rods in front of and behind the bindings, the skis are pretty much vibration free, leading to David’s “burly” adjective.
David Lewis gave favorable scores for quickness, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. Dave likes to go fast, so it’s a good match for him. After ripping a few runs on the 174, Dave commented that it’s “very stable underfoot. Great edge hold. Perfect radius for medium to high speed.” This type of grip and rip praise coming from Dave is well deserved. When you put your energy into the RX, it will most certainly respond in kind. With a stable ski underfoot and proper edge hold, the skis are certainly going to have a dedicated fan base.
Skiing the 167 cm length, Mike Aidala noted the impressive nature of the ski. He gave top marks for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold, while echoing previous sentiments of a lack of playfulness and forgiveness. He called it a “frontside ripper for the aggressive frontside expert skier looking to get the heart rate up at top speed. This ski is so stable, that even in the shorter length, the RX was so much fun!” That’s an impressive compliment, that even at such a short length, the ski punches up a level. “This ski has so much power and is quick edge to edge when you ask it to be.” As if it doesn’t need more accolades, he finishes with “super impressive frontside ski.”
The overall impression of the 2019 Blizzard Quattro RX was pretty high. Testers loved the stability, edge hold, and torsional stiffness of the ski. All of them noted that it is an ideal frontside ski for expert level skiers. Keep this one in mind when you’re testing or shopping for your next pair.
