The Blizzard Bonafide has earned a strong following among aggressive advanced and expert skiers. It has a 98 mm waist width, two sheets of titanal metal sandwiching a poplar and beech wood core, and bi-directional carbon fiber in the tip of the ski. It’s described in the Blizzard catalog as using a rocker/camber/rocker profile, but there’s really not much rocker at all. It’s more pronounced in the tip, but is still very low-rise, and is almost non-existent in the tail. Its construction is comparable to that of race skis, which makes it relatively stiff, and fairly heavy as well. It’s known for its stability, power, vibration-damping, and its ability to charge through any type of snow condition. We were happy to put that reputation to the test.
Brooks Curran tested the 187 cm length, which happens to be the longest available in the Bonafide. We really liked Brooks’ feedback on the Bonafide, and he has a lot of experience on advanced/expert skis, so his opinion is very valuable. “The 100 mm flat tail category gets asked to do everything and the Bonafide is perhaps the gold standard. Just as happy with slow smear turns as huge arcs on hardpack. Could be called heavy, but for me that’s what makes them so special. The ultimate one-ski-quiver for the hard-charging east coaster.” Keep in mind that Brooks is a very good skier. Some skiers will find those smearing turns a little more challenging than Brooks did.
James Stewart skied the 180 cm Bonafide and gave it high scores for both stability and torsional stiffness/edge grip, two criteria in which we expect the Bonafide to excel. “Bonafide is a classic at this point. There is a bull on it for a reason. The ultimate crud-buster. Set it on edge and hang on.” The Bonafide’s ability to stay stable and poised at high speeds through different snow conditions is one that’s almost completely unmatched by any other ski. Hands-down it has impressive stability.
“What can you say about the Bonafide?” asked David Wolfgang after skiing the 180 cm length. “It’s the new benchmark for this category. A rock-solid ski that will handle anything you throw at it.” His reaction reminded us a lot of James’. Both found the Bonafide performs well on the feet of even the most aggressive skiers. You’ll be hard-pressed to out-ski the Bonafide, no matter how good you think you are.
Brad Schauerman also tested the 180 cm Bones (their affectionate nickname) and was really impressed by how well it carves, especially considering that 98 mm waist width. “This is a great no-joke carving ski. Awesome on groomers and pretty decent through crud. Excellent from edge to edge, quick and nimble. A fun ski to carve and go fast on.” With speed is how the Bonafide likes to be skied. It’s nice to know Brad found it to be relatively quick and nimble considering its weight and that it’s fairly wide, especially for firm snow applications.
Annie MacDonald was psyched we put the Bonafide on her list of skis to test. She got on the 180 cm length and was impressed by its performance. 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness/edge grip, versatility, and overall impression. “Really solid tip to tail! Torsionally stiff, but flexes really well. This ski loved opening it up in GS turns and accelerating when you shift your weight onto your heels. Got some kick! Great ski for aggressive skiers in a variety of conditions.”
The way Annie ended her feedback is probably the most important thing to remember about the Bonafide. If you’re not a relatively aggressive skier, there are probably better options for you. If you’re looking for power, vibration damping, and stability, however, there aren’t many skis that can even come close to the performance of the Blizzard Bonafide.
