2021 Blizzard Firebird Competition 76

It was really fun getting to ski with Harrison Gorham on his first day on the Blizzard Firebird Comp 76. Due to one of our contests, he was the winner of any pair of Blizzard skis, and he chose these. He had some other skis in his quiver already, so he didn't need a more popular ski like a Bonafide or a Rustler of any kind. The front side was where his quiver was lacking, so he chose a carving ski. Of the Firebird skis in the Blizzard line, he had a bunch of choices there as well. Did he want the super-stiff and responsive HRC? The short-turning SRC? One of the World Cup models? Nah, he knew that he didn't need or want any of those skis because they all required some form of specialty. The Firebird Comp was the ski he settled on, and from the first turn he made, he knew that he made the right choice.

While all those other models come with an extra layer of carbon, the Competition 76 only has one measly laminate (still consisting of two vertical stringers). In addition, two metal layers do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of performance and damping while the dense wood core provides the strong base for the ski to work off of. Overall, it's a very race-room style of build that is used in the highest levels of ski racing on the planet. The nice thing about the Competition 76 is that wider body style. At 76 mm underfoot, the skis have a fair amount of width to allow skiers a bit of versatility, and certainly a friendlier balance point. The race widths, more in the 68 mm arena, are on the twitchy and grabby side while the wider skis can account for some skier mistakes (not that Harrison makes any). The profile is decidedly flat, and while there's a fair amount of camber underfoot, the tips and tails almost seem like they have some rocker to them, allowing for the skier to make some sort of playful turn, rather than the more business-like true race skis. For skiers like Harrison who are trying to either round out their quiver or find something that reminds them of the good old days in the race course, the Blizzard Firebird Competition 76 is a fantastic ski.

From his heroic days on the ski bum circuit to his early morning ripper runs with his buds, Harrison loves the high-speed and stable nature of his 182 cm Firebird Comp 76. He's almost too scared to use them in the race course due to their grippy and aggressive nature. Almost. "There's nothing like the feeling of a purely carved turn, and these skis allow me to do just that. There's a lot of days here at Stowe where the snow is just so dang hard and you need the right tool for the job. It's at those moments that I'm stoked I chose the Firebird 76 Comp. It's an IROC with 500 horse power. I even got the denim vest to match, and I think that makes me even faster." Never one to toot his own horn, Harrison does lay down some mean looking turns on the Comp 76.

Not everyone needs the World Cup skis to enjoy their day. Just because the Firebird Comp isn't the highest-end ski on the list doesn't mean it's a slouch, either. Just because it has one less layer of carbon than the top-end stick in the line doesn't mean it's a noodle. These things are high-performance rippers that love to go fast and be on edge. Harrison knows all about it, and he'll be happy to tell you, too.