2021 Blizzard Rustler 10

The Blizzard Rustler 10 is designed for versatility that blurs the line between freeride ski and all-mountain ski. That versatility is reflected in the ski's shape, camber underfoot with plenty of rocker in both the tip and tail of the ski. Construction supports this design with Blizzard's Carbon Flipcore DRT technology. Through the cambered section of the ski, there is a sheet of metal that's full width underfoot, then tapers and ends as it reaches the end of the camber. There's no metal in the rockered portion of the ski, just the wood core and carbon. That allows the tips and tails to be lighter and increases the ski's maneuverability, but by retaining camber and metal, they're working in some stability, too. From carving turns on groomed slopes to slashing turns in powder, the Rustler 10 can do a lot and can take you just about anywhere.

Bob St.Pierre went for the 188 cm length for his testing, the longest available length in the Rustler 10. Bob was most impressed by the maneuverability and playfulness of the Rustler 10, which is certainly one of its highlights. It's a fantastic ski to take into the trees and other tight off-piste terrain thanks to the quickness and maneuverability. "Checks a lot of boxes as far as a wider all-mountain ski is concerned. Tips and tails are light and maneuverable so making quick turns is fun and easy." Bob's scores for maneuverability and quickness were 1 notch higher than his scores for stability and edge grip, which makes sense considering Bob's size. The Rustler 10 isn't designed for endless stability, it's more of a balanced design in terms of performance characteristics. If you're around Bob's size, keep that in mind if you're looking for a ski to charge on. Blizzard makes plenty of hard-charging skis, but those don't have the versatility of the Rustler 10. Michael Carroll-Sherwin's feedback is a perfect example of that idea. Michael skied the 188 cm length as well and described the Rustler 10 as having a "perfect blend of surfy feel and power derived edge grip. This is a ski to have fun on, and you can rely on it if you find yourself in trouble and/or on the steeps." The Rustler 10 is easy to quickly throw sideways to dump speed, which provides a lot of confidence in tricky terrain.

Brooks Curran was another tester on the 188 cm length, and thought the Rustler 10 felt both "smooth and quick," which is a great way to describe it. His scores were basically a mirror image of Bob's, with quickness/maneuverability and playfulness outscoring stability and edge grip. Jeff Neagle opted for the 180 cm length for his test runs on the Rustler 10 and had a lot of good things to say about it. "I've skied the Rustler 10 quite a lot at this point. Every time I get on it, I'm reminded of how refreshingly easy it is to ski. Tired legs at the end of a long day don't feel as heavy on the Rustler 10 for some reason. It's a great blend of being both fun and maneuverable, but also relatively stable. I do think it leans more towards the maneuverability side of that spectrum, but I also think that's a valuable trait for a lot of skiers. You get an advanced/expert feel and level of performance, but it's approachable for an upper-level intermediate, which is great." It's not often that a ski can achieve a high-level feel without being somewhat overwhelming or overpowering for a developing skier. The Rustler 10 is unique in the sense that a wide range of skiers can get on it and thoroughly enjoy it.

If you're in the market for a trustworthy ski that you know you'll be able to take anywhere on the mountain, you should probably have the Rustler 10 on your list of skis. The best application for the Rustler 10 is someone who spends at least a fair amount of time in off-piste terrain and softer snow conditions, or at least values performance and maneuverability in those situations. It's quick and agile for east coast trees, wide enough for western conditions and more open terrain, and is overall a heck of a lot of fun to ski.