2021 Blizzard Rustler 11

The Rustler 11 is the widest ski in Blizzard's freeride-oriented Rustler line. At 114 mm underfoot, it has a more specific application than the 9 or 10, which both feel like more versatile all-mountain skis. What's that application? If the waist width didn't give it away, it's powder. Untracked, deep, fluffy powder. The stuff dreams are made of. The Rustler 11 is designed to make the most of those memorable days, although its shape and construction does give it a slightly more well-rounded feel than some powder skis out there. In other words, Blizzard works some stability into this ski to go along with a surfy, maneuverable, super-fun feel. They give it the orange topsheet graphic, which in 2021 for Blizzard signifies that it's an "athlete-level" ski. Between the Rustler 11 and the redesigned Cochise 106, you'll see a lot of ripping skiers doing amazing things in big mountain and backcountry terrain, but the Rustler 11 can also act as a fun resort powder ski, or potentially cross-over resort/AT ski.

Parker Herlihy is well-known for his ability to ski fast through any terrain you put in front of him. That talent brought him to the overall winner spot in the Ski The East Freeride Tour, which is not an easy task. That talent makes him the perfect person to test a ski like the Rustler 11, and he was quite impressed by it. Lots of 4s and 5s out of 5 from Parker, despite the fact he tested the 180 cm length, which he felt was a little short for his size. There's are 188 and 192 cm options in the Rustler 11, which we expect would be better for Parker. "Hard charger! Rippin' Rustler. Holds turns really fast and really well. Quick and quiet at the same time." That last part really tells the story of the Rustler 11. Blizzard has done a great job designing the ski so that it feels quick and easy to maneuver, but also stable and quiet. Jeff Neagle also tested the 180 cm length, which he felt was just fine for his size. "I'd like to try the 188 cm someday, but the 180 cm Rustler 11 certainly didn't feel outrageously short for me." More high scores from Jeff, including 5 out of 5 for flotation, quickness/maneuverability, playfulness, and overall impression. "Super surfy when you want it to be, but get it up on edge and get forward and you might be surprised how much power and stability it has. In my opinion, it has a great blend of performance for a ski this wide. Plenty of float and feels great in deep snow, but doesn't feel wildly out of place if you hit a firm patch or have to navigate a groomer or cat track back to the lift."

Mike Thomas also hopped on the 180 cm, which he enjoyed skiing, but like Parker, wished he could've tried a longer length. That still didn't stop high scores from Mike either, including 5 out of 5 for flotation, stability, playfulness, and overall impression. We always like noting when a ski earns high scores for both stability and playfulness, which is a perfect way to describe the Rustler 11. "Easy to steer, but strong on edge when following the sidecut radius. Nice blend of being easy to ski, but also powerful." Phil McGrory was another skier who would've liked to go longer than 180 cm for his testing, but still had a lot of good things to say about the Rustler 11. "Excels on soft snow, but still very stable at speed on firm snow. Versatile for its width. Very easy to steer, but you can lock it into a carve once rolled over."

There's a reason why so many Blizzard athletes choose the Rustler 11 for their backcountry/sidecountry/powder shenanigans. You're likely to even see some Freeride World Tour competitors on it depending on the venue and snow conditions. It has an excellent blend of maneuverability and playfulness while having some nice stability and power underfoot. The DRT Flipcore construction is really cool, and works really well in all three Rustler skis (and the Sheevas as well). The Rustler 11 has the shortest metal laminate and the most rocker, which gives it the surfiest feel of the bunch, but certainly without sacrificing too much stability or bite.