2022 Blizzard Black Pearl 88

Like it always has, the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 sets the standard for an amazing women’s all-mountain ski in the purest sense of the term. Capable of pretty much anything and everything out there on the hill, this is the Swiss-Army Knife of skis for intermediate to expert lady skiers. Unchanged for 2022, the Black Pearl 88 still has the True Blend wood core that carries forward from this past year. That tech was a big success, and made the ski just a lot smoother than ever before, allowing for skiers to get more of a stable feel in a wide variety of conditions and terrain. The 88 is really a great choice for that skier who wants to do it all. At nearly 90 mm underfoot, they’re going to float pretty darn well, and the fact that they have a good amount of freeride DNA inside does not hurt either. From steeps and trees to bumps and groomers, the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 continues the tradition of being one of the best-selling and most-beloved skis of all time.

On the 165, Alli Ruschp notes that it skis true to size. She scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness, with all other scores being 4’s. This is exactly the type of scoring that leads to so many sales and satisfied skiers. We rarely, if ever, hear complaints about these things. Alli notes that the skis have “improved edge hold and stability versus the previous version, but slightly less forgiving. The carbon changed in the construction and that made them stiffer. We had 2-3 inches of snow on my test day. The flotation was good but the tip shape wanted to stay on the snow.” Lexi Hildreth was also on the 165, and noted that it was the right length for her and skied true to size. Her scores were all 4’s and 5’s with 5’s standing out for versatility and overall impression. She notes that this was her “First time skiing this pair and I had high expectations for it. I was not let down! These skis are an awesome choice for a large variety of women. They are light, yet stable, versatile and fun. I really enjoyed them and would love to ski them again. They would do well in a large variety of ski conditions and for almost all levels of skiers. Highly recommend!” Does it get much better than that? Not sure if it does.

Our final tester on the 165, Louise Lintilhac, notes like the others that it is right on for sizing. She had a handful of 5’s on her scorecard, including those for stability, quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and the coveted overall impression. These consistently high scores just keep coming for the Pearl 88, and they’re just so well-deserved. Louise states that “The Black Pearl 88 is a great daily carver for high-speed accuracy, digging trenches and channeling Lindsey Vonn. This ski, while on the heavier side, is super stable and is quick edge to edge, from small to large radius turns and everything in between. This is a great pick for intermediate to advanced skiers who love groomer laps and going fast.” It’s great to hear that these skis can lead to that upper-end of the skiing spectrum. While good for a wide variety of skiers, they just have the best range in that they can hit the lows and the highs.

These skis just keep chugging along. They just strike a chord with so many skiers, it’s very impressive. With a true all-mountain shape and construction, these skis check a lot of boxes, and I feel like I’ve said that for so many years now. This is the ski that, if all ski companies could combine and make just one ski for all of skiing, would make a very good choice.