2022 Blizzard Bonafide 97

The 2022 Blizzard Bonafide 97 returns unchanged, much to the delight of aggressive all-mountain skiers who are looking for a wider-bodied ski to carve amazing turns and blast through the crud and mank all over the mountain. On the heavier and burlier side of the mid to upper 90’s underfoot all-mountain skis, the Bonafide 97 continues the tradition of a no-nonsense ski that’s best suited for advanced and expert skiers who are not afraid to put in the work to get the ski to turn. Built with a wood core and two sheets of metal, the skis also have basically a third laminate underfoot to really boost the power. The 183 cm length boasts a turn radius of 18.5-meters, which is on the shorter and more precise side of the spectrum for a ski of this build. As a result, it’ll come around for you for sure, but it does so with so much energy that it’s somewhat challenging to keep to the same rhythm. They do require work, but if you’re willing to put it in, you’re going to get some of the best-possible feedback from any ski of this width. A total and complete champion of the all-mountain category, the Blizzard Bonafide 97 is smooth, powerful, and stable to an almost impossible degree. We had a few testers who skied multiple lengths, and that’s a good thing when it comes to a ski like this.

On the 183, Bob St.Pierre found the Bonafide 97 to feel a bit short. His scores of 5 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and versatility are not shocking. He does note about the 183 that it felt on the “twitchy side” and “lacked a bit of the high-end stability at speed. While I thought I’d like this one better in this shape, I actually gravitated to the 189, even in moguls and shorter turns. Interestingly, I feel differently about the Brahma 88, as that ski is more at home on groomers and in shorter turns, so the 183 makes a bit more sense for me. The 189 in the Bonafide feels better suited for longer turns, better stability in crud and chop, and a more pleasing length for pure, long carved turns.”

Marcus Shakun skied both the 183 and 189. Based on his feedback, he too preferred the 189, which makes sense considering both Bob and Marcus are big guys. "This Bonafide is the most versatile version I have skied since the Bonafide came to fruition. The new construction has made it so much more versatile, especially within each length. In the longer length, I was a little worried about the maneuverability, but when I went into the bumps it was easy to maneuver and kinda forgiving in the shovel, which has not typically been a thing with the past versions. I see it for a variety of skiers now that you can ski it all over the mountain, especially now with the length options making it so much more versatile for skier preference. Edge hold and stability have never been a question with this ski. The ski was almost too powerful before. Now it's more versatile and maneuverable, and all that is made possible without sacrificing that power and stability the ski is known for."

Depending on your ski preference in terms of conditions and terrain, you might feel differently about these skis than our testers, and that’s part of the fun. If you’re looking for stability in longer turns and better flotation and power, look to size up, but if you like using these wider-bodied all-mountain skis for shorter turns and more precise skiing, the shorter size has plenty of power—no lack of strength in any of these sizes. The Bonafide 97 continues to set the high bar for stability and burliness in the all-mountain category.