2022 Blizzard Rustler 10

Skiers looking for a wider-bodied all-mountain ski that blurs the line to freeride will love the continued stability, playfulness, and eagerness to please of the Blizzard Rustler 10. Unchanged, again, for 2022, Blizzard is sticking with a tried-and-true method of building skis, and we’re all about it. In the 180 and 188, the skis have a 104 mm waist width, and 172 and lower has a 102. It’s about the difference of the width of an edge, so it’s not a ton, but it is still something. Built with a wood core and a partial metal laminate, the Rustler 10 is full-metal underfoot to give the ski its strong edge grip and carving ability, while leaving the tips and tails largely unencumbered by the titanal, and are thus able to float and smear through the fresh, soft, and deeper snow that you’re likely to find within the resort. Additionally, the Rustler 10 is quite playful as a result of the turned-up tail, and while we’re not going so far as to call it a twin tip, it definitely has that freestyle/freeride personality that is incredibly popular these days. Our testers continue to see the values and merits found in the Rustler 10 as an awesome example of a wider all-mountain ski doubling as a narrower freeride ski. In the end, it’s not really about the labels so much as it is about the ski’s ability to do a whole lot of things really well.

On the 180, Jeff Neagle found the Rustler 10 to be true to size. He scored the ski a pure 5 out of 5 for playfulness, and some 4.5’s for quickness, maneuverability, versatility, and overall impression. His low score of 3 out of 5 was for torsional stiffness and edge hold. Jeff notes that the Rustler 10 is “easy to ski, but has a performance feel. A much better ~100 mm ski choice than the stiffer, heavier options for the majority of skiers. It has more forgiveness than the Enforcer 104 Free and the Volkl Mantra 102, for example. That said, it still has enough stability for bigger skiers and speed, while remaining super easy to maneuver. It’s really fun in soft snow and trees. It has a playful attitude and plenty of versatility.” We see a lot of Rustler 10’s on snowy days here at Stowe, and they all look like they have a blast in the woods here. Also on the 180, Matt Testa notes that “The Rustler 10 was a good progression from the Rustler 9. I noticed that the 9 is actually a little bit stiffer than the 10 but just as playful and nimble. The 10 also offers a bit more float than the 9. This ski is easy to ski and would be great for intermediate to advanced skiers. This ski is best for people looking for something that is a bit more forgiving but also would work well for a skier looking for something playful that they can bounce around on. This ski will excel in soft snow types and is versatile enough to take on any terrain. They were also a bit lighter than I expected them to be.” The Rustler 10, with a bit less metal than the 9, does have that lighter swing weight in the tips and tails, and Matt is astute to pick up on this.

Also on the 180, Noah Labow found it to be a bit on the long side, as the width of the ski definitely adds a bit of material to the ski overall. As a result, Noah’s top score of 4 out of 5 for stability is not that surprising. He did feel that the Rustler 10 was on the burlier side versus playful, noting that the Rustler 10 is a “nice stable ripper for advanced or bigger individual. Not super playful, but definitely a hard charger.” The metal laminate and the carbon found in the tips and tails do lead to a stiffer flex, especially for the weight, and it sounds like Noah is picking up on that aspect of the ski, especially in the longer size.

For skiers looking for that wider one-ski quiver, or a mid-100's soft snow ski will love the Blizzard Rustler 10. They haven’t changed it a whole heck of a lot since its inception, and a lot of skiers are quite thankful for that. Light, responsive, and with a soft-snow, hard-charging personality, the Rustler 10 will be a lot of things to a lot of skiers, and whenever you’re blurring a line between ski categories, you’re going to get a good amount of versatility, and that’s what the Rustler 10 is all about.