In a world full of wonderful front side skis, the 2024 Blizzard Phoenix R13 Ca is a great option for light and energetic carving performance. While it has the shape and profile to make it stand out in a crowded field of on-piste skis, the build is more sophisticated than most, offering a refined overall feel with liveliness to spare. Ladies who spend most of their time in an on-trail format will love the Phoenix R13 and its ability to link clean, pure, and round turns on the groomers. Since most skiers spend most of their time on groomed surfaces, it makes sense to have a ski that behaves really well in those realms.

TrueBlend in the wood core is the big story here, as that part of the build allows for more creativity and sophistication on the part of Blizzard’s engineers. They use their TrueBlend Piste construction to get the most out of the ski, mixing 11 beech stringers with 3 poplar zones, putting more emphasis on the stability and sturdiness of the central portion of the ski. The poplar keeps it a bit lighter and more manageable on the outside portions of the ski, but the center spine is all business with that denser wood taking up more of the real estate in that zone. Overall, this makes the ski very stiff and strong underfoot, tapering to more friendly and lively in the tips and tails. This is a tailored way of building skis, and it makes a whole lot of sense in this front side realm. In the 160, the ski weighs 1400 grams without the binding or plate, so that’s pretty light and poppy.

When we’re dealing with front side skis, the shape and profile don’t have as much to do with it, but it’s still nice to see that Blizzard is taking the short-turning mentality to the next level. There’s a very slight amount of tip rocker in this ski—about 3 mm—and this mainly helps with turn initiation from one turn to the next. The tail is totally flat, and there’s camber underfoot to access the energy. The cambered portion of the ski has a lot of pop built in, making it fun to load up the ski and have it rebound you into the next turn. In the 160, we get a miniscule 12-meter turn radius, so if you’re looking to make a lot of turns from top to bottom, this is the way to go. With more of a slalom cut than anything else, this ski at 76 mm underfoot is built to make beautiful s-shaped turns all day long.

There’s a lot to like about a strong and stable front side ski. There’s even more to like when it comes in at a lower weight and with a higher level of energy. It’s all about having fun out there in whatever shape or form you may choose. Thanks to Blizzard’s commitment to building sophisticated and well-rounded skis with top shelf engineering and high-end feel, the Phoenix R13 Ca is one of the lighter, crisper, and sharper-turning skis of the front side group.