2027 Blizzard Rustler 10 and Blizzard Canvas 100 On Snow Ski Review

This was a fun one. For 2027, Blizzard unveils their new Canvas line consisting of a 100, 108 and a 118. These new twin tipped skis bring back strong memories and feelings of the Regulator, Peacemaker, and Gunsmoke from about a decade ago, but with a modern twist and creative on snow feel. While you may think that Blizzard already has this genre of skis in its lineup with the Rustler series, we’ve put that to the test recently by comparing the new Canvas 100 with the Rustler 10—a ski that returns unchanged for this upcoming season. Many (us included) worried that there might be too much overlap in style between the Canvas and Rustler series, but a few trips down the hill, whether on-piste or off or in the park, and those fears waned pretty quickly.

At a Glance:

2027 Blizzard Canvas 100 Skis

Canvas construction falls to the lighter and more playful side of the spectrum, consisting of a poplar and paulownia wood core, the Canvas uses carbon stringers and fiberglass in addition to a narrow titanal beam that runs the majority of the length of the ski. The metal isn’t emphasized from a stability or damping standpoint, rather Blizzard states that it’s used to retain the shape and profile of the ski and increase longevity. This is a bit of a departure from Rustler, with a TrueBlend wood core and Flux Form metal construction. There’s over a 100 gram difference in weight, with the Canvas hitting the scale at 1788 g/ski while the Rustler 10 in the same length is just about 1900 g. It’s a noticeable difference especially on the feet, and when creativity and artistic skiing is part of the deal, it really starts to stand out as a variance between these two models. The Canvas has a less consistent flex, with more bend in the tips and tails to go along with a stiffer underfoot zone while the Rustler’s flex is medium in nature from end to end.

At a Glance:

2027 Blizzard Rustler 10 Skis

Most Rustler 10’s measure 102 in the underfoot zone, so it’s important to note that the 186 test length that Matt and I used does come in at 104 mm underfoot, putting it between the Canvas 100 and Canvas 108 in terms of width. In the 180, arguably the most popular and important length in both models, the 100 to 102 mm underfoot difference is largely negligible. Canvas has a more dramatic rocker profile and taper shape than the Rustler, although Rustler ends up having more of a unique splay in both tips and tails. Canvas is more modern, artistic, and creative in the footprint, with a playful and buttery aspect that Rustler doesn’t quite have. The two 180’s also have matching 17.5-meter turn radii, although the Rustler is consistently wider overall.

Bob's Experience:

On one hand, it’s impressive to get back on the Rustler 10 and re-learn the amazing smoothness, performance, and surprising power of the ski. On the other, getting to know the Canvas 100 is just an absolute blast. Thinking about freeride performance, you can look at it a few ways—does the ski add playfulness and creativity or do I have to work harder to get it? I found that the Rustler is more supportive in terms of varying turn shapes, speeds, styles, and conditions. The ski is very composed with minimal surprises. It takes more work to handle and wrangle in tighter and more technical terrain than the Canvas, but easily manages adversity in snow quality. Canvas, for its own part, just feels lighter and peppier and easier overall. That said, once you get it up on edge, it has a surprising amount of torsional stiffness in a carved turn. From an initiation perspective, it has a bit more lag than the Rustler, and in the finish phase, there’s not quite the same punch, but in the middle of the turn, these two skis are closer than I’d have thought. Canvas’ swing weight stands out when it comes to the transitions of turns, as that ski has no issue getting from one turn to the next, no matter how short or tight the arc may be. Rustler is a bit slower, but also more direct when beginning a carved turn. Skis like the Atomic Bent 100, Faction Prodigy 2, and Elan Playmaker 101 feel more like the Canvas while the Rustler is more akin to the Armada Declivity 102 or Rossignol Sender Soul 102.

Jeff's Experience:

I’ve been excited about the new Canvas skis for a couple years now since hearing about them on a trip to Mittersill with Blizzard a couple years ago. On the other hand, I’m a huge fan of the Rustler line. Taking a bit of time to ski them back to back to differentiate between the two lines felt like a great thing to do and using the Rustler 10 and Canvas 100 was the obvious choice (Canvas 108 and Rustler 11 differ in width more).

Starting with the Rustler 10, goodness gracious me what an amazing ski. This definitely isn’t the first time I’ve spoken fondly of Rustlers, but I’ll take the opportunity to do it again. For me, they are the most well-rounded skis in their category and allow me to do so many different things on the mountain. They have enough vibration damping and overall stability to ski them fast, yet the shape allows for looseness and adds a fun factor that a lot of metal-clad skis (we’ll use Anomaly 102 as an example) just don’t have for me. The Rustler 10 gives me more confidence in variable, challenging terrain and conditions than just about any other ski I can think of. Its ability to handle speed and also slash turns and slow down quickly makes me exceptionally comfortable to turn up the aggressiveness dial all the way to 10. As I said in the video, if I was willing to eliminate park skiing from what I like to do on snow, I would ski Rustlers in a heartbeat. I’d probably actually own both the Rustler 9 and the Rustler 10 as I like them both that much.

The reality is, however, I’m not yet willing to make that jump and leave the terrain park behind. With that being the underlying truth for me, the Rustler 10 just isn’t quite capable enough in the park. If you just wanted to hit some jumps from time to time, it would be fine, but that’s not its purpose and it’s a bit clunky for normal park skiing. The Rustler 9 actually does a bit better, in my opinion. The Canvas 100, on the other hand, is perfectly at home in the park. There are definitely other skis on the market I like more in the terrain park (looking at you, Reckoner 102), but when you consider the potential of the Canvas 100 in the park plus its capabilities outside the park, it would be on a short list of skis I would consider for myself in this width range. I plan to ski it in the park more if Blizzard lets me buy their demo. I didn’t feel like returning it with damaged edges from rails. Still, I’m confident about its potential.

So then what is it like outside the park? You do lose some bite and stability compared to Rustler 10. It doesn’t carve as well and it doesn’t feel as composed at speed. It will get deflected more than the Rustler 10 in variable condition and steeper terrain. Honestly, that’s not surprising nor is it concerning. It’s impossible to achieve the playfulness and quickness this ski has without sacrificing some of those things, and I think Blizzard did a good job finding the right balance. It is incredibly agile and flickable, reminiscent of something like an Elan Playmaker 101. It does, however, have a surpriging amount of substance underfoot. Again, it’s not like the Rustler 10, but if you’re balanced on it, you can stand on it in a turn and it doesn’t waver or wash out right away. Both the Rustler 10 and the Canvas 100 perform great in un-groomed snow and natural terrain. They just do it a little differently. The Rustler has more of a flowing style where it absorbs inconsistencies and feels like it’s slithering its way down the mountain. The Canvas does it with quickness and energy. It wants you to jump off things rather than just smash right through it.

Matt's Reaction:

I had spent a good amount of time on this current Rustler 10, but it had been a while. Jumping back on, I was quickly reminded of how great they are. Consistent, predictable, strong, crisp, and pretty agile. To top it off, they are insanely fun to carve on. There is some precision here when it comes to initiating a carved turn and then quickly followed up by loads of support and grip for the remainder of the turn. They are stout but not overly stiff, so there is some energy here. Moving to Canvas, you immediately notice the reduction in weight. On trail compared to the Rustler, Canvas isn’t as consistent as the tips and tails are softer while the underfoot zone is surprisingly stout. This isn’t a negative at all, this lends for more creativity and freestyle feel. Butters, presses, and slashes become essentially asked of you on the Canvas. In terms of carving, there is a drop in precision due to the softer flex and more taper, but this also makes them lightning quick. There is more snappiness in the Canvas on trail, so that can be fun to manipulate and play with as it is predictable.

Off trail, the differences continue to be evident between Rustler and Canvas. Rustler is smoother, more composed, direct, and slower to respond, while Canvas is quick, agile, and smeary. The softer the snow, the better when it comes to Canvas as they can get bounced around. The Rustler desires to plow through crud while the Canvas wants to skip over. The tips of the Canvas do get bounded around a bit, but that is the sacrifice that needs to be made to generate their playfulness. I was on the 186 cm length, which is the longest length in the 100. If there was a 192 cm length, that is what I would prefer to bring the stability up a little but while having more playfulness than the Rustler.

I do not foresee any confusion between Rustler and Canvas as they are significantly different from one another. People looking at Bent 100, Unleashed 98 CA, ARV 100, and Playmaker 101 should certainly give a good hard look at Canvas as well. Light, agile, and versatile for freestyle minded all-mountain skiers. Those looking at Declivity X 102, Ranger 102, QST 100, and Sender Soul 102, will want to look more towards Rustler 10 for another directional freeride option.

Keep Exploring the Blizzard Rustler 10:

2026 Blizzard Rustler 10 - Now Available

2026 Blizzard Rustler 10 - Ski Test Results

Keep Exploring the 2027 Blizzard Canvas 100:

2027 Blizzard Canvas Series Preview