Alpine skis
Product 2023
Woman, Man
We tested the Blizzard Thunderbird R13 in size 170 cm. after having skied other Thunderbirds in the range we decided on this R13 (13.5 to be precise), thinking we’d find an easier and more fluid ski: it wasn’t.
The Blizzard Thunderbird R13, despite its slightly exaggerated turning radius on paper, it does wide turns. Why? Because you can’t push it or bend its flex. It works well on soft snow and shallow gradient slopes, but as soon as you launch onto a steeper slope on hard snow, underfoot becomes super-stiff.
The boot’s heel and the entire rear of the ski are really stiff. A 70-75-kilo skier, even if he’s muscly, has great difficulty in modifying the flex even a little. We tried everything: leaning forward, behind, putting on loads of pressure: if you are not precisely on the Blizzard Thunderbird R13’s turn radius, it stalls. So, your confidence flies out the window. There’s nothing joyous or easy about it.
The ski doesn’t vibrate so you can go very fast on very tight turns. This ski isn’t interesting at all, there’s no dynamic energy. It does have excellent glide and beautiful perceived quality. No doubt heftier skiers can exploit it but the other standard-sized skiers will be under its control.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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