Manufacturers aren’t tapping into newly discovered materials and compounds to produce this season’s most innovative skis, but rather, they’re incorporating creative thinking and engineering during the construction process to strategically boost on-snow function and performance. It’s the industry’s age-old tradition of tweaking a little here and a little there to give consumers the edge they seek.
— Blizzard TrueBlend | Blizzard fans might be familiar with Flipcore technology, the process in which the manufacturer installs the core upside down so the ski’s natural shape doesn’t resist rocker. For this season, the Lebanon, N.H.-based company has enhanced that feature in its popular all-mountain lineup with TrueBlend Wood Core flexing technology.
TrueBlend is a new way of strategically layering various woods in the core, not only down the length of the ski but also across the width. Stringers of denser wood are placed underfoot where skiers want the ski to be stiff, while less-dense material is woven into place at the tip and tail for more forgiveness and responsiveness.
This technology, included in the Bonafide 97, Brahma 88, Black Pearl 97 and Black Pearl 88, also delivers an optimized ski flex as the stringer pattern is customized for each length of ski. This means that shorter skis will not feel stiffer than longer skis, i.e. the 171 cm Bonafide 97 will flex the same as the 185 cm Bonafide 97.