2023 Blizzard Bonafide 97

As one of the harder-charging skis in the all-mountain category, the 2023 Blizzard Bonafide remains a high-bar for advanced and expert skiers who ski at top speeds and in aggressive applications. At 97 mm underfoot, the skis are fast, stable, strong, and fun (for the right skiers). They return unchanged structurally, but with a bit of a graphics refresh just to keep things interesting. Built with a wood core and two full sheets of metal, the skis are rugged and burly, tipping the scales at 2200 grams per ski in the 177. By using their Trueblend All-Mountain wood core, Blizzard is able to fine-tune the flex and strength of the ski per length. This core consists of 7 beech stringers and 3 poplar stringers for an excellent blend of dampness and energy. While these skis certainly are some of the better on-trail options for similarly-shaped products, they also are capable of plowing through crud and chop, as well as floating through fresh (just not so much in a playful manner). In the more appropriate 183, the skis produce an 18.5-meter turn radius which is right in the sweet spot for changing up turn shapes and styles. While they lean more towards the burly side of the spectrum, advanced and expert skiers are still able to have a lot of fun on these skis, just so long as you’re going at a decent clip of speed.

Steve McKenzie is a pretty strong and aggressive skier, and we got a lot of good feedback from him on other top-flight mid-90's skis at this test, so it’s great to see what he says about Bonafide 97. He skied the 183, and noted it was true to size. As usual, we see kind of a mix of scores with this ski, with lower marks of 2 out of 5 for versatility, forgiveness, playfulness, quickness, and maneuverability. Higher scores of 4 out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold make sense as well. Steve notes that Bonafide 97 is “Not your everyday full mountain ski for sure. They loved hammering down on the groomers though. Super stable at speed so long as the groom was visible. Anything other they get pretty loud and unforgiving. Great groomer crusher.” Very interesting to hear about these wider skis and how strong they are on the groomers. Whenever we’ve gotten off-piste on these skis, they do require quite a bit more attention and focus.

Mike Anglin was also on the 183, and he call them just right and true to size. With a bit more even spread of scores, it’s easy to see that Mike’s a bigger fan of the Bonafide 97 than Steve, giving out all 5’s out of 5. “Can't lie. I own a pair. I love the ski. Why change what isn't broken? Large, loud attitude, with performance to back it up. Kinda like Dennis Rodman rebounding back in the day. (He sure as hell couldn't shoot). Marcus Caston knows what's up..... Just check out 'Return of the Turn'... Bringing back the Turn! Turns are cool, and Bonafide's can help you enjoy linking the energy from turn to turn. Versatile, and Terrain are its middle and maiden names. Does it all, and takes any terrain you throw at it. Advanced confident intermediates size down and have some fun. Experts ski to size or maybe size up, if you prefer the new 30-40m SG skid. Either way the Bonafide won't disappoint.” While somewhat on the biased side of the spectrum, it’s always great to hear why a tester owns a specific ski, and especially one as noteworthy as the Bonafide 97.

There’s a whole lot to like about the Blizzard Bonafide 97, and there has been for years. It’s definitely not for everyone, so the range is a bit narrower than some other mid-90's all-mountain skis. What it does well, though, it does better than most, and that’s what this target audience is all about. There aren’t many skis out there with speed minimums, but this is definitely one of them.