2023 Blizzard Brahma 82

As the narrowest of the series, the 2023 Blizzard Brahma 82 is the most front-side oriented, but still has the all-mountain pedigree to fall back on for when the snow gets soft or if adventure skiing strikes your fancy. Built with Blizzard’s Trueblend All-Mountain wood core consisting of 7 beech stringers and 3 poplar stringers, these skis have a nice balance of energy and power. This method of ski construction allows the engineers at Blizzard to take liberties with the flex of each ski per length, giving it a more sophisticated feel and a terrain-appropriate personality. In addition to the Trueblend wood core, we also get two sheets of metal, so these skis continue to be the real deal in terms of overall construction ruggedness. In the 180, the skis tip the scales at 1980 grams per ski, which is pretty heavy, but not a brick. It’s still got slightly different sizing than the Brahma 88 and Bonafide 97, but shares a lot of other characteristics in terms of personality and behavior. In the 180, we see a 16.5-meter turn radius, allowing advanced and expert skiers the freedom to make a variety of turn shapes and styles.

Brad Schauerman skied the 180 and noted it was true to size. He scored it top marks of 5 out of 5 for torsional stiffness and edge hold, with 4’s for overall impression, quickness, maneuverability, and stability. Brad notes that “These skis are all business. They really only want to charge and lay trenches. It's definitely a bit of a battle to get them to make other turn shapes. These skis are a blast for anyone looking to go fast and make big smooth turns. These skis are incredibly smooth and stable at high speed and I never once questioned whether or not they'd hold on a corner. Very fun, Very fast.” So Brad isn’t quite in agreement with the whole “freedom of turn shape and style” thing, and that’s okay, he seemed more than stoked on the ski’s ability to make clean, fast, and long turns, and that’s a good thing as well.

David Wolfgang is a big fan of the Brahma 82. He likes the 180, calling it true to size and a good length for him. He scored it all 4’s right across the board save for a lone 3 in flotation—not surprising given the heavier weight, stiffer flex, and narrower waist width. David calls the Brahma 82 “A definite contender for best in class. This ski leaves nothing out as far as construction goes. Wood core (Trueblend) with 2 sheets of titanal. Excellent grip, smooth quiet ride. This ski shines as a front side all mountain tool.” John McIntosh scored his 180 5’s out of 5 for stability, quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold with 4’s for overall impression, versatility, and playfulness. John states that the Brahma 82 is “A ripping all-mountain ski with a decidedly front side orientation in the 82mm waist. Great edge hold skiing the groomers and steeps. Very stable at speed with a smooth and confidence inspiring feel. Definitely best for advanced to expert skiers.” The confidence and power goes a long way with a lot of skiers for this ski, and it makes a lot of sense for advanced and expert skiers.

If you’re looking for a more business-like all-mountain ski—one that carves crazy turns on the groomers, but also has strong off-trail character as well, the Brahma 82 is a great choice. While we didn’t get a lot of feedback for that off-piste adventure, it’s safe to assume that the power and strength will carry through, even though they’re not the most floaty or playful skis out there. On the feet of skilled skiers, these things will light it up all over the hill.