The 2023 Blizzard Firebird WRC gets a facelift for this season, but remains the same amazing ski from a structural perspective. This thing is as rugged as it gets, from tip to tail and edge to edge. Built with a dense wood core and two sheets of metal, this ski gets a real-deal race build and a ton of stability to go along with it. Adding to that power are two applications of carbon. The C-Spine core runs vertical strips of carbon alongside the wood stringers, and this adds a ton of stiffness to the longitudinal flex of the ski. It’s an easy and light way to build strength into the ski, and it makes a lot of sense, especially to increase the rebound through the turn. C-Armor is an additional carbon plate that sits under the bindings and stiffens the middle of the ski. Each and every movement that you put into the ski gets directly transmitted from your foot to the edge with minimal friction of distance. With a 68-mm waist, these things are super-narrow, but the wider tips and tails end up generating an 18.5-meter turn radius in the 180 cm length. This is in the recreational GS category for sure, as the FIS shape is much longer. Full camber ensures proper edge grip from tip to tail, and the entire combination of build, shape, and camber makes the Blizzard Firebird WRC one of the strongest on-trail performers on the planet.
ROCKER PROFILE
Camber
CORE MATERIALS
World Cup Racing Construction
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers
Chris McClelland “might want it a little longer for a beer league ski, but for the resort, the 180 felt pretty great.” Like most one-dimensional skis like the WRC, we expect to see a difference in scores rather than consistency. As such, Chris scored it 5’s out of 5 for stability, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and overall impression. On the other side, we see a 1 for flotation, a 2 for playfulness, and 3’s for versatility, forgiveness, quickness, and maneuverability. “I had a ton of fun on the WRC's and it may have been my favorite of the day. At 68 underfoot this beer league racer is quick and snappy edge to edge. As one would expect they can hold a lot of angle and really don't want to let go of turns. The response was quick and precise with tipping into a carve being especially smooth. They were fairly sluggish getting around flats and lift lines but it's a race ski so that's forgivable. The Firebird WRC is a great option for skiers wanting a frontside carver with race like feel and for beer leaguers looking to hit their local race course.” Jamie O’Brien brings his race background to the fold, noting that the 180 felt just right for him. He gave his 5’s for torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability, bookended by 2’s for flotation and forgiveness. He notes that “Firebirds like to go fast, right?!?! Well, this one does. Not designed for the faint of heart, the ski needs a driver that knows how to drive and hold on when things get going. For the expert skier that rocks the beer league, this is a rock-solid ski.” Two mentions of beer league so far!
One of Stowe’s most sought-after ski coaches, Joshua Matta, notes that the 180 was “maybe a little short, but true to size. His low score of 1 for flotation was countered by 5’s for quickness and maneuverability, with 4’s for overall impression and stability. 2’s for forgiveness and versatility show the tough build and rugged nature of the ski. He states that “This ski is a step up from the old WRC. Compared to non-master skis carvers it requires more finesse to get clean turn and more attention on choppy snow. Its hard snow grip is immense and it excels at GS turns on hard snow. More versatile than the short carver but imo the Head Supershape E-Rally has almost much hard snow grip while being more versatile and requiring less skill to ski.” Mike Anglin was totally content on his 180, scoring it 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. He had 4’s for versatility, playfulness, quickness, and maneuverability, with a lowly 2 for flotation. “Well ... Blizzard brought back the Wicked Rad Carver for 2023 with a new clementine top sheet! Same amazing ski with a fresh look. Strengths ... are its ability to link medium to long radius arcs down fresh groomers while delivering calming feedback to the pilot regardless of terrain changes. WRC handled all terrain with ease and is incredibly versatile. It thrives in hard snow but can easily be feathered around when things get soft. Wicker Rad Beer League Ski BTW...! Intermediate to the world cup expert skiers will find peace trenching arcs on these beauties!”
Whether you’re using these skis for beer league racing or early-morning carving, the Blizzard Firebird WRC has the race-like build with a more user-friendly and versatile turn shape. With the additional carbon laminates to an already burly build, skiers are getting a ton of energy and power out of these skis and should have the requisite skills and balance to tame these high-performance racers.
