This wide-bodied freeride ski just keeps chugging along, and we’re here for it. The 2023 Blizzard Rustler 11 returns structurally unchanged with a bit of a graphics recharge. It remains the same great floater—offering advanced and expert skiers a fantastic option for the deeper days and more playful terrain. It’s got a great blend of technical prowess and freeride fun, and a lot of that has to do with the DRT Titanal laminate. This partial metal layer sits on top of a blend of beech, poplar, balsa, and paulownia wood, and it is full-width underfoot, tapering to the center in the forebody and rear of the ski. It’s got the shortest metal laminate of all the Rustlers, and this makes sense from a flotation and freeride sense. It ends right about where the rocker begins, giving the 11 the most rocker out of the Rustlers as well. In the deep stuff, it floats great, but when the snow gets packed out or chalky, the metal underfoot grips tight and provides confidence and a sturdy feeling, especially in technical terrain. As a result, this well-rounded freeride ski splits the difference quite well between something that can be used as a daily driver and a pow-day exclusive ski. In the 180 cm length, the skis produce a 19-meter turn radius, and they come around nicely and cleanly, leaving deep trenches in their wake. The 180 is 112 mm underfoot, and that’s wide enough to keep the ski afloat in pretty much any depth of snow.
ROCKER PROFILE
Rocker / Camber / Rocker
CORE MATERIALS
Carbon Flipcore D.R.T.
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Big Mountain, Powder
Phil McGrory and Mike Thomas both skied the 180, and both found it to be on the short side. Phil scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for flotation and overall impression, with 4’s given for stability, playfulness, and versatility. It was very impressive to see a 112 mm underfoot ski called versatile, but here we are. His low score of 2 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability isn’t terribly surprising given the girth of the board. Phil notes that the “ski excels on soft snow, but still very stable at speed and on groomed terrain. Versatile for its width. Very easy to steer but can still lock into a carve once it’s rolled over.” Finding those high edge angles on a wider ski like this is a whole lot of fun, you just have to commit to being up on those sidewalls. Mike Thomas, similarly to Phil, scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for flotation and overall impression, with 4.5’s for stability and playfulness. Mike’s low score of 2.5 was given for versatility, as he’s erring on the side of the ski being more one-trick, and that’s great. “Easy to steer but strong on the edge when following the sidecut radius. Nice blend of easy and powerful.” Mike ends with a compliment: “Really nice ski!”
On the longer 188, Marcus Shakun notes that it’s a good length for him, but he also states that “it’s a lot of ski.” Marcus scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for stability and flotation, with overall impression, torsional stiffness, and edge grip all earning 4’s. His low score of 2 for quickness and maneuverability is not that shocking, especially given his previous statement of the length of the ski. “A powerhouse through the soft Deep Corn. Just truly powers through anything in its way no matter what’s in front of it. Not for a lazy skier. Requires a strong active skier to bring it to life. “Expert skier” Has a surfy feel in the deep spring corn and a huge turn shape at 21 meters. Point and go and it will take you there at speed and confidence. Stable platform underfoot.” That’s the fun part of skis like this—they just plow through anything that you can find. So powerful and strong in adverse snow conditions, the Rustler 11 just does not seem to care what’s in front of it.
A lot of skiers who ski in snowy zones could use this as an everyday ski for sure. It carves great on the softer groomers, and while it may be too much ski for us here in Vermont for a one-ski quiver, it’s certainly gained a reputation as a great option for a snow day ski—some skiers on staff have one and love it for that specific application. Great in the trees and highly maneuverable for the width, the Blizzard Rustler 11 is a fantastic wide-bodied ski with some hidden benefits to it for sure.
