2023 Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB

The 2023 Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB is a shining example of what a ski can, and should be. With a 15-meter radius in the 174, and a 76-mm waist, these skis can carve it up with the best of them, but with a more user-friendly build and that wider-bodied waist, these skis can be used as all-mountain carvers for a pretty wide-range of skiers. Best-suited to advanced and expert skiers, these Thunderbird R15’s are strong and stable, yet are maneuverable and quick to make all types of turns. They definitely fit more into the modern “across the fall line” style of carves, and they do that about as good as anything we’ve been on. Built with Blizzard’s Trueblend Frontside core, the R15 WB boasts 11 beech stringers to go along with 3 poplar stringers, giving this ski a strong and stable start. They then add two sheets of metal to the mix, and an Active Carbon Armor plate. This carbon plate underfoot sits on a floating bolt which allows for free-flex of the ski, but in a very stiff manner. It keeps the front and back of the ski firmly planted on the snow, and it does so with a small amount of weight. Full camber keeps the edge in total contact with the snow surface, giving the Thunderbird R15 WB a race-like feel and a ton of energy.

Bob St.Pierre skied the 182, and noted that while it “skied true to size, I always feel like want an extra 3cm or so in skis like this, but oh well.” Bob gave it top marks of 4 out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and stability. 3’s went for versatility and forgiveness. “Just a wonderful ski experience” Bob notes. “There's a whole lot of skis in the high 70's to low 80's underfoot that are being overlooked and undervalued. These skis have a ton of poise and precision, but aren't as demanding as some of their race counterparts. You don't need a strong race background to enjoy the quickness, activity, and carving power of the Thunderbird R15, and that short radius is just a real treat. It keeps you active and engaged, but isn't overly heavy or burdensome. It even has a surprising amount of versatility to it, even though nobody's going to mistake these for powder skis. If you like being on your edges and engaged in the ski run, this is a must-ski.” Nate Gardner felt that his 182 was a bit long for the 17-meter radius, scoring it 5’s out of 5 for torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. He gave 4’s for overall impression, versatility, forgiveness, and playfulness, noting that it “Prefers a longer turn in its longer length. Took a lot of work to make short turns, but give a little width to your corridors and she’ll be happy.”

Also on the 182, Greg Petrics is a great skier to get on this ski. Side note: I was very interested in hearing what Greg had to say about this ski, and was pleased to learn that he liked it as much as I did. Greg scored it 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold, forgiveness, playfulness, and stability. Versatility and flotation got 3’s while quickness and maneuverability got 4’s. That’s a pretty high spread of scores for a seemingly one-dimensional ski. Greg notes in his mini-novella: “One of my absolute favorite skis of the first day of testing... maybe even my favorite. This ski's personality is that of a GS ski that wants to be oh so much more. The radius is 17 meters, and that surprised me with how short it is. Yet the ski has a length of 182, and width of 76 underfoot, so there's a lot of ski there to work with and stand on for stability. I am not sure how to describe the personality more succinctly, but this is a really well-made ski. The strengths of this ski are numerous. It can easily rail SL radius turns on blue terrain. It can also rail GS radius turns even up to higher speeds on black terrain. The day I skied them didn't have any fresh snow, but I also think the wider body might give some flotation as well in some 3-4" fresh snow days. The versatility is really good for a primarily front side groomer. It felt so good railing carves, but also felt that it could cut up some choppier snow. This ski could be for a pretty broad range of skiers. Ex-racers like myself will really enjoy this ski if they don't want a one-trick pony. However, skiers looking for something that can carve AND get all over the front side of the mountain will find this ski really fun as well; those skiers might want to size down however; the 182 had a lot of ski to work with and might overwhelm some folks. This is a ski that is near the top of my list as a consideration to buy. I had so much fun on this ski, primarily because it was able to make a wide variety of turns INCLUDING the GS radius turn at speed.” There’s a lot of “ands” and “includings” in that feedback, meaning that the ski has a whole lot of capabilities—certainly more than expected.

There’s a whole lot of fun to be had on the Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB, mainly on-trail, but the versatility was a bit surprising as well. I suppose it shouldn’t be, given that the ski is 76 mm underfoot, and it wasn’t that long ago that skis of this shape were considered mid-fat. Either/any way you choose to use these great skis, you’ll be stoked. There’s room in a lot of skiers’ quivers for a Thunderbird R15 WB, and we’re very excited to get on these skis again this year.