The 2023 Blizzard Zero G 95 is an amazing choice for progressive ski tourers who are looking for the perfect mix of uphill efficiency and downhill performance. These skis are pretty darn light and maneuverable—making them an ideal option for uphill travel. In the 178, the skis weigh a paltry 1250 grams per ski, and when you add a light weight technical binding to that, then you’re getting a pretty sweet little setup for all-mountain alpine touring, from the steepest and craggiest peaks to the mellower terrain at the resort. The Zero G 95 is built with a light weight paulownia wood core with Carbon Drive 2.0. That’s really just a fancy way of saying the ski has nearly a full laminate of carbon to boost the performance while keeping the weight to a minimum. In addition, the Carbon reinforcement under the mount zone increases both binding retention to the ski as well as a bit more torsional stiffness and stability underfoot. In that 178, the skis generate a 23-meter turn shape, and like we see in a lot of touring skis, the straighter cut works well for both skinning as well as skiing—placing more emphasis on the skier and their intended line down the mountain. They are not hooky or grabby, but rather smooth and predictable. Tip and tail rocker with camber underfoot make this ski a good floater—capable of staying on top of quite a bit of snow, while remaining narrow enough for agility and ease of use on the uphills. While some of our testers have these as their personal skis, and use them in a touring format, on test day specifically, we’re using them as dowhnill-only.
ROCKER PROFILE
Rocker / Camber / Rocker
CORE MATERIALS
Carbon Drive 3.0
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Touring, All Mountain
Ryan Darlow skied the 178, noting that while it skis true to length, it was a tad short for him. He scored it 4’s out of 5 for overall impression, versatility, forgiveness, quickness, and maneuverability. Ryan notes that “The skis are light and easy to use, very approachable for newer Backcountry skiers but they are super lightweight so they get easily deflected by bumps or chunks on the trail. They are made for soft snow and did not hold their line on firmer snow. The skis don't have the umph or power in the turns and this lack of snap means they aren't a daily driver or a great resort ski. That said they are fun and nimble.” matter what you find out there.”
On the longer 185, Jeff Neagle states it’s true to size and a good length for him. He gave top scores of 4 out of 5 for forgiveness, overall impression, quickness, maneuverability, and flotation. Stability, playfulness, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and versatility were all in the 3-range. Again, seeing all 3’s and 4’s on the scorecard for this ski is a very good sign. “I don't spend much time on dedicated touring skis like the Zero G 95, but out of what I've skied in this category, I think it's my favorite. It has a very smooth, natural flex pattern. It feels relatively stable, and I think the way the flex pattern allows it to absorb variations in the snow surface helps with that. It's so light that it'll still get deflected if you hit something really hard, but in most situations, it feels smooth and supple. The 185 cm length works well for me as I feel like I can ski it a little more aggressively. Just having a little bit more ski in front of and behind me helps with edge grip and stuff like that. The relatively soft flex pattern also means that even though it's long, it's not planky. I can still manipulate the tips and tail of the ski pretty easily if I want to pop off a natural hit or do a quick slashy turn. It's a great ski for basically anyone who just wants a versatile touring ski. It's not crazy wide and doesn't use a ton of rocker, but it feels well rounded for different snow conditions, which is basically what you want in a touring ski. You never know for sure what you're going to encounter in the backcountry, and I like the Zero G 95 for that reason. It doesn't matter what the snow is like, you can have fun on it no matter what you find out there.”
Light, quick, and incredibly efficient, the Blizzard Zero G 95 remains one of the more versatile touring skis out there. Thanks to the construction, shape, and profile, these skis are able to help you get to the top faster, and won’t leave much in terms of performance on the table for the way down. The softer the better, so while these make great true backcountry skis, there are better options for resort-touring performance.
