2026 Blizzard Anomaly 88

Now in its second season, the 2026 Blizzard Anomaly 88 is a shining example of a rugged all-mountain ski with fantastic carving performance and surprising off-trail capacity. With more of a directional feel than some other skis in this range, the Anomaly 88 is an awesome carver with full balance. With increased rocker and taper over the Brahma 88 that it replaced, we’re getting more versatility and flotation here, opening the ski to various conditions and terrain. We get a new top sheet for this year, but the ski returns structurally unchanged.

Like most skis, it all starts with the construction. Built with a TrueBlend All-Mountain wood core, the Anomaly features a blend of poplar and beech stringers that run lengthwise through the ski. The Beech occupies more of the middle and central portion to boost stability and smoothness. We also get a full layer of titanal below the core and one full sheet on top. There’s a wrinkle with the upper laminate, though, as it’d divided into three parts. We get two arms on the outside and one central spine in the middle. This allows for greater articulation and edge grip. The whole idea here was to boost versatility without losing carving power, and we’ve found that it’s been a largely successful endeavor. Tester Erik Timmerman notes that “overall it feels pretty stiff and planky. It might be overpowering the snow and pushing through it instead of bending into a turn. This ski is going to go just about anywhere you want it to. I think it is most at home on firm snow.” The ski is not locked into a particular turn shape or style, giving the Anomaly 88 an uncommon feel in this realm, with versatility built in. In the 176, the ski still hits 2000 grams on the scale, so this is no lightweight option here. With a somewhat demanding flex, it does require some effort on the part of the skier.

When it comes to softer snow, this Anomaly is an interesting ski for sure. As far as shape and profile is concerned, the overall footprint isn’t that dissimilar to the older Brahma 88. Turn radius is about the same, but the rocker is where we see some differences starting to take form. The tip rocker of the Anomaly is more dramatic than Brahma. There’s more tail rocker as well, but the tips are the more noticeable side. Tester Luke Miller is a staunch Brahma 88 fan but notes that the Anomaly “Feels great. Held an edge and can push through some crud. If you like skiing fast down groomers with something more than 70mm underfoot I'd just get this ski. It's not quite the Brahma but even in LeBron's 3rd best year he was still the best player in the league.” These ideas of boosted versatility show through in the shape. The build is still extremely sturdy, so the shape makes the bigger difference here. Upon looking back at some of the photos we took this past season, a lot of the mid-turn shots featured a tip that was flexed more and rising above the surface. This new shape and style accesses softer snow and more technical zones at slower speeds than ever before.

Anomaly 88 is a demanding ski. For the most part, this ski is still squarely in the expert realm. It’s a bit more accessible, but it doesn’t lose much off the top. The range is most certainly increased to meet in the middle somewhere. This opens the ski up for more skiers, especially in the all-mountain realm. Anomaly allows for more discretion on the skier’s part, and that’s a very good thing for high-end skiers who are looking for a more versatile ski. It’s still on the directional side and functions amazingly well at groomers and in carved turns.