2027 Blizzard Anomaly 88

We get a new graphic for the 2027 Blizzard Anomaly 88, but the ski returns otherwise unchanged. This is great news for all-mountain skiers who love the mix of high-powered front side action to go along with off-trail capabilities. While the Anomaly can work just fine in softer snow, bumps, and packed trees, it’s certainly more at home in an on-trail format. This ski is best when used by a proficient skier who is not afraid of a bit of speed to get things moving and up on angle.

Blizzard really spares no expense when it comes to construction and engineering. The Anomaly 88 uses a Trueblend wood core consisting of poplar and beech. There are beech stringers that run longer into the tips and tails to match the ski’s strong spine while lighter poplar lines the sides for a bit more float when needed. We’re seeing a stated weight of 2100 g/ski in the 182, so it’s no feather, but it also feels somewhat mobile at least. Tester Colin Wiedersheim calls it “A burly, bruiser of an all-mountain ski. Even in the 176, the Anomaly 88 is unflinching at speed even through rough conditions. It works great as a pure groomer ski, which is where I would ski it. Trees and bumps will be high effort, but this ski can definitely do it. An all-mountain missile. If you want a ski to crush groomers and rail turns at high speeds, look no further. Supple, strong, and heavy, will blow through all in front of them while not being completely unmanageable. I see why they are so popular.”

The shape definitely makes it feel and seem like it belongs more on-trail, but there is some approachability to it when it comes to softer snow. The 182 has measurements of 127.5/88/109.5 mm to generate an 18-meter turn radius, which is right were most skiers will find a clean carved turn. We’ve found them to be able to be used both longer and shorter, although shorter carved turns are a bit harder to come by due to the stiffness. Tester Steven Buccini notes that the Anomaly 88 is “A solid, versatile ski. This ski can follow you anywhere on the mountain. It’s stiff enough to lay down some big carving turns but responsive enough to play around on the shoulders or in the trees. This ski is geared more towards an advanced skier who likes to ski all over the mountain. Less experienced riders may find the stiffness challenging, and those who prefer staying on-piste may not need the extra waist width.”

The Anomaly 88 is certainly geared to the expert crowd, although progressing advanced skiers looking for stability and power will do just fine here. They can size down to access mobility if they wish, as there’s no real need to upsize here to get stability—the build of the skis handles that quite well. Blizzard has always done a great job at mixing on-trail power with off-piste accessibility, and the Anomaly 88 is very versatile and accomplished in that regard.