2027 Blizzard Black Pearl 84

The 2027 Blizzard Black Pearl 84 gets a graphic change for this year but returns otherwise unchanged. As the narrowest of the Black Pearl series, it's fair to say it's the most front side and carving oriented. It's quick from edge to edge and instills confidence with a strong and sturdy build. You can stand on the ski and feel the power and sophistication pull you across the fall line and into the next turn. While off-trail performance comes at a bit of a premium, it's still possible if you have the proper skill set and width preferences.

These skis are built with a lot of Blizzard's top engineering. We get a Trueblend wood core consisting of popla and beech to go along with their Fluxform metal laminates. These skis use one layer of metal to dampen vibrations and give the ski a good deal of power. On the top of the wood core, the metal is broken into three parts. The first is a central strip that provides suspension and a smooth ride while the top two strips are found along the edges to put more emphasis onto grip and energy. We get fiberglass woven with carbon below the core to further boost the ski's energy and pep. In the 170, the skis sit on the scale at a stated weight of 1730 g/ski and have a relatively medium flex to them. Tester Megan Papineau notes that "While maybe not an all-mountain ski I do think this is a great Stowe ski. It’s fun to carve quick turns, quick and playful enough for some bumps and trees as well. It just lacks flotation for the very occasional feel days at Stowe."

Overall, the footprint of this ski skews towards the front side and groomer performance. At 84 mm underfoot, it's a great shape for mixing being quick and being versatile. There's some rocker in the tips and tails, but overall this ski has a good deal of camber to it. When combined with the carbon and the Trueblend core, this creates a smooth yet energetic feeling. In that 170, we get measurements of 125/84/108 that create a 14-meter turn radius—lots of turning and carving capacity here. This is where the versatile nature of this ski really shines through, with the ability to make a variety of turn shapes and styles. Tester Kristin Grogan notes that "the Black Pearls felt heavy but skied lighter than I originally thought. The Black Pearl would be a good all mountain ski, it ripped on hard packed snow."

These skis work great for intermediate and advanced skiers who are looking to mix on and off-trail performance. It's a testament to the brand; they have somehow managed to take a leading women’s all-mountain ski and made it even better. A truly impressive ski, those looking for all-mountain versatility and responsive maneuverability will have a blast on these. If you're into bumps and packed-out trees to go along with steady and solid groomer performance, this is the place to be.