Blizzard Brahma 88

Why we chose the Blizzard Brahma 88: Powerful, damp, fun

Lengths (cm): 165, 171, 177, 183, 189
Sidecut (mm): 110 / 88 / 128 (177 cm)
Radius: 16m (177 cm)
Weight (per ski): 2,100g
Price: £550

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It’s fair to say that the Blizzard Brahma is an absolute champ of a carving ski. How does it do this? Well, it’s largely thanks to a combination of a powerful construction and a narrow platform. These two factors work together to provide heaps of power and energy response, and make hard snow and groomed conditions an absolute blast. Let’s dive into exactly what makes the Brahma 88 such a joy to ski.

Who Is The Blizzard Brahma 88 For?

The Blizzard Brahma 88 is going to be ideal for skiers searching for a carving ski that’s also comfortable popping on and off the piste. The skis give you heaps of confidence through a range of conditions, while still staying true to their race-inspired spirit. Advanced – expert skiers will love the amount of energy return and bite the Brahmas offer up.

Selected for the 22/23 Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Blizzard Brahma 88 Review here

Head Supershape e-Magnum Performance

Lengths (cm): 149, 156, 163, 170, 177
Sidecut (mm): 129 / 72 / 111 (163 cm)
Radius: 12m (163 cm)
Price: £615 / €850 / $900

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Slightly more forgiving than, say, a high performance race ski, the Head Supershape e-Magnum is designed for skiers looking for a ski that’s able to smooth tricky snow conditions. This chatter-free ride is large thanks to Head’s all-new EMC (Energy Management Circuit) technology.

EMC absorbs vibrations, and reduces unwanted tip chatter, by featuring ceramic plates on the tips and tails. These plates then turn the vibrations into electrical energy as a way to filter them out. It may sound like some sort of Nikola Tesla creation, but EMC really is some useful carving ski tech.

The shape and rocker profile of the Supershape e-Magnum has been sculpted to complement this smooth-as-a-Cadillac ride. Featuring Head’s ERA 3.0 S, the tip rocker has been tuned to work in harmony with the dampening materials found within the ski to provide far less tip chatter than you’d usually see on a rockered tip.

Volkl Deacon 84

Lengths (cm): 162, 167, 172, 177, 182
Sidecut (mm): 132 / 84 / 115 (172 cm)
Radius: 14 – 23m (172 cm)
Price: £785 / €920 / $850

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Coming with a waist width of 84 mm, all-mountain skiing is the name of the game with the Volkl Deacon 84 – this carving ski is more than capable of taking on everything from early morning freshies to late afternoon ice.

The Deacon 84 utilises Volkl’s Titanal Frame, a powerful metal layer found within many of Volkl’s best known skis, to provide a powerful (yet remarkably lightweight) ride. The ski also comes with a full sidewall that wraps the entire length of the ski, while tip and tail rocker is used to work in conjunction with the 84 mm waist to provide flotation when needed.

Volkl Flair 75

Lengths (cm): 147, 154, 161
Sidecut (mm): 126 / 75 / 105
Radius: 13.5m @ 161cm
Price: £325

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The Flair 75 is a high-performance women’s carving ski made with Völkl’s know-how. It’s just as enjoyable in small turns at low speed as it is in big turns at high speed. A ski that is easy to handle for an intermediate skier and solid enough at an advanced level.

Volkl have a few options under their Flair series, offering piste orientated skis for all levels of female skiers. The Flair 75 is a mid option of the range with a 75 width under foot, making it an easy to manoeuvre piste ski.

Selected for the Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Volkl Flair 75 Review here

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Salomon Stance 96

Lengths (cm): 168, 176, 182, 188
Sidecut (mm): 166 / 96 / 134
Radius: 19m (182 cm)
Price: £580 / €650 / $700

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The Salomon Stance 96 is a ski that’s as happy popping off the side of the piste, as it is carving high speed turns on the groomers. This powerful character is largely thanks to twin titanium laminates that sandwich the top and bottom of a poplar core.

As you’d expect from a ski with a double metal construction, the Stance 96 comes sporting a traditional shape. There’s a hint of taper to help the skis track well through 3D snow but, other than that, we’d say that these things are as directional as it gets. The 3 mm of camber, and mighty 19 metre turn radius, help them obliterate anything that may stand in their way.

Selected for the Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Salomon Stance 96 Review here

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K2 Disruption 82 Ti

Lengths (cm): 163, 170, 177, 184
Sidecut (mm): 125 /82 / 111
Radius: 18.4 metres
Price: £725

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Packing a traditional mount location, minimal rocker and tapering, and a sheet of titanal, the Disruption comes with a bucket load of energy and edge hold. While this classic design could create a demanding ride for some, these skis are begging to be driven at high speeds by advanced to expert skiers.

This ski thrives within the resort boundaries, where the stiff flex and direct power transfer is most suited to advanced – expert skiers. Being an 82 waist, there’s nothing to say you can’t take these off the side of the piste – the titanium build and low rocker will love blasting through chopped up snow. That being said, it’s the piste these skis were designed for and it’s there that they absolutely kill it.

Selected for the Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full K2 Disruption 82 Ti Review here

Scott Slight 93

Lengths (cm): 170, 175, 180 & 185
Sidecut (mm): 136 / 93 / 124 (175 cm)
Radius: 16m (175 cm)
Price: £550 / €630 / $800

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The Slight 93 features a very short early rise in the tips, with an almost flat tail. Similar to the shaping of the ski, this rocker profile has been used to maximise on snow contact for hard snow conditions. The rocker profile is what Scott calls their ‘Pro-Tip Rocker’.

Scott shaped an elliptical radius to the sidecut to offer a variety of turns on offer, depending on the speed you’re skiing. This is possible as a longer radius stretches from the tips to tails, while a shorter radius sits underfoot. This means that when you’re travelling at higher speeds, and flexing the skis, you engage the longer turn radius, while when you’re skiing at slower speeds, and lightly flexing the skis, you’re going to initiate the shorter turn radius.

Selected for the Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Scott Slight 93 Review here

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Armada Declivity 92 Ti

Lengths (cm): 164, 172, 180, 188
Sidecut (mm): 138 / 92 / 118 (180 cm)
Radius: 17.5m (180 cm)
Price: £540

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Launched in September 2020, Armada claims the Declivity series “fit the needs of the modern resort-based charger,” having been “designed from the ground up with no limitations and featuring one of the most technical builds we have ever achieved.”

This technical build is thanks to a sheet of titanium that spans the full length (and width) of the ski, with vertical cutouts in the tips and tails to help keep weight down, while still providing bags of power.

There are many other skis that are able to provide hard pack, or powder performance exclusively, but we’re stoked that Armada have managed to create a great all-mountain package for those with a slight bias towards those who prefer carving the resort. Pair the Declivity 92 Ti with a ski binding like the Armada STH2 and you’ve got yourself a weapon that’ll happily tear the resort, no matter your chosen speed.

Selected for the Mpora Ski 100. Check out our full Armada Declivity 92 Ti Review here

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Atomic Redster G7

Lengths (cm): 161, 168, 175, 182
Sidecut (mm): 113 / 70 / 101 (168 cm)
Radius: 15.2m (168 cm)
Price: £580 / 700€ / $1,000

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The Redster series from Atomic is perhaps the most thoroughbred carving ski series out there. They feature the same race-proven features and technologies as the world cup skis that are frequently topping podiums from Val d’Isere to Kitzbühel. These, the Redster G7, feature this race winning formula. The result of this is an extremely confident ski that’s at home arcing long radius turns on piste.

The skis feature camber for the full length of the ski, meaning you’re going to want to keep them on groomed snow. Although, we must admit, that goes without saying for a ski packing this much alpine heritage and race-inspired design.

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