21/22 Winter Buyer’s Guide

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Here it is, our 2021-2022 digital Winter Buyer’s Guide.

If you want a copy of our new, even bigger 2022-2023 guide, click here to order your print and/or digital copy — or you can become a Blister Member to not only get the print and digital guide, but also receive personalized gear recommendations, exclusive deals on gear from 14 ski brands, and more.

If you’re interested in checking out our previous Winter Buyer’s Guides, click here.

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70 comments on “21/22 Winter Buyer’s Guide”

  3. I really love your Reviews and comments from powderhounds for powderhounds move on and looking fwd to whats going to come. As I’m Bavaria (Germany ) based I desperatly wait for SNOW!!

  4. best gear guide out there, great work!

    A little curious when you compare the different skis. In the group All-mountain more forgiving the Sakana 174 didnt place that well vs many other skis in deep snow performance despite that they should perform better the average for the same waist width. Any insight that I have missed?

  5. I am an expert skier (180lbs) with 35+ yrs experience and a very aggressive style. I try to ski mostly on bumps or powder (or both) but Ive not bought my own skis in many years and am now looking to buy something that would do well in either (if possible). I would probably pair these shift bindings and would also lean toward a narrower waist for quicker turns on bumps, couloirs, trees etc. The choices these days a pretty overwhelming but Rossy Sky 7 have caught my eye, but then again so has the Enforcers, the Kendo, Head Cores, Navigators, J-Skiis and others! Any help in choosing would be much appreciated .

  9. Love the guide-really great and helpful work you‘re doing here. As a beginner/intermediate I have some questions:
    -how do you define beginner/adv. Intermediate, expert etc?
    -how is a „playful“ ski different construction wise?
    -is „playful“ harder or easier to ski for a beginner/advanced than a „normal“ ski?

  10. I would love to get Some new ski’s! Im in Austria for 5 months because im a ski instructior and I am using skis everyday!
    This would be amazing!

  11. Dear Blister Crew,

    I feel obligated to reach out and say THANK YOU for writing such detailed, accurate reviews of the gear you test. I recently purchased a set of K2 Ikonic 84Tis. I never got a chance to demo them but demoed/rented very similar skis in the past. Between speaking to K2’s customer service and studying your review, I made the purchase. Seriously. Could not be happier. You were spot on with the skis performance in powder. Just had them in 8-10” of fresh Upstate NY lake effect, and they just absolutely ate it up. So stoked. Thank you!

    • Glad you like it! And the Orb, Corvus, Corvus Freebird, and Daemon are the only current Black Crows skis we’ve spent time on, but we are working with them to try to arrange more reviews during the coming season.

  18. Great reviews on our contour skins. Always nice to see products out of a small family-owned manufacturing business stand up against the big brands.
    Thanks for your work. One comment: You are still using the “old” 1819 images not showing the improved tip attachments…
    And: Generally would be great to see skin maintenance getting more attention, ability to clean/reactivate the glue vs. regluing makes a big difference for the user…

  19. Been stuck between the Line Sick Day 104, and the Atomic Bent Chetler 100 for my second ski. After reading both reviews many times, the specification lists, ski quiver section, and the best of section I pulled the trigger on the SD 104. Thanks guys

  20. How do I download the pdf?
    The internet browser read doesn’t work very well on my iPad, plus I’d like to save it in Ibook or Kindle for offline reading and easy acces in the future.

  21. Could you please add a quick link to the table of contents to the hamburger menu (top-left)? Would increase usability a bunch.

    And is there a way to navigate back and forth (like on the web)? I keep exiting the guide trying to go back…

    Thanks for the excellent guide!

  22. I’ve been skiing since I was 3 years old and I’ve been getting all of my sisters hand me downs! I’m currently in training to become a ski instructor in the Rockies! Some new skies would be wonderful!

    • Yes, pre-ordered guides shipped out over a week ago. Orders placed after the pre-order are being shipped out on a rolling basis.

  26. Hey guys. Your reviews have forever changed how I shop for skis. Huge thanks for that. This year, my focus was on upgrading my wife’s setup. She’s been on a pair of 165 4frnt Madonnas. I had been intrigued by the 4frnt MSP CC, and was eagerly awaiting your review of that ski in the guide. I know you cannot review every ski, but can you shed any light on why that ski didn’t make the cut for the guide this year?

    • Glad to hear you’ve found our reviews useful! Regarding the MSP CC, it was not included simply because we have not skied it. That’s the case for basically any ski that’s not included in our guide. But we are hoping to review that ski this season.

  27. Thanks for making the “Spectrum” section for skis. I think this is THE BEST THING EVER for comparing skis, even more than the deep dives…which I like. But really, I can’t imagine picking out skis without Blister. It’d be a guess for the most part otherwise. Most other reviews have their ski as the “great in pow, but can really carve a trench. This is reviewer Blah Blah Blah’s favorite ski.”

    In other news . . . Jonathan made me want to watch “Blink of Eye”. Sam’s podcast on products are good, but you need more female representation in your podcasts and reviews. I’m a dude, but it feels like you’re lacking a dimension though you do make an effort to bring representation in your content. Mirror that in your reviewers….more strongly. Is one guy’s opinion. Just saying. More mustard please.

  29. Looking for a new front side ski. Has anyone skied Fischer’s new RC One 86GT? I’m interested in comparing that to K2’s Ikonic 84 Ti.

    Thx
    Rip

  30. I am an intermediate skier and I was never able to find a good pair of boots for me.

    My last purchase was an Atomic 3D Silver. My heels are able to move up a lot and in order to stop this I have to tie to maximum. The problem is that after just a few minutes, I can`t feel my feet anymore and I feel thousands of needles.

    My feet and heel are narrow while my leg is full of muscles from biking. If I close to tight on the upper part, my feet become numb. If not, my heel is moving.

    Any recommendations of boot?

    Many thanks,
    Theonna

    • We don’t have room to list many skis in multiple section (the Guide is already over 200 pages long, so we’d advise focusing more on what we actually say about the particular product and see if it sounds like something you’d prefer to use (for example) as a 50/50 option or as a dedicated touring option. And often, while skis *could* be listed in a couple sections, we’ll list them with the group where we think the product is the most compelling fit.

  37. Hi guys, just to inform you that I opened up the 20/21 guide this morning and I’m enjoying the reviews – just like Past years.

    Given that the Covid lockdowns wiped out the ski season here in Victoria, (Australia), it’s great that at least we can enjoy doing some research and reading Blister’s comprehensive reviews.

    Good luck for a full uninterrupted winter!
    Cheers.

  38. Amazing job guys! I’ve followed your reviews and all you do for quite some time. And the Buyers Guide is hand down one of a kind and the definitely best piece of writing in the ski world! Super helpful, in-depth, objective, and on point.

    Keep up the good work. You guys are changing the life of skiers and giving us hope, in a world filled with insufficient reviews!

  39. Awesome job guys with this years Buyer’s Guide, I continue to recommend Blister to everyone I know.
    The spectrums you guys provide is hugely valuable information. My only suggestion is that I think it would interesting to have a spectrum of energy to dampness. I know that is not always mutually exclusive and can often depend on weight, but still think it would be very helpful.

  40. Awesome as usual! Great job. I wish looking at this on my phone, which is 90 percent of the time, wasn’t do difficult to navigate and get to the section I want. Its clunky. Am I the only one experiencing this? Even on the computer its not great. The navigation seems dated. Has anyone put this on Good Reader or something else that make it easier to navigate?

  41. Am I crazy or are “linear flex” and “progressive flex” used incorrectly for ski boots in this article? I thought 3-piece boots had “progressive flex” and a 2-piece or overlap boot had a “linear flex”. However in the 20/21 guide it describes every 3-piece boot as having a “linear flex” and often describes the 2-piece boots as having a “progressive flex”. I am confused.

  42. I was hoping for some Volkl breakdowns and would love some insight as to the next ski I should grab this season. I’m a woman on a men’s ’16 Kendo that I absolutely love, but I would like something wider under foot. The Blaze got torched, and Blister’s review of the women’s Secret has me concerned. I’m an aggressive, advanced, inbounds skier looking for the best all-mountain option. Any advice would be much appreciated!

    • From what I’ve seen the M6 has been pretty universally praised (including by some women), does the secret perform differently or is it just not what you’re looking for?

  43. The Buyers Guide is the real deal! It is the Bible for the ski enthusiast and in my opinion a trusted source if you’re searching for gear. I’ve recommended it to friends who in turn have purchased new and past seasons gear based on your analysis. As a bonus, it is so easy to Store the links to the guides on your PC’s, IPads, or phones. I’ve got three seasons for quick reference.

    I’ve been skiing for fifty years so technological advances in equipment make a huge difference in how they impact the body. The younger you are the less focus on stamina, ease, forgiveness, flexibility, recovery. However, sixty plus year old knees have a different opinion.

    Two years ago I decided to replace my Line SFB for a ski that would hold up better on the “powder” we get in the NW. I ski roughly 20 times a season, almost exclusively on days with a minimum of six or more inches. I needed a ski that would float, carve, crush, but more importantly would be excellent in the chop after the big dumps are skied out. Your analysis on the Nordica Enforcer 110 was spot on! Thanks for providing this service.

  44. Based on your reviews (which can be quite different from others) I returned my Head Kore 93s and got Liberty Origen 96s instead. I do hope you’re right! I do enjoy your reviews regardless………..

  45. Hello friends! I am 6’2″ 200lbs east coast skier. Intermediate to advanced. Looking for a good all mountain ski. Ski mostly on trails but will hop off here and there. Would love some opinions. Currently looking at Rossignol 94Ti, Rustler 9, but have also been intrigued by the DPS Cassier 94/95. Would love your thoughts.

    Happy New Year!

  48. This is an incredibly helpful and intuitive guide. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect ski for me for a while, and the sub-categories are so thorough that I feel way more confident now about buying a pair of skis without trying them. Thank you!

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