The Best Men’s All-Mountain Skis of 2022: Blizzard Bonafide 97

Testers at Solitude were more divided than ever about the Blizzard Bonafide 97 this year. The bigger, harder chargers loved it for its tenacious edge hold and unflappable desire to go fast to make huge arcs. Those on the other side struggled with how tightly the ski held on the end of a turn and how gosh darn stiff they are. “Smooth, damp, and powerful,” notes tester Jon Sexauer. “It’s a great ski for all conditions, but there is no forgiveness in the tail of the ski at all, so bring your A-game.”

Last season, Blizzard introduced the TrueBlend core to the Bonafide, which maps out harder, denser woods closer to the binding and puts softer woods in the tip and tail. Sandwiched between two full sheets of Titanal, the goal of TrueBlend was to back off just a little of the horsepower that previous Bonafides had. But, at the end of the day, this Bonafide—which is unchanged from last season—is still a heavy-duty tool for strong experts and skiers who know how to properly bend a ski on edge.

As you might expect, the testers who loved this ski are in those two categories. They praised the Blizzard Bonafide 97’s no B.S. style and how the ski pleaded with them to go full gas from top to bottom. Those who muscled them through the moguls and variables came out smiling, either from the ski’s performance or about how they survived an epic battle in the bumps. Whether they were battling the ski, their abilities, their legs, or all three at the same time was unclear. “Classic feel, a true one-ski quiver,” writes tester Mike Britt. “Cut through the snow like a hot knife through butter. Definitely could ski this ski all day.”

• Strengths: Hard Snow Integrity (2nd in category), Stability at Speed (3rd)
• Weaknesses: Playfulness (17th), Forgiveness (17th)

Buy the 2021 Blizzard Bonafide 97: evo | Skis.com | Amazon

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Blizzard Bonafide 97 – 2021 Men’s All-Mountain Ski Review

The new Bonafide 97 boasts a redesigned shape and Blizzard’s nifty TrueBlend core, which is custom-designed to place denser, harder woods where more stiffness is needed, and lower-density wood types tapered throughout the rest of the ski. With two layers of Titanal and FlipCore carbon sandwiching the uniquely designed wood, the ski is still as burly as ever according to testers, but with the new shape and the unique feel on edge, the crew still loves the Bonafide.

STRENGTH: Stability at Speed, Hard-Snow Integrity

WEAKNESS: Playfulness, Quickness

WATCH: SKI Review – Blizzard Bonafide 97

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Buy the 2021 Blizzard Bonafide 97: evo | Skis.com | Amazon

Read about the best men’s all-mountain skis for 2021

Learn more about Blizzard’s TrueBlend core technology