2012 Blizzard Cochise

my review is verbatim!!

I will try to remember to take some pics and post dims, i think they are 134-108-123  I skied the 185 at Alpine meadows in soft broken snow. this ski rips!  Super stable, surprisingly quick. The low rise long run tips works. In some spots of untracked foot plus stuff, it floated very well. I didn't have them in heavier snow but I think these will be serious crud busters. Not sure I would want these for Steamboat trees but they are fantastic skis.  More to come and I hope to ski the Bonafide today (thanks Jim) but Blizzard may have hit a home run with this line for sure.  

couldn't ski the Bonafide today but did get a chance to fondle. Very nice ski, the flex patter is sweet, perfect arc; many skis with rocker have a kind of pivot point or joint where the rocker ends, these do not have this. 

OK, all joking aside, what are the dimensions of this ski?

The only info I could find showed it had a very straight sidecut that didn't seem to match the supposed 27m turn radius.  I know with all these modern rockers you can't just look at the sidecut and turn radius and imagine exactly how they ski, but I find the straightness of all these new Blizzards interesting.  

Yep! Super solid and quiet. Just stand on them, magic carpet ride......

Matter WTF! read #5.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by U.P. Racer 

The dimensions are (185) 135-108-123 R= 28.5 Just skied 3 days in Jackson Hole, and they exceeded my expectations. I knew they would be good in powder and crud, and they were, but what I couldn't believe was the stability and confidence on hardpack at high speed. When taking a groomer back to the lift, they were not a liability at all, and were actually fun. It is not at all necessary to try to avoid groomers in this ski.

Couple of questions. How does the Cochise compare to the Answer in Pow/Crud?  From your report, I assume the blow doors on the Answers on pack (assuming you have skied the Answers).    By today's underfoot width on dedicated pow skis, 108 doesn't fill the bill.   Regardless, does the Cochise float enough to be a good/great pow choice or is it just sufficient for a +18" day?  Understandable if you haven't been on them in those conditions.  I will take it for granted that they are powerful and great in chopped up and old crud.  Best ski ever skied is a mark hard to top.

Alta- i wouldn't call it a pow ski, that's where the Bodacious comes in at 118. The Cochise is a superb soft/broken crud ski that is very capable in powder. I did have it in about a foot and at my 170ish pounds, floated just fine and that was in 2 day old powder. 108 is still plenty wide for most pow days IMHO. 18" plus, I would want a wider ride for sure.

Thanks,  I guess my 205lb+equipment wouldn't be floating on those.   I will have to look at the bodacious next year or if I luck into a demo day this season.  From this review and others it sound like they rip.  One reviewer on another thread who skied the b-wackers thought that they were awesome in 3-D, but thought the new BlizziBull lineup (Cochise, Bodacious, etc.) had the typical forward rockered shovel slap on piste.   Yourself and Youper (U.P.R.) didn't have that negative feedback on the pack.  Guess I will have to ski em' to know.

tip flap...  I didnt have them up to mach speed but i didnt notice any and if there was some it didn't interfere with the skis performance. its not a big floppy rockered tip with huge rise like an S7 or JJ.  its much more of a longer run than an abrupt rise. it works very well.  I would recommend you getting on the Bodacious, I think it would be better for your needs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finndog 

Yep! Super solid and quiet. Just stand on them, magic carpet ride......

 

 

Matter WTF! read #5.....

 

I saw your post but the sidecut there didn't seem to make sense. Its awfully straight if you do the math on it - it shouldn't be a 28m radius.  

I handled a pair of the Bodacious last weekend and they looked very similar to what Volkl does.  I'd be more excited about them if the turn radius wasn't quite so huge.  I don't like tons of sidecut on these big mountain boards, but I really do enjoy my Katana's turny shape 26m and I don't know if these would be a downgrade (for me) because of straighter shape.

I'd be super interested in opinions here between Katana and the Cochise/Bodacious.  Given the similar rocker profiles it would be interesting if the construction method Blizzard is using really makes a difference.  

Finndog, have you lost your love affair with Icelantic?  It is no longer in your signature line and you seem to be loving some other skis.  I guess she was just a mistress you have moved on from.

Where would one go about obtaining a pair?  Would a Blizzard dealer have a Cochise to demo?  Will be in Vail in a couple of weeks for the weekend - any dealers there?  Looking for a replacement to my Line P100's.  I love them but - just repaired the cap for the 3rd time and figure a true sidewall might be more durable.  SJ - can you compare the two?  P100 vs. Cochise? Dont want to drift - but what I like about the P100 is the moderate flex, it will rail a groomer if needed, pretty good in crud.  I think it does get hooky in anything over boot deep though and @ 6'2" and 190 perhaps skis a bit short.  It is a "no surprise" ski for me.

Didn't get on the cochise but I skiied the Bushwacker(88 underfoot), the bonafide (98, I think)  and the bodacious (128) and was very impressed with the first two.  i think the bodacious is way to big a ski to have that much metal and felt like turning an oil tanker.  I skied the 192ish cm late in my second day of wire to wire hard skiing so that might explain some of it but it is definitely a heavy ski.  Too much for skiing steeps and technical stuff in my opinion.  My soft snow ski is a Kastle MX108 in a 195 and it is much more responsive and quick and floats just as well.  The bonafide and the bushwacker on the other hand absolutely rip.  They were the top two hard snow skis I skied all day (the new Head Peak 84 would probably be in there somewhere actually) and I tried 3 other skis in the low 80's underfoot and the bonafide had just as much edge and was more powerful than any of them.  There was some decent crud and some fresh on the hill that day to and they were both much more playful and floated better than the Titan series they replace.  I didn't find them to be very "flappy" in the tips in the crud, they are both pretty stiff, but not nearly as stiff, especially in the tip, as the Titan series.  The rocker is suttle and I though they tracked well and were more predictable and stable in the cut up stuff than most any rockered ski out there, especially on edge.  I think the bonafide will be a great one ski for the realistic western guy who loves to ski soft stuff but knows there will be a lot of time spent on firmer snow.  I can not understate how good they were on groomers if you were willing to give them some throttle.  The bushwacker would find a home in most any aggressive skiers quiver and could be a one ski for an east coaster or dry western resort skier.  Not sure of the radius on either one but they felt around 17ish m but they would really come around when you loaded them up.  Mission Ridge has some huge wide open groomers and I was almost to the point of hip dragging on both of these.  I didn't feel confident enough to get that much edge angle on any other ski I tested besides the new Head Peak 84.  On a side note, Head beefed the Peaks up so if you loved the Monster series a few years back you will love the new Peaks.  Two sheets of metal in the 84 and no more flappy hinge on the tip.  The hinge thing is still there but it has a stiffer and much more consistent flex next year. 

Bottom line on the new Blizzards:  I personally think the bodacious is a miss. It needs to be lightened up and I don't see the need for metal in a ski that big.  The Bonafide and Bushwacker are out of this world good on groomers.  I would like to get some more time on both in soft snow.  I can get a good feel for a ski on hard snow in about 4 turns but soft snow performance often takes me a couple days to really grasp.  From the turns I did make in the crud, they both seem quick and somewhat lively but very very stable.  I noticed next to no flap in the tips when the skis were on edge.

I think these two will make a lot of good skiers happy. 

actually 118 underfoot on the bodacious oops

Slane, I agree with the rest of your post, but think you missed the 'mission statement' of the Bodacious- it is a Big Mountain Comp ski not a powder ski. I found it to be remarkably nimble for that... it just didn't want to carve a turn in a length I wanted to make. I love big turns... it loves pretty much going straight. You mentioned Kastle, they make the MX128 without metal, they also make Hugo Harrison 2 different versions of it with multiple metal sheets. The Bodacious is like Hugo's personal MX128.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLANE 

  i think the bodacious is way to big a ski to have that much metal and felt like turning an oil tanker.  I skied the 192ish (196) cm late in my second day of wire to wire hard skiing so that might explain some of it but it is definitely a heavy ski.  Too much for skiing steeps and technical stuff in my opinion.  

 

Bottom line on the new Blizzards:  I personally think the bodacious is a miss. It needs to be lightened up and I don't see the need for metal in a ski that big. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SierraJim 

For sure, sidewall skis are more resistant to things like edge hacks etc. than cap skis. For all that, the P-100 is quite durable and we seldom see any real problems with them. FWIW......the Bonafide @ 98mm is really closer to the P-100 than the 108mm Cochise is. So as to how they ski................

 

For a couple of years I have lamented the passing of the older version of the Volkl Gotama. The P-100, Nordica Enforcer, and the Atomic Coax are the three skis that I have liked the best in the ~~100mm range as all are versatile in turn shape, stable, reasonable on firm snow and quite good enough for most deep snow conditions. The Prophet specifically has a firmish middle with softer extremities, a fair bit of camber and a lot of sidecut. The Prophet is a bit tip-hooky for my tastes as well, and not especially well damped. Those are really my only gripes and they are minor. I owned a P-100 for part of last year and it really is a fine ski.    

 

Enter the Blizzards.

 

I currently own the Bonafide in a 180 and it is less tip-hooky in mixed snow than the P-100. The Bonafide has a fair bit of low camber through the center section while the Cochise is flat. Both have a noticeable tip rise and a tiny bit of tail rise and both are flat tailed skis rather than twins. Both skis are easier and more nimble in turn initiation than the P-100 and far more versatile in their ability to break off the turn and slarve or smear. Both Blizzards are more grippy through the center section, more damp, and have a stronger turn finish. The key difference after the shape and the build is the flex. Whether the Flip Core has anything to do with it or not, this is where Blizzard has really aced it. The flex of these skis is smooth, even and displays no hinge effect in the rockered zones. For my tastes, the pressure distribution feels perfect. The result is that although they turn amazingly easily, they are especially stable in rough 3-D snow. This is not an easy combination to achieve. I know that we could sell several pairs of these at full price right now if we could get them but currently, this isn't happening......at least not yet.

 

SJ

Thanks - will look at the Bonafide as well - Thought of the Cochise - since my plan was to just get the P115 from this year (sidewall) and 108 seemed to be in between.  BTW - This is for my OSQ to take on planes out west. On the durability of the Lines - im sure it is me - im not a finesse skier. 

^^^^^^^^^^  What part of the West are you talking about?  If it's Colorado then you want the Bonafide.  If it's Utah then go for something a bit bigger (possibly the Cochise).  Both of these new Blizzards really do have something special.  I haven't had enough time on them to put my finger on exactly what they've done right, but I think SJ has laid it out pretty well.  I think there's also something to how well Blizzard marries the sidecut to the rocker profile.

my .02:  I agree with you, more specifiaclly,

1-  the low rise with longer run and moving the TR contact points up the ski create a longer runnning surface when tipped on edge, as SJ commented, it does a good job at resolving the tip flap issue and created more stability.

2- flip core, like SJ said, it creates a smooth and seamless arc that just feels great underfoot.  Althought this sounds like hype, its not. When SJ showed me this it was really cool and when comparing to other skis, the difference is obvious.

3-Also, the flex pattern and amount of stiffness and flex are damn near perfect for me anyway. 

4- tail rocker; especially for the Bone is perfect. It will release when flat/ter but will engage when arc's or on steeps.

ONLY GRIPE: the stupid plastic bull-head, ala plastic budha, I am sure a quick procedure will cure this.....  It will look cool on my workbench....
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler 

^^^^^^^^^^  What part of the West are you talking about?  If it's Colorado then you want the Bonafide.  If it's Utah then go for something a bit bigger (possibly the Cochise).  Both of these new Blizzards really do have something special.  I haven't had enough time on them to put my finger on exactly what they've done right, but I think SJ has laid it out pretty well.  I think there's also something to how well Blizzard marries the sidecut to the rocker profile.

  My quiver now includes the 180 bonafide ( will probably switch to the 188 next year), the 185 cochise and the 196 bodacious.  I think Blizzard nailed it on all three of these skis.  Enough has been said about the bonafide and cochise I think Id be just preaching to the choir.  I was amazed by the bodacious.  I am a big guy around 250 , another tester with me was around 150.  we took the bodacious out on the second day at snowbasin- six inches of pow on hardpack.  We both took the 196 length over to Strawberry and the ski blew me away.  I thought it was very easy to ski.  First ski that I could ever make big gs turns through pow and than instantly slow it down and make small turns.  I had been skiing the super s7 for my pow ski this year and was never blown away buy it.  The other tester was making slalom turns on the bodacious and loved the ski. We took the skis over to some tighter trees, still the ski amazed us , even at the 196 length.  We both were hooping and hollering how much fun they were.  The last time I had so much fun on a ski was when I skied the original volkl explosive like 18 years ago.  For me it was a game changer.  I am not some big mountain contest skier, but being heavier Ive never liked the soft pow skis.  My friend on the other hand is 150 lb, zipper line bump skier and he loved the ski.  Dont be afraid of the bodacious, but be the driver and not the passenger and this ski will impress!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler 
  I haven't had enough time on them to put my finger on exactly what they've done right,

That is because they are really good skis, good skis are a marriage of many elements that blend well together, not a single stand-alone feature. Taking the Hollowtech from a Kastle MX88 and grafting it onto a Rossignol B2w won't make magic happen.

I skied the Bonafide a while yesterday and absolutely loved it, I think I know what it is about the Cochise that has had me less impressed than I expected to be... gonna try a slight modification and I'll report back if my opinion changes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiteroom 

I skied the Bonafide a while yesterday and absolutely loved it, I think I know what it is about the Cochise that has had me less impressed than I expected to be... gonna try a slight modification and I'll report back if my opinion changes.

I'd like to try 'em again too.