Lengths:
165, 171, 177, 183, 189
Dimensions:
136-97-118 @ 177
Radius:
17m @ 177
Best for:
A daily driver for advanced to expert skiers.
Compare with:
K2 Mindbender 99 Ti, Salomon Stance 96, Renoun Endurance 98
With every tweak, the Bonafide gets better. This season, Blizzard has thinned out its True Blend Wood Core, a mix of beech and poplar stringers that deliver strength and pop. The stiffness of the ski has been tuned with the placement of the stringers: more underfoot and less at the tip and tail. The rest of the construction remains the same with a sandwich of Titanal and carbon sheets at the front and back. We found last winter’s iteration was a powerful ski, but it required a strong skier with lots of energy to keep up to it. Reducing the amount of wood has made this year’s Bonafide far more laid back, with only a slight diminishment of top-end performance. “Easy flowing from arc to arc with a large sweet spot,” said tester Steve Acciaroli, adding it “gripped the groomers and was easy in the bumps.” Chris Grover liked last year’s model, but knew he couldn’t ski it all day. This year it was his favourite ski of the test and he wants a pair. “Impressively smooth ride in cruddy snow,” he wrote. “It did it all!” It was our favourite ski in the mid-to-high 90mm waist size.
