Review: Blizzard Black Pearl 94

In a nutshell:

• Lengths Skied: 164, 170 cm
• Stated Weight: 1950 g
• Stated Dimensions: 132.5 / 94 / 114.5 mm
• Stated Sidecut: 17 m

Shape, Length and Mount Point:

There isn’t much in the way of tip and tail rocker or taper on the Black Pearl 94, and well, it looks like a good old-fashioned ski. The ski is offered in five sizes: 152, 158, 164, 170, 176 cm, an impressive size run which should cover the bases for most, and should specifically cater to those who are looking for really short sizes. With almost no tip taper and a flat tail, they do ski quite long, so consider sizing down if in between sizes from what you’d typically ride.

Blizzard recommends a very traditional mount point at -10.5 from true center, but testers noted it felt appropriate and actually quite balanced for this type of ski–you’ll want to be driving this ski through the front of your boot and the very directional mount helps.

Where does the Blizzard Black Pearl 94 shine?

To nobody’s surprise, the Black Pearl 94 absolutely rips on hardpack. The edge hold and quiet ride while carving were unparalleled, with the metal construction muting and dampening all matter of on-piste vibrations. Several testers compared it to a hot knife slicing through butter: smooth, predictable and really confidence-inspiring.

Our favorite terrain was undoubtedly early-morning corduroy laps, where we could harness the energetic ski to its full potential and crank turn after turn on top-to-bottom groomer laps. At 94mm underfoot, it’s incredibly quick edge to edge, encouraging you to let off the brakes and really rail carves.

The softer-than-expected flex was also a delight to testers, with one saying, “I immediately felt in control once I put this ski on. It isn’t super stiff so it was very forgiving and playful for carving around and hitting small side hits.”

While riding chopped-up moguls, windblown chalk, and hunting soft stashes in the trees, testers also loved the forgiving nature of the Black Pearl 94 that allowed for varying up turn shapes, slashes, and releasing the tails through tighter terrain. The same tester says, “Simply put, it’s easy to turn these and drive them through both crud and icy conditions.”

Where does the Blizzard Black Pearl 94 make some compromises?

Given that the Black Pearl 94 wasn’t really designed as a soft-snow tool it’s not really fair to say that its lack of float or agility in deep snow is a compromise–but it should be said that this ski wouldn’t make a great one-ski quiver for anyone who prefers to ski off piste in fresh snow. It doesn’t feel particularly surfy, and requires really precise technique to perform well in three-dimensional snow.

What would a perfect day on the Blizzard Black Pearl 94 look like?

Sunshine, blue skies, and an entire mountain of fresh groomers. The Black Pearl 94 would be an excellent choice for all-day on-piste laps at a mountain like Sunshine Village, Vail, Sun Valley, or even as a specialty ski to break out of the quiver early season in a place like Jackson Hole.