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Sponsored 2018 Blizzard Rustler 10 Review

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SkiEssentials

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With two feet of snow falling at our home mountain this week we thought it was a great time to put together a full review of the new 2018 Blizzard Rustler 10. Super fun ski in soft snow, and has strong ability around the entire mountain and in other snow conditions as well.

Any PugSkiers on a pair of Rustler 10s or 11s this season? We'd love to hear your thoughts on these new models.
 

Ken_R

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I would love a pair of Rustler 10 188's in my quiver. They had me at first turn.
 

Ron

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I skied the Rustler 10s at SIA last season and immediately wanted a pair. That's my review.


I didnt ski them but I was skiing along side @SBrown skiing them and wanted a pair. :) I love the shape and flex.

I do wish it was a 186 though.
 
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Ken_R

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I didnt ski them but I was skiing along side @SBrown skiing them and wanted a pair. :) I love the shape and flex.

I do wish it was a 186 though.

Why? The 188cm one skied superb. Did not feel long at all. Easy to ski. It has a much lighter construction than the Bonafide so it was significantly lighter in a similar length. Awesome ski for the boat!
 

Tom K.

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Wait a minute, @Ron, 188 vs. 186 is a quandary?!

Yikes!
 
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Ron

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Wait a minute, @Ron, 188 vs. 186 is a quandary?!

Yikes!

LOL, no, but if I were designing it, I would want a 186 on the build. I dont know what that 188 actually measures. Typically, that's a pre-rockered pull; not post. I personally prefer an actual length of about 184. Most 186's run about that length. I have skied 188's that are fine but require more input in the trees but dont offer any benefit over a slightly shorter, more maneuverable ski.
 

Rdp

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I just skied my new pair of Rustler 11s at 180. Awesome time. Not as nimble on the hardpack as my Bones (to be expected), but a great time. Same Blizzard tank-feel but with lighter swing weight. Definitely great in the trees and bumps too. With some softer snow these things are gonna rip.
 

chilehed

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I just demo'd a pair in 180, along with the Kore 105's. Firm condtions. The Heads had more of that pivoty rocker feel, which I'm not a fan of. The Rustlers won in edge hold when carving. Both were responsive and playful, I preferred the Rustlers but am looking forward to trying them in soft and bumps.

The way they ended the metal layer looks like there may be a stress riser there, so I'm wondering about long term durability. It'd be interesting to know how they integrated it into the core.
 
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1chris5

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I didnt ski them but I was skiing along side @SBrown skiing them and wanted a pair. :) I love the shape and flex.

I do wish it was a 186 though.
Shoot, now I want a pair!
 

eskiutah89

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Interesting that all the reviews on this page (and others on this forum) are so positive....the guys at Blister were very unimpressed.
 

Ken_R

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Interesting that all the reviews on this page (and others on this forum) are so positive....the guys at Blister were very unimpressed.

I just read their review and I guess one has to read between the lines. I demoed the Rustler 10 188cm and the Blizzard Bonafide 187cm back to back on the same run (firm groomer in the shade still) just 20 min apart. Yes the Bonafide had a more GS feel, heavy, precise with great edge hold but the Rustler was not that far off in stability and edge hold. It was however more versatile in that I could bend it more into a wider range of turn shapes and felt more fun overall. I could still handle the Bonafide and coax it into shorter turns but it felt a tad more serious. As a OSQ no question I would pick the Rustler. It just has a much wider performance envelope than the Bonafides which to me are more of a hard snow ski with some off trail and softer snow capability. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.
 

Ron

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fwiw- a 102-104 ski is a powder ski for me. I have very little interest in how this ski would perform on a groomer let alone a firm groomer.
 

chilehed

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fwiw- a 102-104 ski is a powder ski for me. I have very little interest in how this ski would perform on a groomer let alone a firm groomer.
Well, yeah, but I tested in the conditions I had. And it's not like they're so wide that decent groomer performance is a totally unreasonable thing to look for.
 

Ron

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Oh, i didnt mean that as directed to you. Yep you can only ski whatcha got when you demo. My comment was more of a statement
 

Stev

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Here is a copy of my Rustler 10 review from another thread:

Here is my mini-review of the Rustler 10.
Stev skiing toward a pond at the edge of Upper Highland Lake on September 10, 2017.
hl910IMG2655crcrr091017hl.jpg

This is the 11th run of the day and the fourth run I did while getting to demo the Blizzard Rustler10, 102 in 180cm. I felt comfortable on this ski right away. It was easy to turn, stable, had good edge hold, and a lot fun to ski. As you can see I am confident that I can easily make a last minute turn if I decide not to pond skim. Thank you Spence.

While I still don't know about groomer or powder performance, I'd guess that the Rustler 10 would perform well in both. It is a versatile ski.

Since then I have skied low-tide chalky snow at Northstar and grippy groomers at Heavenly on this ski. This ski can slarve the chalk and rail the groomers. This ski is versatile and inspires confidence.

Next up will be recreating the original poster's review when I bring my Rustler 10s to ski in Vermont the first week of January.
 

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