Frontside Trench Digger: Blizzard Anomaly 102 Skis Review

Not every skier wants a ski to be easy on them. While other ski brands swap metal for carbon and soften things up to appeal to a wider audience, Blizzard has kept expert carving skiers happy with stiff, damp all-mountain skis.

The Blizzard Anomaly lineup promises a slightly more forgiving ski. But fans of their previous models will be relieved to know they don’t back down much.

Blizzard put a more progressive rocker in tip and tail of the Anomaly to make turns easier to initiate and exit while making the ski more adaptable to off-piste conditions. But this is far from just another floppy blue-run cruiser all-mountain ski. Strong skiers will appreciate the pushback and dampness gained from the three partial sheets of metal and wood-blend core — beginners and intermediates need not apply.

In short: The Blizzard Anomaly 102 ($800) all-mountain skis are the widest in Blizzard’s new lineup meant to give these frontside crushers more versatility when venturing off-piste. It’s a beefy ski that stays true to its predecessors and likes its edges to stay glued to the hill, whether on hardpack or mixed conditions on the fringes.

Read our full review below, or the Best All-Mountain Skis Buyer’s Guide to see how the Blizzard Anomaly 102 stacks up.

Blizzard Anomaly 102 Review

The Anomaly ski comes in 84, 88, 94, or 102mm waists and supplants three previous lines of all-mountain options from Blizzard: Cochise, Brahma, and Bonafide. I tested the Blizzard Anomaly 102 for this review, but the shape and construction are consistent across all widths.

Those three lines were distinct, but this is a welcome simplification that lets skiers choose between the beefier, metal-laden Anomaly or the lighter wood-and-carbon Rustler/Hustle freeride lineups.

You’ve likely seen plenty of the Blizzard skis in ski shops and lift lines, which the Anomaly line replaces. The Bonafide, Brahma, and Cochise collections had plenty of devotees who will be left wondering if the Anomaly will be a worthy steed instead. I have to admit upfront that I previously only demoed the Bonafide 97 briefly, so I won’t attempt to be the last word on that question.

However, I did spend 10 days on the new Anomaly 102, mostly at Breckenridge and mostly on the hardpack groomers they’re built for. However, I did get them out into some tight trees, wide-open high alpine bowls, and a fresh snow day.

First Impressions

I’m a reasonably strong expert skier, and am 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, so I went with the 188cm length, which ended up being the right call. Though, I’m guessing the 182cm Anomaly 102 would’ve been just fine and a tad quicker side to side.

My first impression of the Anomaly 102 were that they were heavy, stable, and built for the frontside. Blizzard’s marketing copy plays up their off-piste versatility (which may scare Brahma fans). But the reality is that these skis are frontside chargers meant for secure speed and turning with technique.

Glued to Groomers

The Anomaly skis have a strength and it’s laying down trenches on the groomers. Literally. During testing, I’d run the Anomaly 102 for multiple laps on the same steep slopes and be able to pick out my tracks on the hill by their depth.

While there’s increased camber underfoot over predecessor skis that permits a range of turn sizes but reduces the effective edge, a bit of force makes it easy to use all of that edge. I was able to confidently execute quicker slalom-style turns and switch easily to sweeping GS turns with high edge angle without feeling any less secure at maximum G-force.

Because of the relative heft and length of the ski, I was more comfortable making the longer, wider, and slower-developing turns. Blizzard’s copy about the 102s backs this up, saying they’re “designed to make 4 turns where everyone else made 40.”

Confident in Chop

I wanted to keep the Anomaly 102 skis on-piste to enjoy their carving prowess, but they’re comfortable and confident on the peripheries of trails, where variable snow presents unique challenges and demands faster reactions. The relatively wider platform of the 102 width allows you to keep edge angles shallow and plow through and over chopped-up snow.

In moguls, you’ll be glad for the easier-to-release tails and tips, which let you scrub or dig in as warranted. In the longer 188cm length, the Anomaly 102 skis aren’t the fastest to pivot in tight trees or bumps. So, if you like the on-piste performance but want to stay nimble, consider sizing down within your preferred ski length range. You can even consider shifting the mount point a touch forward to reduce swing weight in the tips.

I tested the Anomaly 102 with demo bindings, which allowed me to experiment with positioning. Without sacrificing much performance, I found I could make them quicker edge to edge by moving forward a centimeter or two.

Somewhat Passable in Powder

The biggest limitation I found for the supposedly well-rounded Anomaly 102 all-mountain skis was in cold, light snow. With 102 mm, that’s a wide board in some geographic locations. But where I live in the Colorado Rockies, it’s middle-of-the-road for surfing pow. The shovels peak at 136 mm, which, combined with the increased rocker, should be plenty of surface area to stay afloat.

The challenge for the Anomaly 102 is that they have 2,240 g of weight packed into a relatively small amount of total surface area. Despite a gradual sidecut that results in a wide, 24m turn radius, the 102 width dove like a seabird in any light snow, finding bottom more than I would’ve liked.

The answer to this problem is skiing fresh snow with more speed and in steeper high alpine bowls. Where I could confidently gain miles per hour, the Anomaly design planed well for their width. Trying to make graceful, slow wiggles in softer snow at slower speeds or on low-angle pitches, however, didn’t work out well. It’s just not what these skis are built for.

Critiques

Beyond sinking in pow, the downside to their stable performance on-piste is that the Anomaly 102 are like a train on tracks once they get going. At 2,240 g per ski (188 cm), these aren’t the heaviest skis around.

But compared to more playful options, the stiffness doesn’t drop off as much in the tips and tails. I found they only had as much energy as you put into them. If you’re used to lighter, poppier freestyle skis, the Anomaly 102 will feel a bit lifeless, as they like to stay grounded.

Ex-racers and carving enthusiasts won’t mind, but it’s worth noting that the Anomaly 102 skis don’t like you to take breaks. When my technique started to break down after a long day of railing turns top to bottom, I’d be punished here and there by one ski or the other running off on its own or catching an edge if one leg lagged behind.

Like a pair of stiff, forward-leaning ski boots (or a high school football coach), the Anomaly 102s reward you for giving 110%. They punish you if you try to slack off too much.

Blizzard Anomaly 102: Conclusion

Fans of Blizzard’s predecessor skis will find plenty to love here since the Anomaly line borrows bits from each and even a little bit of tech from the brand’s freeride collection.

The Blizzard Anomaly 102 is a frontside weapon with a ton of horsepower for leaving your literal mark on the trail. The 102 width has some flexibility for making the most of mixed conditions on the fringes.

This ski makes the most of the hardpack and crud that send most casual skiers to the hot tub early. It’s a great option for Eastern and Midwestern skiers who spend most of their time in this zone. If you’re lucky enough to regularly ski champagne powder days and aren’t obsessed with carving, look elsewhere to maximize off-piste fun.

If you want a slightly more forgiving ski that shares a similar shape and performance characteristics, the M6 Mantra or Mantra 102 from Volkl fit the bill. If you’re not that concerned with the off-piste performance, you can also consider one of the narrower waist width versions of the Anomaly, which shave some grams. Those slimmer choices should perform even better on hardpack and corduroy than the 102 width. 

For other options in this wide-ranging all-mountain category, read through our advice and top ski picks in the Best All-Mountain Skis Buyer’s Guide.