24 comments on “2019-2020 Blizzard Brahma 88”

  1. Hi guys

    Thanks for all the effort. If possible I would be happy to see the Stormrider 88 thrown into the mix.

    I rode quite a few frontside carvers this yr. trying to find the right ski for me (after ankle pins and 15yrs out of the mountains) and the Stokli is where I finally settled. I would like a longer length for steep chatter and funky bumps are a bit intense but overall fun Sun Valley carver; I would be very happy to hear your take. Warm regards. Srm.

  2. Pretty excited for this upcoming deep dive, (i’ll likely even sign up again for that material) I demo’d and wound up buying the previous generation brahma after reading about it here a couple years back. Great ski. Does have some durability issues imo.

  3. Yes, I will be looking forward to the deep dive and really interested to see how the new Brahma might cover aspects of the Masterblaster and Ikonic 84 Ti .

  4. Hey guys thanks again for the great review. I now own a set of Brahmas thanks to you!

    I’m wondering what are your recommendations and experiences with the tune on these? I had a blast on them yesterday in shitty refrozen conditions but they felt a little edgy with the factory tune…

    • Hey guys, an update on this: I detuned some more but no effect. Got out out the straight edge and bingo! Tip and tail were super edge-high (maybe something to do with the carbon sections?). Anyway, a pretty aggressive base grind or two later and happy days! Completely different ski.

      • Hi Scott. My experience with the Brahma was identical to yours! Rail high in all portions of the ski beyond the bindings. AND, bases over beveled (maybe 1.5+). Side bevels had to be in the 4 degree range? What a mess! I did about 2 hrs/day of hand work over a 2 week period of time flattening the ski and establishing 1/3 bevels. Wow. Great ski now. The shovels pull through, I can change radius mid-turn, release tails on-demand. I can feel the belly of the ski respond to grip and edge angle (torsion), and I’m smiling ear to ear just thinking about how well these ski with a thoughtful setup. I am even willing to call this ski “playful”. I felt compelled to respond to your comments because I wanted to further document this issue for other skiers who may be experiencing the same quality control problem with their Brahma’s.

  5. It’s almost impossible for skis to technically be edge high nowadays. When skis have rockered sections those sections don’t get as much pressure when they are being fed through the factory finishing machines so they tend to have some cupping but more so than that they tend to have less base bevel as there just isn’t the same amount of pressure put on these rockered sections. There is no reason to regrind these skis but they tend to need a touch more base bevel in the rockered sections as well as a little detune with a gummy or some sand paper. Unless you are dealing with an incredibly competent shop (there aren’t many) you run the risk of doing more damage to the skis by having them reground and done poorly. The finish on all Blizzards from the factory is some of the best in the industry. With just a few easy tweaks that can be done by hand in 20 minutes they can be completely dialed… trust me I’ve done it to 500+ pairs.

  6. Any plans to get on the 187 Brahma ? At 6’2, 195 lbs I feel like the 180 will feel a little short, and I’m curious if the 187 is a much burlier ski,like your reviews of the previous Brahma seemed to say. I’ve skied the old 187 bushwhacker and kabookie years ago and enjoyed them both, but haven’t skied a 187 bonafied or Brahma. Thanks

    • Karl, this is probably after the fact, since it’s now Jan ’19. I’m not 6’2″, but when I purchased the Brahma, I weighed 260, and I went with 187. I was impressed that I could power these things through anything, and in the mid-afternoon soft crud when I typically took a break until it cooled…these things jammed. That was last year.

      Flash forward to this year, and I now weigh 182, so what to do on a pair of 187s? Nothing. I hear some say these are edgy. Hmmm, haven’t noticed. So far I’ve skied 14″ fresh pow, hard pack pow on the groomers, ice on near vertical, and through the timber. I cannot say enough about the Brahma, and mine are 2017-18s.

      Here’s the thing, Jonathan Ellsworth reviewed the 2017-17 Brahma for Blister back in ’15, and Jonathan recommends mounting the binding 1 to 1.5cm forward to assist in bumps and turns, so I had mine mounted 1.5cm forward based on his recommendation. I can’t compare if I had them at zero. All I know is the Brahma is the best all-mountain ski I have experienced.

      For more info on whether to go with 180 or 187, read Ellsworths’s review. Granted it is an older model, but I think it is still pretty applicable: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2014-2015-blizzard-brahma

  7. Have you guys experimented with mount points at all? I typically like skis mounted less far back than these and my past carver was a Rossi Experience 88, which has a more forward mount point. I would love to mount this at -8ish, do you think it will mess with the ski performance too much? Thanks!

  8. I’m interested in the Brahma for hardback conditions. I thought it had some camber under foot, but the label on the wrapper of the skis says “flat”. Do they make cambered version and a flat version?

  9. I can vouch for the hard snow performance of the 180cm Brahma. Rode it in the Thredbo Top-to-Bottom last year and it held up well for a non-race ski. Conditions were firm with some ice patches higher up. Was clocked just over 90km/hr through middle slopes where the course was softening a bit. If I didn’t crash in a collision I mighta finished with an OK time…

  10. Looking to build out a 2-ski quiver…I picked up a pair of 180cm Brahma’s (cover the under 90mm gap with versatility) and looking to add something in the 100cm range. Nordica Enforcer 100 seems like the natural choice along with maybe the Bonafide (or too much overlap?). Any recommendations on a +/- 100cm waisted ski to go along with the Brahma?

  11. This is my first ever comment & I am really impressed with the Blister Reviews! I purchased a pair of Line Influence 105 (179) skis based on the reviews & great deal I received on the skis & I must say that they are great. I was looking to add something narrower for groomers/lack of snow days & demoed the 180 Bonafide, 180 Mantra, 177 Enforcer 100 & 93 as well as the 180 Brahma. The Enforcers were at the top until I decided to take out a pair of 2017-18 173 Brahmas. It was like finding a long lost friend! For me it was the perfect combination of length, stiffness & turn radius that I did not think was possible. I assume it is the stiff nature of the ski that allowed me to go down in size & still be able to make GS turns at high speed. I am very impressed with these skis & cant wait to carve up some more slopes!

    • I’ve had a pair since 2016 & love them. I skied Vokl Tiger sharks previously & haven’t lost a thing on high speed groomers carving GS turns at 60mph. Then get in the bumps & they turn on a dime. Recently tried some 2019 Nórdica Enforcer 88’s & no comparison. Thinking about the new 2020 Brahmas now. Love the Brahmas & recommend them to any all mountain skier looking for a ski that does it all. FYI, I’m 5’8” 185#’s & 55 years old so I can’t speak for a millennial type skier. great for old guys though!

  12. Bit late on this, but was reading the site on some other stuff recently. Read this review and was looking for an additional ski for variable days with the stability to handle crud and chop. I probably would still consider the Enforcer 100 my all mountain go to, but I’m super happy with this addition — because I really needed another ski :) The review is spot on — these charge great on piste and can still blast through the chop. I’ve taken them through some more technical and tight spaces and they hold great. I have not ridden them in powder and feel if the conditions merit it, I’d still err on the side of a wider ski, but it’s good to know that the option is there. Thanks for all the details in your review. Very happy with the purchase.

  13. The new Brahma is an incredibly versatile ski for the advanced to expert skier being able to mix up turn shapes both quick edge to edge in the moguls and lay down solid high speed carving turns.
    Overall a powerful ski that can be skied with finesse when required-in a category of its own.

  14. I’m a bigger dude 6’ 250. I loved the Kendos last year and almost bought a pair. Another site recommended I try the Brahmas. What else should I check out? My skiing is less long fluid turns, more shorter pivot turns. Headed to Big Sky in 2 weeks.

  15. I’ve had the 18-19 Brahmas since they first came out and I absolutely love them. I’m 41 y/o, 6’0 / 195lbs. and am advanced / expert skier that likes to ski fast. The Brahmas are the most versatile ski I’ve been on and am currently looking for a fatter ski that floats better in deep pow than the 88 waist Brahma.

    I’m currently looking at the DPS 110 C2 / DPS A 112 RP, J’s Hotshot & Friend and the ON3P Wrenegade. I can’t decide if I want a charger or a more “slashy” ski like the DPS A112 as I already have the Brahma in my quiver. I tend to ski a lot of trees and bumps when not ripping groomers at high speed.

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks!

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