Blizzard Rustler 9 Review

The Rustler 9 is best suited for expert skiers who enjoy exploring the mountain and skiing aggressively. Blizzard incorporates both their Freeride Trueblend woodcore – which blends beech, poplar, and paulownia for a lightweight, snappy feel – with their FluxForm technology, which carefully places four pieces of titanal in specific parts of the ski to prioritize stability. Don't be fooled by the 98-millimeter waist width – our testers could push this ski in any condition, easily maintaining their speed even in deep powder.

Stability at Speed

The Rustler 9 is adept at speed thanks to Blizzard's very specific Fluxform All Mountain construction. This unique structure tapers a layer of titanal from a solid core at the center to two individual strips along the edges. You can actually see the titanal strips that run along the edge of the ski from tip to tail. Our testers noted that the Rustler 9 was particularly stiff torsionally, offering a composure not found in other skis we tested that push the 100-millimeter threshold.

Like the previous version of the Rustler, you can still expect a bit of tip vibration at higher speeds on particularly firm surfaces. Rather than a detriment, one of our testers commented that this acted as a useful “feature” which helped him feel what was coming next, and actually helped him feel more confident at speed. The relatively wider tail creates a better connection with the snow, making the Rustler 9 feel accurate and planted through high-speed turns.

Carving Ability

Despite its relatively wider 98 millimeter waist width, the Rustler 9 transfers from edge to edge relatively quickly. The snappy flex profile of Blizzard's blended woodcore had every one of our testers smiling from ear to ear as they carved up groomers. This careful balance of power and feedback is also apparent when skiing powder – some of our more expert skiers describe the feeling of carving through deep snow, especially the heavier and often wind-affected snow we get here at Mammoth.

The Trueblend Free Woodcore is specially designed to increase flex stiffness towards the middle of the ski, ensuring solid edge hold underfoot. Although it took some patience to learn our way around the Rustler 9, once we were comfortable on these skis, our testers experienced no chatter while carving medium-radius turns, in practically any snow condition.

Of course, other skis built specifically for on-piste performance scored higher in this particular metric. However, the Rustler 9 still wants to turn and is much more responsive than most other playful skis we tested. Although it's not our first choice for frontside carving, we were never disappointed to look down and see the Rustler 9 strapped to our feet on a cold, crisp morning.

Powder Performance

The Rustler 9 charges through any of the subtly variable conditions you'll find during a typical powder day at the resort. Whether it was dumping all day and the snow stayed cold and crisp, or it was bluebird and the snow heated up quickly, our testers noted the progressive flex of this ski in every kind of deep snow. The Trueblend Free Woodcore is designed to gradually taper into a softer flexing pattern towards the ski tips. This technology, combined with the 132-millimeter width at the tip (of the 186 cm length we tested), helped the Rustler 9 progressively compress the powder beneath us as we moved through it, which keeps this sub-100 mm ski from getting bogged down.

The Rustler 9 is the most fun on the leading edge of a storm, when snow has just started falling with a lot more on the way. This ski's unique balance of powder performance and stability at speed makes large turns down an open face just as fun as twisting and wiggling through narrow chutes and trees. Its versatility in every snow condition is the reason behind its top pick award – our testers never once worried about snow conditions on the Rustler 9.

We often receive dense, heavy, and wet storms here at Mammoth Mountain. Even when we submerged the Rustler 9 in deep Sierra Cement, we were impressed at how this ski would continue to charge as hard as we wanted. Blizzard's carefully placed core materials result in overlapping stiffness zones in the Rustler 9. We believe this variable flex pattern is integral in preventing these skis from submarining in heavy powder, a tendency often associated with heavier skis.

Crud Performance

Based on its powder performance, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the Rustler 9 skis crud incredibly well. The strong edge grip and feedback from the front of the ski promote a consistent, confidence-inspiring ride. We always felt prepared for whatever the next turn was ready to dish out.

As with any ski designed for aggressive skiers, it is crucial to stay focused and balanced over your bindings so that you're ready for the unexpected. Traversing in low visibility is always treacherous, and we were happy on those storm days to have the Rustler 9 strapped to our feet. By keeping the speed down and our tempo high, the Rustler 9 remained stable underfoot while easily flexing in the tip and tail to adapt to variable snow conditions.

Terrain Playfulness

Despite its powerful build, the Rustler 9 is nearly as playful as some of the most energetic skis we tested. It offers just the right mix of pop, flex, and agility, all of which translate into a super playful ski. One of our expert testers commented, "Every hit and drop on the Rustler 9 was more fun than the last!"

The energy of this ski is most evident when flowing through rolling terrain or narrow drainages. The softer tip is forgiving on takeoff, while the slightly stiffer, relatively wider tail provides the perfect amount of support upon landing. Although none of the skis we tested are true park skis, the Rustler 9 may give your skinny twin tips a run for their money, especially on deep days.

Bumps

Moguls are the one place where the versatility of the Rustler 9 yields. The relatively wider dimensions – especially in the tip and tail – that make this ski such a star in powder are not ideal for moguls. Particularly narrow and misshapen bumps were difficult to navigate and required more skill and effort on the Rustler 9 than other skis we tested.

We tested the Rustler 9 in its longest length, 186 cm, which likely contributed to the difficulty of controlling this ski through tight troughs. Compared to the other 98-millimeter skis we tested, the Rustler 9 was a bit cumbersome to manage, particularly in sloppy mogul fields. Many of our testers noticed the tips “clacking” together when the bumps tightened up.

Should You Buy the Blizzard Rustler 9?

The Rustler 9 is a powerful and versatile all-mountain ski that will confidently support an aggressive and athletic expert skier. Blizzard integrates the right mix of materials and innovative technologies to create a super soft-snow slayer. Even with its sub-100 mm waist width, our team did not shy away from low-angle powder stashes. The Rustler 9 is ready to explore everywhere you want to go and is poised to handle whatever you find in the places you unexpectedly find yourself.

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