Blizzard Magnum 8.7 Skis w/ IQ 5.14 Bindings - 2009
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SKU:
Weight: 13 lbs 4 ozs
The Magnum 8.7 fits into our all mountain range in the 'medium width' category. More details...Price:
List Price: $1,400.00 You Save: $870.01 |
Color:
N/A
Size:
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Product Details
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| Dimensions | 128-87-113 |
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| Radius | 18.5m @ 174
19.5m @ 181 |
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| Waist Width | 87mm |
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There was a period in Tahoe last winter when it didn't snow but for an occasional sprinkle for almost six weeks. I had a Mag 8.7 and an 8.1 in my personal quiver for part of last season and I skied them quite a bit during that period. Although I skied over 20 different skis during that time, the Mag 8.7 was my favorite for a combination of hard and soft conditions. One cold, windy day in January particularly stands out as a day where I had both Magnums with me and they shone especially brightly. I got to Sugar Bowl pretty early that day because it had spit a few inches of snow overnight. The Lincoln Lift was on wind hold that morning so I went over to Disney. As I rode the lift, the wide open bowls of East Face looked like the wind had blown everything off so I just headed out on the groomers.
From the start, I have always liked the combination of grip and dampening that the 8.7 provides. On this day, with nobody in the way, I was able to hit the groomers at eye watering speeds. The 8.7 gripped like I was on a rail and it responded with just the right amount of modulated energy when it crossed under. The 8.7 feels very comfortable in GS turn shapes but as a few other skiers got in my way, I had to slow it down and break off those GS turns into some quicker shorter radius turns. The Mag was up to the task as long I was willing to provide the input. When Lincoln opened up, I made a beeline for the '58s' which are a set of chutes off the top of the mountain. The first few turns were blown off with some scoured old snow and half formed bumps. The Mag was solid and grippy through this section and it is just forgiving enough that it didn't want to buck me in the bumpy stuff. When I got a little lower and closer to the trees, there were pockets of nice fluff that had blown in among the chalky coral heads. In the softer snow, the Magnum likes to slice rather than float and it transitions well from the soft to the firm snow and back again. As the '58s' funnel down toward the trees, things start to get a little tight and in order to keep from hitting something harder than my head, I had to break off a couple of quick skiddy turns. Like many of the more hard snow biased skis in this category, the Magnum wants to grip pretty firmly in the chalky off trail snow and it took a pretty deliberate move to release into the skidded turns.
Generally, the Magnum 8.7 really shines at high speeds and on hard snow. In shallow powder, crud and mixed conditions, it is very good too but it takes a little more attention from the skier. The 2010 Magnum 8.7 comes with the new IQ max binding system where the binding is integrated into a wide, dovetailed channel that runs almost the full width of the ski. The prior 2009 model used the same system but in a slightly narrower channel.
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