'Tis the dam season. January 5th marked our first day back on snow testing new products. For obvious reasons, testing season is our favorite season, and we were so stoked to be out with the crew from Blizzard-Tecnica for our first official test. We spent the day cruising around Sugarbush Resort, skiing the new Rustler and Sheeva line. Updated from the 22/23 model, we can assure you these skis absolutely rip. 

Initially released in 2017/2018, the Rustler has been part of the Blizzard lineup for a while now, but this year marks a big change for them. Next season Blizzard will debut six new skis — 9, 10 and 11 for both the Rustler and Sheeva. Each has been upgraded to a TrueBlend Freeride wood core, complete with Fluxform construction. A lot of fancy terminology that just means the inner structure of the ski has changed. The core is now a 3 wood blend (poplar, beech and paulownia) with 3 sheets of titanal positioned for optimal stability and power. The Sheeva will be the same, just with less metal for a lighter, more playful feel. 

Last year, our crew had the opportunity to test prototypes of these skis at Saskadena Six. It was an epic day of testing that has gone on record as being one of our favorites. We got to provide feedback on the way the skis looked and performed. Watching this ski grow from idea to production has been awesome. 

TSM founders Eric Gerrmann and George Michaelsen spent the first test day skiing the old and new Ruslters and Sheevas back to back to see if they could notice the differences. 

 “It's amazing on the new Rustler, specifically the Rustler 9, how much more I can step on those skis and truly tip them up at a high edge angle and really trust that that thing is going to hold and arc a turn,” said George later in the month when we interviewed Blizz/Tec product manager Christian Avery on The Boston Ski Party Podcast. 

Eric agreed that the new 9 can carve really well, specifically highlighting its frontside performance. What struck him most was that the ski didn't lose any playfulness from the old version to the new, even though the new ones feel more stable, more precise and more balanced. 

“The 9 is one of the most impressive skis I’ve skied on,” said George, high praise for the Blizzard crew who managed to take an already sick ski and make it sicker — not an easy thing to do.

Eric said that he predicts the Rustler 9 and Rustler 10 to be a top ski for everybody this year. “They are just really fun," he said. "They hold an edge, are very versatile and great at high speeds. Blizzard crushed the construction with these."

Test day 2 was also spent on the Rustler series, this time at Sunapee comparing them to Elan’s new line — the Playmaker series. A brand new ski from Elan for 23/24, the Playmaker will come in 2 waist widths — 91 and 101. With more of a twin-tip shape compared to their flagship Ripstick, it is a true all-mountain ski that will be a good competitor to another industry fave, the Atomic Bent Chetler 100. 

"The Playmaker is easy, light and an awesome addition to Elan's line," said Eric. "It does hold a nice edge at speed, but you have to get it up at a higher angle to lock it in. It's not as strong at lower angles, but once you get it up it grips nicely." 

Testing them back to back it was clear that the Rustler has a bit more power, but the Playmaker (as it says in the name) has more play. Both are all-mountain skis that are designed for slightly different skiers who both want to rip and feel confident on the mountain. While it is too early to tell, it is expected that the Playmaker will be on many of our crew's Top 5 lists come the end of the season. Can it beat out the Ripstick? A ski that continually gets top marks from us. Will we see more Rustlers or Playmakers on these lists? Only time will tell. Regardless we are stoked to keep skiing and even more stoked to introduce both of these new skis to our customers next season. 

These early test days set a high bar for the rest of the season. Follow @theskimonster on Instagram to see where and what we'll be testing next.

For any gear questions, book an appointment to see us in Boston or contact one of our gear experts!