First Look: Blizzard Canvas 108

Spending time on the Atomic Bent 120 over the past month or so has me appreciating the playful, easygoing nature of a medium-stiffness, medium-radius, rockered twin tip. After some years of chasing excellent firm snow and steep skiing performance, the pendulum swings back, and I’ve been craving something like the Bent in a more “daily driver” dimension. 

Enter the Canvas. Blizzard fans, ski tourists in particular, wouldn’t be wrong to associate Blizzard with its traditional Austrian racing heritage. Their Zero G line is relatively traditional in shape and mount points (though the 105 is a bit more progressive), and their bread and butter is directional chargers, on-piste carvers, and race skis. The Rustler/Sheeva series is a departure from this paradigm with progressive mount points and some playfulness baked in, but the Canvas certainly takes this to another level. 

With artist-designed topsheets, a twin tip, and a progressive mount point, the Canvas is certainly Bentchetler-adjacent in design and target consumer, though the Canvas, at first glance, has a more burly construction and more of a “backbone” that I would expect from Blizzard relative to the svelte and somewhat “pingy” feel of the thin HRZN tips and semi cap construction of the Bents. 

Similar to the Bent, it is somewhat grey from a marketing perspective whether Blizzard is calling this a touring ski or a resort ski, but the weight is certainly touring-friendly at 1766g for the Canvas 108 in a 180cm length. The Paulownia-Poplar core is certainly a touring-friendly choice as well. The tip and tail splay is somewhat abrupt, relative to some of my preferred super gently rockered skis, but this is a different beast with a different purpose for sure. Half a cm or so of camber rounds things out for suspension and a bit of liveliness. 

I’ve got two days of skiing in pretty abysmal conditions on the Canvas 108 so far, and I might describe them best as what I had hoped the Black Crows Draco would be for me: floaty and playful with the backbone and edge hold that a cambered ski ought to deliver. The tails feel more locked in; they also feel a lot more maneuverable and “easy” at low speeds. Here’s to hoping we have more days this season that warrant breaking out the Canvas!

Specs 

Available lengths (cm): 168, 174, 180, 186, 192 cm

Weight: 1766g [180]

Dimensions (mm): 139-108-127

Turn radius (m): 18

Core: Poplar & Paulownia