T2B: Mittersill Magic

Mittersill

Magic

Volume 1.1 September, 2022

A LETTER FROM THE TEAM It’s that time of year again. In many places, the leaves are changing, the mercury is dipping, and just like that, our brains are making their annual migration from boats and bikes to blower pow. There’s a tangible buzz in the air around ski towns when their inhabitants first start to sense winter’s approach, which is why we feel it’s the perfect time to share some stoke to help fuel the fire.

T2B, short for Top to Bottom, is more than just a cute little acronym. To many skiers, it’s a way of life. To the ski bum living in the back of their Subaru, it may mean skiing 120 days of the year, and sacrificing societal norms (and showers) to do so. For the dedicated weekend shredder, it may mean catching first chair on a Saturday, and being the last one standing at last call. To skiers, T2B is about squeezing every last drop. It’s about making every day, every turn, count.

To us, T2B is a philosophy. It’s a guiding principle that lives in every product we make. There are no shortcuts, no go-arounds. We’ve committed to this philosophy the same way you’ve committed to the lifestyle, and we believe that you deserve the tools that allow you to live it. From top to bottom, Blizzard-Tecnica products are specifically designed for you.

So it seems only fitting that we would name our first digital publication series after this way of life. Afterall, we’re living it too. We have a lot of stories to share, and we’re grateful that you’re along for this journey with us. Here’s to many more T2B’s.

Cheers, The BT Team

THIS PHOTO: Chad Sayers, Shot by Guy Fattal in interior B.C. ALL ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: Anne Wangler and Frank Shine

“SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED”

WE’VE NEVER CARED MUCH FOR COLORING BETWEEN THE LINES. We believe that skiing, like life, is far more rewarding when you carve your own path and find your own line. We’ve found our line in Mittersill, Austria, specifically designing ripping skis to give skiers like you the tools to leave your mark wherever you damn well choose. But the path that got us here hasn’t always been clear.

In order to get something right, sometimes you need to get it wrong a few times first. Other times, though, all it takes is a brilliant mind like that of Arne Backstrom to say something as simple as, “Why don’t we flip it upside-down?”

It would not be an overstatement to say that FlipCore changed everything for Blizzard. Arne’s idea to flip the woodcore prior to pressing the ski did completely change the way those skis feel. Pressing skis with the core “upside-down” essentially means the core is closer to its final rockered shape prior to being pressed, allowing for a much smoother and more balanced flex throughout the ski. But beyond that, what FlipCore really did was set a precedent for how all Blizzard skis would be designed from there on out.

No idea is too far out, nor too simple. FlipCore was the launch pad, and each project that followed helped to define Blizzard as a brand that creates specifically designed products to suit the needs of the individual skier. So go ahead and color wherever you want. Inbounds or out. In the trees, on the frontside, or in the backcountry - From top to bottom, Blizzard skis are specifically designed for fun.

FlipCore Process Video

Not just stamped on the ski for looks.

Each and every ski that comes out of the Blizzard factory in Mittersill is handcrafted from start to finish.

LEARN FROM YOUR SUCCESSES For a long while, we cut our teeth on the race course, designing high-octane missiles built to be the fastest on the hill. While the brand has since expanded beyond the gates with the desire to tear up the entire mountain, some of that high-performance DNA lives on throughout the collection. Carbon Spine, a technology found in the high-performance Firebird line, served in part as the inspiration behind the TrueBlend concept. If you can in-lay verticle strips of carbon fiber in the woodcore to control the flex characteristics of the ski, why can’t you do the same with different density woods? As it turns out, you can.

That’s Mittersill Magic.

CARBON SPINE

TrueBlend is a woodcore technology that delivers a specifically designed flex in every size of every model. By intentionally positioning different density woods at varying lengths throughout the core, TrueBlend woodcores provide the appropriate amount of stiffness underfoot and softness towards the tip and tail. The result is a very smooth and balanced ski that is meticulously engineered to deliver a feeling of confidence and control.

THUNDERBIRD PHOENIX 11 X 3 BEECH / POPLAR

Designed for ripping groomers from bell to bell, our Frontside TrueBlend woodcores are stiff underfoot to maximize edgehold and soften just enough in the tip and tail to ease turn engagement, providing for unparalleled on-piste performance.

BONAFIDE / BRAHMA BLACK PEARL 7 X 3 BEECH / POPLAR

Whether you’re catching freshies at first chair or finding stashes in the trees at the end of the day, our All Mountain TrueBlend woodcores are designed to be stiff and stout underfoot and become progressively softer in the tip and tail for high-horsepower boundary to boundary shredding.

HUSTLE 8 X 3 X 5

BEECH / POPLAR / PAULOWNIA

For the skiers hitting the skintrack before the sunrise to earn a few turns, our Freeride TrueBlend woodcores are dedicated to those that HUSTLE. Unique to the Hustle line of skis, this weight conscious woodcore blends three types of wood to create the right balance of performance and playfulness.

ZERO G LT 80 2 X 6

POPLAR / PAULOWNIA

Engineered specifically for our Zero G LT 80 models with the world’s most challenging lines in mind, our Tour TrueBlend woodcores are specifically designed to be ultra lightweight and provide a stiff, stable platform in the tail of the ski while remaining soft and nimble towards the tip.

OUR HOME IS BEAUTIFUL And we intend to keep it that way. That’s why the Blizzard factory in Mittersill is powered 100% by clean energy.

A 430Mw photovoltaic solar power system lives on the roof of the factory and provides for 30-40% of the factory’s energy requirments.

The remaining 60-70% of the power requirement is sourced from the Kaprun Limberg II Hydropower Plant in nearby Kaprun, Austria.

Handcrafted in Mittersill, Austria since 1945.

And we’re just getting started.