Blizzard CMX 10 IQ 2007 Ski Review

Model: Blizzard CMX 10 IQ (2007)
Size(cm) / Radius(m): 149/? 155/? 163/14.5 170/? 177/?
Sidecut: 114-69-99

Manufacturer’s Description of the Blizzard CMX 10 IQ:"The multi talented Cross Mountain carver: perfect power distribution and universal flex-distribution give an outstanding power - pleasure ratio."

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Reader Ski Reviews of the Blizzard CMX 10 IQ 2007
Blizzard CMX 10 IQ 2007
Written by Ski Review Guest on 02/09

The FIND YOUR SKI Expert on the Blizzard home page indicates the market towards this ski is aimed and evaluated for in this review. For Terrain, select Piste prepared and regardless of Experience or Gender it will suggest the CMX 10 IQ. Select any of the other terrain possibilities (piste not prepared, piste hard, or off piste/park) and it will not be suggested at all. The categories of Experience covered by the expert comprise Drifting & Carving, Carving, Race Carving and Freeride / Freestyle. Select any of the latter two and the CMX 10 IQ will not be selected regardless of Terrain or Gender. By contrast the CMX 9 IQ will be suggested Drifting & Carving is selected but not for Carving whereas the CMX 11 IQ will not be suggested if Drifting & Carving is selected but is suggested if Carving alone is selected.

Clearly then the Blizzard Expert pitches the CMX 10 IQ at the skier of prepared pistes (groomed slopes) who is at the stage of moving from drifting/steering/skidded turns to carving turns. An evaluation of the ski should mainly relate to the capability of the CMX 10 IQ in helping such a skier progress in this manner.

This reviewer is such a skier and I purchased a pair of CMX 10 IQ skis in August 2006, with this goal in mind. This purchase was made at my local ski store on the recommendation of the proprietor, who spent some time asking me about my skiing preferences and ability. I had decided to purchase there if possible so as to support a local business both on the general principle of supporting a local business if possible and in personal terms gaining the benefit of convenient after sales maintenance and service.

My one concern was that he tended to concentrate on Blizzard skis, although not to the exclusion of others, being as he mentioned to me he was the area representative for Blizzard. So there would have been a possible bias to suggest Blizzard skis and strictly speaking his recommendation was for the CMX 10 IQ rather than a different model Blizzard. It was satisfying to later discover that his recommendation was in accordance with that of Blizzards computer expert. To guard against the possibility of the proprietor being biased towards suggesting a pair of Blizzards on account of his association with the company I checked via email with an independent retailer in a distant town who stocked earlier model Blizzards. He rated them highly but did not stock the newer IQ range for a reason to which I will return later.

So my expectation was that I had the most suitable Blizzard ski for my needs and goals and that there was no reason (apart from the question mark over the IQ range compared with earlier Blizzards) to feel that Blizzards would be inferior to another make (say Head) for my circumstances, i.e. a skier of groomed slopes at the stage of moving from drifting/steering/skidded turns to carving turns.

The question mark relates obviously to the feature new to the IQ range, i.e. the rail bindings and the consequential need to take Blizzard bindings, a rather unknown quantity, with the Blizzard skis. I refer to my experience in this regard below.

In January 2007 I had ten days skiing on the CMX 10 IQ skis including five days on a ski improvement program. What follows is a brief summary of my experience of the skis and my assessment of how well they met the criteria set for them as outlined above in terms of the Blizzard expert and my own circumstances and goals.

As may be inferred from the above discussion the experience relates to groomed slopes only. The snow conditions during the ten days ranged from up to 10cm of fresh covering them for a few days, a day of wet snow and then bluebird days and nights for several more days during which the snow was naturally very firm with little softer snow at all on the lower slopes.

In all conditions I found the CMX 10 IQ skis to be very sure footed enabling me to be more confident than on the two previous skis I had owned (Volant T3 Super) or demoed (Head C160), in all three sets of conditions. Skiing the fresh was a breeze for me whereas previously I had always found I went more cautiously and in the same conditions the person I was skiing with, of roughly the same ability, expressed his slight discomfort. On the hard snow, towards the end of the period, there was no hint of clattering or edge slippage, just a sure grip.

In terms of assisting my progression from drifting/steering/skidded turns to carved turns, the objective of the improvement program, the skis lived up to my expectations completely.

Lastly there was the question mark hanging over the Blizzard bindings. I did have an initial difficulty with them, not in releasing from them but in engaging them on the flat. As I moved towards the ski lift the left binding released. Attempting to step back into the left binding again I noticed that the lug at the front of the left boot was not being pushed forward when I clicked the left heel down. Swapping the skis over it still happened on the left boot. My left leg is the slightly less well aligned and the bindings seemed to have trouble with that. I found that I had to hook the left ski with a pole to stop it sliding forward as I clicked in, and that did the trick. After some days I found I did not need to do this and in the only fall I had on a steeper slope some days later I had no problems stepping into the left ski, which had properly released.

In summary the CMX 10 IQ performed very well against the criteria it was meant to.

Blizzard CMX 10 IQ 2007
Written by Ski Review Guest on 09/29

are these skis any good i want to buy them

Blizzard CMX 10 IQ 2007
Written by Ski Review Guest on 04/09

I tried these skis along with 4 other makes, i was suprised at the performance and ease of carving dont get me wrong you have to work the ski ,these are an outstanding piece of kit.

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