REASONS TO BUY
Stable at speed
Powerful
Quick edge-to-edge
REASONS TO AVOID
Mismatched soft tips and stiff tail
Not very versatile
Blizzard Anomaly 94 Review
If you're willing to conform to a particular style of skiing, you're sure to have more fun on this ski than we did
Great for ripping wide open groomers, we had a difficult time controlling the Blizzard Anomaly 9 on anything off-piste.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
RELATED: Best Skis for Men of 2025
Our Verdict
Carrying over technology from the critically acclaimed Rustler 9, our testers were surprised that the Blizzard Anomaly 94 only offered glimpses of excellence. All members of our team agreed that there is definitely an identity crisis going on within this ski. While this ski is certainly “stable yet playful” at speed, there were other moments of pure fear while trying moves we were so used to doing well on Brahmas or Rustlers. The main issue is an inconsistent flex profile – softer tips coupled with powerful tails translate to an unpredictable experience in choppy snow. We're hoping that this first year is only an anomaly and that we can expect a better balance of precision and power out of the Anomaly 94 in the future. In the meantime, we suggest looking at other all-mountain skis in our review of this year's men's skis.
Editors' Note: The Anomaly 94 is a brand new ski to the Blizzard lineup for 2024-2025. Fortunately, we were able to purchase and test these skis ahead of their launch through the 2023-2024 season.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Blizzard Anomaly 94 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Men's All-Mountain Ski |  Our Favorite Carving Ski |  Best Bang for Your Buck | ||
| Price | $749.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $850.00 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $799.95 at Evo Compare at 2 sellers | $409.96 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $549.95 at Evo Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Exciting for fast, medium-radius turns, it loses its charm if you try to tell it to do anything differently | This legendary ski will help you overcome any challenge the mountain puts in front of you | A versatile design makes for a well-accomplished all-mountain ski that excels in the art of the carve | Strong, athletic skiers will be able to dance down the mountain on this powerful ski | A solid blend of performance and value for the intermediate-to-advanced skier |
| Rating Categories | Blizzard Anomaly 94 | Volkl M7 Mantra | Armada Declivity 92 Ti | Atomic Maverick 95 Ti | Salomon QST 92 |
| Stability at Speed (20%) | |||||
| Carving Ability (20%) | |||||
| Powder Performance (20%) | |||||
| Crud Performance (20%) | |||||
| Terrain Playfulness (20%) | |||||
| Specs | Blizzard Anomaly 94 | Volkl M7 Mantra | Armada Declivity 92 Ti | Atomic Maverick 95 Ti | Salomon QST 92 |
| Length Tested | 182 cm | 184 cm | 188 cm | 180 cm | 184 cm |
| Waist Width | 94 mm | 96 mm | 92 mm | 95 mm | 92 mm |
| Dimensions (Tip-Waist-Tail Width) | 132.5-94-114.5 mm | 139-96-121 mm | 133-92-119 mm | 129-94.5-113 mm | 129-92-117 mm |
| Turn Radius | 18.5 m | 17.9 m (calculated) | 18 m | 19.3 m | 16 m |
| Available Lengths | 164, 170, 176, 182, 188 cm | 163, 170, 177, 184, 191 cm | 164, 172, 180, 188 cm | 172, 180, 188 cm | 152, 160, 168, 176, 184 cm |
| Camber Profile | Rocker/Camber/Rocker | Tip/Tail Rocker | EST All Mtn Rocker | Tip/Tail Rocker | Tip/Tail Rocker |
| Manufacturer Claimed Weight per Pair | 9.5 lbs | 9.6 lbs | 8.5 lbs | 7.9 lbs | 8.6 lbs |
| Core Material | Trueblend Woodcore, Titanal | Multilayer Woodcore, Tiitanal, Carbon Fiber | Poplar, Elastomer, Titanal | Poplar, Titanal | Poplar, Carbon/Flax, Titanal |
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Blizzard Anomaly 94 presented a flashy appearance with plenty of exciting social media presence ahead of its launch – an all-mountain ski designed to be “a wolf in sheep's clothing.” Blizzard borrowed from the Rustler series to tailor a new Fluxform layup for the new Anomaly series. They break up titanal strips into three layers, which allows them to sheer slightly above their patented Trueblend woodcore.
Performance Comparison
The Anomaly 94 can definitely cut a turn, but it prefers very specific turn shapes.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Stability at Speed
High-speed stability is the one thing the Anomaly 94 absolutely nails. Thanks to the tweaked Fluxform technology, this ski retains some of the DNA of its distant relatives by prioritizing stability at speed. Even with some flap from the softened tips, the feeling underfoot is the type of solid dampness we have come to know and love from Blizzard all-mountain skis.
High speed stability is better at high edge angles and on smoother snow surfaces.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
This unique construction offers a progressive and predictable flex in the tips. However, our testers experienced a “shove” from the inversely powerful tail, which was sometimes exciting and, at other times difficult to predict. As a result, we mainly preferred to stick to smooth groomers to make fast, large-radius turns.
Even though it took us time to get used to the flex pattern, this ski can handle high speeds well.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Carving Ability
The Anomaly 94 came with a high-quality tune fresh out of the wrapper – edges that were sharp but not too sharp, with silky rather than slippery bases. These details matter because it means that a potential buyer doesn't have to start by paying for a fresh tune in addition to their brand-new skis. We applaud Blizzard for setting up their customers with a tune that supports this ski's quick edge-to-edge capabilities.
The orange tip and tail denote where the camber underfoot ends.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
The construction of the Anomaly 94 is designed to provide “the right flex where you need it.” Yet our test team noted that the flex was decisively harder behind the bindings, which contradicted the softer flexing tip and forefoot. They all felt like this dictated an aggressively shallow turn shape, which also led them to pick up more speed than they wanted to as they transitioned between turns. This can be fun when you have enough space to let 'em run, but not so fine when you have to reel in your speed quickly.
Like other Blizzard skis of the past that we absolutely adored, the Anomaly 94 is quick edge-to-edge.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Powder Performance
The Anomaly 94 is decent in powder, with just enough float to get by. The Trueblend woodcore uses lighter-weight poplar for an easier flex in the tip, while high-density beech wood generates enough pop to put the ski back on the surface. Our testers noted this ski preferred a shorter turn shape and less edge angle through deep snow, which was totally unexpected based on our experience skiing hardpacked groomers.
This ski can manage through powder, but it would be much more fun if you were able to make shorter turns more easily.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Crud Performance
Skiing crud requires precision and power, which were difficult to dial in with the Anomaly 94. Our testers remarked that the softer flexing front of the ski can be unpredictable in choppy snow, with one tester going so far as to call them “scary.” At the same time, the beefy tail made it difficult to maintain a round turn – it kept trying to launch us into the backseat.
The tails helped us power through turns that knocked the Anomaly 94 off balance.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Blizzard's Alu Frame extends the external titanal all the way to the edge of the ski, which is designed to absorb side impacts better. While this technology may reduce chipping your top sheets along the edges, the Anomaly 94 regularly lost its grip during periods of heavy vibration. Coupled with an inconsistent flex profile, nothing about the layup translated to confidence skiing crud.
Despite their squirreliness on the ground, the Anomaly 94 was very predictable in the air.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Terrain Playfulness
It's tough to have much fun on a ski that you can't trust. Unless it's set on edge, the front of the ski vibrates with what one tester described as “nervous energy.” That squirrely feeling is further enhanced at low speed or during smeared turns, and it doesn't get any better when the skis start to vibrate, all of which can make the Anomaly 94 difficult to steer. At the same time, the super stiff tail makes it extremely difficult to conjure small radius turns. All of the above make it difficult to blend turn types through rapid changes in terrain or snow conditions.
Adapting quickly is not a forte of the Anomaly 94, which makes it difficult to coax through changes in terrain.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Should You Buy the Blizzard Anomaly 94?
Ski design changes over time. There have been many skis over the years that our team has loved that end up being discontinued. We keep a detailed history of things we specifically liked about those special skis, and then scour the market to find something similar. While we loved the Bonafide, the new Anomaly 94 needs some work. If you plan to stick to perfect corduroy for a few runs each morning, this ski will still provide the stability and sensation of Blizzard skis we loved in the past. Otherwise, we hope that the design can be improved because at this point, it's difficult to recommend this as an all-mountain ski.
What Other Skis Should You Consider?
For fans of frontside carving that still want to tackle the entire mountain, we suggest folks looking at the Anomaly 94 direct their attention to the Atomic Maverick 95 Ti for a slightly burlier ski, or the Armada Declivity 92 Ti for a slightly more playful alternative. If you're an intermediate skier aiming to improve your carving, check out the Salomon QST 92. It's a more polished ski at an even better price point.
—
Bobby Garrett
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