Blizzard Viva 7.7 Ti

Blizzard have been making skis in the Austrian town of Mittersill (a stone’s throw from Kitzbuhel) since just after the Second World War.

After initially being one of the leaders in the carving revolution during the 1990’s, the company went through tough times and several incarnations. Now it is part of the Italian Tecnica Group, but still makes skis in the Mittersill factory.

This development has once again reinvigorated the brand and lifted production quality from a slump in the early to mid-2000’s. The range has some fantastic skis for recreational to advanced skiers and the Viva 7.7 Ti, a women’s all-mountain model, is no exception.

In this tightly fought category, the Viva 7.7 Ti scored highly in our 2013 on snow test in Austria, coming in at third place. Its versatility, responsiveness and ability to perform both long and short radius turns makes it an excellent all-rounder.

It suits groomed runs more than the powder, but will handle deeper snow conditions if required. The tail and tip rocker ensure an ease of turn that makes them perfect for female skiers looking to improve their performance or perhaps instructors who need something good for demonstrating and one the areas it scored most highly on was edge hold.

Unusually, for a women’s ski, they are not brightly coloured, but instead a silky black, perhaps appealing to those who feel that pink just isn’t for them.