Sarah MacDonnellSHARE
Bodacious (top), $950 & Black Pearl, $750
Blizzard
www.blizzardsportusa.com
800-258-3897, blizzi@blizzardsport.com
Jed Duke - Director of Product, Blizzard Skis
Bodacious - Big Mountain Ski (men’s)
Ski dimensions: 142- 118- 132 mm.
Available length of skis: 186, 196
Black Pearl - All-Mountain/Big Mountain (women’s)
Ski dimensions: 123-88-110 mm.
Available length of skis: 158, 166, 173
Target market with the featured skis: All-Mountain and Big Mountain Skiers
Two-sentence description of featured skis: All new all-mountain/big mountain series of skis developed by Blizzard (concept by Arne Backstrom) which incorporates our new Flipcore Technology. We are literally turning the Freeride World upside down. These new products will redefining how freeride skis are built.
What’s on the horizon for next year’s skis?
Flipcore Technology is a revolutionary new camber (rocker) technology for Blizzard’s freeride line. Natural flex, reduced weight, and superior floatation in combination with extreme stability and performance are the immediate advantages of Blizzard’s new Flipcore construction. These benefits are made possible through a new production process where the cambered wood core is literally flipped upside down to match the desired camber of a rockered ski. The ski is then pressed in a non-forced, natural way, which allows the rocker (reverse-cambered) shape to be produced without having to bend or artificially shape the ski in a press. The end result is a rocker construction that provides a previously unknown level of stability and even pressure distribution that is incredibly easy to ski.
What are three of the biggest forces shaping the changes and developments you’ve made?
The market, the market and our athletes.
Any completely new models (including pro models)?
Yes, all of our Freemountain skis are new - the Bodacious, Cochise, Bonafide, Bushwacker, and the Black Pearl, a women’s specific ski.
Any disappearing?
Yes, the Blizzard Titan Zeus, Titan Argos, and Titan Atlas.
Jed Duke - Director of Product
What will be your best selling ski? Why?
Our best selling skis will be the Magnum 7.6 IQ, the Viva 7.6 IQ and the Bonafide. All of these skis hit the meat of the market in terms of price, performance, and target group.
Any new materials or construction technologies?
Flipcore Technology.
What are price points doing?
Price points are staying relatively fixed.
What market segment are you focusing on? How and why?
We are focusing on both the all-mountain and the freeride (big-mountain) segments of the market. The all-mountain segment is truly the meat of the market and provides the largest commercial opportunities for us. The freeride segment of the market provides tremendous image opportunities for us. We recognize that a majority of the energy and excitement in the market today is coming from this segment. The introduction of our new Free Mountain collection of skis in conjunction with Flipcore Technology should allow us to make a big step forward in the freeride segment of the market.
What types of skiing do you see leading sales next year (racing, all-mountain, park, etc) and why? How are you planning ahead for that?
We see both all-mountain and mid-waist width (90-105mm) freeride skis leading the sales next year. Both of these types of skis are what are popular in the market today. They are found at a wide range of price and performance levels. Blizzard plans to attack both of these segments of the market by bringing new innovation that will be offered at the correct price points. We are also planning more aggressive inventory positions for these products.
Loading ...