Review: 2027 Blizzard Canvas 100

At this point, you’ve probably heard the news that Blizzard went all-in on a new freeride ski line that really breaks with tradition when it comes to how the Austrian company designs skis. The line comprises 3 models, and the new Canvas 100 rounds out the line as the narrowest waist width, retaining the twin-tip shape of the 108 and 118. As a 100mm-waisted twin tip ski, the Canvas 100 is the most approachable in the line and will serve a wide assortment of skiers well. Like the rest of the line, there’s no metal sheet inside (Blizzard breaks with tradition here), and a soft, very round flex makes these super easy to ski in most resort conditions.

It’s certainly light enough to serve as a backcountry touring ski, though the narrow waist and twin-rocker shape limits its realistic use case. Instead, these are an awesome choice for intermediate to expert skiers looking for a do-it-all twin tip ski to cruise around the resort with.

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2027 Blizzard Canvas 100 Specs

• Lengths Skied: 168cm, 180cm
• Lengths Available: 162cm, 168cm, 174cm, 180cm, 186cm
• Stated Dimensions: 132mm-100mm-120mm
• Stated Sidecut: 17.5m (180cm)
• Stated Weight: 1800g (180cm)

Shape, Flex, Construction

When designing the new Canvas line, Blizzard went back to the drawing board and completely rethought how they design skis. In the past, the brand’s products were known to be burly, stiff, and heavy skis aimed at mimicking the performance of a race ski in non-race settings. The Canvas 100 is the smallest member of the line and feels much more like a park ski than anything Blizzard has ever made. 

The twin-tip shape points directly at the ski’s freestyle intentions—Blizzard even markets these as skis to “express yourself” with. These have the most camber out of the three skis in the line, but still feature a bit of tip and tail rocker. Like the rest of the canvas line, there is no damping metal on the inside. The wood core is built from a Poplar/Paulownia mix, and the overall construction is aimed at staying light.

Flex-wise, these are quite soft for what you would expect from Blizzard, but are nowhere near as soft as a buttery park stick from say, Line or ON3P. Underfoot, there’s still plenty of stiffness to keep you locked into turns.

On-Snow Performance

Blizzard makes plenty of skis that are under 100mm underfoot, but those are all meant for high speed antics on groomers and race courses. The Canvas 100 stands out against the grain with a very playful nature. Sure, it can hold an edge on firm snow, but that’s not really the point. Instead, these want to be buttered around, hit rails and park features and find transitions all over the mountain. You know, all the things Blizzard skis typically weren’t good at in the past.

The 100mm waist width and softer, but energetic  flex is a dream on groomers. There’s a ton of energy inside of these, very easily on tap. I know the East Coast ski racers will scream blasphemy, but at places like Grand Targhee, or most mountains in the West, the lack of truly firm snow means a 100mm waist width is far more usable as an everyday ski than anything narrower. The rocker/taper combo in the tip makes turn initiation really intuitive on these—lean them over, and they’ll smoothly hook into a turn without tossing you in the backseat. Push into the ski during the turn, and they’ll pop you into the next turn happily. Unlike a lot of other freestyle-oriented twin-tips, these don’t require as much of a centered, upright ski stance. Instead, if you’re used to driving skis through the front of your boot, these will respond as expected.

In bumps and tight terrain like steeper trees, the shorter turn radius and light weight lend a very nimble feel to slither through where you want to go. The tail releases easily to dump speed or quickly change direction, and the bouncy, energetic flex encourages just skipping over undulations in the snow.

Tester Ian Greenwood says, “There are plenty of use cases for these: a park ski for a freeride guy or gal, a screwing-around spring ski, or anyone looking for a really zippy ski that’s super flexy and easy to butter. I also think it would be great for the crowd of dads and moms (or anyone really) who love energetic turns. At 180cm, I almost felt like I was on a slalom ski. They are far from a quiver killer, though, and I’d prefer the Canvas 108 for that.”

Where the Canvas 100 does fall short, however, is when the snow gets deep and cut up in the hours after a storm. There’s simply not enough mass in the ski to really punch through crud, nor enough waist width to stay on top of it. 

Comparisons 

The Dynastar M-Free 100 and the Rossignol Sender Free 100 both share a very similar footprint to the Canvas 100, though both feel much stiffer and more aggressive than the Blizzard. Where the Canvas 100 excels at more relaxed skiing and jibbing around the mountain, both the M-Free 100 and Sender Free 100 offer better high-speed and choppy snow ride quality, and consequently cater to more aggressive skiers.

However, perhaps the most similar ski out there right now is the Atomic Bent 100. Like the Canvas, the Bent 100 is a skinnier, all-mountain version of a line of already lightweight freestyle powder skis. Comparatively, the Bent 100 is even lighter, and comes off as a bit softer. The Canvas offers a bit of a smoother ride, whereas the Bent 100 offers more spring and pop as a park ski.

What type of skier is the Blizzard Canvas 100 Best For?

As a 100mm waisted twin-tip, the Blizzard Canvas 100 will make a wide variety of skiers happy. It’s super approachable, making it a great choice for intermediate skiers looking for a daily-driver all-mountain ski—but an energetic personality will satisfy expert skiers looking for a jibby, playful all-mountain freestyle ski. If you typically ski a resort with mellower terrain, lots of groomers with side hits and you’re not frequently skiing deep snow, the Canvas is an excellent choice.