Video Transcript

Hey there. I'm Lauren, a ski expert here at curated.com, based out of Bailey, Colorado. Today, I'm going to give you a quick comparison of the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 and the Atomic Maven 86C. What's awesome about both of these skis is that they are designed by women for women from the ground up. Not something every company can say, but that's what Blizzard and Atomic have done with these two skis.

These skis are often recommended together because they fill a very similar category.

Blizzard Black Pearl 88 Skis

So, let's get into the ins and outs of the Black Pearl. The Black Pearl 88 is going to be an 88mm underfoot. It's one of the best-selling women's skis year after year. This ski is incredibly stable. It has a layer of titanal, a type of metal, throughout the ski. So, it's going to be great in those icy conditions often experienced on the East Coast. It's also going to be great on groomers.

Where this ski really shines is in those groomer situations, but it really is an all-mountain ski, especially for the East Coast where they're going to experience mostly ice and groomers. It's very great in those conditions. It also will handle moguls and trees just fine for a Rockies or West Coast skier. It's also going to be great in those situations and is going to be right at home in softer moguls compared to the icy moguls that the East Coast might see. Because it is 88 millimeters underfoot, it will not perform great in powder or soft snow, but that's typical of a ski at this waist width.

So overall, who's the ski for? It's going to be great for an intermediate to advanced women's skier. This 88mm ski is going to be accessible and that layer of metal is going to keep it stable. Who it's not for, a true beginner is going to find this to be too stiff and too wide, and an expert is going to find this ski to not be damp and stable enough at high speeds.

Atomic Maven 86C Skis

So, let's compare that to the Atomic 86C, the Maven. The "C" in Maven 86C means carbon, so this ski has no metal. It has a layer of carbon instead, so it's going to keep the ski stable, but it's going to be lighter and more maneuverable. The 86 is going to be a little bit narrower than the Black Pearl 88, just by 2mm. So, it's still going to be that front-side focused, quite friendly because it's lighter. It's going to be geared towards really an intermediate, even an upper beginner who's ready to start getting on those blue runs and knows that someday, they want to push it to be an advanced skier. They will like this ski as well.

A true advanced skier will be fairly comfortable, but they will start to experience the limit of that carbon ski and might look for something with metal. So overall, this ski is a wonderful option for an intermediate looking to advance, even an upper beginner looking to advance. If they've already been out and are fairly comfortable, an advanced skier will want to take this off piste and feel quite comfortable as well. An expert will definitely not like this ski. They'll probably find it too narrow and that lack of metal will not give them the stability they need at high speeds.

Similarities and Differences

How are they similar? They both cover a very solid range of women, really that intermediate on any coast who wants to develop that skill and who is ready to go off piste, hit moguls, hit trees, but really prioritizes that groomer performance. And both are going to be lacking for that soft snow performance and for a more advanced skier.

So, I've been on both these skis, I enjoy both of them. I was very surprised at how easy it was to turn the Maven. I found the Black Pearl to be very stable and both are very much worth their weight.

So, which one is right for you? Well, that's going to depend on who you are as a skier and if you don't know, that's okay. Feel free to reach out to me or another expert here at curated.com and we'll help guide you to find your perfect match.

Comparison Table