I clearly keep in mind clicking into the Blizzard Black Pearl 88s for the primary time on a bluebird day at Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort. Final evening had been chilly sufficient for the resort to groom, however on my morning drive, I noticed that the maple syrup makers have been boiling final evening’s sap, which meant Vermont was in full freeze-thaw. The solar would quickly soften up the slopes and switch the day into spring corn-skiing circumstances.
On the prime of the Forerunner quad, I skated straight to drop into the black diamond run known as Nosedive. The highest few turns have been nonetheless icy, and I instantly felt my ski edges dig in, giving me management. This consolation set me up for a terrific run.
I carved by way of creamy snow, after which hit any icy patch, however the skis didn’t flinch. The place the snow was blown in, the shovel floated. After a couple of mild arcs, I discovered my rhythm and picked up velocity. By midday, the mountain circumstances had modified from delicate and creamy to spring corn.
The Black Pearl 88s didn’t miss a beat as I bounced from edge to edge by way of small, delicate bumps and ticked off my favourite blue and black runs: Liftline, Lord, Hayride, Dawn, and Perry Merrill.
Briefly: Blizzard’s Black Pearl was first launched in 2011. Since then, the ski has gone from a newbie ski to at least one that serves the wants of intermediate and superior skiers whereas nonetheless being beginner-friendly. For 2025, Blizzard tweaked each the development and the form for extra synergy with one other common Blizzard girls’s ski, the Sheeva. I like this ski as a result of it’s a predictable, versatile carver that now excels at velocity however doesn’t should be pushed onerous to carry out.
Examine the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 to the remainder of our picks within the information to the greatest all-mountain girls’s skis.
-
One of many top-selling skis on this planet in any class -
Designed from the snow up particularly for girls -
Is available in quick lengths
-
Not a fast handler within the timber -
Not the favourite of extra superior skiers
Blizzard Black Pearl 88 Assessment
Designed for Girls by Girls
Girls’s-specific designs are a core a part of Blizzard’s philosophy. Actually, 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of Blizzard’s W2W, Girls to Girls program, a worldwide effort to create and be part of a neighborhood of feminine skiers and outside fans of all ranges, “by being a reliable and credible supply for merchandise, training, and inspiration.” One of many pillars of the W2W program is to design distinctive girls’s skis that “encourage confidence and improve the expertise for passionate and dedicated feminine skiers and outside fans.”
The 2025 Black Pearl 88 ($700) showcases how each aspect could be designed for the girls’s all-mountain class. It makes use of a mix of woods within the core with extra stiffness underfoot and softer flex within the tip and tail. A girls’s-specific design and layered titanal assist create skis which might be concurrently the strongest and most forgiving. While you click on in and get going, it’s apparent these skis have been made for girls by girls.
Within the Subject
A Ski for All
Answering the wants of feminine skiers from coast to coast who ski something from agency groomers to chalky steeps to chopped-up bumps, the Black Pearl 88 is a ski that builds confidence. I didn’t need to drive this ski. I might simply journey it.
And when it’s go time, the ski accelerates to no matter velocity I select. That could be the Black Pearl’s biggest attribute: it’s a ski anybody can get on and really feel snug. It’s not jittery, wobbly, or twitchy. The ski has a planted really feel that lets novices really feel as calm and relaxed as attainable. And it performs when pushed.
Drive or Dance
Previous variations of this ski have been significantly softer. They have been nice for hero circumstances and skiers who needed a simple cruiser. However that’s what’s completely different about this Black Pearl for me; with out compromising this ski’s potential to cruise, it may well now additionally tear.
I had management, velocity, stability, and enjoyable on each run on an icy day. In broadly spaced woods, I might carve and wiggle by way of the timber. And on bumps, I managed to noodle by way of, although that’s not the place I would favor to ski these boards.
Most girls have smaller toes than males, and we feature our physique mass in a different way. The Black Pearl embraces that physiology. Every ski is tuned by size. Shorter skis are barely softer and extra versatile to accommodate smaller skiers with shorter boot sole lengths.
In distinction, longer skis are stiffer to accommodate extra weight. This ski has a clean flex sample that doesn’t lock you in; it delivers good pop and rebound. It’s a ski you possibly can drive or dance down the mountain.
Development
Supplies
The brand new Black Pearl 88 makes use of Titanal, however the metallic is in thinner sheets than within the males’s equal ski. It’s segmented into three sections positioned in two distinct layers. That makes this ski secure and damp from tip to tail.
As a result of the metallic plates shear barely as you ski, they’ve much less torsional rigidity. That makes getting into and exiting turns straightforward, pure, and instinctive. We by no means felt like we needed to muscle this ski right into a flip.
Examine that to the Volkl Secret 96. The model softened it up for 2024/25 to really feel extra like Blizzard’s Sheeva, which could be danced or pushed down the hill. The Black Pearl is extra of a hand holder, whereas the Secret is geared towards intermediate and knowledgeable skiers. When you’re rolling, it feels secure and managed at any velocity and can assist novices develop into it as they progress of their snowboarding.
Core
Within the core of the Black Pearl, dense beech stringers are concentrated underfoot for energy and stability the place you want it. They taper towards the tip and tail, giving approach to softer poplar. The result’s a wooden core designed to be stiffest underfoot and get progressively softer towards the ends of the ski to match the rocker profile and metallic layup for a clean, balanced flex.
As a result of the structure of the stringers is restricted to every dimension, each core for each size of the Black Pearl 88 is particularly designed. The identical is true for every width of Black Pearl. Each ski has a singular core, fine-tuned to optimize the efficiency of that ski for the skier who belongs on it.
Room for Enchancment
These skis are extra versatile than ever earlier than, however there’s a compromise to each ski. On this iteration, the ski is stiff. We examined it within the longest size (177), and whereas we might slither by way of delicate bumps on a spring day at Mad River Glen, this ski was happiest on groomers.
When the snow was chopped up after a heavy storm, the Black Pearl did job plowing by way of. And it was straightforward and intuitive to show, very similar to Atomic’s Maven 103 CTI, however narrower for higher onerous snow efficiency.
After a 6-inch storm, we skied the Black Pearl 88 right into a facet nation zone at Stowe Mountain Resort known as the Bench. They have been too stiff to make fast turns by way of tight timber. The Black Pearls aren’t meant for deep snow on this waist width. They usually’re stiff however not springy just like the Peak 98 by Bode, a blast all over the place on the mountain. For a skier who needs higher delicate and deep snow efficiency, go for the 94-waist width.
Conclusion
The Black Pearl 88 is as approachable as ever however provides skiers extra confidence and management. It rips groomers and holds nicely on tougher snow, higher than earlier variations. Hit a lump, and it plows by way of. It’s damp and forgiving.
Extra camber provides it a livelier really feel than earlier variations. And extra tip and tail rockers make it simpler to get out of 1 flip and into the following; whether or not you’re bopping between bumps or slashing, GS turns down contemporary corduroy. It carves in any respect speeds.
In the event you’re snowboarding deep snow, go for a wider waist width. The Black Pearl 88 is greatest for groomers, even when it’s piled with spring corn. It’s snug at velocity, however you don’t need to drive them onerous to have enjoyable.
