Brand Spotlight: Blizzard
Blizzard Ski
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The end of a war and the birth of a new company
In 1945, the world was ready to move toward a state peace and leisure after the stresses and horrors of World War II. The post war era ushered in a new era of outdoor sports enthusiasm, as American climbing was born in Yosemite, Mountaineers completed landmark ascents in the Himalayas, and the ski industry grew and progressed. People returned to their homes and daily lives with a new sense of purpose and drive, which resulted in new businesses, innovations, inventions and industries. One such success story was Toni Arnsteiner.
Arnsteiner was born in 1925 in Mittersill, Austria. Â After World War II, he returned home to his small carpentry business. In 1945, inspired by the common desire to seek enjoyment from life after the war, Arnsteiner began producing small batches of skis in his workshop in Mittersill. Â Just a few years later in 1948, Arnsteiner started producing his skis in a factory and selling them under his family name. As the market continued to grow and the sport became increasingly international, Arnsteiner knew that if he wanted his brand to succeed and expand beyond Austria, he would have to select a name with better universal appeal for the international market. In 1953, Blizzard Ski was born!
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Innovation and Subsequent Success
From the start Blizzard jumped to the forefront of ski innovation. In 1954, they became the first ski brand to utilize polyethelene base material on a large scale. A high-performance variation of Polyethelene is still used for the base material of nearly every ski on the market today under the moniker "P-Tex." A few years later, in 1957, Blizzard pioneered the use of metal and fiberglass ski construction. These innovative ski construction techniques and advancements in ski materials helped Blizzard grow into one of the premier ski brands in the world. Blizzard skis began to find favor with elite athletes and were represented in international competition. At the 1958 Alpine Skiing World Cup, Frieda Dänzer won gold in the Alpine Combined event, as well as silver in the Downhill and bronze in the Giant Slalom on Blizzard skis. Later, in 1964, Christl Haas used Blizzard skis when she won the gold medal in the Downhill competition at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, as well as the silver in the Women's Combined.
 Hass skiing at the Innsbruck games
Blizzard continued to have success on the World Cup circuit and in the Olympics, while continuing to advance ski technology through the use of new materials and construction. In 1980, Blizzard released a revolutionary ski model called the Thermo, a ski that automatically adjusted to snow conditions. This ski was a success and was ridden to victory by World Cup athletes throughout the 1980s. Over the course of the following decades, Blizzard continued to innovate and advance ski technology with the use of materials such as Titanal, Kevlar and carbon, as well as releasing their first carving ski in 1996.
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Continued success and expansion
In the recent decade, Blizzard has introduced numerous innovations, had major successes in the international competition circuit and stormed into the expanding all-mountain freeride segment of the industry with award winning designs. In 2006, Blizzard introduced their IQ system, which featured an integrated ski and binding for incredible energy transfer, stability and vibration dampening. This revolutionary system was implemented into 70% of Blizzard's skis the following year. They continued to develop IQ technology and today, it is featured on all of their carving and on-piste all-mountain skis like the X-Power and X-Viva models. In 2014, this technology was recognized as Blizzard won an ISPO award for the R-Power Full Suspension IQ.
In 2006, Blizzard was purchased by ski boot manufacturer Tecnica, which was a mutually beneficial merger. Today, the various lines of skis that Blizzard produces have a parallel line of boots from Technica, complete with cohesive graphical identities and technical features. Both Blizzard and Tecnica found success with their Freeride series of skis and boots. In 2011, Blizzard won another ISPO award for the 108mm waisted Cochise ski, which is an all-mountain, soft-snow crusher. The Tecnica Cochise line of freeride boots has achieved similar levels of success as more and more skiers are venturing into the sidecountry. In subsequent years, Blizzard has expanded their Freeride All-Mountain series to include award winning Bonafide and Brahma skis; as well as the women's models of each of those skis, the Samba and Black Pearl, respectively. The Blizzard Freeride All-mountain line is an incredible, high performance series of skis that are perfect for modern skiers.Â
 In addition to the Freeride All-Mountain series, Blizzard produced a line of touring and exploration skis that utilize the same design and shape as the Brahma, Bonafide and Cochise, but with a lighter weight construction with the Bushwacker, Kabookie and Scout.  This line takes the same award winning shape, yet eliminates the metal sheets in the core for a lighter weight on the way up with the same great performance on the way down. Additionally, Blizzard created a line of twin-tip skis that fall under the same category as the other Freeride All-Mountain skis, but with functionality to hit the park or throw down on backcountry booters. The Regulator, Peacemaker and Gunsmoke are high-performance all-mountain twins that have found success in competition as well. Loic Collomb-Patton of France rode the Blizzard Gunsmoke to a 1st place overall victory at the 2014 Freeride World Tour!
 Mario Matt in the Slalom at the Olympics in Sochi
While Blizzard has gained an elite place in the freeride segment of the ski market, they have also continued to innovate and produce high-performance all-mountain carving skis and race skis. They have refined IQ technology, which is integrated into their entire on-piste/all-mountain collection. IQ technology integrated bindings and skis better than ever before, for excellent performance. Additionally, Blizzard is a major player in the World Cup racing circuit today, due to the high performance FIS World Cup skis that they produce for all disciplines. Blizzard also sponsors elite athletes like Mario Matt, winner of the gold medal in slalom at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.Â
Blizzard emerged from humble beginnings in the shadow of the Alps to an elite ski brand with a record of success and innovation. As skiing continues to change, Blizzard is at the front of the industry. By continuing to develop high-performance, cutting-edge skis, Blizzard will continue to take people wherever they want to go in the mountains.