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2021 Blossom White Out

SkiTalk Test Team

Testing skis so you don't have to.
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The Blossom White Out has an underground following like few skis do. A look into the ski lockers of Pugski.com's Colorado testers will reveal more than one pair. Why does that mean anything? Well, because even though these skiers have unlimited access to our test fleet, they chose to spend their own money on a pair of Blossom White Outs. To me, that says a ton. I'm not sure how much more you need to know, but even though I may have struck oil, I will keep drilling.

The Blossom White Out is an evolution of the retired 77mm Wind Shear, whose 124-77-110 shape dates back to the mid-2000s; two skis ran concurrent in the collection for a few seasons. The White Out retains the 77mm waist but goes with a broader 131mm tip and a 111 tail. The Blossom logo and White Out graphics are new for 2020, but the stellar performance remains. Where you are making out with these new Blossoms, because they are selling direct at this point, you are getting a premium-level ski for a commoner’s budget.

Philpug: On-snow feel is what you would expect from any premium ski: solId, smooth, and connected. All it takes is a thought and these skis will do whatever you want them to do. If you are looking for an alternative to some of the more popular skis in the premium 80mm class, here is your opportunity.

Insider tip: Take advantage of the very good Vist Speedlock binding system. It does enhance the ski’s hard-snow performance.​
 
Awards
Who is it for?
Those looking for a premium ski for a value price. (Uh, who isn’t?)
Who is it not for?
Maybe someone who can’t get past the name Blossom?
Skier ability
  1. Advanced
  2. Expert
Ski category
  1. Race
Ski attributes
  1. Groomers
  2. Moguls
  3. Trees
Segment
  1. Men
  2. Women

Specifications

right ad
Available sizes
158, 164, 170, 176, 182
Dimensions
131-77-111
Radius
14m@170cm
Rocker profile
  1. Full camber
Construction design
  1. New graphics
Binding options
  1. Flat
  2. System

Tom Co.

life's new window
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Apr 14, 2016
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629
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Seattle
We have a dealership here in Seattle that sells Blossom skis, and I was lucky enough to get a pair of White Outs to demo a couple of years ago. These are great skis. I ski a lot of bumps and was looking for a narrower ski that was good in the bumps and could bomb groomers. This ski really fit the bill. It's forte is hard pack, but not icey, to spring snow and soft snow, but not too deep. It has more of a GS sidecut, but you can still whip it around in tight moguls. The White Out has a nice big sweet spot and it rewards a balanced stance. If you like to go fast on the groomers there are faster more stable skis out there, but it does quite well. I skied the Blossons for a whole day and like them so much that I went to the shop guy and offered to buy the demos. It was the end of the season and he was more than happy to sell them to me at a great price.

Bottom line: these skis are a hoot.

Link to the dealer
 

Kyle

Out on the slopes
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Jan 28, 2016
Posts
459
Location
Utah
Terrific ski—this Is my designated ski for our annual Sun Valley trip and it also gets a fair amount of local usage in between storms. I got a killer deal on mine buying from @Jean-Benoit as well. I am a big fan of quality skis in a 76-78mm width and feel like they are overlooked by too many western skiers.
 

no edge

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May 17, 2017
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It's a race ski but it is considered to be a bump ski as well. Is it softer than typical race skis and I wonder what the construction is like. It must have plenty of metal. Sounds fun though. Good discussion.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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F71F47A9-B42B-42D1-AF6A-74756BFB4CBF.jpeg
Long term update: I have been begrudgingly been a fan of this ski since with introduced. Begrudgingly? Because it took the place of one of my favorite skis of all time the Windshear (124/77/110). It was tough to give up the loyalty because the White Out is just a better ski and I didn't want to admit until now. Ahhhh, it feels good to get that out.

The White Out that I got to ski in this update was a special beast, it was @Blossom Skis's personal pair set up very well the way I would if I was looking to build a ski that is hell bent skiing mach speed in almost any conditions. Why, it could have been the race tune but mostly I think it was the stellar Vist Speedlock plate with the V412 binding.

If you are looking for a special combo of a ski that will reward you in spades, I highly suggest this combo. With Blossom's direct to consumer pricing, you can get this killer set up for about what you are paying for some of the more well known skis in the segment.

Oh, the review. the 131mm tip's turn in on the White Out is again just sublime, so smooth. Having skied many skis from this factory, nothing suprises me about their performance, just every time I get on them it jsut reassures me how good and accurate these skis are. We talk a lot about numbers with skis and many times I say they can be deceiving but I can say with confidence, when you read Blossom's published numbers, they are exactly what you will experience with their skis.
 

tch

What do I know; I'm just some guy on the internet.
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Nov 13, 2015
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New England
C/C with Stockli AX?
may be looking for next ski after my MX78’s finally ski off into the sunset.
 

Noodler

Sir Turn-a-lot
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Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Posts
6,314
Location
Denver, CO
C/C with Stöckli AX?
may be looking for next ski after my MX78’s finally ski off into the sunset.

I can give it a shot. I just gave back the White Outs that I had borrowed from a buddy last season before the Covid lockdowns hit and the ski slopes closed. My experience on both skis isn't extensive, but I have had a handful of days on both skis and my impressions are fairly fresh. Note that both skis I've been on are the 2020 versions (although I did get to test the 2021 AX for a few laps last season).

The White Out for me is like having the "easy button". It's one of the very few skis where I can confidently say that I would be comfortable taking it anywhere in any type of condition; a true all-mountain ski. Although the waist may seem narrow, there's a lot of tip up front and that's followed by an easy releasing tail. The tip and tail shapes are what makes this ski perform as a great carver, but without fear of punishment. There's a lot of tip cut here, so it will easily build a nice arc without requiring a ton of edge angle. It pulls off this feat without being hooky since the widest portion of the tip occurs before tip turn up. The flex pattern and stiffness are perfect for my body weight and typical skiing speeds. There's energy in this ski without it requiring a ton of work to manage it. It might not have the precision of a race carver or the playfulness of a wider ski with some rocker, but it's quite competent across a wide swath of duties and would work well for a variety of skiers types and skill levels.

The Laser AX feels more substantial underfoot to me. There's an obvious race-room heritage in this layup and a higher top-end than the White Out. However, it takes a bit more skill to get everything out of this ski that it is capable of. That doesn't mean that the entry price is high for this ski. Many skiers have found a happy home on the AX even if they might not get everything out of it; they all appreciate the sublime smoothness and calm demeanor it can provide even on sketchy snow. For me this is one of the key indicators of the capabilities of a ski; if it can make a crappy snow day feel glorious, I know it's something special. The AX can do that without breaking a sweat. It can handle the ice, the crud, and the perfect corduroy with equal aplomb. At my body weight and typical skiing speed, there is more energy/rebound in the AX. It can be a downright exciting ski when I've got my skiing chops turned up to 10. I've never taken an AX into deeper snow, so I'm not quite sure how it skis when the conditions go 3D, but I have had it in crud and old chopped up stuff. I know @Ron has skied the AX in some fairly deep conditions, so clearly it is quite capable. At the end of the day, I just love the feel of this ski on snow. It's fun to get that in a more all-mountain oriented shape that opens up more terrain option potential. I really want to ski the AX and AR back-to-back someday to see which I would prefer in the same available conditions.

I don't think you can go wrong with either of these skis. Clearly the White Out can probably be had for a lot less money, but you might find a great deal on AX as they come up for sale used now and then. So at MSRP, I'd say the White Out is the better bang-for-the-buck, but if you have an appreciation for some of the better things in life, go for the AX. You won't be disappointed.
 
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Philpug

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Would love to hear your opinion of which Blossom - Tail Wind vs White Out vs No. 1 RC - would be best as an East Coast One Ski Groomer Carver. And whether or not a plate is required. Thanks
Please read post 5 here which shoulld answers your question regarding the White Out with a plate.
 

JFB

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I skied @Blossomskis' personal Whiteout with Phil and @Blossomski this past week, along with the Tailwind, Crossfire and Numero Uno Lady. About me - I’m male, 6’ 0”, 140 lbs, 67 years old. Conditions were ideal for these carvers - gently packed corduroy, temperatures just below freezing and good visibility. All of them are superb skis - calm, fast, stable, strong, precise, predictable, carving machines that do what is asked of them and don’t surprise you. All of them urge you to go fast but handle the speed beautifully and fully support you controlling that speed. Each of them is a very different beast and each of them left consistently had me grinning ear to ear. But the Whiteout stood out as my favorite among them.

As Phil noted above, this pair of Whiteouts was mounted with Vist 412 bindings on a Speedlock plate and carried a 0.75* / 3* bevel. In addition to the attributes listed above, it was remarkably quick edge-to-edge for ski with a 77 mm waist but was not twitchy, had no speed limit that this old man could find and did not wander or grab on flat runouts. It preferred to be on edge and required more active control to skid (the plate and/or the bevel might have something to do with that.) I wouldn't call it "playful" because it wil get really serious quickly if you ask it to but it had a very nice bouncy feel to it. I also wouldn’t call it a bump ski but it was very manageable in the bumps. This would make a superb daily driver - take it anywhere on the mountain under any conditions.
 

Quandary

Out on the slopes
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Joined
Mar 27, 2020
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843
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Colorado & Wisconsin
I skied @Blossomskis' personal Whiteout with Phil and @Blossomski this past week, along with the Tailwind, Crossfire and Numero Uno Lady. About me - I’m male, 6’ 0”, 140 lbs, 67 years old. Conditions were ideal for these carvers - gently packed corduroy, temperatures just below freezing and good visibility. All of them are superb skis - calm, fast, stable, strong, precise, predictable, carving machines that do what is asked of them and don’t surprise you. All of them urge you to go fast but handle the speed beautifully and fully support you controlling that speed. Each of them is a very different beast and each of them left consistently had me grinning ear to ear. But the Whiteout stood out as my favorite among them.

As Phil noted above, this pair of Whiteouts was mounted with Vist 412 bindings on a Speedlock plate and carried a 0.75* / 3* bevel. In addition to the attributes listed above, it was remarkably quick edge-to-edge for ski with a 77 mm waist but was not twitchy, had no speed limit that this old man could find and did not wander or grab on flat runouts. It preferred to be on edge and required more active control to skid (the plate and/or the bevel might have something to do with that.) I wouldn't call it "playful" because it wil get really serious quickly if you ask it to but it had a very nice bouncy feel to it. I also wouldn’t call it a bump ski but it was very manageable in the bumps. This would make a superb daily driver - take it anywhere on the mountain under any conditions.

JFB, I match your stats although a couple years younger and 20# or so heavier. What length of White Out were you on?
 

Freddo Bumps

Booting up
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Joined
Jan 21, 2018
Posts
114
Looks like 72 based on my interpretation of where the elbows are. Thanks so much.
 
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tromano

Goin' the way they're pointed...
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Took till march this season to get these 182 whiteouts mounted and have enough firm snow time on these to mount a halfway competent review. Until mid Jan there was too little snow and I don't take new carvers out on rocky groomers no matter what. Then it was snowing pretty steady and I have skis for that.

Initial impressions were poor. I mounted on the line which turned out to be a mistake. I am used to a mount point a more towards the center of running surface than the blossom recommended line on these skis. The sweet spot felt very small and uncomfortable to reach. I was able to adapt after a day on them, but they never felt right and it ended up being too much cognitive work to keep them in the quiver mounted on the line. Decided to go fish (instead of cutting bait) and over the weekend I remounted with demo clamps at +2. Much improved.

About me: Big dude 200lbs+ like to ski pretty fast on the groomed 50mph cruising is pretty normal for me. Also expect a front side ski to be fun in bumps.

Review at +2: Tyrollia Attack2 13 Demos. Still on factory tune. Bingo. Sweeping GS turns feel natural and balanced now at speed, but they are not thrilling. Shorter turns in the fall line are pretty thrilling and intuitively easy. When dialing it back and skidding and being soft on the edges the skis behaves very well. Not a 1 trick pony. Fun bump ski. Checks the boxes for versatile frontside ski.
 

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