Powder Performance
Powder Performance
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September 23, 2010
Pandora’s customer? The deepseeker. With a 115 mm waist—by far the fattest women’s ski in the test—and an early-rise, tapered tip that won’t hook up harshly in fluff, it’s a powder specialist, to be sure, ranking No. 2 in Flotation. The Pandora doesn’t so much turn as drift, smearing easily through trees and down steeps until the rider finds herself, smiling uncontrollably, at the bottom. It’s forgiving, too, making it a good option for powder novices. As for Hard-Snow Grip, where it scored last among winners...well, it’s a powder ski, people. Go find some. “Really sweet in the deep. Perfect for powder only,” said Wilde.
September 23, 2010
Gradual rocker from tip to tail is the Kiku’s secret to unsurpassed smoothness. It’s steady, damp and
humming with Völkl power. Testers scored it high in Flotation (No. 3), Crud Performance (No. 3) and Overall Impression (No. 2). It craves long turns and virgin powder the most, but when prodded, it’s not too stubborn to hustle through tight trees and bumps, too. You do have to steer it from exactly the right spot; but for those who find that spot, the rewards are rich. “A strong and powerful ski, it delivers performance in perfect fluff and the more-
challenging chop,” said Moscarella.
September 23, 2010
Some skis are like good party guests: strong personalities that light up a room, but too much to handle in a long-term
relationship. The new rocker-tipped Got Back—female counterpart to the Coomback—is life-partner material: easygoing, dependable and forgiving (No. 1) of even major mistakes. It’s not beefy enough to bust through thick crud, but its lightweight feel is easy on the thighs—and ideal for earning your turns, if you’re into that kind of thing (K2 skins clip into holes in the tip and tail). Intermediates, this is your mentor. Experts, relax and enjoy the ride. “Any skier will love it,” said Beale.
September 23, 2010
Rossi was among the first to incorporate rocker into a women’s ski (Voodoo Pro BC110). Now it unveils the S110W Freeski, one of the first women’s skis with rocker and reverse sidecut. Hence its funny shape: The tapered tip and tail smear better in the deep. With roughly the same dynamics as the hugely popular S7 (No. 1 in Men’s Deep Snow), the S110W is not built for versatility; it’s built to float effortlessly through feet of velvety powder, where it handles speed so well you hardly notice the trees are a blur. For deep-snow purists, it can’t be beat (No. 1 in Overall Impression). “It could float the Titanic,” said Dawson.
September 23, 2010
Let’s hope the still-small, reemergent Blizzard factory is fully staffed: These skis are going to sell. The redesigned Crush blows through everything in its path. All you have to do is look down your line, and this ski will take you there. Steep, tight trees? Chuck yourself in. Chopped up crud? Ditto. Groomers? It rips. A rockered tip and tail work with its sidecut for supreme contact on hard snow, making it the most versatile in the category—tops in Hard-Snow Grip, Crud, Rebound and Stability. And yes, it smears lusciously through pow. “I couldn’t go as fast as this ski wanted to,” said Beale. “What a standout.”
September 23, 2010
The first thing you notice is how huge it is. Then the scary clown. Then the tip profile: There’s almost no upward curve to it. The new Radict has traditional camber underfoot—about 60 percent of its length—with pronounced rocker tip and tail. The tip rocker starts 40 cm back and rises almost a full 3 cm—so high there’s no need for much additional tip curvature. The combination of width and rocker adds up to supreme flotation in the deepest pow. Testers had to punish it for lack of versatility, but still gave it the No. 2 ranking for Overall Impression. “Surprisingly maneuverable for its size; super fun,” said a tester.
September 23, 2010
The original backcountry twin-tip returns with minor modification this year. It’s fully, but subtly, rockered, with a long, gradual tip-to-tail bend. Völkl takes care to make sure rocker and sidecut work together: Tip a Gotama up on groomers, and there’s plenty of edge-to-snow contact for easy carving. But it’s built for soft snow. It surfs and smears readily in powder and smoothly manages crud. There were more dynamic skis in the test, but the Gotama won accolades for versatility and mellow user-friendliness. “A versatile tool for powder and crud—even carves on hardpack; fun and easy,” said Casey.
September 23, 2010
Fischer’s widest ski features a subtly rockered forebody this year, along with Powder Hull Technology—a tip shaped like a boat prow, the better to part the snow in its path. Given the 114’s size, it still lacks quickness, but that’s not a problem at speed in bottomless powder, where it thrives with a loose, smeary feel. The rocker adds a dose of maneuverability, and powerful skiers will love its beefiness. The construction is a surprising blend of power in a lightweight frame—wood core, metal-free, but with carbon-beam reinforcement. “Solid, stable and purposeful, with nice flotation,” said Gleason.
September 23, 2010
It’s still a lot of ski, but tip-and-tail rocker and twin tips give the Huge a welcome measure of quickness and forgiveness. Testers preferred it over the Legend 115, a non-twin Dynastar of comparable shape but with a more demanding, unrockered tail. The Huge was snappier than testers expected for a ski with so much rocker. That’s a function of Dynastar’s interesting leaf spring core profile (stiff underfoot, progressively more supple tip and tail). In
powder, it’s predictably fun and surfy. “Stiff and dynamic; light and floaty; a burly ski that doesn’t forget how to have fun,” said Malone.
September 23, 2010
If the Sidestash (left) is built for a modicum of variable-snow versatility, the massive Darkside prefers powdery chutes and north faces. This year’s version is rockered from just in front of the toepiece forward and cambered from there back. It’s metal-free for lightness and ultra-wide for flotation (No. 2). It barely tolerates hard snow and lacks quickness for typical inbounds conditions, but it’s surprisingly forgiving (No. 3) in deep powder. Like other big, rockered skis, it’s both a game-improvement tool for powder novices and an accomplished expert’s big mountain slayer. “Super sturdy, but skis easier than you expect,” said Preston.
Gear 101
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