WINTER PARK — To Colorado skiers, the “one-ski quiver” has long remained as elusive as the Holy Grail. Instead of a single setup, it took one pair of skis to cruise frontside groomers, another for pillaging the powder, perhaps another still for backcountry touring — all needing the appropriate bindings, boots, camber and sidecut.
But there’s never been a better time for the one-ski quiver. Binding makers are offering sturdy alpine clamps that convert into free-heeled climbers. Ski builders have fine-tuned their “rocker” technology, leaving enough traditional camber underfoot to set an edge on hardpack while raised tips float effortlessly above deep snow. These new designs could mark the demise of tip-to-tail rockered skis and a return to longer skis with properly proportioned edge contact.
While personal style dictates preference for the ultimate ride, next year’s skis provide a variety for the go-everywhere Colorado skier. Here are a few we found (in no particular order, of course) at last week’s SIA On-Snow Demo.
Liberty Double Helix ($759)
Liberty Skis is having its “Frampton Comes Alive” year, with record sales. The Avon-based company is riding its all-bamboo laminate cores to the top of the growing pile of independent ski makers. The wide tip and tail of the Double Helix surfs fluff and crushes mank, thanks to fiberglass and urethane layers that dampen any chatter. Just a slight rise in the soft nose ramps up the ski in powder and leaves a solid midsection that doesn’t slip on groomers.
Length demo’d: 182 centimeters; ski width (tip, middle, tail in millimeters): 150-121-140
More info:
Salomon BBR ($875)
Salomon wants to change how people think about skis with possibly the most versatile ski the French company has ever created. Named for pioneering designer Bertrand “Beber” Kraft — of X-Scream series and Pocket Rocket fame — the BBR turns traditional ski design on its ear with a comically oversized V-shape shovel, tapered tail, rockered tip and cambered footprint, among other innovations. Salomon doesn’t like to discuss the dimensions of this surfing-inspired ski, which may be for the best. The narrowest part of the ski is actually located behind the binding, enabling skiers to drive from the back seat, as many beginners tend to do. The forgiving BBR could be the best transition ski out there for terminal intermediates intimidated by wider planks and radical rocker. True experts may be turned off by the playful ski’s turn-inducing sidecut and will likely exceed the deep-snow limits of its narrow waist, but those looking to break out of the intermediate rut ought to take a test ride.
Demo’d: 186cm | Width: 147-88-102mm
More info:
Rossignol Experience 98 ($699)
Recognizing that the right amount of rocker makes almost any ski easier to ride, Rossignol introduces its Experience line (Temptation line for women) as an everyday midwide. Less radically rocked than the top-selling S3 model with an identical waistline, the Experience 98 offers 70 percent to 80 percent traditional camber along with “AutoTurn Rocker” in the tip. That means it will carve like a traditional Rossi on groomed terrain, but the ample 139mm shovel will rise out of the powder without a second thought. It’s a solid transition ski for traditional skiers interested in rocker evolution.
Demo’d: 188cm | Width: 139-98-128mm
More info:
Kästle FX104 ($1,199)
Designed by Snowmass mountaineer Chris Davenport, the FX104 delivers the best of both worlds. Two thin sheets of metal provide the Austrian brand’s traditional torsional rigidity for hardpack charging, while the lightweight construction greases the ascent for mountain climbers. Kästle widened the Dav-designed FX line to include the 104mm, which planes above the pow instead of plowing through it. Since relaunching in 2007, Kästle has drawn Davenport, Hugo Harrison, Griffin Post and Colby West to its pro team, warranting a test ride on reputation alone.
Demo’d: 184cm | Width: 133-104- 123mm
More info:
Ski Logik Howitzer ($799)
Made with naturally colored, sustainably harvested wood veneer inlays, there may be no prettier ski than the Howitzer. But here’s the hidden truth: The Howitzer skis better than it looks. Handmade by veteran ski maker Jeff Mazzarella, the skis are developing a cult following. Positively cambered underfoot for a bit of snap on the upside of a turn, with a hardwood core and two layers of carbon fiber, the skis are nimble and burly. At a feathery 1,975 grams per ski, the Howitzer is a viable option for uphill climbers looking for a big-board charger.
Demo’d: 186cm | Width: 137-110-131
More info:
Movement Trust ($950)
Fresh on the Colorado scene after blowing up in Switzerland, the now Boulder- based Movement is diversifying its vertical-laminated wood-core skis with an array of freeskiing adventure rides. The Trust (new for 2011) offers an early rise tip that floats the fluff while the cambered midsection holds tight on technical traverses. A truly differentiating selling point is the square tail, which doesn’t wash out like many twin-tips and gives that old- school snap at the end of the carve.
Demo’d: 186cm | Width: 141-108-129mm
More info:
Black Diamond Amp ($759)
When Salt Lake City climbing company Black Diamond shed its noodle ski reputation several years ago, it did so with a vengeance, offering up one of the stiffest, rowdiest skis out there: the Zealot. Today, it’s softening its stance a bit with more surfy, but stiff enough rides. The new Amp can butter the windbuff while clamping down on the hardpack. The hybrid design — lightweight but with sandwich metal construction — still embraces that hair-farming backcountry explorer while simultaneously luring the big- mountain speedsters and huckers.
Demo’d: 185cm | Width: 142-115-124mm
More info:
Dynastar Legend Pro Rider 105 ($800)
A straight-up big-mountain stomper, the new Pro Rider 105 is an everyday expert ski born in Chamonix, France. Significant tip rocker (30 percent) makes this traditionally constructed and cambered (70 percent) ski with two sheets of metal more skiable than it might appear on paper. Fans of the old Legend Pro XXL and newer Pro Rider 115 will discover what has been missing from the Dynastar line in the 105.
Demo’d: 192cm | Width: 132-105-122mm
More info:
Volkl Shiro ($825)
Fans of German-engineered Volkl skis have a lot to look forward to next winter with the retooling of the popular Mantra (now with tip rocker and a 98mm waist), Gotoma (softened slightly, flatter in the middle and raised in the tip) and Katana (slightly wider and stiffer with a bit more tip rocker). But it’s the new Shiro that’s likely to grab their attention. Filling the niche between Volkl’s midfats and jumbos (read: Kuro), the Shiro skis like a 119mm-wide ski only when it wants to. A full wood core, gentle rocker profile and lack of metal combine for powder performance, but provide plenty of frontside skiability with an effective edge that actually increases when the ski is flexed.
Demo’d: 193cm | Width: 151-119-135mm
More info:
Lib Technologies Pow NAS ($900)
While Lib Tech has long been ahead of the curve on snowboard design, the radically reshaped edge known as Magne- Traction is likely to leave many skiers scratching their heads as they scrape it across hardpacked snow. For a purely new-school skiing style accustomed to detuning edges as they slide over metal rails, the wavy edges shaped like crinkle-cut fries may make perfect sense. But skiers accustomed to edges without lumps will need practice to make them work. Lib Tech’s “reCURVE” camber pattern puts rocker in the tip and tail with camber in between, but the Magne-Traction edges shorten the sweet spot significantly — even in longer sizes. Best to test this ski on a more forgiving powder day.
Demo’d: 191cm | Width: 153-117-143mm
More info:
