WHAT (WET) DREAMS ARE MADE OF
With the new gear guides starting to hit the mailbox we decided to jump in on the fun.
Below is a list of skis that have grabbed our attention as the best of the best. The list also serves as an insider’s view as to what’s been keeping us up at night. In no particular order… Part II to follow soon.
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Armada JJ:
126-136-115-133-121 | 175 |185
This one has caught our eyes for a while now and it continues to do so.
Though the ‘elf shoe’ technology is probably nice, we’re curious as to how it holds up on anything other than pow. 185cm doesn’t sound long but most reviews we’ve seen make it seem like just enough. The shortened rocker makes them certainly more versatile than the ARG, but not quite a one-ski-quiver (if it even exists).
Though we’ve never skied them, our concern is they lack a bit of substance. The hybrid sidewall looks a lot like the Dynastars of old that we were never fans of… For those of you who missed out on a pair last year (the 185 was gone immediately), fret not, the skis are unchanged with the exception of the graphics.
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Bluehouse The Shoots:
149-128-133 | 191
Not sure what the fascination is here, but this stiff flexing, flat tailed charger looks like it means business.
Born and bred in Salt Lake City (but conceived in China) the Bluehouse Shoots have received nothing but praise (at least when it comes to things that matter…). They’re stiff, heavy, and black. Just like me.
Though the build quality has been brought up as a concern, it seems to have been addressed. No worries, the Bluehouse guys seem to have the customer service thing down pat. If you’re looking for a serious big mountain charger don’t dismiss these rides.
No word on the updated graphics (the top-sheet construction and graphics are the only change for 2009-2010), but for $325 you can score a pair from last year.
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Rossignol Phantom Pro RC 112:
140-112-120 | 178 | 188 | 198 |
The newer, bigger, badder B-Squad.
The old B-Squad was about as respected as a big mountain ski could get. So, when Rossi added 8mm of girth to the waist, threw in some rocker to the tip, some rocker to the tail, and softened them a bit, they were potentially fixin’ what was never broke. No such luck here as the 112 seems to be killing it everywhere (and in everything). If you like going fast and straight this could be a good way to do so. There are a lot of naughty things we’d do for a pair of these. How naughty? Ask us…
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Nordica Jah Love:
167-140-157 | 185 | 193 |
Coming back unchanged, the Jah Love is a member of the ever smaller group of ‘traditionally’ designed powder skis.
Designers have done lots of crazy shit to skis recently. What with rocker, reverse camber, early taper, magna traction, and so on. Nordica is making one of two easily accessible full on traditional (albeit, GIANT) powder boards (the other being the Fat-ypus A-Lotta which we’ll get to…). No early rise here, no taper, no pin-tail, or anything else. Just race-type construction, traditional sidecut, huge dimensions, a refined flex, and a lot of float. Don’t be surprised if these are considered ground breaking once the cyclical design trend comes back around.
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4FRNT EHP:
132-116-122 | 179 | 186| 193 | [Note: dimensions differ slightly for each length, dimensions shown correspond to 193]
This innovative ski has been getting people unnaturally excited (seriously, read some reviews…) since it debuted. A few updates later we still likey. A lot.
Eric Hjorleifson is apparently a bit anal about his ski designs. That’s a good thing for us. Not the fattest ski on the rack, the pin-tail design lets it slash and slide on demand in any amount of fresh snow. Surprisingly light for a relatively big (and relatively stiff) ski, the zero camber underfoot allows the ski to track an edge despite the tip and tail rocker.
Our only gripe: the graphics (and we know, that hardly counts as a legit gripe…).
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ON3P Great Scott:
145-126-130 | 191
Hand made in OR, these boards look powerful, stable, floaty, and fun. Plus they come in small batches so you look super legit.
With a full embrace of the newest design trends on the market, the guys at ON3P may have found the magical combination of flex, taper, and rocker. Pronounced like an acronym (O.N.3.P.), these guys make a slew of different models, all high performing freeride skis.
We’ve always had a soft-spot for small manufacturers who stick to their guns and build skis they themselves want to ski on. Judging from the reviews and enthusiasm of those lucky enough to get on a pair, ON3P is doing a few things right.
If the Great Scott seems like too much of a big-mountain-powder specific ride, check out the Wrenegade which looks to be a killer ride itself…
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Tags: 2009-2010 skis
September 11th, 2010 at 7:07 am
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