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2021 Line Blade

cantunamunch

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I *really* want to hear from the Tahoe and Mammoth skiers who test this in late-April early May sticky gunk.


this type of ski construction really only belongs in soft conditions.

I want to know if this type of design is *better* for spring Sierra snow than my current standby: reverse camber 5 point stiff 110+ (think Zag H112, Volkl One/Two)
 
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Ron

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@Tony S no violins this season my friend, Im skiing as much powder as I can. :). if it makes you feel any better, every powder day has been a test day,, so technically I was working. :).
 
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Tony S

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When you lay weight on them they turn much faster & harder than people behind you might expect
This is a phenomenon that goes with arc-to-arc skiing generally - not specific to any ski. People are used to other folks on the hill traveling in a fundamentally down-the-fall-line direction regardless of which way their skis are pointed, because most folks on the hill don't know how to do anything else. Normally the only time they ever see someone skiing across the fall line it's on what's more or less an old-school traverse, which is easy to spot and more or less "expected" as one of the things that can happen ahead of you.

As soon as you start to combine high speed across the fall line with slow progress down the fall line, as with arc-to-arc skiing, you are HIGHLY susceptible to collisions. The further around you take each turn before transitioning the greater the risk. Specifically, people behind you end up moving down the hill much faster than you are, even though you might be traveling across the snow at least as fast if not faster. They see you moving really fast and their brains say, "Oh, I'm not going to catch up to someone moving that fast." In fact they catch up to the spot where you're going to be VERY fast, but they are not visualizing that kind of trajectory.

When I ski carved turns I am hyper-vigilant about my surroundings and will often just bail to the side of the run and wait until no one is around before continuing. I just know from experience that other skiers simply do not anticipate these kinds of movements. Whose "fault" any collision might be from a Skier's Code point of view is kind of irrelevant when you know that folks are unprepared to understand what's going on in their environment.
 

Tony S

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if it makes you [feel] any better, every powder day has been a test day,, so technically I was working
yeah no
 
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AtleB

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Another target group for the ski are big footed skiers.
I have a friend with mondo 33 boots (very competent skier) who sometimes suffers from boot drag, not so on these skis.
 

cantunamunch

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When I ski carved turns I am hyper-vigilant about my surroundings and will often just bail to the side of the run and wait until no one is around before continuing. I just know from experience that other skiers simply do not anticipate these kinds of movements. Whose "fault" any collision might be from a Skier's Code point of view is kind of irrelevant when you know that folks are unprepared to understand what's going on in their environment.

Do you find that academy hills are better about this aspect than others.


Another target group for the ski are big footed skiers.
I have a friend with mondo 33 boots (very competent skier) who sometimes suffers from boot drag, not so on these skis.

Does he use lifters? How tall?

If I get this ski I would get lifters on general principles. The most important of which is "I like them". *continues hoarding RDX plates*
 

Ron

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As soon as you start to combine high speed across the fall line with slow progress down the fall line, as with arc-to-arc skiing, you are HIGHLY susceptible to collisions. The further around you take each turn before transitioning the greater the risk. Specifically, people behind you end up moving down the hill much faster than you are, even though you might be traveling across the snow at least as fast if not faster. They see you moving really fast and their brains say, "Oh, I'm not going to catch up to someone moving that fast." In fact they catch up to the spot where you're going to be VERY fast, but they are not visualizing that kind of trajectory.

great post! yeah, I just wait until there's no one reasonably close to me below and above but always have my head on a swivel.
 

James

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Evolutionary tree-
Salomon BBR to Icelantic Shaman to Line Blade?
Surely there’s others in there @cantunamunch ?
 

anders_nor

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This is a phenomenon that goes with arc-to-arc skiing generally - not specific to any ski. People are used to other folks on the hill traveling in a fundamentally down-the-fall-line direction regardless of which way their skis are pointed, because most folks on the hill don't know how to do anything else. Normally the only time they ever see someone skiing across the fall line it's on what's more or less an old-school traverse, which is easy to spot and more or less "expected" as one of the things that can happen ahead of you.

As soon as you start to combine high speed across the fall line with slow progress down the fall line, as with arc-to-arc skiing, you are HIGHLY susceptible to collisions. The further around you take each turn before transitioning the greater the risk. Specifically, people behind you end up moving down the hill much faster than you are, even though you might be traveling across the snow at least as fast if not faster. They see you moving really fast and their brains say, "Oh, I'm not going to catch up to someone moving that fast." In fact they catch up to the spot where you're going to be VERY fast, but they are not visualizing that kind of trajectory.

When I ski carved turns I am hyper-vigilant about my surroundings and will often just bail to the side of the run and wait until no one is around before continuing. I just know from experience that other skiers simply do not anticipate these kinds of movements. Whose "fault" any collision might be from a Skier's Code point of view is kind of irrelevant when you know that folks are unprepared to understand what's going on in their environment.
This is very true, and Im very aware, when I got hit there were pretty much 2 people on the slope, my GF filming, and me, and she naaaaaailed me hard. I was about 10-15 turns into it when she hit.
 

cantunamunch

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Evolutionary tree-
Salomon BBR to Icelantic Shaman to Line Blade?
Surely there’s others in there @cantunamunch ?

Heh. Do we count evolutionary dead ends like the Zag Gold , Ramp Shabang ?

There's some freaky stuff out there. Frex, check out the Imperial Dino. 139-94-139.


Or, did you want 15m in a 194?

 
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Tony S

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This is very true, and Im very aware, when I got hit there were pretty much 2 people on the slope, my GF filming, and me, and she naaaaaailed me hard. I was about 10-15 turns into it when she hit.
Okay, now we need the footage!
 

anders_nor

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I promised her not to post it, its on a gopro 360and both awesome and painfull to watch, you can see her riding over my ski, locking it as I rotate around, needless to say ER was next. ski was 1 way, body the other.

she assumed I was faster than her, so your writeup was about 110% correct. but she was straight lining it, and caught up.
 

James

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Most collisions I’ve seen from two or more people arcing into the same spot have been people in the same group. One had us picking up the pieces for 30 yards. It was amazing injuries were minor.
 

James

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Or, did you want 15m in a 194?

A 194cm/15m carbon ski. Sign me up for the nightmare...

I did talk to someone who was around when Elan tested their SCX’s in like 1992. They had these things in 200cm. Imagine skiing a massive highly shaped ski when the whole world is straight skis. He said the long ones were kind of terrifying as you didn’t know if it would release and you’re heading for the woods.
 

cantunamunch

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I am still absolutely convinced that short published radii on anything that size is more about intermediates finding the dynamic balance sweet spot quicker, rather than actually making turns that size. "You've found the edge, here's the centrifugal force proof, you can stop tipping the ski now"

The thing about the stiff SCXs in that era was that they were 62cm underfoot AND they had EPBS-type fiberglass plates underfoot. You couldn't not find "OK the edge is right THERE" tipping sweet spot if you tried. Contrast that with the Dynastar Max prototypes and their laughable edge feel - i mean lack thereof.
 
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