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2023 Lusti CWR 87

SkiTalk Test Team

Testing skis so you don't have to.
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Mar 5, 2017
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Size Tested:178cm
Location: Palisades Tahoe, Ca
Conditions; Spring glory

Philpug: Lusti is a Czech brand that has been producing skis since about 2000. Being European, they started with technical hard snow skis and have expanded to all mountain collections, and the Cross Wide Rocker (CWR) 87 is right in the middle of their offerings which range from 81mm to 95mm underfoot.

The CWR 87 has a quite smooth feel on snow that is reminiscent of skis that are $200-500 more. I am guessing that being Eastern European-based has a lot to do with that. The finish out of the wrapper is quite nice with a symmetrical chevron structure, and while they don't have the .5°/3.0° base bevel that is posted on their site, the skis were closer to a 1°/2°, well within an acceptable bevel for any 87mm ski.

The early rise is gradual and extends back a bit further than some other skis, but the flair in the 132mm tip engages very nicely. The camber underfoot is minimal and that contributed to the quiet feel. The extension to the wider square race tail with minimal rise allows the ski to carve through and finish the turn very nicely and the 178 skis true to its 18.4 m radius.

Unpiste: The CWR 87 performed well on afternoon groomers and in the bumps. Great engagement and edge hold for a ski at this width. Playful in the bumps, but you'll want to stay on top of the ski. Compares well with skis that traditionally sell at a more premium price point.

Scotskier: The Lusti CRW 87 performed well on firm(ish) snow as well as softer snow. Decent edge hold for an 87 even when driven into tight turn shapes. Comfortable, minimal effort required and didn't get floppy when pushed hard and fast
  • Insider tip: Mount up 2 cm from suggested line.
  • One thing I would change: One more size offering for smaller/women skiers.
 
Awards
Who is it for?
Those that are looking for premium feel/quality for mainstream pricing.
Who is it not for?
Name droppers, most people in the States do not know of Lusti ... yet.
Skier ability
  1. Advanced
  2. Expert
Ski category
  1. Frontside
  2. All Mountain
Ski attributes
  1. Groomers
  2. Moguls
  3. Off Piste
  4. Trees
Segment
  1. Men

Specifications

right ad
Available sizes
166,172,178,184
Dimensions
132-87-114
Radius
18.5m@178cm
Rocker profile
  1. Camber with tip and tail rocker
Binding options
  1. Flat
  2. System
  3. Plate
Last edited by a moderator:

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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Long term update: It's always good to get back on a ski after some time off and it's as good as I remember. Day one of the year we went to Mt. Rose and I took out the CWR 87 and it was indeed as good as I remembered. Lusti just builds a nice quiet and refined ski and should be on anyone's radar that is looking for an upper 80 mm ski.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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Long Term Update: Ah, early season snow and limited terrain. I grabbed the Lusti CWR 87s from the SkiTalk test rack and headed to Mt. Rose. The early Sunday crowd was pretty small so I was able to let the 87s run a bit on the few runs that were open. First thing: these skis are very smooth, much like the other Lusti offerings. Coming off the Völkl Kendo 88s from two days earlier, they felt more damp, less bright than the Kendos. These are made for cruising yet retain a wide range of turn possibilities. On the firm bumps that have been growing on the side of Kit Carson bowl they were easily manageable, either on the tops or in the troughs, no doubt helped by a fair amount of low rise in the tip and tail. While the Kendos have the 3D radius design with the underfoot being around 16 meters the CWRs hover around 18.

Though there is the rise in the tip, the sidecut runs full length and when the ski is on edge that long sidecut comes into play and is very stable in the turn. In the shaved off fluff that was developing on areas of the runs the 87s just rode through easily.

I'm looking forward to a few more runs opening and hopefully some fresh snow to continue putting these skis through the paces. As of now, I'd suggest giving them a good look if you're in the market for an 88ish all mountain ride.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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Long Term Review: Today had us at Palisades Tahoe for wonderful soft snow, both on groomers and bumps. First I took the CWR87s down a nice wide groomer making some big turns. It is so quiet on the snow and has really good turn initiation and good holding power on the tail end of the turns. Quicker turns are easy peasy too; the tip shape just helps pull you in. In the bumps they are quick and easy to pivot in the troughs or tops.

I've said before I would put these up against the Stöckli Stormrider 88. Well, fortune smiled upon me today.

@WadeHoliday (chime in here, Wade) had his personal Stöckli SR88s on hand so I was able to swap with him for a few runs. How do these two compare? On the groomers the Stöckli has an edge on smoothness. It's not a lot but it is noticeable. The Lusti has quicker turn initiation; the Stöckli is a bit slower into the turn. This is noticeable in the shape of the skis. The Lusti definitely has a more pronounced tip and tail flare while the Stormrider has a less aggressive tip shape. Once in the turn both hold with no problems. Running at higher speeds both are confident with little to no wandering. I didn't take the Stöcklis into the soft bumps because A) they're not mine and B) my legs were toast. It basically comes down to how you like your skis to enter a turn. Quicker and more playful=Lusti. More deliberate and flowy=Stöckli.
 

WadeHoliday

Out on the slopes
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North Tahoe
Yep, that lusti feels like a very nice ski!
To me felt more like an on piste profile/target with the extra shape and more pronounced tip and tail, while the SR 88 is less shapely and less engaging riding the shape of the ski around, but SR better at varying turn shape and placement of skis off piste. Lusti has amazing feel for such a reasonably priced ski... I'd keep my SR as I ski 90% off piste and feel it's more geared toward that direction with less shape and the less aggressive tip and tail dimensions.
thx for the swap Andy!
Cheers!
W
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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IMG_3800.jpeg


Long term update: After having 4-5 days on the CWR 87 I still I cannot get over how smooth and supple it is. I still comback to comparing it to the SR88 and where the Stockli is 60/40 off piste, the Lusti is 60/40 on piste. Even if you are looking for that off piste bias, it is hard to justify the 40% premium the Stockli demands.

IMG_3808.jpeg
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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Long term update:
I took a bit of a digger a week ago that revealed a bit of a knot in my right leg that I was trying to work out. I almost took the day off from skiing but we finally got this ski in a good length for me (166) the snow was good and I couldn't resist hitting the slopes with Phil and other SkiTalk crew that were out for the holidays.

When you're not 100% but a ski makes you feel like a rock star, you know it's a good ski.
As noted in earlier reviews, the smooth feel of this is on par with premium skis that have a comma in the price, but to me the turn shape was a pleasure and took some of the effort out of my cranky leg. I took a little adventure off piste with it and was pleased to find a sweet spot that reassured me that this could be a great ski for someone who wants a ski that excels on piste but will take you on an adventure when you're inclined to dip into the trees for a titch.
 

textrovert

Reelin' in the years
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Bay Area and Incline Village
I got to try out the Lusti CWR87 (178cm) SkiTalk test ski yesterday at Diamond Peak.

Quick review: Only skied groomers. Effortless ride. Large sweet spot. Much damper then what I was expecting for their weight. Nice arcs for long radius, but also easy to make quick short turns with zero tail lock issues. Great ski. Felt confident on them immediately.

Look/finish off top sheet really nice in person. The base grind, assuming it's what was out of factory, was high quality with diagonal stripe pattern down the middle.

Hope to ski more varied terrain in this ski and expand on my comments here.

Screenshot_20221226-140453~2.png
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
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Reno
I got to try out the Lusti CWR87 (178cm) SkiTalk test ski yesterday at Diamond Peak.

Quick review: Only skied groomers. Effortless ride. Large sweet spot. Much damper then what I was expecting for their weight. Nice arcs for long radius, but also easy to make quick short turns with zero tail lock issues. Great ski. Felt confident on them immediately.

Look/finish off top sheet really nice in person. The base grind, assuming it's what was out of factory, was high quality with diagonal stripe pattern down the middle.

Hope to ski more varied terrain in this ski and expand on my comments here.

View attachment 187065
Glad you liked them. Now give them back! :roflmao:
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
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Joined
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Long Term Review: I took the CWR87s out two days in a row at Mt. Rose. Day one was fresh soft groomers after a quite a few snow cycles. It stopped long enough for the outstanding crew at Rose to catch up and flatten things out a bit before the next storm. I stayed on groomers only the first day and had a blast. The 87s are really smooth, quick to initiate and easy to ride through the turn. They're stated as an 18 meter radius but it feels like it's smaller when at higher edge angles.

Day 2 was a mixed bag after 5-6" of champagne fresh overnight. The groomers got cut up quickly, as expected, but the snow stayed light. I was able to score on first track and it was buttah! Smooth and stupidly fun. After getting tracked up, the CWRs just ride through, arcing turns or slashing, your choice. I also did a few short drops through trees and glades. The quick turn initiation is money in those areas where your really, really don't want to run into anything.

Keep in mind these are 87 underfoot with a load of around 220#+ on them. They floated just fine with a little speed behind them but, knowing the harder snow was on a half foot down in most spots, slower sunken turns were easy too.

I have come to the conclusion that, for me, a mid to upper 80 underfoot ski can be a one ski quiver for all except the deepest days and even then, most stuff is chopped and packing up in the first hour or so. A narrower ski with a wide performance band will handle those conditions just fine and the Lusti CWR 87 proves that.

20230119_110222.jpg

Heading into the trees.

20230119_095458.jpg

The cut up areas proved to be no problem.

20230119_090354.jpg

First tracks are fun on any ski. They're funner on the Lusti CWR 87.
 

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