2024 Peak 88 by Bode

[SkiTalk Test Team]

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Tricia:
Length tested: 168 cm
Sizing Scaled
Location tested: Aspen Snowmass/Alpine Meadows
Conditions: Cold chalky snow/boot top powder

This is one of the most referenced ski widths in the industry for a very good reason. It's narrow enough to be a daily driver, and wide enough to venture off piste. In the case of the Peak 88, the referenced width happens to be listed in the 168 length which is an ideal length for me.

When the Peak 88 was first made available to test, I had been skiing another 88 mm waisted ski in this coveted category which made for an ideal test environment. First, I was impressed with the finish on the Peak, but it was time to click in and take it to the snow. Peak Skis does not publish their turning radius, which is something they take pride in. The first few turns revealed a slightly longer turn radius than I was experiencing with the previous ski that I was on, but that wasn't the only difference. The Peak 88 has a nice balance between smooth and playful that isn't often found in a ski. When I had a chance to talk to Bode about the KeyHole™ technology it gave me a better understanding of where these attributes come from, and I quickly found myself playing in the moguls, and letting these beauties run on the long groomers that Snowmass serves up.

The second day I got on the Peak 88 was a surprise powder day when we returned to Alpine Meadows, which is where they showed me yet another place to shine: charging through the Sierra powder and chopped leftovers.

• Insider tip: Don't dismiss this new brand.

Long term update (11/27/22): I got on this ski not once but thrice this season. When its time to figure out a day serving up mixed conditions, there are a handful of skis that I gravitate to, and this is one of them. The smoothness and solid feel underfoot proved to be confidence inspiring, just what a skier needs in early season crowded WROD conditions. It was easy to maneuver through the moving targets and held up nicely when things got bumpy. This ski has a really big sweet spot.

Philpug:
Length Tested: 184
Location tested: Snowmass
Conditions: Old chalky snow

I have been on almost every other 88-90 mm ski that will be offered both all new and carry over and I can say with confidence that the Peak 88 is a top performing option. Most of the 88's I have been on have been in the 178-180 mm length and the Peak 88's were a bit longer at 184 but honestly the Peak offering was one of the compliant 88's I tested in recent memory. it was smooth, agile and extremely quiet.

The shape of the Peak 88 might sound or look familiar to some, the mold is shared with another Elan which makes a bit of sense because the Peak 88 is produced in the Elan factory. That will be the question, then why spend about $150 more for the Peak than the Elan? Well there are a few reasons. The obvious first one is that the Peak integrates Bodes' Keyhole design. The KeyHole™ is a cut out in the top layer of titanal just in front of the toe piece. The KeyHole™ is something Bode has been working in since his days with Rossignol. The KeyHole™ allows the ski to flex a bit more naturally both longitudinally and torsionally to create a smoother transition into the turn. The other design aspect of the Peak that differentiates itself from the Elan is the lack of Amphibio in the design. The additional uphill inside edge control of not have Amphibio combined with the keyhole creates a great combination of control and power.

• Insider tip: No need to wait for Bode's next project, this is his last stop.

@King Grump: Both @A Grump (5'/10", #240 27 yr) and I (5'/6", #155, 68 yr) been on the Peak 88, 176 cm at Jackson this week. It's a very capable ski. Groomers ranged from soft fresh to hard pack. Bumps were similar with the addition of some chicken heads in the Hobacks.
The feel is a bit glassy when sliding around hard packs in low speed. The glassy feel disappears once on edge. Good top end on the groomers. Good edge grip.
He like the ski well enough to keep it. I still like my 2023 Kendo a bit better.

For more Peak Skis reviews from our other readers, please check out the Never ending Peak Skis Discussion

 

[Philpug]

Long term update (11/10/23): Last year when I got on a the Peak 88, I was only able to ski it in the 184 cm length which for an 88 mm ski a little longer than I would like. When we had the chance to add the 2024 version with the updated graphics, which IMHO look stellar in person, we added the next size down which is a 176 cm. The 184 cm was too long and I had an initial concern that the 176 cm might be a bit short and honestly I was right on both accounts. In a perfect would I would love to ski the 88 by Bode in a 180 cm but that is just not in the cards. So I have to make the best of it.

I don't have a problem skiing a ski that is slightly long or short for me, I am pretty adept in discerning the different and quite frankly, I don't expect every ski in my size, the 180 that I would prefer would also usually come in a 172 cm and 188 cm lengths which put someone else in-between sizes. We could have easlity brought the Peak 88 by Bode in to the fleet as the 184 but I chose the shorter so others can get on it. I also chose to put a Tyrolia Attack Protector on them fo people can experience that binding.

On the snow: This was opening day at Mt Rose so the there was a lot of enthusastic skiers so there was a lot of skiing with my head on a swivel but even on the crowded trails, the Peak 88 held it's own when I really expect the length to show some limitations. Where the 184 felt G.S.-ish whne I skied it at Snowmass, the 176 cm felt like a high powered sports SUV, quick to reack yet handled the chopped snow with ease and tbe best part, it didn't get pushed around. If I was skiing in the East it would be a fine choice for me in this length. I will be interested in hearing @Tricia's view after she spent a lot of time on the 168cm version and if she has a simialr experience as me when I skied the 184 cm.

 

[Jerez]

I purchased the 88s from a SkiTalker to be "tweeners" in my Stockli Laser Ax 78 and Liberty Envy 106 powder ski quiver.

8 days so far.

Not a Tester. Not a Pro or even a proclaimed expert (though I do occasionally ski blacks )Just an older, recreational, but I think fairly competent, skier:

Day One I had buyer's remorse. The tails felt like they were weak, gave out easily and I felt like I was constantly pressuring too far forward. Had to exaggerate dorsiflextion.

My Laser AXs that I love are mostly tip and a little tail. The Peaks are the opposite. Peaks are 160 AXs 154 yet the AXs have more ski in front of the toe piece than do the Peaks. So may have contributed to that insecure feeling of not enough ski there.

It took a few days to get to know these skis. They like to be skied more centered, not driven forward. They also respond to more fore and aft movement through the turn. I think they might Good For You skis. I needed to pay more attention to how I was skiing to feel them come alive. But when they do WOW. They made me a better skier and when I went back to the AXs I think I skied them better too.

Despite having a longer supposed radius, when on edge and carving they make shorter turns with the same effort than my shorter AXs. And they are faaaast.

Taking them off piste in some wettish soft cut up bumps recently they were more forgiving than the AXs in that snow. In early season frozen chicken heads from the man-made piles that were spread over a newly open run, while others were flailing these skis hardly noticed.

I'm glad I waited to post my experience until I spent some time on them.

I haven't had a chance to get them in the trees yet, but am hopeful they won't disappoint.

That said, if I know I am going to be skiing strictly groomers with firm snow, I would take the Laser AXs out instead. They require less attention to carve well especially at slower speeds. But the 88s are more versatile and a whole lot of fun and worth the extra effort for a day of mixed conditions and terrain.

Bottom Line: I love these skis!

I am sorry Bode Miller is having so much trouble as evidenced by the recent 45% off sale and the rather desperate soundnding crowd funding attempt. I can understand why some feel it is a problem if his own making, but the skis are great and I would like to see them have a chance.

 

[ScottB]

Glad you like them. Bode has said the the binding mount location on his skis is important to make things work properly with the keyhole design. Unfortunately, the standard industry practice of putting a single line on a given ski for mounting doesn't allow for skiers of different sizes and weights to "customize" the mount location. I am very big, and I often move my mount location back a cm or so to compensate for my size. Its kind of a tribal knowledge thing, but after reading your post and you are on short skis, it might be why they ski different. You might call peak and see what they recommend for mounting location for your ski length and your size. With adjustable bindings you can just experiment, with fixed bindings its much more of a PITA.

 

[Tony S]

My Laser AXs that I love are mostly tip and a little tail. The Peaks are the opposite. Peaks are 160 AXs 154 yet the AXs have more ski in front of the toe piece than do the Peaks. So may have contributed to that insecure feeling of not enough ski there.

Stöcklis are known for having rearward mount points.

 

[Tony S]

I purchased the 88s from a SkiTalker to be "tweeners" in my Stockli Laser Ax 78 and Liberty Envy 106 powder ski quiver.

8 days so far.

Not a Tester. Not a Pro or even a proclaimed expert (though I do occasionally ski blacks )Just an older, recreational, but I think fairly competent, skier:

Day One I had buyer's remorse. The tails felt like they were weak, gave out easily and I felt like I was constantly pressuring too far forward. Had to exaggerate dorsiflextion.

My Laser AXs that I love are mostly tip and a little tail. The Peaks are the opposite. Peaks are 160 AXs 154 yet the AXs have more ski in front of the toe piece than do the Peaks. So may have contributed to that insecure feeling of not enough ski there.

It took a few days to get to know these skis. They like to be skied more centered, not driven forward. They also respond to more fore and aft movement through the turn. I think they might Good For You skis. I needed to pay more attention to how I was skiing to feel them come alive. But when they do WOW. They made me a better skier and when I went back to the AXs I think I skied them better too.

Despite having a longer supposed radius, when on edge and carving they make shorter turns with the same effort than my shorter AXs. And they are faaaast.

Taking them off piste in some wettish soft cut up bumps recently they were more forgiving than the AXs in that snow. In early season frozen chicken heads from the man-made piles that were spread over a newly open run, while others were flailing these skis hardly noticed.

I'm glad I waited to post my experience until I spent some time on them.

I haven't had a chance to get them in the trees yet, but am hopeful they won't disappoint.

That said, if I know I am going to be skiing strictly groomers with firm snow, I would take the Laser AXs out instead. They require less attention to carve well especially at slower speeds. But the 88s are more versatile and a whole lot of fun and worth the extra effort for a day of mixed conditions and terrain.

Bottom Line: I love these skis!

I am sorry Bode Miller is having so much trouble as evidenced by the recent 45% off sale and the rather desperate soundnding crowd funding attempt. I can understand why some feel it is a problem if his own making, but the skis are great and I would like to see them have a chance.

What about the snow feel? Porter, Copper Ale, or Pils?

 

[neonorchid]

What about the snow feel? Porter, Copper Ale, or Pils?

...you left out Stout

Now if we were talking the 98 or 104 Davenport you'd want to include Heineken 0.0 and O'Douls in the mix


Full disclosure, I have never skied a Peak ski

 

[Tony S]

...you left out Stout

That was by design. I put it in there at first and then decided it could be confusing because it also means "stiff." I didn't want my analogy to get mixed up with any kind of straightforward talk.

 

[Jerez]

Guinness on draft in Dublin.

 

[dan ross]

Continuing the beer metaphor, what would be the Black and Tan ski ?

 

[Deke]

Could anyone expand on choosing a length for this ski? I am 5'6" and 170lbs and also 67yo. My home area is Telluride which tends to be pretty tight, bumpy and hard except immediately after a storm. I am torn between 176 and 168, knowing that 176 will be fun in the wide open, but the reality is 168 might make more sense overall. Any feedback???

 

[Tony S]

Could anyone expand on choosing a length for this ski? I am 5'6" and 170lbs and also 67yo. My home area is Telluride which tends to be pretty tight, bumpy and hard except immediately after a storm. I am torn between 176 and 168, knowing that 176 will be fun in the wide open, but the reality is 168 might make more sense overall. Any feedback???

@KingGrump what length are you on with this ski?

 

[Jerez]

My stats are very different from yours. I am 5'3.5" 116 lbs, and, ahem, a few years older than you.

But my home mountains are Santa Fe and Winter Park. Some of the terrain and conditions are very similar to T-Ride (Love your mountain BTW!)

My groomer ski is a Stockli AX in 154. My powder ski is a Liberty 106 in 167 length. I got the Peak 88 in 160 and have been very happy with it. 90% of the time, that's the ski I take out now.

Folks say they ski short, and they do feel short at first, especially if you are used to a traditionally mounted, directional ski. For instance, the Peaks mounted on the line have the same amount of ski in front of the binding as the Stockli AXs mounted a notch forward.

Hope that helps.

 

[KingGrump]

@KingGrump what length are you on with this ski?

For T-ride and his stat, 168.

 

[Deke]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!