2024 Peak 98 by Bode

[SkiTalk Test Team]

​

Philpug:
Length Tested: 184
Location tested: Snowmass/Alpine Meadows
Conditions: Old chalky snow/6-8" of fresh.

I skied the 88 first and then got on the 98. The 88’s wider brother is a different animal and a strong one at that. If you watched Bode's explanation of his design philosophy, he prefers to adust the turn shape, not by sidecut, but by flex, and this is where Peak's Keyhole Technology comes into play, allowing torsional flex without compromising edge control. On harder snow, the keyhole can torsionally bend into a turn nicely and the longer radius keeps the ski going where you want it to go in deeper snow.

Having the Peak 98 in our long term test fleet I have the luxury to take it out in a multitude conditions and terrrain that I see fit. I initially took the 98 into days old bumps, crud, and mixed, and this is where the longer radius really felt at home. On the groomers, the 98 was a little more relaxed with more of a giant slalom feel ...attributes that will lend itself to wind buff and steeps. It was when I took the Peak into some deeper snow where it really started to shine and let its personality come through.

• Insider tip: Look past the numbers, this is a much more versatile ski than the numbers dictate.
• Insider tip II: New 160cm length for 2024
• One thing I'd change: I'd like to see graphics that are a bit bolder and the "Keyhole" acknowledged in the graphics.

Long term update (12/28/22): Mt Rose, the day after 16-19" of fresh, not heavy, not light, not Sierra Cement but nice dry compacted windbuff that turned chalkier and chalkier run after run. There was no less than 6-10 skis I could have grabbed from our rack but I chose the Peak 98. IMHO, the reference ski for my in these conditions would be the Augment AM98ti, so how does the $899 Peak 98 compare to the $1,395 Augment? Well I can say, if you don't have the means or the cajones to drop almost $1,400 for the Augment ...that is even if you can get your hands on one, you will be too short changed to be on the Peak 98 with still almost $500 still in your bank account or better, not on your credit card statement.​

​

What does that all mean? The Peak 98 handled these condtions as well as I could have expected and it did it without fanfare. The Peak 98 is a good example of why we do these long term updates, these skis are like onions, the more we peel back the layers, the more we learn.​

Andy Mink: It was a good day for a test of the 98s at Mt. Rose today. There was fresh light snow, shin deep or more in spots, falling snow, and some very flat light. Those are the conditions where you want the ski to work WITH you when you can't really see what the snow is like on the ground in front of you. I can safely say the Peak 98s felt very chill in these conditions. There were no surprises as I went from untracked to tracked to piles, in many cases not being able to see it until I was in it. The long rise in tip and tail rode the changes without complaint and made quick pivots in the line easy even though the radius is a pretty relaxed 23 meters. While on edge and not smearing or pivoting the long radius made for a very stable ride over the small but numerous wind waves on the lower green groomers. The skis felt very quiet and composed. The tips stayed surprising planted and fairly high speeds felt safe, even in the poor light.

With the 16 or so inches over the last few days on top of what was in the trees already, I was able to dive in without a lot of worry about finding rocks or stumps. The quick, pivoty feel made short work of even the tighter trees. The skis have a very surfy, playful feel IN the snow but can be pushed at a pretty good clip ON the snow.

I was skiing the Peak at 184. The ski is quick enough that only the tightest trees would make the it seem too long. A bigger skier on a wide open area would also definitely want the longer option.

So. Keyhole Technology. I honestly can't say whether or not it does what it's claimed to. Maybe on harder snow it would make itself known but in the soft snow I encountered today I'm not sure. Skiing two pair of Peaks side by side, one with and one without, might be the only way to really notice a difference. A ski that does what it's designed to do and does it transparently is a good thing. In the meantime I'll take Bode's word for it. You don't buy a ski for it's tech; you buy it because it skis how you want it to and does it well. And I'll be glad to take these skis out again and again.

Long Term Update(12/6/22) It was a bluebird day at Mt. Rose today and my legs are still not up to mid-season condition, especially after a longer day than normal yesterday. Lots of the open powder and push piles had been either groomed or skier packed so conditions were a bit different than yesterday. Visibility was also top notch. The Peaks continued to put a smile on my face in the remaining soft bumps and skier packed runs. The trees that were barely touched by the time we left yesterday had seen a lot more action so moving from untracked to tracked out was the name of the game. The long rise just ate up the differences and the ski proved again it is easy to pivot and slip when an unexpected tree pops up in your chosen path.​

​

The snow over the two days I've been on the Peaks has been stellar, remaining soft and fun. I'll be interested to see how the Peak 98 handles if things firm up and scratchy groomers appear.​

​

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