For those of you who don’t know, Marshal Olson, a 20 year industry veteran, has been on a mission to bring back some of the skis from the hay days of heavy hitter charger skis. Products that these days quite frankly can’t be built because the market has pivoted towards rear entry / comfort / accessibility focus for the masses of Epic / Ikon fair weather skiers. His twist is taking is classic skis and updating not the design, but the construction & quality. No garage builds in his fleet.
The following is the first I’ve been able to hop on:
Heritage Labs r99 Comp aka the modern PM Gear Bro Model….. While a small run was made by Blossom back in the day, most Bro Models were produced in other factories. As such, the ski never really performed well with its rock hard bases that were convex & wonky flex. This iteration borrows heavily from the Blossom Pure 99 and adds a 180 length. Originals were 188 with a later 183 variant.
Okay, after several lackluster early AMs on waning Eastern spring snow, here are some initial thoughts:
Construction- Coming from the Blossom factory in Italy, this is one of their gems. The top sheet is texturized like 600 grit sandpaper and sparkles beautifully in the sunlight.
The sidewalls are absolutely works of art, and are sculpted with the race tune beveling. Skis are set from the factory at 1 degree base and 2 degree side angles. Chevron grind on the base is ready to roll.
Classy metal tail bar adds protection and sophistication. Uniform torsion box construction with tons of metal completes the retro rig.
Mounting point- After much consultation, starring, comparison to other boards and plain voodoo, I decided to go at plus one, which lands us at a mounting point of -10.5. I recently upsized to a 25.5 or 295mm boot FTR. This is a fairly conservative ski with minimal tip/tail taper & a lot of effective edge, yet still I didn’t want to be at -11.5. Marshal has indicated that the addition of an incorrect tail bar took some of the rear of the ski, but I didn’t want to be that far backwards. While marketed as a 180, this ski is only 1cm longer that my current model 177cm Black Crows Divus (which has a similar metal tail bar). Shorter than my Renoun 88 Custom @ a measured 181cm & retail 184.
Clamps- Salomon STH2 WTR 16’s - not only is this one of the best bindings on the market, it is also one of the closest to being period correct for this Heritage Ski being a modern Bro Model. (Ok- it’s not on the market, but you can still find em & the 13 is still available.)
Initial rides- Recently, I’ve become quite the fan of Thomas Sowell’s “there are no solutions, only trade offs… so know what’s on the table….” as it relates to ski gear. Certainly a 165 cm slalom ski with a radius of 12 will be a lot of fun from the chairlift until it starts to get steep, then you need to scrub speed by shutting it down sideways. A 40m OG Explosiv will never dance until 50mph, but will hold a straight line. The r99 Comp doesn’t want to pivot or play in the trees or ski with your mom (unless she is a cougar). It does want to seek the fallline & go fast. Really FAST. It demands a quick transition & 100% commitment. Any hesitation will send bone jarring reverberations thru your skeleton & result in chunddering. The lollipop shovel is just waiting for you to fuck up so it can punish you with a hard slap.
However, get it right & it slays the gnar & will rumble over anything short of a school bus. Landings are balanced and stable with just the right amount of weight in the ski to provide confidence to drive into the next arc.
Bumpers need not apply.
How it’s similar & to what- While I have read other comparisons to legend pros and the head 88s/ 98s, the ski that most often comes forefront when I’m on the r99 comp is the Head im103 in the classic orange. Wide/ long radius/ powerful. Slightly more versatile than the OG Explosiv. Able to hug the turns like an fighter jet under a skilled pilot.
This ski shines in cut up junk snow with a bias towards making big Nobis style arcs.
How it’s really different from the current market- Should you grab the run of the mill 97-100mm ski in a 18x cm, you will inevitably find yourself on a 17-18 meter ride. This badass clocks in at 24m; on the hill this translates to being able to spend more time going down the hill rather than across. Further stability is offered by an increase running length. Before you get ready to deem this a pure Cadillac, the shovels have a surprise via Hot Tub Time Machine- Blossom gifts you a 2008 non tapered muscle car grill (shovel) that you’ll have to manage like a drunk stripper.
Who’s the best pilot? Are you a 10 runs by 10am gal/guy? Do you crush 3 hours from opening bell until your shift on the Mtn starts? Do ya love Leg Blasters? Is it always leg day? Then you may have a shot…… maybez. If you are tired of hi teen turn radius skis, this may be your last refuge.
If you can squat 2x your body weight & have skills of a legit patroller & appreciate turning it up to 11 whilst crushing mank like a Ford 350 plow truck spanking Dollar General garden gnomes at a tourist rental, this is a good option.
Who is it certainly not for? Are ya looking for nice groomers? Do you like easy turns all day? These are not your skis. Also not your skis if you’re a bump & tree skier. These don’t play nice in either.
Improvements- First & foremost, let’s get this baby to a real 180cm; 180 is really the quintessential length for us non Clydesdales. For some reason the industry has gotten punch drunk on 183-4cm skis that are sorta a no man’s land. Let’s hear it for a classic 180!!! Next, we need some taper to the tip (maybe the tails). I’m a huge fan of the current crop of freeride tips as they don’t hang up when the trail gets cut up and trashed out. My plan is to take the base bevels in the shovels to 3 degrees & then detune the sides. Next grind these go to 3 on the side & 1.5 on the bases. Further, let’s add a Trad & Rad mount points @ -10 & -8cm. Modulation of / out of the torsion box construction at the distal 20cm fore & aft is also in order. Lil front rocker might be nice.
Final thoughts- I get to ski a lot of skis, these are like a Freeride SG on steroids. Marshal is a bad, bad man for putting these out to the world.
Heritage Lab Skis
*FYI, I’m 145# ; 5’9”
The following is the first I’ve been able to hop on:
Heritage Labs r99 Comp aka the modern PM Gear Bro Model….. While a small run was made by Blossom back in the day, most Bro Models were produced in other factories. As such, the ski never really performed well with its rock hard bases that were convex & wonky flex. This iteration borrows heavily from the Blossom Pure 99 and adds a 180 length. Originals were 188 with a later 183 variant.
Okay, after several lackluster early AMs on waning Eastern spring snow, here are some initial thoughts:
Construction- Coming from the Blossom factory in Italy, this is one of their gems. The top sheet is texturized like 600 grit sandpaper and sparkles beautifully in the sunlight.
The sidewalls are absolutely works of art, and are sculpted with the race tune beveling. Skis are set from the factory at 1 degree base and 2 degree side angles. Chevron grind on the base is ready to roll.
Classy metal tail bar adds protection and sophistication. Uniform torsion box construction with tons of metal completes the retro rig.
Mounting point- After much consultation, starring, comparison to other boards and plain voodoo, I decided to go at plus one, which lands us at a mounting point of -10.5. I recently upsized to a 25.5 or 295mm boot FTR. This is a fairly conservative ski with minimal tip/tail taper & a lot of effective edge, yet still I didn’t want to be at -11.5. Marshal has indicated that the addition of an incorrect tail bar took some of the rear of the ski, but I didn’t want to be that far backwards. While marketed as a 180, this ski is only 1cm longer that my current model 177cm Black Crows Divus (which has a similar metal tail bar). Shorter than my Renoun 88 Custom @ a measured 181cm & retail 184.
Clamps- Salomon STH2 WTR 16’s - not only is this one of the best bindings on the market, it is also one of the closest to being period correct for this Heritage Ski being a modern Bro Model. (Ok- it’s not on the market, but you can still find em & the 13 is still available.)
Initial rides- Recently, I’ve become quite the fan of Thomas Sowell’s “there are no solutions, only trade offs… so know what’s on the table….” as it relates to ski gear. Certainly a 165 cm slalom ski with a radius of 12 will be a lot of fun from the chairlift until it starts to get steep, then you need to scrub speed by shutting it down sideways. A 40m OG Explosiv will never dance until 50mph, but will hold a straight line. The r99 Comp doesn’t want to pivot or play in the trees or ski with your mom (unless she is a cougar). It does want to seek the fallline & go fast. Really FAST. It demands a quick transition & 100% commitment. Any hesitation will send bone jarring reverberations thru your skeleton & result in chunddering. The lollipop shovel is just waiting for you to fuck up so it can punish you with a hard slap.
However, get it right & it slays the gnar & will rumble over anything short of a school bus. Landings are balanced and stable with just the right amount of weight in the ski to provide confidence to drive into the next arc.
Bumpers need not apply.
How it’s similar & to what- While I have read other comparisons to legend pros and the head 88s/ 98s, the ski that most often comes forefront when I’m on the r99 comp is the Head im103 in the classic orange. Wide/ long radius/ powerful. Slightly more versatile than the OG Explosiv. Able to hug the turns like an fighter jet under a skilled pilot.
This ski shines in cut up junk snow with a bias towards making big Nobis style arcs.
How it’s really different from the current market- Should you grab the run of the mill 97-100mm ski in a 18x cm, you will inevitably find yourself on a 17-18 meter ride. This badass clocks in at 24m; on the hill this translates to being able to spend more time going down the hill rather than across. Further stability is offered by an increase running length. Before you get ready to deem this a pure Cadillac, the shovels have a surprise via Hot Tub Time Machine- Blossom gifts you a 2008 non tapered muscle car grill (shovel) that you’ll have to manage like a drunk stripper.
Who’s the best pilot? Are you a 10 runs by 10am gal/guy? Do you crush 3 hours from opening bell until your shift on the Mtn starts? Do ya love Leg Blasters? Is it always leg day? Then you may have a shot…… maybez. If you are tired of hi teen turn radius skis, this may be your last refuge.
If you can squat 2x your body weight & have skills of a legit patroller & appreciate turning it up to 11 whilst crushing mank like a Ford 350 plow truck spanking Dollar General garden gnomes at a tourist rental, this is a good option.
Who is it certainly not for? Are ya looking for nice groomers? Do you like easy turns all day? These are not your skis. Also not your skis if you’re a bump & tree skier. These don’t play nice in either.
Improvements- First & foremost, let’s get this baby to a real 180cm; 180 is really the quintessential length for us non Clydesdales. For some reason the industry has gotten punch drunk on 183-4cm skis that are sorta a no man’s land. Let’s hear it for a classic 180!!! Next, we need some taper to the tip (maybe the tails). I’m a huge fan of the current crop of freeride tips as they don’t hang up when the trail gets cut up and trashed out. My plan is to take the base bevels in the shovels to 3 degrees & then detune the sides. Next grind these go to 3 on the side & 1.5 on the bases. Further, let’s add a Trad & Rad mount points @ -10 & -8cm. Modulation of / out of the torsion box construction at the distal 20cm fore & aft is also in order. Lil front rocker might be nice.
Final thoughts- I get to ski a lot of skis, these are like a Freeride SG on steroids. Marshal is a bad, bad man for putting these out to the world.
Heritage Lab Skis
*FYI, I’m 145# ; 5’9”
